That she’d chosen another over him.
“You’re right,” he said, his voice hardly more than a hush.
She blinked at him and shook her head. “Excuse me?”
One corner of his mouth lifted briefly. Of course she would be surprised. He hadn’t given her any reason to think he would be on her side in any argument.
“I said, you are right. I would have accused you. I would have been wrong, though.” He slid his hands up to hold her face between his palms. His gaze bored into hers as he willed her to believe him. “I know you weren’t a part of it. And I can even understand a little now why you made the choice you did.”
She huffed out a breath. “Thank you.”
“But I need to know why you chose differently tonight, Teresa.”
Leaning into him, she said solemnly, “Because I didn’t want to hurt you again, Rico. Because this time you were more important. This time I had to trust you.”
“Good answer,” he murmured and bent down to kiss her. He’d meant only to plant a brief, hard kiss on her lips.
But at the moment of contact, Teresa wrapped her arms around him and held on. She opened her mouth and tangled her tongue with his and they were linked, as they were meant to be, always.
Rico groaned and held her tighter. Lifting her off her feet, he turned back to the bed, laid her down and then lay down beside her. Rising up on one elbow, he looked down into golden-brown eyes. Then he kissed her again and lost himself in the arms of the only woman in the world who held his heart.
* * *
Rico met Sean for lunch at a small restaurant near the harbor. It had been two days since Teresa had turned down a chance at escape. Two days since she had chosen him over her family. He liked knowing that she was on his side in this, but he had to wonder how long that would last if her family didn’t return the dagger.
Because if that happened, he would go through with his threat. He would hand over all of the evidence he’d collected over the last several years to Interpol. And once he did that, he would lose Teresa. How could he expect her to stay with the man who had imprisoned her family? No, he knew damn well she would never forgive him for that.
And if they did deliver the dagger as promised, then he would have to hold up his end of the bargain and not only release Teresa, but divorce her, as well. He couldn’t keep her here without going back on his word and couldn’t let her go without losing a piece of his soul.
Time was ticking past. With every beat of his heart, that internal clock moved on, pushing them toward the end of the month. Toward the end of his time with Teresa.
He couldn’t stand that thought.
This month had started out with him holding her against her will, yes. But that had changed, hadn’t it? She didn’t act like a hostage—with the run of the island, working in the hotel kitchen, coming to his bed eagerly. Whatever it was that was still humming between them, it was something that would die the moment he sent her family to prison.
“You look like hell.” Sean sat back in his chair and sipped at a bottle of beer.
“Thank you. It is good to have family to turn to in times of trouble.” Rico picked up his own beer and took a long swallow, hoping to ease the knot in his throat. It didn’t work. “How are Melinda and Stryker?”
Sean’s grin lit up his face. “Great. Seriously great.” He shook his head. “The baby’s keeping us both up all night, every night, but I don’t even mind. Right now I’m like a zombie, but I’ve never had so much fun.“
A pang of envy rippled through Rico, but he ignored it. No point in wishing for things that weren’t going to happen. Unless, a voice in his mind whispered, Teresa is already pregnant. Then your problems are over, aren’t they? You stay married. You keep her with you. And you have the family you’ve always craved.
He straightened in his chair as that nebulous idea took root in his mind.
“So.” Sean spoke up and Rico came out of his thoughts. “You said you wanted to talk. What’s going on?”
“That is a question with too many answers.”
“Pick one.”
“I am trying to decide what to do about Teresa.”
“Ah,” Sean said, smothering a laugh. “The brilliant plan falling apart? Wow. Wish I’d seen that coming. Oh. Wait. I did.”
Rico sneered at his cousin. “Very helpful, thank you. There is nothing better than an I told you so at just the right moment.”
“Happy to help.” Sean reached for a nacho loaded with beans and cheese, then popped it into his mouth, crunching with a grin on his face.
“Right.” He should have known his cousin would love this. A King liked nothing better than an entertaining “I was right, you were wrong” chat. Shaking his head, he leaned forward, bracing his arms on the glass-topped table. The bright yellow table umbrella shaded them from the noonday sun and all around them hotel guests were either boarding day boats for fishing trips or sitting at the bar having tropical drinks. “Her father hired a man to help her escape. Seems he hasn’t found her brother yet and he wants more time.”
“Escape? Okay, I’m guessing she didn’t go anywhere, yes?”
“She stayed.” Rico took a sip of his beer. “She wouldn’t leave.”
“Interesting.” Sean smiled, then narrowed his eyes. “Aside from the failed rescue, do you think her father’s stalling deliberately?”
“It’s possible,” Rico admitted, thinking back to the sound of Dominick Coretti’s outraged voice. “But I don’t know that he would take this kind of risk with his family. So if I assume he really does need the extra time, what do I do about it?”
“What do you want to do?”
Rico sent his cousin an exasperated glare. “If I knew that, would I be asking for your opinion?”
Sean laughed. “Okay, no. I’m no fan of Teresa’s family—they’re thieves.” He shrugged. “But you locking up her family isn’t going to score you points with her, either.”
“Yes, I know that, as well.” Talking to his cousin was supposed to help him straighten out his thoughts.
“So go with your gut, Rico.” Sean was still smiling. “You want Teresa. She wants her family safe. Do what you have to do to make everyone happy.”
“Let the thieves go free?”
“It’s family, man,” Sean said, smile fading into a thoughtful frown. “Look at the Kings. What haven’t we been willing to do to keep family safe?”