The hotel had brought a crib up to Brody’s suite, and Annabelle was now sound asleep. It had been a long day. He and Kate had given statements to the FBI, who had picked Kozak up at the airport. There they’d also arrested Bert and Ernie who’d come to meet him.
Will was now working with the FBI IT experts, determining the extent of the theft from Shetland Technologies and whether or not they’d managed to use the cryptography enabled steganography to commit any other crimes.
Brody wanted nothing more than to be here with Kate and Annabelle. He carried two snifters of cognac to the sofa where she was curled up.
“Kate, you holding up okay?” he asked, handing one to her.
She didn’t answer, and she didn’t take the drink, so he set it down on the coffee table in front of her.
“It may take a while,” he said, sitting down beside her.
She was silent for a moment more. “I can’t believe it’s over.”
“It’s over.”
“He was going to shoot you.”
“I don’t think so.”
Her voice rose. “Did you see his expression, his eyes? I saw it in his eyes, Brody. Rex was going to shoot you point-blank.”
Brody leaned across her knee to pick up the glass. This time when he handed it to her, she took it.
“It’s over,” he repeated with finality, and he clinked his snifter to hers.
She stared into space.
“You should drink now,” he told her.
She took a sip. “You just stood there, a great big target only five feet away. You wouldn’t move.”
“I wasn’t about to let him take you and Annabelle.”
“But he had a gun.” She waved the glass. “The cops. They were smart. They let him by. But you... You...”
“The cops don’t know you the way I do.”
She gave him a quizzical look, but he wasn’t ready to elaborate on that statement.
He swallowed some of his cognac. It tasted good going down. “You were smart to push him off balance.”
“I had to do something. He was going to kill you, Brody. I’m positive of that, and there’s nothing you can say to change my mind.”
“Okay. He was going to kill me.”
For some reason, that seemed to satisfy her. She turned on the sofa, coming up on her knees. “You saved my life. You saved Annabelle’s life.”
“Listen, we can talk about this as long as you like, or as long as you need to in order to feel better. But I did what I had to do, and so did you, and everybody is okay. Well, everybody that counts, anyway.”
She paused. But then her shoulders dropped, and the intensity went out of her expression.
“We can stop talking about it now,” she said.
He was dying to touch her, so he smoothed back her hair. “We’ve got the emergency custody hearing tomorrow afternoon.”
She trapped his hand and kissed his palm. “Thanks to you.”
He set down his glass. “It was nothing. You deserve Annabelle, and Annabelle deserves you. Quentin is gone from her life.”
Kate’s hand started to shake, and Brody took her glass, setting it next to his on the table.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” she said in a quiet voice.
“It’s sad. It didn’t have to happen like that.”
She nodded. “I hope Annabelle won’t have any memories of what had happened.”
“She won’t. She’s so young.”
“I shouldn’t repeat it now that Rex is dead, but I really didn’t like that man.”
Brody leaned in, pulled her forward and kissed the top of her head. “You must be tired.”
“I’m numb.”
“Let’s go to bed.” He realized he was sounding and acting presumptuous. “I mean, I can convert the sofa and sleep out here, if you’d rather.”
She tipped her head to look up at him, giving a ghost of a smile. “We can share the bed. I’d like to share the bed.”
“Good.” He wasn’t near ready to let her go.
He rose and held out his hand to her, walking her into the bedroom where he pulled back the quilt. They both took off their clothes and climbed in.
He drew her into his arms, and she was asleep in moments.
He gazed at her pink cheeks, her cute little nose and the dark eyelashes resting against her skin. He touched her crazy purple hair and smiled. She’d done that for Annabelle, for a niece she’d never even met. She’d chopped off her hair and walked boldly into Quentin Roo’s stronghold and took him on.
With all the dysfunctionality in her upbringing, with her estrangement from her sister, she’d still stepped up.
He couldn’t help comparing Kate’s family to his own. The Calders weren’t as close as some, and they’d had their share of scandal and betrayal in past generations, but he liked to think he’d do anything for his brother, Blane.
The family was small right now. His father had only one sibling. A sister, and she’d died in a horseback riding accident in her twenties. She hadn’t married and had no children.
Brody’s father was late to marry, and his grandparents had passed away a few years back. Brody and his brother, Blane, were now the future of the Calder dynasty. They were expected to marry and produce heirs, and that was fine with Brody.
He’d always looked forward to children. He’d decided a long time ago to have as many as he could. But having children meant finding a woman willing to take him on.
