Air Bound

17

MAXIM sighed and brought her hand to his mouth, pressing kisses into the center of her palm. “I’ll get the hang of relationships, Airiana. I’m learning, it just seems I’m on the slow side.”

He scraped his teeth back and forth over the two connecting rings. Hers. His. Those rings, a strange phenomenon of the Prakenskii men, had sealed their fate together. He had run like a rabbit from her in his mind for far too long. He wanted choices and felt as if that had been taken from him so he’d been a child throwing a tantrum. Now he not only accepted that Airiana was his first and only choice, but that he was a very lucky man.

“When a man who has never had anyone finds a woman like you, Airiana, he can’t help but hold too tight. How could he not? Losing you would rip out what’s left of my soul—and God help me—there isn’t much left.” He made the confession looking at her palm, at the rings, not at her face. He already knew what her expression would be.

Airiana had more compassion in her little finger than most people did in their hearts. She would understand. She probably understood him better than he did himself.

“You aren’t going to lose me. I’m not the running type. If you get too far out of hand, believe me, Maxim, I’ll be sitting you down and we’ll be having the talk.”

He kissed her open hand much more intimately, pressing his tongue into the very heart of her palm. He looked up quickly, wanting to see her eyes go wide with shock. She felt the intimate kiss deep in her very core—another wonderful phenomenon given to the Prakenskii men and their women.

Her lips parted in a little round O and she pulled her palm away from him. “That could get us in trouble.”

He laughed softly. “Or keep you in line.”

She examined her palm. “Does it work both ways? Can I do that to you?”

A groan escaped before he could stop it. The thought of her mouth so intimate on his body was enough to make him as hard as a rock all over again. “Yes. But please don’t. Not yet. I’m really trying to be a decent man here. You need to rest and have some food. We’ve got all day before they come for us.”

A shadow moved across her face. “Come for us? Do you think they’re going to find us? Which ones? It’s seems like everyone’s after us.”

“Evan’s men? Sorbacov’s men? It’s all the same.” He shrugged. “If they come here looking, Jorge won’t point them in our direction. We’re honeymooners, and he’s known me for several years. No, I meant Stefan . . . Thomas and Levi,” he corrected himself.

She sent him a quick, amused glance from under the sweep of her lashes, most likely remembering his first reaction to her knowing he was a Prakenskii. He had to remember to use his brothers’ new identities when talking to them or referring to them.

“Thomas and Levi are going to come here?”

“If I ask, they’ll come. With the two of them here, no one is going to stop us from getting home. Jorge keeps a small private airstrip for his guests and they’ll be able to bring in a plane. We can take it back to the Little River Airport.” He made up his mind. With his brothers, he could protect her better.

She brought up her knees and hugged them, an action he realized she did when she was nervous. “I want to go home more than anything, Maxim. You know I do, and it’s all I think about . . .” She sent him a shy look. “When I’m not thinking about you. But I don’t want to put the people I love in danger.”

“I think they’re already in danger whether you’re there or not. If Evan gets his hands on any one of them, you’d attempt to give yourself up for them.”

“Attempt?” She raised her eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t allow you to be so foolish.” He caught her chin when she would have protested and looked into her eyes, wanting her to know he meant every word he said. “I can’t be anything but who I am, Airiana. I’ll always protect you, even from yourself. You can’t expect less of me. Sometimes you aren’t going to agree with my decisions, but when it comes to your protection, you aren’t going to win any arguments.”

Airiana chewed on her lower lip while she turned over and over in her mind his declaration. He was obviously stating a fact to her, one she had to think about. She knew he would be dominant and a little overbearing at times, but she saw into him and knew he was a good man who would always put her first. She hadn’t quite thought that part all the way through. Putting her first meant sometimes he would decide what was best for her, rather than talking it over.

She let her gaze drift over him. He would never be considered handsome, he was far too rough-looking for that, but she loved his face. He was all hard planes and angles, scars and a perpetual five-o’clock shadow. His eyes were hooded and reminded her often of a predatory bird watching prey from a lofty height. His shoulders were wide, his chest thick, and there wasn’t a place on him that didn’t ripple with muscle when he moved. He exuded absolute confidence in everything he did—except when it came to her.

Even now, on the outside he appeared calm and implacable, his expression set in stone, but she could feel him holding himself very still. He would never be as sure of her as he would want to be and that would cause him to react in ways that she might not like.

