Page 52 of Kidnapping of a Myth

“You would be correct.” Eamon twirled her twice and then tugged her seductively against his chest. “And because I know you well, I know you’re fixating on his watch, so let’s make a deal. Wendy and the boys are safe for now. The Tinker is in custody. Desmee is here. This wedding is teaming with important people, many of whom work in law enforcement or government, so even if Dale Croke is Hook, he won’t try anythingtonight. Pann’s failure ruined his plans, so he’ll have to pivot his strategy, and it would be foolish to try something so soon after his first attempt made national news.” He dipped her as he spoke, sliding a hand sensuously down her thigh as his lips lowered to her chest. He inhaled, lingering against her soft and inviting skin, and then he kissed her clavicle before pulling her back up.

“So here’s my proposal,” he continued, and Bel laced her fingers around his neck, her face flushed at how skilled a dance partner he was. “We enjoy the wedding. No crime or police work until we leave this hotel unless something happens. But as long as everything remains normal, we enjoy our evening. Tomorrow, once we get home, we’ll talk about this. The FBI found nothing, but I’ll get my contacts to do a deep dive into Croke. Maybe they’ll find evidence the legal channels can’t, and while you can’t use what we discover in court, it will help us point law enforcement in the right direction. Deal?”

“I like the way you think, Mr. Stone,” Bel said as he twirled her around the dance floor, and she captured his face in her hands to pull him close. “And thank you for handling this situation so well. I needed that.”

“I know.” He kissed her, his lips gracing hers with such devotion that Bel half expected to burst into flames at the intensity. “I’ve got your back, Detective, but for now, I would like this dance.”

“Shall we show everyone how it’s done?” she teased.

“It would be my pleasure.” He planted a quick kiss on her forehead before picking up his pace. “But if we aren’t careful, we’ll make everyone jealous.”

“Then let’s not be careful.”

Bel danceduntil her feet ached. She drank champagne, tasted every dish, shared a too-big slice of cake with her handsome date, and then danced some more. She enjoyed the upbeat party songs with Wendy and her brothers, Eamon content to watch from the sidelines as they laughed and jumped and shook. Despite the crowded ballroom, Wendy seemed happy to hang around Bel during the less romantic numbers, and it broke Bel’s heart. All these people, yet the young woman had no close friends or family present. She gravitated toward the detective as if she was an older sister, but Bel didn’t mind. The women had gotten off to a rough start, but they’d overcome their differences. They both understood the loss of a parent and the devastation of a kidnapping, and even though they were from different worlds,they were kindred spirits. Bel had a sneaking suspicion that this was only the beginning of their friendship.

As the celebratory dances slowed to romantic ballads, Wendy returned to her husband, and Eamon captured Bel in his arms. He held her close, too close, and as they spun and dipped and swayed, the rest of the world faded away. For endless songs, Bel was convinced only they existed. No one else mattered. No one else danced in that ballroom. It was simply beauty and her beast, their graceful movements a display of love only their bodies could proclaim.

“I know you don’t let people take your photo,” Bel said, her head resting against his heart as the reception approached its end. “But you look… I’ve never seen anyone who looks like you.” She shifted until her chin rested on his chest. “You are sin and decadence and power contained in human flesh, and you’re perfect in this suit. I want to remember the way you look right now. The way I feel right now. Would you take a picture with me? I won’t share it. I just want a piece of tonight to carry with me.”

“Anything for you, Isobel.” He pulled away from her and captured her hand. “But I’m fine if you share a copy with at least one person because I need a picture of you in this dress to stare at. Although, I would prefer if you wore it just for me and often instead.” He winked at her, and she blushed at his meaning, following him as he led her to a massive flower arrangement. “Excuse me, ma’am?” He stopped before an elderly couple. “Would you take a photo of us?”

“Of course.” The wife nodded as Bel handed over her cell phone. “You’re both so beautiful… where do you want to stand? By the flowers?”

“Yes, please.” Eamon pulled Bel against him, and she slid her hand up his chest, smiling at the camera as happiness bubbled from within her to fill the photos.

“You’ll love these,” the woman said with a wink as she returned the phone, and Bel excitedly swiped through the images. Eamon didn’t age. It was why he never allowed himself to be photographed, so to possess some of his only photos felt monumental.

“Wait…” Bel came to the last shot and then scrolled back to the beginning. She was smiling in each one, her happiness evident on the screen, but Eamon wasn’t looking at the camera in a single photo. “Excuse me, can you take one more?” She lifted her gaze to where the couple stood, but their photographer had vanished into the crowd, leaving her disappointed. She could always snap a quick selfie, but she’d wanted a full body shot to immortalize the night.

“Eamon, she took these when you weren’t ready and—” Bel’s voice died on her tongue as she realized why the woman promised they would love the shots. Eamon wasn’t facing forward in any of the photos. His god-like profile was on gorgeous display in every picture, but it wasn’t his jawline that made her realize why these were precious. He wasn’t posing for the camera because he was staring at her with an expression of pure adoration and worship. His eyes were filled with longing and his smile with peace as he gazed down at her. The images had eternally captured Eamon’s love, and a tear fell from her eye as her finger traced the image. She knew he loved her. He’d spoken it with his words, with his actions, with his devotion, but seeing it so plain on his face? It changed her.

