“You’re not like her,” he said quietly.
“I am. More than you know.” She sniffled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “She’s a hard person, and she’s always been way too self-absorbed, but she loves Isabel without fault. She has since the moment Isabel was born. Seeing you probably scared her, because she realized what she could lose.”
When she looked up, he saw the truth in her eyes. And his heart took a slow roll in his chest.
“I didn’t know you’d gone to the hotel, Thad. But it explains why my mother was so insistent I come down here now, why my father’s been hounding me to work things out with you. They’ve both obviously been feeling guilty about the way things turned out for Isabel.”
“No, Maren. They feel bad about the way things turned out for you. Your father loves you. He just doesn’t know how to show it.”
She looked toward the window, and he knew she didn’t believe him.
“I went back three more times,” he said. “And every time was told you were gone or didn’t want to see me. I eventually decided I was done beating my head against a wall. And I figured if you wanted to see me, you would. But I never forgot about you.”
Her eyes slid closed, and a single tear slid down her cheek. He moved around the side of the bed and sat next to her. When she tried to move away, he gently tipped her face toward him, stopping her. “No, don’t.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Thad.”
The ache in her voice tugged on his heart. A heart that beat because of her. “Yes, it does. Maren, look at me.”
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and one look was all it took for him to know.
This was where he was supposed to be. Nothing else mattered. Not what had happened in the past. Not what either of them had or hadn’t done. Not even all the lies and secrets and hurt. “For so long, I’ve been trying to convince myself I was over you, but one touch of your lips, and it all came flooding back. I love you, Maren.”
Another tear slipped down her cheek. “Thad—”
“And when I think about the way you’ve loved our daughter, the things you’ve done to keep her safe…it only makes me love you more.”
“Please don’t,” she whispered.
He dragged her close, until she was sitting on his lap. “I hate what you’ve been through. I hate that you did it all alone and didn’t feel you could confide in anyone.” Gently, he kissed her brow. “I want that to change.”
“Don’t say these things.”
He ran his hands up to frame her face and forced her to look at him. “I can’t help it. I’ve done some really dumb things in my life, but I’m not stupid enough to let you walk away from me twice in one lifetime. I need you too much.”
“You don’t need me. You never did.”
He knew she was remembering the lies he’d told her that last day in Mexico. The ones he’d said to get her to go home so he could wallow in his own pain. The ones that had started all this.
“Oh baby.” He brushed the tear away with his thumb. “I’ve always needed you. I was just too stupid to admit it.”
Her arms slid around his shoulders, and warmth pushed out the chill that had lodged itself in the middle of his chest. Her heart beat hard and steady against his, but when she tipped her head and brushed her mouth against his, he knew she believed him. Every one of his senses kicked into high gear as her lips parted and he tasted the sweetness of her kiss, the gentleness she kept so closely guarded under all her layers. And when he eased back and looked down at the emotions shimmering in her eyes, he knew he’d found everything he’d ever wanted.
“Let me love you, Maren.”
Slowly, she nodded, her blue eyes glinting with a mixture of love and heat in the dim moonlight. He slid his arms up her sides, lifting the thin cotton T-shirt she’d been sleeping in and tugging it over her head. Her blond hair fell around her shoulders, making her look like a goddess as he dropped it on the floor. Carefully, so he wouldn’t hurt her shoulder, he turned her so she was lying on her back on the mattress.
He stared at her as he kicked off his shoes and dragged off his own shirt. God, she was beautiful. Pale skin, perfect breasts, and a flat tummy that had once held his child. He crawled over her and lowered his mouth to hers. And reveled in the way she reached for him and opened at the first touch.
Paradise. It wasn’t an island or a beach or a treasure. It was her. She drew in a breath when his hands ran over her bare breasts, as his fingertips grazed the locket she wore, then slid down to her nipples. And he loved the way she shuddered when his lips found the pulse at the base of her throat.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered against her skin.
His lips set off on a slow journey across her body. He kissed the curve at her collarbone, trailed his mouth over the fading yellow bruises and the long gash in her shoulder. And knew he’d found heaven when she made a purring sound deep in her throat that told him just how much she wanted him too.
“More.” Fingers raking his scalp, she pulled his head back and kissed him again, her tongue hot and wet and demanding as it slid over his. Fire ignited in his groin, a hot rush that could only be doused by her. When she pushed a hand against his shoulder, he rolled to his back, letting her take the lead, loving every single greedy nip and lick as she straddled his hips and ground against his cock.
He’d give her whatever she wanted. Take everything she gave. Her tempting fingers found the button at the top of his jeans and ripped them open. She pulled away from his mouth, scrambled backwards, and tugged the denim from his legs. But before she could drop to her knees on the floor, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled her to her back again.
He slid his naked body over hers, and her legs opened, drawing him closer. Bracing one hand on the mattress, he eased back and looked down at her. “It’s only ever been you, Maren.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she arched her back, bringing the tip of his cock into all her silky wetness. “Show me.”
He wasn’t prepared for the sensations that swamped him when he pressed inside her. Didn’t expect the intense ripple of love that started in his heart and spread out through his limbs. Groaning, he lowered his mouth to hers and set a slow and seductive rhythm that left him only wanting more.