“I can see patterns in the air, in the movement of air,” she said. “Just as I can see mathematical equations, I can see patterns. You’re there in those patterns, Maxim. The love you feel for me runs deep and true. I can count on it, like the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. It’s always going to be there. Do you see in patterns? Can you see me in them?”

He would hold too tight until he could believe she would always be his. That was inevitable.

“I see them, Airiana, but this isn’t about whether or not you’re going to run off because you don’t like a decision I make. This is about you knowing I’m going to make them. You aren’t always going to be comfortable with who I am and what I need.”

She shivered, suddenly aware the water was cooling down. “I understand.” She did. She didn’t have to like it, but she understood.

Maxim wasn’t going to change because he had found love. He had been trained from childhood to prepare for danger and to expect it. He would guard what he had with ruthless implacability, and all within his household, those he loved, would listen to him when it came to matters of safety. She would be able to temper him only so much.

“I’m getting cold and I’m suddenly starving.” She stood up.

He slid his hand up her leg, unable to help himself, caressing her inner thigh. “Stay right there for just a minute, honey. I can’t get over your skin and how soft it is. Wet like this, you’re so damned sexy I’m not certain I’ll be able to wait.”

She placed one hand on his shoulder, bracing herself as he stroked her thighs, each caress taking him closer to her inner heat.

“You’re so amazingly responsive to me,” he said. “Even when I didn’t do the best job for you.” His fingers stroked her satin thighs. The air was warm and he wrapped her up in a cocoon of it, drying her body while he held her there. “I think all my training just went out the window with you. You make me feel . . . alive.”

Airiana pushed her hands into his hair, massaging his scalp and letting thick strands of hair run through her fingers. “Almost from the moment I saw you, I wanted to do this. Well, not when you were carrying me over your shoulder into the helicopter. Then I wanted to stab you through the heart,” she said, precisely honest.

He laughed. A roaring laugh. A belly laugh. A laugh he’d never thought could come out of him, and he didn’t recognize it at all. Startled, he dropped his hand and stared at her with a small accusing frown. “I don’t even recognize myself anymore. Are you capable of putting a spell on me? I have gifts, maybe you have some I didn’t know about.”

Airiana leaned down and pressed a kiss on top of his head before stepping out of the bathtub. “Of course I put a spell on you. How else do you think I could get you to fall madly in love with me?”

Her soft laughter teased his body—or maybe it was her words. He laid his head back against the porcelain tub and closed his eyes, savoring the sound of her moving around. There was something soothing and comforting about having a woman do small, intimate things such as brush her hair or teeth with her man in the room. No one had ever teased him. No one had ever made him laugh.

“You know, baby,” he murmured without opening his eyes, “you’ve given me far more firsts than I ever thought possible. I think I really did die when we made love and rose from the ashes a better man.”

She circled his neck from behind, something he would never have allowed anyone to ever do. “You’ve always been a good man, Maxim. I’m crazy about you.”

He laid his hands over hers, staying very still, working to keep the lump in his throat from getting larger. “Or just crazy, but that’s all right, if it means I get to keep you.”

He turned his head to look up at her. At once his heart stuttered in his chest. She had a look of absolute love on her face. Airiana didn’t hold back her feelings or conceal them behind a stony expression. She just gave. Generously. He reached back and circled her head with his arm, bringing her down to him.

His mouth found hers. Demanding. Filled with his kind of love. Not at all like her gentle unconditional but passionate caring. He was hard edges and so was the love he had for her. He was always wholly focused and very possessive. He was dominant and overbearing and his kiss was the same, pouring his need and hunger into her, taking her response and holding her captive.

Airiana simply gave herself generously. He felt as if he was a beast she had to continually tame. In her quiet, humorous way, she somehow always managed. She’d reassured him many times she wasn’t going anywhere. She’d given her body to him, she’d followed him time and again, trusting him to lead her, and yet at times, like now, when his love was too much, too overwhelming, he needed to crush her to him, hold her so tight she was imprinted on his skin.

Damn you, Airiana, for making me feel like this.

He waited for her condemnation. Her mouth was gentle beneath his, her tongue sliding oh so sensually alongside his. That rush—that fire—spread through his veins and electricity crackled between them.

Her mouth was perfect under his, her taste wrapping him up in addiction. He craved her the way others might drugs. The depth of his feelings shook him. The passion and love mixed together inside him, welling up like a volcano, consumed him.

Still kissing her, he turned, standing, taking her with him, lifting her and walking her backward until she was pressed tightly against the wall. He couldn’t stop, even when he told himself to. There was no controlling his need for her.