“The wedding is winding down,” Eamon said, staring at her with unbridled longing, and with reverent fingers he brushed her hair off her forehead. “Shall we say our goodbyes?”

Bel nodded, unable to find her voice. Unable to focus on anything but the beautiful man before her.

“Come on, Detective.” He threaded his fingers through hers and guided her to where the bride and groom still swayed on thedance floor. They interrupted the couple, hugging them goodbye with well wishes and blessings, and then Eamon led her from the ballroom. Neither of them spoke as they rode the elevator to their room. Bel simply clung to Eamon’s hand, her heart thundering in her chest. That adoration captured forever in a photo had altered her destiny, and while she knew she would always want Eamon, she’d never experienced such an intense connection with another person before. It terrified her that he held such power over her heart. Her nerves fired knowing that everything between them was about to change, and as he unlocked their hotel suite, they both understood this moment would define their future. The intensity of her feelings for this man scared her, yet as the door clicked shut behind them, she knew anything less wasn’t enough. She didn’t want ordinary. She wanted to fall over the edge with the person who believed the universe existed in the blue sea of her eyes. This was what she’d been waiting for her entire life. He was who she’d been waiting for.

The instant they were sealed inside the dimly lit room, Eamon whirled on her and captured her waist before she could so much as blink. He pinned her against the wall, his lips crashing against hers, and Bel threaded her fingers through his hair with a moan. Eamon deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth to taste every part of her, and the intensity burned her skin with unholy fire. He pressed her further into the wall as she pulled him closer, his kiss demanding that she surrender to the pleasure he offered, and she bit his bottom lip, pulling it roughly between her teeth.

“Isobel,” he groaned as he captured her thighs and hoisted her into the air, wrapping her legs around his waist as he claimed her mouth. She tightened her hold on his neck, loving how he felt in her arms, how he felt pressing her into the wall, and with desperate fingers she tore at his black tie. She ripped it off,undoing his shirt buttons with wild abandon, but he grabbed her hands and pinned them against the wall over her head to stop her frenzied movements.

“Say it,” he growled, low and dangerous as he dragged his lips over her throat, kissing a line from her jaw to her collarbone. “Say yes. Tell me you’re mine, and that you want this. Please, Isobel, I need you to say it.” He kissed her chest. “Put me out of my misery.”

“Yes,” she moaned without hesitation. “A thousand times, yes.”

Eamon cursed as he lowered her to the floor, but before she could protest his absence, he grabbed the tiny straps of her dress and slipped them off her shoulders. The golden fabric pooled around her feet, leaving her bare save for her undergarments, but Eamon’s skilled fingers removed them just as quickly until she stood before him in the darkness, glorious and his.

“You’re so beautiful. I don’t deserve you. You’re too pure for me. Too lovely.” His hands moved of their own accord, caressing her hips as he explored her body. “But I’m selfish, and I want you all the same.”

“So have me.” She captured his wandering hand and pinned it against her heart. For a moment, neither of them moved as he savored the strength of her heartbeat, and then he scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

“Leave the heels on,” he groaned against her mouth as she helped him out of his suit.

“I was planning on it.” She bit his lip, urging him to hurry, but Eamon Stone was not a man to be rushed. He took his time learning every inch of her body, every sound she made, every desire coursing through her veins. He brought the heavens to earth, the stars to her eyelids, and he proved he was everything she expected him to be and more. He loved her well into the night, and when they finally collapsed bare and shaking to themattress, unable to move in their exhausted bliss, Bel curled against his thundering chest and fell into a peaceful sleep. It both terrified and exhilarated her to realize that she would never be with another man after this. If Eamon ever left her, she would remain single for the rest of her life because her intuition recognized what her mind and heart refused to admit. She wasn’t ready to say it. Wasn’t ready to even think it. But after experiencing how his body loved hers, her soul knew, and that was enough.

Bel curled deeperinto the luxurious sheets, her eyes blinking lazily. She could stay in this bed forever and be divinely happy, especially since her waking view was magnificent. Eamon sat beside her, leaning against the headboard with his laptop sitting on his thighs. He was completely bare beneath the blankets, his hip exposed to her where the sheets dipped, and his muscles flexed as he typed. Bel studied his chest and biceps, drinking in the sight of him as if she’d never seen his naked torso before, and in a way, she never had. Not like this. Not first thing in the morning with a coffee cup in hand and work playing out on his laptop. Not when he was perfectly and undeniably hers.

Her eyes flicked to his computer screen, and the confusing documents he was working on told her he’d been up for a while.She had no idea what he did for a living, and she made a mental note to start asking questions about his life. He’d been closed off, forced to conceal so much of himself from the world, but she’d seen him survive an IED blast. It seemed pointless to hide from her now.

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