Dangerous Promise Read online

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY She would get used to waking up next to Ewan, maybe, if they had time for her to become accustomed to it. For now, it had been a surprise every morning for the past week or so. Nina stretched, naked, enjoying the silence of dawn. Ewan snored lightly, and she rolled onto her side to study his face in the first rays of sun slanting through the attic window. Nina had been in places others had called paradise. Idyllic beaches, serene landscapes. She’d never been as content as she was right now. This meant something, this rough and rasping thing between them. Without waking him, she slipped from the bed and went downstairs, still naked but carrying her harness and gear in one hand. Naked, she went outside into the cool late autumn air and went through her daily workout of stretches. She breathed in, breathed out; she gave herself up to the flow of the universe inside and through her. When she’d finished, her muscles ached deliciously, and her upper lip tasted of sweat when sh

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Through the living room windows, Ewan could see the trees changing leaves. If they didn’t leave soon, they’d be snowed in here. Not simply safe. Trapped. Surviving on the stores he’d laid away, never thinking he’d need to use them. Already he was growing tired of synthbeef and pasta, of the quiet, endless days with nothing to occupy him but the books on the shelves . . . and Nina. Everything was making him weary, but he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of her. She was the first woman he’d ever brought to this cabin. The first, too, that he’d spent this much time with. Other relationships had turned sour quickly, often after spending as little as a single weekend together. Yet here they were, weeks and weeks into this, and he looked forward to every minute with her as much as ever. Maybe even more, he thought with a glance toward her. Nina didn’t look up, but she did smile. “You and the staring thing.” “I’m bored,” Ewan said abruptly. At this, she put down her book an

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO The trip into town had started off with an argument and an ultimatum, and he wasn’t proud of that. Ewan was far from knowing all of his flaws, but stubborn pride and insistence on having his own way was definitely one of them. He’d grown too used to getting his own way. Money had given Ewan a lot of things, but never a day as perfect as this one had been. Deer Park was indeed a town so small it could barely be called a village. Most of its residents owned property, like him, that included vast expanses of undeveloped land with hidden estates, so although it was small, the town had all the amenities you’d expect wealthy eccentrics to want. He and Nina had spent the day sampling local delicacies and looking in all the tiny shops. They’d also stuffed the buzzbike’s saddlebags with enough supplies to bring something fresh to their current pantry. They’d walked holding hands. They’d kissed over their shared dessert in a cozy little bistro. They’d tossed a few virtual coin

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Nina woke to a ringing in her ears and throbbing pain from half a dozen bruises all over her still naked body. Blakely would definitely not have had a problem kicking her when she was down. She hawked out a metallic taste, her spittle blood-tinged, and ran her tongue along her teeth. One seemed loose, but none were missing. Through the blurry veil of pain, Nina could see Ewan in the chair across from her. His head sagged to his chest. She could see blood dripping from his nose. That was all it took. Gritting her teeth, she tested the restraints Blakely had used to tie her to the chair. She tested, too, the pain where the bastard had hit her. Both eyes would be black. Her nose, definitely broken. Nothing she couldn’t handle. With a slow, deep breath, Nina concentrated on her injuries. Contrary to what at least a couple of the anti-enhancement groups thought, she didn’t have supernatural powers, but she could focus on the parts of her that had been hurt and shift ene

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Ewan heard the voices, one of them belonging to Nina and the other, feminine and familiar but yet unknown. He blinked hard, trying to clear his vision, but everything swam and blurred, and no matter how hard he tried to pull in a breath to clear his head, all he could manage was to let out a soft moan. Slim, strong fingers stroked along his cheek. Settled on his shoulder. Squeezed. He drew strength from the touch. It was Nina. He didn’t have to see her to know it. Time passed. He didn’t know how much, but the next time he struggled to open his eyes, he managed to focus. A chill prickled his skin into gooseflesh. He was naked, a bundle of soft material covering his lap. With a groan, he came fully aware, struggling. Nina was still there, murmuring his name and putting her arm around his shoulders. She looked into his face, cupping his chin until he looked into her eyes. “Shh,” she said. “I’m here. You’re all right. You’re going to be fine. I’m going to take care of y

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Three things happened in the moment after Ewan Donahue destroyed Nina’s faith in him. First, he took several steps toward her with his hands out, as though he meant to touch her, and she moved away the same distance immediately, afraid she would hurt him if he so much as brushed a fingertip across her naked skin. Second, Blakely got to his feet. And third, Nina lost her mind. Blakely, splattered with blood, had eyes only for Ewan. Crosson might have been able to call him off, but she was unconscious, sprawled on the bedroom floor. Despite Crosson’s insults, Blakely was no watchdog. He was an attack dog, and it was clear he intended to take great pleasure in following through on Crosson’s orders. Nina breathed. Tensing, she waited until Blakely was close enough to Ewan that his big fists had closed on Ewan’s upper arms. Then she launched herself at the men, leaping at the last second to land a kick directly to Blakely’s left kidney. It didn’t drop him, but it caught

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX “All I wanted to do was to help my sister. My entire life, we’d been at odds. She was my parents’ favorite. I was their disappointment. But still, she was my sister. Family. When we lost our parents, she was all I had left.” Ewan filled two mugs with steaming water from the electric kettle and added some tea. He pushed one across the table toward Nina, who did not take it. She’d showered and dressed in her usual uniform of black leggings and top, but the harness and belt with her gear was folded neatly on the table in front of her. She would not stand by and allow him to come to harm, she’d told him, but she was no longer in his employ. No longer bound to protect him with everything she had. He was no longer hers. “She’d done such great work, see. Her efforts with conservation. The environment. She was only eight years older than me, but she’d spent so much of her life doing whatever she could to make the world a better place. No wonder my parents preferred her. Thou

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN Nina didn’t need to take another assignment. The money she’d made from working for Ewan would last her a good long time, even if she lived a life of extravagance and indulgence for as long as she could, which wouldn’t be very long. She didn’t need to work, but she wanted the distraction. This job had taken her all over the world. Literally. She’d spent twenty-two out of the past twenty-four hours on planes or trains or luxury cars, sitting by the side of one of the wealthiest men on the planet. Roger Germain was easy to get along with. Did as he was told, in regard to his personal safety. Didn’t talk much and therefore, didn’t expect her to have a conversation with him. He let her do her job as needed, which fortunately for both of them, wasn’t really needed. He’d given her a nice bonus, too, along with a stellar review. It didn’t necessarily matter in the long run, not when there were only a few people in the world who were capable of offering the services she cou

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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