But Kasimir had changed her, completely and irrevocably. He’d forced her to be who she really was inside. And shown her that living boldly was the only way to honor the sacrifice her mother had made, and the life she’d been given.
He’d done that for her. She yearned to do something for him. She wanted to teach him that being vulnerable, that trusting others, could be his greatest strength. Josie snuggled deeper into his arms. She would help him break free from the chains of anger and revenge....
Morning sunlight was bright against the white canvas of the tent when Josie opened her eyes. She sat up abruptly. She was alone amid the tangled sheets of the bed. Much of the tent, too, was empty. She saw his packed suitcase beside her own backpack at the door. Weird. Were they going somewhere?
But where was Kasimir?
Kasimir. Just his name was like a song in her heart. Rising from the bed, she splashed fresh cool water on her face from the basin, then pulled on a clean T-shirt, a cotton skirt and sandals from the wardrobe and went outside.
Her heart pounded as she looked for him. She was going to tell him she loved him. Now. Today. The instant she saw him.
But where was he? All of the servants in the encampment seemed to be rushing around strangely, boxing up, packing. She wondered if they were tidying up from the wind storm the night before. Maybe it had been a big one. Not that Josie had noticed. She’d been too distracted by the sensual storm in their bed. A sweet smile lifted her lips. She started towards one of the women, to ask if she’d seen Kasimir. Then Josie stopped.
He was standing alone on the highest dune. His powerful dark silhouette dazzled her. He was like the sun—her northern star.
With an intake of breath, she climbed the sand dune towards him, as fast as she could go. Looking around, she realized she’d come to love the vastness and beauty of the desert. It didn’t feel so lonely anymore, or make her feel small.
As long as she was with Kasimir, the world was a wondrous place.
She stopped. Was she making a mistake to tell him she loved him? Would it ruin everything?
She looked at him again, and her shoulders relaxed. Her momentary fear floated away, evaporating like dark smoke into the blue sky, like a shadow beneath the bright Moroccan sun. She didn’t have to be afraid. Not anymore. Kasimir had believed in her.
And now, she believed in herself.
“I’m not afraid,” she said aloud. Her legs regained their strength. She started to walk towards his broad-shouldered shadow on the top of the dune, silhouetted against the bright sun.
A warm desert wind blew against her skin, tossing tendrils of her hair in her face as she reached him. She was so happy to see his handsome face that tears filled her eyes. “Kasimir. There’s something I need to...”
“I have good news,” he interrupted coldly.
She looked at him more closely. His desert garb was gone. No more tight black T-shirts. No more cargo shorts or jeans, either. Instead, he was back in his dark suit with a tie and vest. He looked exactly like the same dangerous tycoon she’d first met in Honolulu.
In the distance, she heard a loud buzzing noise. Suddenly feeling uncertain, she echoed, “Good news?”
He gave a single sharp nod. “I’m taking you with me. To Russia. So I can get your sister.”
“Oh,” Josie said faintly. “That is good news.”
It was. But why was his handsome face so expressionless, as if they were total strangers? Why did he seem so suddenly distant, as if they hadn’t spent last night ripping off each other’s clothes? Why did he look at her as if he barely knew her when just hours before he had been gasping with sweaty pleasure, deep inside her?
“Time to go,” he said flatly.
Looking at him in his suit, Josie suddenly felt cold in the warm morning air. The joyful, emotional barbarian with the unguarded heart, the one who’d taught her to ride horses, to snowboard sand, to make love—was gone. She bit her lip. “When?”
He glanced behind him, and she saw an approaching helicopter in the wide blue sky. “Right now.”
Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her body, feeling chilly in her cotton shirt. They stood only a few feet apart on the sand, but there was suddenly a deep, wide ocean between them that she didn’t understand.
His cruel, sensual lips curved. “We’re leaving to find your sister. Aren’t you happy?”
“I am,” she said miserably. Then, reminding herself she was brave and bold, she lifted her gaze. “But why are you acting like this?”
He blinked. “Like what?”
“Like...” She looked straight into his eyes. “Like last night meant nothing.”
“It meant something.” He took a step towards her, his face hard as a marble statue. “It meant...a few hours of fun.”
It was like a stab in the heart. “Fun?”
Kasimir gave her a coldly charming smile, looking every inch the heartless playboy the world believed him to be. “Oh, yes.” He tilted his head, looking at her sideways. “Definitely fun.”
For an instant, Josie could hardly breathe through the pain. Then she saw a flash of something in his expression, something quickly veiled and hidden. Her eyes widened as she searched his gaze.
“You’re deliberately pushing me away,” she breathed.
His expression hardened as he set his jaw. “Don’t.”
“Last night meant something to you. I know it did!”
“It was an amusement, just to pass the time. But that time is over. Let’s get this done. Get our divorce. Then we’ll never have to see each other again.”
She licked her lips as the approaching helicopter grew louder. “But you said...we could still be friends....”
“Friends?” He gave a harsh, ugly laugh. “You really think that would work? You expect me to give up my life and join you in your fairy-tale world, where families love and forgive?” He slowly walked around her, his eyes glittering in the white sun. “Tell me. Are you already picturing me mowing the lawn outside your storybook cottage with the white picket fence?”
“You’re using my dreams against me?” she whispered. His sneer ripped through her heart. She blinked back tears. “Why are you being so cruel?”
Kasimir stopped. The helicopter landed on the pad some distance behind him, causing sand to fly in waves. His black hair whipped wildly around his face as he looked down at her. When he finally spoke, his voice had changed.
“Whatever happened between us last night,” he said quietly, “cannot last. Someday soon you will learn the truth about me. And you will hate me.”
She shook her head fiercely. “I will never—”
“I’m not giving up my revenge.” His blue eyes suddenly blazed. Reaching out, he grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t you understand? You can’t make me give it up, no matter how good or kind you are, or how you look at me. I’m never going to change, so don’t even try.”
“But you can,” she choked out. A single tear spilled over her lashes. “You could be so much more....”
A flash of raw vulnerability filled his stark blue eyes as he stared down at her. “A woman like you would be a fool to care about a man like me,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t do it, Josie. Don’t.”
She stared at him with an intake of breath.
“It is growing late.” The cold mask reasserted itself on his handsome face. Abruptly releasing her, he turned towards the waiting helicopter. “Time to go.”
An ache filled her throat.
“It’s too late already,” she whispered, but he’d already turned away.
CHAPTER NINE
HAPPINESS COULD BE corrosive as acid, when you knew it wasn’t going to last.
Kasimir gripped the phone to his ear as he stared at the snowy Russian forest outside the window of the dark-walled study. Greg Hudson’s voice was grating on the other end of the line.
“So—the New Year’s Eve ball tonight? I am tired of waiting,” the man complained.
“Yes. And once you are paid,” Kasimir replied tightly, “you will never contact me again, or speak of our deal to anyone.”
“Of course, of course. I just want the money you owe me. Especially since my boss at the Hale Ka’nani found out about your bribe and fired me.”
“You are sure Vladimir and Bree are attending the ball?”
“Yes. I’ve been watching them, as you said. You owe me extra, for freezing my butt off in Russia. I could be sipping piña coladas on a beach right now.”
“Eleven o’clock.” Kasimir tossed his phone across the desk. With a deep breath, he looked back out the window. It was the first time he’d seen snow in ten years.
And a million miles from where he’d woken up that morning. In the heat of the Sahara, waking in Josie’s arms to the soft pink dawn, Kasimir had known perfect happiness for the first time in his adult life. He’d held her, listening to the soft sound of her breath as she slept. For thirty seconds, he’d known peace. He’d known joy. And the feelings were alien and terrifying....