Up to now, he hadn’t found the time to focus on that facet of his life. He’d dated, and there was no shortage of women with a romantic notion of what it meant to marry into the Calder family. Some of them seemed like wonderful people. But it wasn’t just a matter of compatibility. It was no small thing for anyone to take on the demands of joining the nobility.
As the second son, his social obligations were far less intense than his brother’s. But given Blane’s health problems, Brody expected to spend a considerable amount of time supporting Blane. His future wife would have to be prepared for the reality of that life.
Aside from the complications of his family, the past few years had been focused on business. If he couldn’t save the family fortune, there’d be nothing to pass on to any children of his or of Blane’s.
He realized he ought to share the good news. He calculated the time zone difference, and guessed Blane would be up and around.
He dialed the number and let it ring.
He was about to give up when the line connected.
“Brody?” To his surprise, it was his mother’s crisp voice.
“Hello, Mother.” He kept his voice low so he wouldn’t disturb Kate. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He’d wanted Blane to be the first to hear the news.
“Blane can’t talk right now, Brody.” She seemed annoyed about something.
“Are you sure?” Brody was certain Blane would want to interrupt anything he might be doing for this. But he didn’t want to tell his mother it was important, because she’d ask to hear the news herself.
“Give me the phone.” Blane’s voice was faint in the background.
“Is he with you?” Brody was surprised his mother would scoop Blane’s phone right from under his nose. That was high-handed even for her.
“He can’t talk,” his mother said in her most officious countess voice.
“Why not?”
“He’s with the doctor.”
Brody went on alert, sitting up straight, remembering his last conversation with Blane. “What doctor? Where are you?”
“We’re at the hospital.”
“Is it the cough?”
Kate blinked her eyes open.
“Sorry,” he mouthed to her, regretting waking her.
“It’s his lungs,” said his mother. “They’re doing tests.”
There was coughing in the background.
“What kind of tests?” asked Brody, his attention turning fully to the phone call.
“We’ll know more when they’re done. It might be congestion, or there might be deterioration.”
“Deterioration of his lungs?” Brody’s worry was now in full force.
“Give me the—” Blane’s voice turned to coughing again.
Brody met Kate’s eyes.
“I’ll call you back,” his mother said.
“But—”
“They say we’ll know more later tonight,” she said.
“Call me as soon as you know anything at all.”
“I will. But since you’re not here...”
Guilt spiked in Brody. “What I’m doing here is important, Mother.”
“Maybe so.”
Blane spoke in the background again. “Mother, don’t.”
“As you say,” she said to Brody.
“Call me,” he reminded her.
“Fine.”
The conversation ended.
Kate moved into a sitting position “Who was that?”
“My mother.”
“Something’s wrong.” It wasn’t a question.
“My brother, Blane,” said Brody, staring at his phone.
“Is he ill?”
“Yes. He has a condition called Newis Bar Syndrome. It’s a rare neuromuscular disease.”
She dipped her head to his shoulder and gave him a gentle kiss. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“He may have developed a complication.”
“Oh, Brody.”
“Deterioration of his lungs.” Brody could barely say it out loud. It sounded very serious, even critical.
His brother couldn’t be critically ill. Blane had an important future. He had to inherit the earldom. He had to get married, have children, produce the new viscount and other heirs.
Kate shifted next to Brody, wrapping her hand around his arm and leaning in close. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No. Not tonight. I know he’s getting the very best care. I wanted to tell him about Shetland Tech.” Brody had looked forward to telling Blane directly. “Maybe I should have told my mother. The good news might give him a lift.”
Kate tucked her arms around his neck and just stayed there, silently holding him close. After her traumatic day, he found it nothing short of amazing that she had it in her to comfort him.
He hugged her back, burying his face against her fragrant hair and closing his mind to everything but the peace she seemed to bring to his world.
Her small body curled against him, soft and yielding. He held her close, feeling her heartbeat, his chest hollowing out with emotion. He touched her face. Then he gave in and kissed her neck.
She smoothed her palm over his cheek, then she cradled his face, drawing back, gazing deeply into his eyes. He willed her lips to his, and she moved toward him, her kiss a gentle whisper of empathy.
He kissed her back, then again, and again. Desire flowed through him like honey.
“Is this okay?” he whispered.
“Yes,” she returned, her kisses growing deeper. “It’s...” She arched against him. “Good.”
