Jayce reared back and stared at her for a moment. “Is this just about revenge?”
“No. Notjustrevenge…although I’m plenty pissed off. These people need to be stopped. I know what they’re doing to mere human beings. I have an advantage. If they try to order me into some windowless van, I can simply say,I’m a dragon. Make me.”
“Kristine, I can’t let you do this alone. If something happened to you, your mother and I would both be devastated. We’d blame ourselves and have to live with that forever.”
“You can’t stop me, but I was hoping you’d say something like that because I could use your help.”
He simply closed his eyes and waited for her to continue.
“You know where they live. I wasn’t there when my mother escaped. You were. If I ask her where they are, she’ll know I’m going after them. She can’t stop me either, and I don’t want her to try. If she knows I’m going after them, she’ll worry or get in the way.”
“But I have a job, and I’ve been away from it. Can we wait until I accrue some more vacation time? Then I’ll be glad to help you.”
“Now is the only time. I’m on a leave of absence, and my mother is safe.”
Jayce scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know what to do, Kristine. It seems as if you’ve made up your mind.”
“Trust me, please. That’s all I ask. I swear I can and will take care of myself first and foremost. Those asswipes don’t deserve my life or my happiness.”
She stepped into his space, rested her hands on his chest, and stared into his eyes. She hoped he would read the sincerity there. He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.
“There must be something I can do to help you if you’re determined to do this thing. Can you give me twenty-four hours to come up with something else?”
She sighed. “Sure. But I’m doing this, no matter what.”
For a few minutes, they remained quiet—staring at the sea.
At last, Jayce sat down hard. “I don’t know the address, but it’s in South Hampton. A white mansion with direct beachfront access.”
“Any other way I can identify it?”
He shrugged. “Tall hedges on one side. Some woods on the other—it can’t be seen by neighbors on either side. There’s a large oval pool near the back of the house, about fifty yards from the beach.”
“Is there anything I could recognize from the street?”
“There’s a stone wall and two iron gates next to the street. A long driveway ends in a circle in front of the entrance. There are topiaries on either side of the front door. They’re pruned to look like lions.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you. You really do love me.”
He sighed and pulled her onto his lap. “I guess this is why they call it ‘madly in love.’ I must be mad to let you do this, especially without me.”
She lowered her eyes shyly. “I’m madly in love with you too.”
Jayce placed a finger under her chin and tipped up her face to look into her eyes. He must have seen the love shining there. She couldn’t and wouldn’t hide it from him.
He gently pressed his lips to hers. They were soft, but his intent was unmistakable. Their mouths opened to one another automatically, and she sought his tongue. After a gentle swirl, he sucked on hers, and the resultant tug had her pulling him closer, needing more of him.
He lifted her in his arms and set her on the deck just long enough to open the hatch to the cabin below. “M’lady…” He gestured to the steps down with a sweep of his hand.
“Such a gentleman…”
“Oh, there’s nothing gentlemanly on my mind, I assure you.”
“Good.” Her voice sounded raspier than she had intended. She scrambled down the wide ladder. Jayce caught up with her at the back of the cabin, where a smaller ladder led to the bed under the front of the boat. There was only about three feet of headroom. “I don’t think there’s enough room in here,” she said. “At least not if I’m on top.”
Jayce grinned. “Oh, so you want to be on top, do you?”
Kristine tipped her head and smiled coquettishly. “I was only saying there’s not enough room for me to do that, if you want me to. Or I could just lie there…”