Put your legs around my hips. I have to be inside you right now.

His kisses were burning hot now, feeding the terrible fire that refused to be sated. He needed the flames she provided, that hot, wet core of her surrounding him and taking him into her.

Airiana circled Maxim’s neck with her arms, linking her fingers behind his head. He had her trapped between his powerful body and the wall, her feet off the ground. He was enormously strong, and she could feel the tension in him, the urgent hunger riding him hard. She should have been afraid. He could do anything he wanted to her and she couldn’t stop him. Instead of fear, there was need and hunger rising just as strong to meet his. She craved his touch, the way his hands felt on her body, the way he was so desperate to have her. She reveled in the fact that his body trembled for hers. That she could make him feel this way about her—that he actually lost his perfect control around her.

Maxim made her feel as if she were the most beautiful, sexy woman in the world and no one else could ever satisfy him. It was a heady feeling as well as a powerful aphrodisiac. His hands and mouth were everywhere, rough and insistent, a dangerous combination, but one that only added to her pleasure.

She loved the feel of him out of control. How could she not when he was all about control and discipline? His mouth moved over hers, down to her breasts and back up to her lips. His teeth and tongue were everywhere, inflaming her senses, bringing her to a fever pitch of need.

I’m not sorry in the least that you feel this way for me, Maxim, I love that you do. I feel the same for you. She wasn’t going to apologize.

Airiana had grown to care for him, respecting and admiring him and then actually falling in love. It wasn’t the intensity of their situation or because he’d saved her—she knew that with certainty. She loved who he was. Even the man who was still a little angry that he fell so hard and fast for her. Maybe he’d always have flares of anger when his love for her overwhelmed him, but she could live with that. What woman wouldn’t?

He bit her breast, gently sending darts of fire to her sheath. She nearly convulsed with pleasure. He’d taken the temperature up so much further this time and she loved it. His hand went between her legs, fingers pressing deep to feel her readiness.

I can’t say, at this moment, that I’m sorry either, he answered.

He lowered her slowly until she could feel the large head, burning hot and velvet soft pressed tightly at her entrance. So hot. So big. She wiggled her body just a little, trying to get him to speed up. Her body felt overheated and achy. Tension built rapidly, gathering in her very core, a need and hunger only he could assuage.

Don’t move. Let me do this. This time, you’re going to go up in flames with me.

She thought she had gone up in flames with him. His voice, so commanding and tyrannical, should have annoyed her, but instead, his tone sent a thrilling shiver down her spine. She tried to comply, trusting he knew better than she did what would feel the best—and she wanted to feel that amazing pleasure again.

He pressed her body down over him, so that he entered her with exquisite slowness, his shaft pushing through her soft petals, forcing her open to him. Once again there was resistance and burning, a stretched, full feeling, but this time, it was accompanied with a streak of lightning that burst through her mind like a firestorm of sheer pleasure.

She panted, trying to hold still until he’d filled her completely. His thickness seemed to stretch her impossibly, but beautifully. His length took him so deep she was afraid he might lodge on her stomach before she was fully seated on him.

When she was completely on him, he held her there, allowing her body to adjust to his size. He nuzzled her neck.

See, Airiana? We fit. We’re perfect together.

She wanted him moving. Fast. Hard. She could feel the urgent need in him rising to devour him, and she wanted to go there with him. She threw her head back and lifted her body at the urging of his hands. The ride up was breathtaking.

She moved down again on his long, thick shaft, tightening her muscles and squeezing to create as much friction as possible. She was learning slowly, little by little, just how to please him. She could feel his body shudder in reaction, the swell of his cock even more inside of her. She tried slow circles as she moved up and down, a slow ride designed to make him insane.

Damn it, woman. You’re killing me. He sounded harsh, his eyes hooded and heavy with the intensity of his desire.

He grit his teeth and caught her hips in firm hands, taking back control in one swift movement that robbed her of the ability to breathe. He began surging into her, over and over, hard, deep strokes that sent her into the wall, a counterpoint to his hammering body. Each thrust sent flames sizzling through her body. Tension coiled and grew. Heat turned scorching, searing her. Blood rushed through her veins and roared in her ears.

He didn’t stop. He was relentless, forcing her beyond all comprehension of lovemaking. Her body just wound tighter and tighter, accepting the wild pounding, helpless to do anything but catch fierce fire and burn with his.

I can’t stand it, Maxim. It’s too much.