It didn’t matter that she couldn’t say the words yet. He had a long road to travel to win back her trust. But he would. Because she was everything. His past. His present. And the promise of a future he’d been too afraid to dream about.
When she moaned and shuddered around him, he drove deep and finally let go, giving her the one piece of himself he’d never given anyone before, even her.
He gave her his heart and prayed he was everything she needed too.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“This is a bad idea.” Maren gripped the safety handle as the rig bounced over a rut in the road and tried to will back the nausea threatening to bubble up.
Thad glanced over at her through his sunglasses. Keeping one hand on the wheel of the Jeep, he lifted their joined fingers and kissed the back of her hand. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll be right there with you.”
Warmth spread up her arm, but it did little to ease the knot growing in her belly. “He’s not going to be nearly as forgiving as you were.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Maren.” The Jeep bounced over a limb in the road. “And if he doesn’t understand, then he’s not worth worrying about.”
“This is Patrick we’re talking about. ‘I understand’ isn’t a phrase I’ve ever heard him utter.”
“It’ll be okay. Besides,” he said with a lopsided grin, “even though your dad’s got a few years on me, if it gets tense, I’m pretty sure I can take him.”
In any other situation, that would have made her smile, but she was dreading seeing her father. She was going to have to tell him everything she’d told Thad last night, and she didn’t expect him to be as sympathetic as Thad had been. He didn’t love her like Thad did. Her betrayal would cu
t him deeply.
“I think it would be easier if I just disappeared into thin air.”
“You’re not running,” he said with a determined frown. “Give him the benefit of the doubt. He loves you more than you think.”
She didn’t believe that, but it wasn’t worth mentioning again.
He squeezed her hand as they pulled into the camp, killed the engine, and met her at the hood of the Jeep. “Have faith, Blondie.”
She’d never had faith in anyone or anything. And she didn’t for a minute believe any of this was going to end well. But she’d learned a valuable lesson last night. Things could change in a heartbeat, and what she’d always believed was true could turn out to be false right before her very eyes.
Thad had convinced her of that.
She couldn’t have been more surprised when he’d told her he loved her last night, and she was still trying to work it all out in her head. She certainly didn’t deserve him, and she had no clue how they’d ever be able to put the past behind them and have any kind of a future, but she wanted him. More than she could admit to him right now. More than she could even admit to herself.
Because part of her wasn’t completely sure she’d have that happily ever after he kept hinting at.
Thad laced his fingers with hers and led her toward Patrick’s casita. Her insides were a mass of nerves when he pulled open the screen and drew Maren in behind him. Her eyes scanned the room. She saw her father’s set and rigid face and behind him, Lisa.
Her spirits dropped. She’d hoped it would just be Patrick. Confessing her sins in front of her best friend seemed like cruel and unusual punishment. But Lisa deserved to know what was going on as much as anyone, and at least this would save Maren from having to rehash it all with her later.
Patrick turned from the chart he and Lisa had been discussing and pinned her with a look. “Maren, where the hell have you been?”
So much for polite. His expression wasn’t just irritated, it was furious. A vein near his temple looked like it could explode at any moment.
She didn’t respond, just let him vent while he could. She knew in a matter of minutes it would only get worse.
“Well,” he said. “Don’t you have anything to say?”
She glanced over at Thad. A small smile curled his lips, encouraging her, and he squeezed her hand. On a deep breath, Maren slipped off her sunglasses and looked back at her father.
Lisa gasped. Surprise flickered across Patrick’s face just before it turned to pure rage.
Patrick shot toward Thad. “You goddamn son of a bitch.” In a split second, he had Thad by the collar and was shoving him back against the wall.
Maren scrambled between the two. “He didn’t do this to me!” She wedged her way in front of Thad and pushed her father back. “He’s not the one who hit me. You know him, Patrick. You know he wouldn’t hurt me.”
Doubt flickered across her father’s face, but slowly, he released Thad’s shirt. His gaze shot to Maren. “Who, then?”
Maren pursed her lips.
“Tell him,” Thad said at her back.
She blew out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Declan.”
Patrick’s eyes grew wide. “You saw him? When? Where?”
“Five days ago. On his yacht.”
“Here in the Caribbean?”
“Yes.”
“You went to see him?” He raked a hand through his hair. Confusion swamped his rugged features. “Why?”
Thad stepped up behind her. His hands closed gently over her shoulders. “Because he threatened Isabel.”
Patrick’s gaze drifted back to Maren. “You told him about Isabel.”
She nodded, and on a deep breath, dove headfirst into the story, starting with Isabel’s disappearance and her first meeting with Evan. She ran through everything like she had with Thad, right up until the point Evan hit her and sent her to the emergency room. She omitted the part about sleeping with him, but knew from the look on Patrick’s face, he’d already guessed she’d used whatever means possible to keep Isabel safe.
When she finished, she glanced up. Shock ran across Lisa’s face. Patrick appeared ill.
She steeled herself for her father’s wrath, but instead, he almost knocked her off her feet when he wrapped his arms around her.