He splayed a hand across her back, turning her into the soft bed. Her crazy hair stood out against the white pillow, her breasts rose and fell with her breaths, her pink nipples beautiful in the dim light. He loved her breasts. They were soft, smooth coral-tipped wonders. He loved her neck, her stomach, her face. He could have gazed at her for eternity.
Desire, tenderness and hope all rose within him, neutralizing the exhaustion of the day.
He kissed her, then he kissed her again, then he deepened the kiss and let her essence fill him.
“You aren’t too tired, are you?” He didn’t want to be selfish. She’d been through enough.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered.
He moved on top of her, skin to skin. He ran his hand from her shoulders down her back, to her hips and bottom, pulling her intimately against him.
“Oh, Brody.”
“You bring out the best in me, Kate.” His kisses roamed her neck and her bare shoulder, moving to the softness of her breasts.
“I need you,” he rasped.
“You’ve got me. Please make love to me.”
He’d never heard sweeter words. He eased her thighs apart, pressing slowly inside, drinking in every inch, every second as her heat surrounded him. And then he was inside her, rocking against her, kissing her tenderly, and feeling her heartbeat sync with his.
He closed his eyes and gave himself over to sensation. He could hear her breaths and her small moans. He could smell her scents, fresh and floral, deep and earthy. She was soft to his hard, gentle to his harsh.
He rode the sweet rhythm, until the waves grew larger, their crests going higher. He tried to hang on, never wanting the feeling to end.
But sweat broke out on his body. His muscle fibers tightened their way to the breaking point. He couldn’t slow down. He had to speed up.
“Yes,” she cried against his mouth. “Just...like...” Her body contracted around him, and he roared his way to paradise.
* * *
It was early.
Kate was sated and content in Brody’s arms. The sun was barely filtering through the sheers on the hotel window. They had minutes, maybe seconds until Annabelle woke up.
Annabelle was an early riser, but a happy one.
“Did you know this could happen to your brother?” she asked Brody.
His brother’s health scare was their one immediate worry.
“I didn’t expect it.” Brody was behind her, his body spooning hers, his arms wrapped around her. “There are dozens of potential complications. This is the first time it’s hit his lungs.”
“It must have been hard.” She toyed with his fingers where they lay against her stomach. “To leave when Blane was sick.”
“It was. But I had no choice. And he was doing quite well last time I saw him.” Brody paused. “But I was the one who put my family’s fortune at risk. And it was up to me to fix it.”
“How did you do it? How did you put it at risk?”
“You going to make me show you my weakness, aren’t you?”
“I’m going to make you be honest.”
“And if I’d rather not tell you? If I’d rather you thought of me as the brave and dashing hero who saved your life yesterday?”
“You’re going to use that one for a long time to come, aren’t you?”
He turned silent, and she regretted her words. They were too lighthearted for this conversation. And they were presumptuous. She was implying they’d be together for a while. He’d never suggested any such thing.
“I got into trouble because I got cocky,” he said. “Blane and my father wanted to go into the hotel business. It’s much safer, but the financial returns are low and a lot slower coming. We needed money right away, so I took a risk.”
“And you lost the money?”
“Not at first. At first, I had some real success with software development. But I got carried away. I wanted to be the savior. I wanted Blane to be able to build his dream hotel and run it for years to come. I thought...”
Kate waited. “Thought what?”
“I thought if he could live his dream, his health might improve. I thought taking money worries off the table would allow him to get out and meet a great woman. But it had the opposite effect. When I lost the money, he worried even more.”
“Did he meet a woman?” Kate hoped he had. If he was anything like Brody, he deserved to be happy.
“No. And now it may be too late.”
She turned in Brody’s arms. “Don’t talk like that. They haven’t found anything wrong with him yet.”
“Except for Newis Bar Syndrome.”
“Which he’s had all along, and has nothing to do with anything you did or didn’t do.”
“It could be bad,” he said.
She looked into his eyes. “And it could be nothing.” She leaned across his chest and reached for his phone. “Call him again.”
He accepted the phone but stared at it without dialing.
“Not knowing won’t change anything,” she said.
After a long moment, he pressed a number. Then he raised it to his ear.
It occurred to her that he might want privacy, so Kate started to rise. But he held her back.
“Stay right there,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close.
She settled in against him, trying not to feel too desperate about this stolen time together. Annabelle would wake soon, and they’d attend the custody hearing later today. Then Brody would return to Scotland. And Kate would go back to Seattle. In the blink of an eye, this unexpected feeling of closeness would be nothing but a memory.