She’d thought that the last time, and this was far more. Everything about the situation was more and she knew she’d be forever craving this man and what he could do to her body. She felt her body gathering itself, her temperature soaring. Her breath came in ragged gasps and she became aware she was chanting something that made absolutely no sense, a litany of pleas.

You’ll stand it. This is us, Airiana. You and me. Just like this.

His body was incredible, his strength beyond anything she’d imagined. His hands were hard on her buttocks, driving her up and down. Her inner muscles squeezed and gripped, the friction growing hotter and wilder. She hadn’t thought it possible. Earlier she’d felt every bruise she had, now there was nothing but sheer glorious pleasure coiling to the point she was afraid she might lose her sanity. Fear skittered down her spine. How could she feel like this with him and if something happened and he couldn’t settle . . .

Let go, baby. That’s all you have to do. Just let go for me.

She was terrified. If she did and her body went up in flames, what would be left? She would be his on his terms, not her own. All along she’d been the one giving herself to him, but this was different. This was a complete takeover. She would need him. Crave him. Be lost without him.

Airiana. I said to let go. Let yourself go and trust me to catch you.

Her body responded to his command even when her mind was still questioning her sanity. She felt the first swelling ripple and she heard herself scream as the orgasm overtook her. It hit strong and hard, taking over her body from her breasts to her thighs, sweeping her up in a tidal wave, a tsunami of emotion and sensation all wrapped together.

Her orgasm was so strong that she took him with her, clamping down on him like a vise, milking the seed from him, so that jet after jet rocketed deep inside her. She actually felt the hot splashes like brands burning his essence into her for all time.

She clung to him, hearing his hoarse gasp of her name, feeling his body shudder against her, his fingers digging deep into her while their bodies rippled with life and rocketed with an intense pleasure that was shocking.

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and held on as if he was the only sanity in a world gone mad. Tiny stars burst behind her eyes, and she fought to get one single breath into her burning lungs. “I’m never going to be the same, am I?” she asked him. “Never. I’m lost somewhere inside you. Or you in me. It’s like we melted together, and now I don’t know where I am without you. How did that happen?”

Airiana sounded so lost his heart turned over. “You’re safe with me, honey.” He leaned her into the wall so his rubbery legs could hold them both. “That’s exactly how I feel about you. I don’t know how or why the connection is growing stronger between us, but it is.”

“You can’t get any better than that, Maxim, or I’ll die. Seriously. I don’t think my heart can take it.”

He rubbed his chin on top of her head. “There’s so much more, Airiana. We’re only getting started.”

“I don’t think I can walk. Can you? Because one of us has to man up, and it isn’t going to be me. Physically and emotionally I’m totaled. You scare the hell out of me.”

He laughed softly, tightening his arms around her. “That’s my line, not yours.”

“Not this time. I need to go to sleep and dream about you again. A girl’s fantasies, not a woman’s. You’re too much for me.” She bit his shoulder hard.

He laughed again, a strange sensation that told him he loved her stronger than ever. He carried her back into the bathroom and set her down. “I’m going to arrange for breakfast, some clothing for you and a ride home.”

She leaned against the sink, staring up at him with her blue eyes. They looked a darker blue, more turbulent, and just a little dazed. “I can’t walk. I don’t think I’ll ever walk right again.”

He frowned, suddenly concerned. “Did I hurt you? I was a little rough for your second time. I’m not a gentle lover, although I tried, Airiana.”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with how rough or gentle you were. Quite frankly, I love the way you make love to me, rough or not. It’s your size. I think I’ve got permanent skid marks inside.”

“I’ll run you another bath.”

“Put some bath salts in it. I saw some under the sink. By the time you come back with breakfast, I’ll be feeling fine again.” She gripped the counter as if she might really fall down.

Her eye was still swollen, although he’d saturated her body with air each time he woke throughout the night to promote better and faster healing. The bruises still stood out against her skin, but he expected that. Even with a healing session or two, the bruises would have to run their course. He just hoped the pain was gone.

He ran her bath while she twisted her hair into some intricate knot that women liked to do before getting into the water. The bath salts were in packets, and gave off a lavender scent when he poured two into the deep tub.

He’d been too long without recon and was a little nervous about leaving her, but she was far safer in the cabana hidden away. Evan’s men had to be searching for them. The Greek didn’t much care for his men failing him, and he’d especially be angry after losing his entire crew and two of his best customers and having his ship boarded by the coast guard. He had guns and drugs aboard as well as evidence of a human trafficking ring. He’d be livid.