In all her life, he’d only held her once like this, and it was after Colin had died in Mexico and she’d been racked with guilt. She couldn’t remember a time before or after when he’d ever let his emotions flow so freely, not even after she and Thad had come back to camp after nearly being trapped in that cenote.
“I’m so sorry, Maren,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry you couldn’t tell me. You should have come to me from the very beginning.”
She rested her head against his chest, closed her eyes, and breathed in the spicy scent of his aftershave. For a moment, she was eight again, not thirty-three. “I didn’t know how to do that. I thought you’d hate me after what I’d done.”
When he eased back, she saw tears in his eyes, and the sorrow. “I could never hate you. Never. I love you. I just… I don’t show it well. Ask your mother. She’ll tell you.”
He pulled her close again and held her tight, rocking her back and forth, and the moment was surreal. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she let him hold her. And felt a bond with him she hadn’t realized was missing from her life. Tears filled her eyes. “I love you too, Dad.”
She wasn’t sure how long he held her, but at some point she was faintly aware of Lisa sniffling in the background. Maren drew back, wiped her eyes, and glanced over at Thad, who was rubbing Lisa’s back, trying to console her. “It’s just so damn beautiful,” Lisa muttered between sobs.
Maren looked back at her father, who still had his arm around her waist, and smiled at him, probably for the first time in years.
He skimmed a finger over her bruised face. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s better now. I’m okay.”
Patrick’s gaze moved back to Thad. “I owe you an apology.”
Thad returned her father’s handshake and shot her a look. “See? Told you.” Then to her father, “I’d have done the same. When I saw her, I was ready to commit murder myself.”
Patrick rubbed his eyes. “What about Isabel? Where is she?”
“She’s fine,” Maren said. “She’s safe. With Candace. I spoke to her this morning.”
“I’d feel better if she were here,” Thad interjected, “where we can keep an eye on her.”
“No.” Maren said. “I don’t want her here. I don’t want her anywhere close to him. If she’s here, I’ll worry about her. I won’t be able to work, and I want to get this done. I need to finish it.”
Patrick nodded. “Let’s leave her where she is for now. We can bring her in if we change our minds.” He glanced at Thad for affirmation. When Thad nodded reluctantly, Patrick looked over at Maren. “Did you call your mother?”
“Yes. She knows Isabel is safe. She wasn’t happy with me because I wouldn’t elaborate, but it was the best I could do.”
“I’ll smooth things over with her. Don’t worry. In the meantime, we have to think about what we’re going to do. When are you supposed to contact Declan again?”
“Two days.”
He nodded. “Thad?”
Thad drew in a deep breath. “As much as I hate it, I think she needs to stick to his schedule.” He glanced at Maren. “If you keep up the charade, it’ll give us a better chance to find La Malinche and figure out what we’re going to do about the bastard.”
Patrick nodded, then looked between the two again. “Maren, what do you think?”
“It makes sense. He’ll figure out soon enough Isabel isn’t at the hotel. The longer we keep him on the line, the better it will be for us.”
“Okay.” Patrick nodded again. “We’ll start back to work tomorrow if you’re up to it. You’ll call Declan the following day. We’ve made good progress while you’ve been gone. Lisa a
nd Rafe found the cargo hold on the ship, and my team ruled out another two cenotes.”
“She’s not in a cenote.”
Frustration seeped back into Patrick’s eyes. “Maren, let’s not start that ag—”
“I don’t know how I know,” she said, “I just do. She’s with the ship. I feel it.”
Her father was silent. From the other side of the room, Lisa said, “Intuition can be a lot more reliable than science sometimes.”
Maren’s gaze slid her way, and she remembered her conversation with Nate on the beach. He’d said the same thing.
She looked back at her father. Rehashing this with him wouldn’t help. “I want to go out to the boat today and see what happened while I was gone.”
Patrick nodded. “We can do that.”
Maren turned toward Lisa before her father could dive into plans for the day. “I need to talk to my father for a minute, alone.”
Lisa wiped her eyes, then hugged Maren. “We’ll talk later. You have a lot of explaining to do, girlfriend.”
Maren smiled. “Find some wine, and I’ll fill you in.”
When Lisa was gone, Thad glanced at Maren questioningly. “No,” she said, reaching for his hand. “I want you to stay.”
She looked back toward Patrick. “I need to ask you something. When I was on Declan’s yacht, he said something that bothered me. I didn’t ask him what he meant, but I have a feeling you know the answer.”
His brow lowered. “I don’t know that I do, but I can try.”
“He said my being with him wasn’t an accident, that it was fate. He said, ‘His blood flows through my veins, hers through yours. Time and distance could never keep us apart.’ What did he mean?”
Patrick leaned back against the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “Evan Declan has always believed La Malinche is his birthright. He’s not interested in the monetary value of the piece. He’s interested in having it for himself. He’s a direct descendent of Hernando Cortés and can trace his bloodlines all the way back to the Conquistadors.”
Maren digested the words. “His blood flows through my veins. That part makes sense, but what about the rest?” When he hesitated, she knew he was holding back. “Patrick. Dad. Tell me.”