“I’m guessing the Australian authorities will contact their US counterparts right away. I’ll take you to the Australian Federal Police offices in Sydney tomorrow if you want.”
“I shouldn’t have done any of this,” she said, her voice trembling. He opened his eyes and found her in front of him, close enough to touch. “I shouldn’t have put you at risk. I was afraid he was going to hurt you. So afraid.”
Simon’s heart was breaking. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m so, so, sorry, Marianna,” he said, his hand in her hair, his breaths uneven. “I would never let something like that happen to you. No matter what.” He stroked her back, up and down, running his fingers over her tense muscles. “I hoped you would trust in that.”
It hurt to say these last words, but he forced them out. She pulled back and met his gaze. Her eyes welled up with tears, and one fell slowly down her cheek. He brushed it away.
“I trusted you to keepmesafe, Simon,” she said. “But it was you I was worried about. Those men had guns. You would have put yourself in danger—”
Her voice broke off, and she buried her face in his chest. He held her against him as emotions surged through him. Warmth, fear, and, yes, the desire that was always present between them. But there was something more.
“I’m scared,” she whispered onto his neck. “I’m losing everything my life was built on.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said. He stroked her hair and traced her jaw.
Marianna’s hands slid down his chest, then back up. She reached around his neck and coaxed him down for a kiss, first just a brush of her lips, but then it was more. Shifting, she cupped his face with her hands and parted her lips for him, each stroke of her tongue a demand for more.
