Page 23 of No Promises
You already have…She kissed him, the intensity growing between them until he laid her gently on the floor. He slid his hand under her t-shirt and stroked her belly, making it quiver with desire. Noosh traced the line of his full lips, and then brushed her fingertips through his thick, dark, eyelashes. “You are so beautiful,” she whispered, almost incredulously, and hechuckled.
“You stole myline.”
Noosh smiled at him, but her eyes were serious. “I keep waiting for something to ruin this perfect day, but it hasn’t. How cynical isthat?”
“After what you’ve been through in your young life, it doesn’t surpriseme.”
“Not thatyoung.”
“How old areyou?”
Noosh grinned. “I’ll be twenty-five in amonth.”
“Oldwoman.”
“Hey!” She mock-punched his jaw and he laughed. “Then how old are you,crumbly?”
“Thirty-nine.” His smile faded. “Does the age difference botheryou?”
She shook her head. “My mum always told me I was an old soul, and I am. The guys my age? Good god.” She shuddered and helaughed.
“I’m serious. When you’re forty, I’ll be nearlysixty.”
“And still the most devastating man on the planet,” she countered, a thrill running through her when he talked about the future as if they would be together.If Destry doesn’t kill youfirst.
The thought came out of nowhere and she faltered. She tried to hide it but Christo, watching her closely, noticed. “What is it,sugar?”
“Honestly, nothing.” She wriggled closer to him. “Everything’sperfect.”
Christo looked unconvinced but she was relieved when he seemed to let it go. “Wanna watch a movietogether?”
“Loveto.”
Later,after they’d gone to bed and Noosh was asleep, Christo slid from the bed. For a long moment, he stood at the end of the bed, watching her sleep. God, she was lovely. Christo knew he was falling for her –scratch that,he thought,I’m in this deep. I’m crazy about this littlegirl.
He crept downstairs and snagged his phone. He’d had the idea after Noosh’s little hesitation earlier, but he didn’t want to scare her, nor did he want to make heruncomfortable.
It was just…he didn’t want her to live in fear for the rest of her life. If whoever shot her – Christo couldn’t think of that without cringing – came after her again… If they actually finished the job and killed his beloved Noosh…no. No fuckingway.
He called Bertie, who he knew would still be awake at this late hour. “Hey,buddy.”
“Hey, Bert. Listen, I need to ask you afavor.”
“Go forit.”
“That guy you used when Dimitri Engles was trying to blackmailyou?”
“The privatedick?”
“Yeah,” Christo said, his voice grim. “Can you give me his number? There’s something I want him to findout.”
ChapterEleven
“Anoushka Taylor,have you been taking some wonder pill I don’t know about? Because the progress you’ve made since we last met is incredible.” Beth shook her head in disbelief as she watched Noosh move around the physio room three weekslater.
Noosh grinned at her. Her back still ached a little but the swimming she had been doing had been paying off – it helped that she had the prospect of finally being able to be with Christo to motivate her. Tonight he was flying them to Europe, to a small island off the Italian coast, and Noosh was determined that they would finally make love, if not for the first time, then for the first time since theirreunion.
And god, she couldn’t wait. Every waking moment, she thought about him, a permanent smile etched on her face of late. She had spent every weekend at his farmhouse, and every weekday he picked her up from work and took her back to his apartment. Ally complained that she never saw her roommate, but Noosh could tell that her boss and friend was delighted forher.