“Don’t use the phone,” he cautioned.

“You already explained that wouldn’t be safe,” she pointed out, sinking down into the hot water. “Seriously, Maxim, I do have a brain as well as a good memory.”

She sounded annoyed with him. He was all right with that as long as she listened and did as he told her. One phone call would bring the enemy down on them in a heartbeat. He just needed a few minutes to send an alert to his brothers on their private site. They used it rarely, but all of them checked it often.

Airiana watched Maxim take a brief shower, just rinsing off, and then pull on clothes. She was grateful he was leaving her alone for a few minutes. He took up space in every room—a lot of space. She was used to alone time and she was fairly certain he was as well.

Whenever he was near, she saw more patterns than ever in the air around him. He exuded danger. If she hadn’t known he was a Prakenskii, she certainly would have known he was lethal to his enemies, just by the way the air displaced around him. His aura was dark, colors swirling beneath the darkness, but the inky black layer on top was nearly impenetrable.

She took her first breath of air without him in what seemed like days. She wanted him. She’d practically thrown herself at him, and she had no complaints. She just needed—space. He was wonderful. Magnificent. She felt so ordinary in comparison, yet he didn’t view her that way at all.

Still, he was bossy. He often got a look on his face that told her if she didn’t comply with his wishes, he had no problem with just picking her up and forcing her to do as he said. She wasn’t exactly a “yes” person. She understood him and his need to keep her safe, but that didn’t mean it was easy—or would be easy—when they disagreed.

She sighed and splashed the water at the other end of the two-person tub. Life with Maxim wouldn’t be boring, although he might think it was. That was another thing she needed to consider. What if the farm was just too quiet for him? He was used to a high-octane way of life and one could get addicted to that. He could leave her for long periods of time. She had no doubt that he would come back to her—but how would she handle that?

She shrugged and carefully washed her legs and feet. She would have to. She wouldn’t give him up. If leaving periodically was what he needed, she would find a way to adapt. He would have to find ways to make it up to her, to make himself invaluable around the farm, so everyone missed him when he was gone and welcomed him home.

Airiana wasn’t the type of woman to go into something with her eyes closed, not after the disaster of her childhood school. She’d been so eager to learn, to explore every possibility she could that she hadn’t taken the time to see what was happening around her. She hadn’t considered the effect of her absence on her mother. Had she been paying attention to the warning signs, her mother might still be alive.

She hadn’t gone into her relationship with Maxim without giving it a lot of thought. She knew what kind of man he was, but she knew, once the connection had grown into a telepathic form, that he was extraordinary. He might not ever see himself that way, but he would be loyal and unswervingly faithful. He would always try to make her happy. She could see that in his character, through his mind, as well as looking at his aura and the patterns in the air surrounding him.

She sighed again. He would be a bear when they disagreed and it was inevitable that they would. She pushed her hand idly through the water, glancing out the window. Clouds drifted across a startling blue sky. Her body went still. The clouds rolled gently, forming patterns impossible not to read. There was love there, but there was danger and violence swirling in and out of the love.

She closed her eyes, hoping and praying she was wrong. The mathematical equations swirling in the clouds told her the violence and danger surrounded her, that it didn’t belong to Maxim nor was it between the two of them.

She took a deep breath. “All right then,” she murmured aloud. It wasn’t over just because she was going home.

She let out the water, stood up and quickly dried off. If she returned to the farm, she’d be bringing trouble to everyone she loved. The children waiting there might even be taken back to the life they’d escaped.

I can feel your unhappiness, Airiana. Talk to me.

She had reached out to him without even being aware she was doing it. He had to be close to the cabana. She didn’t have much time if she was going to keep them all safe. Hastily she rummaged through his war bag and found the jeans she’d been wearing when he’d kidnapped her. They had a comfortable, homey feel to them as she pulled them over her hips.

This isn’t going to happen. I’m looking at the same patterns, if that is what has you spooked.

I’m not taking trouble home with me.

Yes, you are—I’m going with you. There was a trace of humor in his tone. They all have a better chance with us there. We can control the situation. If we’re not there, how can we protect them? “You’re panicking for no reason, honey.” He stepped into the cabana, his broad shoulders filling the doorway.

She paused in the act of pulling on her shirt. Was she panicking? “He’s really going to send his men after me again.”