“Hey, Blane,” Brody said.
Kate closed her eyes in relief. Then she let the timbre of his voice vibrate against her skin. She loved his voice.
“You feeling any better?” Brody asked.
Kate listened to his heartbeat, felt his chest rise and fall, smelled the tang of his sweat, and tasted the salt of his skin.
“They did?” Brody asked. He sounded relieved. “That’s fantastic news. But don’t go home too soon.”
She couldn’t help but smile.
Brody laughed. “You’ll be dancing again in no time. But don’t let Mother pick your suit.” He paused. “I don’t care if it’s tradition. There’ll be women there, eligible women. You need to look like you live in this century, not the last.”
Brody absently stroked Kate’s hair.
“You’re a viscount, heir to an earldom. You’re eligible already.” He chuckled again. “You use what you’ve got, man.”
Kate felt a sudden desire to meet Blane. It was clear the two brothers had a close relationship. Was he as smart and interesting as Brody? It was hard to imagine there were two such men in the world.
Then just as quickly as the idea had formed, it disappeared. She knew it would never happen.
“I have more good news,” Brody said, pure joy evident in his tone. “Our cash flow problem is solved. It’s a bit of a long story, one you don’t have to worry about right now. But nobody will be illegally using our intellectual property.”
Kate gave him a hug, remembering yesterday all over again, gratitude blooming inside her.
“I can, and I will,” he said. “Soon. You rest and get better.”
Brody signed off and set down his phone.
“That sounded good,” she said.
“It was only congestion. His lungs are fine, and he’s on the road to recovery.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
Brody slid down in the bed and cuddled her closer. “It’s a huge relief.”
They both lay quiet for a few minutes.
“They didn’t know the details, did they?” she asked him. “Your family didn’t know what you were doing over here.”
If they’d known about Quentin, Brody’s brother would surely have asked some far more specific questions.
“I didn’t want to worry them all. There was nothing they could do, and I was hoping I could solve it before we went bankrupt.”
“Bankrupt?”
“It was a possibility. If Beast Blue had made it to market first with their game, Shetland would have folded. And with the loan guarantees we signed, we’d have lost the castle.”
She turned her head to look up at him. “I can’t believe you have a castle.”
“It’s on the River Tay.”
“It’s a castle.” Its location wasn’t the most pertinent information as far as Kate was concerned. She was trying to come to grips with Brody’s expansive lifestyle, his family, Brody himself.
“It’s not as exciting as it sounds. It’s old and pretty drafty. It’s been in my family for twenty-two generations.”
“I’m sorry, Brody. One more time. You have a castle?”
“We’re the Scottish nobility, Kate. Everyone has a castle.”
“I have a thousand-square-foot condo,” she said, mustering up a faux note of superiority.
“You told me that.” There was answering humor in his tone.
“It’s been in my family for nearly a year.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Well, half of it, anyway. My friend Nadia owns the other half.”
“I bet it’s not drafty.”
“Tight as a drum.”
“I’d like to see it sometime.”
“Well, you coming to Seattle seems a lot more likely than me going to Scotland.”
“I’m serious.” He sat up. “It makes sense. I’ll go with you and Annabelle to Seattle.”
She couldn’t tell if they were still joking. He seemed serious, but he wasn’t making sense. “We don’t need an escort. The danger is past.”
As if hearing her name, Annabelle vocalized from her crib in the living room.
“I’ve become invested in the little tyke,” he said. “I want to make sure she’s in a good place. I’m definitely coming to the hearing.”
“My condo is a good place. It might not be a castle, but it has everything she needs.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“What way did you mean it?”
“I want to make sure she stays with you.”
Kate rose from the bed and retrieved one of the hotel robes, tightening it around her waist. “Is this because you changed her diaper?”
“I like to think we bonded over that.”
She couldn’t help injecting a note of teasing sarcasm. “You were definitely her knight in shining armor.”
He got up and shrugged into the other robe. “A few generations ago. Yeah, I could have done that.”
“Can you ride a horse?” she asked, moving into the living room to get Annabelle.
“I play polo,” he called from behind her.
“Oooh, la di da. Hello, sweetheart,” she crooned to a smiling Annabelle. “Uncle Brody is here to change your diaper.”
“Walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” Kate lifted Annabelle and handed her off to Brody.