“I figured he would. You’re valuable to him and he isn’t going to give you up so easily. Men like Evan Shackler-Gratsos tend to feel entitled to whatever they want. Anyone standing in his way will be mowed down. He doesn’t mind selling children and murdering them afterward. He’ll come after your family to get you.”

She dragged the shirt over her head. “How can we stop him?”

Maxim smiled at her. “That’s my girl. Now you’re thinking again. We’ve got the advantage at the farm.”

“How is that?”

“My brothers. We’ll be ready for him this time.”

“What if he doesn’t give up and keeps coming at us?”

“Can you fix this weapon they all seem to want?” He leveled his gaze at her.

She bit her lip and shook her head. His gaze didn’t waver. She let out her breath. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. But I don’t make weapons, not for any country. I’m not going back into that life.”

“Not even if your mind is going a little crazy with inactivity?”

“I keep it active.”

Maxim smirked at her, but left it alone. He walked all the way into the room, placed a small pile of folded clothes on the end of the bed and took her hand. “Let’s go outside. It’s beautiful. The waves are rolling gently and everything is an amazing shade of blue. We’ve got our own little private strip of beach. I’ll wrap us up in air to protect us from anyone spying.”

She went with him, liking the feel of her hand in his. He made her feel safe and loved. It was that simple. The woven chairs under the shaded table were comfortable and she sank into one, still feeling a little shaky.

Maxim leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve sat outside in a beautiful place and never managed to see it? Until you. Waking this morning with your skin next to mine changed everything for me. I never thought I’d ever have the chance to have a home of my own.”

He dragged his chair around to place it next to hers, so they could both easily view the ocean as it rose and fell. Dolphins chattered and leapt out of the water in a joyful dance, almost as if they could hear Maxim.

“The point I’m trying to make is, I’ll protect our home and family with everything in me. I know its value far more than most men. Evan isn’t going to take a single family member from us. It doesn’t matter how long or how often he keeps coming at us, he won’t get any satisfaction. We’ll close ranks and protect our own.”

“Judith travels. Rikki dives.”

He nodded. “I understand that and we’ll do the best we can to make arrangements to keep them safe, but sometimes they’ll have to compromise.”

Her gaze jumped to his face. “You meant that for me.”

“Airiana, you’re the main target. You’ll need someone—preferably me—with you at all times until this is over. You’ll have to be realistic about what your life is going to be like. You have a gift and everyone wants it. I can’t protect you if I’m not with you.”

She nodded. “I’m not going to argue with you. I’ve seen what Evan’s men are like. And I’ll convince my sisters.”

“Levi and Thomas will take care of Rikki and Judith. They’ll see to it that both women cooperate, but Levi tells me that Lissa and Blythe may be our biggest worries. Lexi stays on the farm most of the time anyway except for her trips to the farmer’s market. We can handle that.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “You talked to Levi? Today?”

He nodded. “Everyone is okay, and they were relieved to know you were okay and with me. The children are very quiet, he says, and are anxious we return. They don’t trust anyone enough to talk about what happened. As far as they can tell, the children really don’t have any relatives. Levi and Thomas have shored up the paperwork and are giving the children histories with us. If anyone tries to trace them they won’t be able to.”

Airiana felt the burn of tears and quickly blinked them away. Home seemed far away. Maxim had actually spoken with Levi. “Are they coming to get us?”

Maxim nodded and took her hand. “They’ll be here today. We just have to relax and wait for them. They’ll land at Jorge’s private airstrip and fly us home.”

“It feels as if I’ve been gone a year,” Airiana said.

He rubbed her fingers over his jaw. “Jorge is bringing the food, honey. Why don’t you slip inside and wait for him to leave.” He kissed her hand. “I like Jorge. I think he’s a good man, but he has a family to feed and to protect. I’m not going to risk trusting him with your safety. Evan’s men will be spreading money up and down the coast, eager to pay for a sighting of you. If Jorge never catches a glimpse of you, there’s no risk of temptation. I’d really hate to have to kill him.”

Airiana obeyed instantly. She understood. Maxim liked Jorge, but if Jorge betrayed them and put her in danger, Maxim would kill him in a heartbeat. She retreated to the cabana, wrapping her arms around herself, happy to know she would be going home in just a few hours.

She danced around the room, unable to contain her excitement. She was going home to her family. Things might still be up in the air and frightening, but she’d have her sisters around her to help and she knew, from experience, that when they were together, they were formidable. Now, with three Prakenskiis as well, she felt they had every chance of being successful in fighting off their enemies. She was going home.