The Right Path Part 26

Stevos was eliminated because he knew, as I don't yet, the man's exact position in the organization. I think he asked for a raise and got a knife in the back."

"Who is he, Nicholas?"

"No." His eyes came back to hers. His face was hard again, unreachable. "Even if I were sure, I wouldn't tel you. Don't ask me questions I can't answer, Morgan.

The more I tel you, the more dangerous your position becomes." His eyes grew darker. "I was ready to use you once, and my organization is very interested in your talent with languages, but I'm a selfish man. You're not going to be involved." His tone was final and just a little furious. "I told my a.s.sociate you weren't interested."

"That's a bit presumptuous," Morgan began. She frowned until he twisted his head and looked at her again. "I'm capable of making my own decisions."

"You haven't one to make," Nick countered cool y. "And once I know for certain the ident.i.ty of the head of the ring, my job's finished. Athens wil have to learn how to function without me."

"You're not going to do this ..." She gestured vaguely, not knowing what t.i.tle to give his work. "This sort of thing anymore?" "No." Nick stared back out to sea.

"I've been in it long enough."

"When did you decide to stop?"

When I first made love with you, he thought, and nearly said it. But it wasn't quite true. There was one more thing he would have to tel her. "The day I took Iona on the boat." Nick let out an angry breath and turned to her. He had his doubts that she would forgive him for what he was going to say. "Iona's in this, Morgan, deeply."

"In the smuggling? But-"

"I can only tel you that she is, and that part of my job was to get information out of her. I took her out on the boat, ful y intending to make love to her to help loosen her tongue." Morgan kept her eyes steady and he continued, growing angrier. "She was cracking under pressure. I was there to help her along.

That's why someone tried to kil her."

"Kil her?" Morgan tried to keep her voice level as she dealt with what he was tel ing her. "But Captain Tripolos said it was attempted suicide." "Iona would no more have committed suicide than she would have tended goats."

"No," she said slowly. "No, of course you're right."

"If I could have worked on her a little longer, I would have had al that I needed."

"Poor Alex," she murmured. "He'l be crushed if it comes out that she was mixed up in this. And Dorian ..." She remembered his empty eyes and his words. Poor Iona-so beautiful-so lost. Perhaps he already suspected. "Isn't there something you can do?" She looked up at Nick, this time with trust.

"Do the police know? Captain Tripolos?"

"Tripolos knows a great deal and suspects more." Nick took her hand now. He wanted the link badly. "I don't work directly with the police, it slows things down. At the moment," he added cheerful y, "Tripolos has me pegged as the prime suspect in a murder, an attempted murder, and sees me in the role of the masked smuggler. Lord, I'd have given him a thril last night."

"You enjoy your work, don't you?" Morgan studied him, recognizing the light of adventure in his eyes. "Why are you stopping?"

His smile faded. "I told you I was with Iona. It wasn't the first time I used that method. s.e.x can be a weapon or a tool, it's a fact of life." Morgan dropped her gaze to the sand. "She'd had too much champagne to be cooperative, but there would have been another time. Since that day, I haven't felt clean." He slid his hand under her chin and lifted it. "Not until tonight."

She was studying him closely, searching. In his eyes she saw something she had only seen once before-regret, and a plea for understanding. Lifting her arms, she brought his mouth down to hers. She felt more than his lips-the heady wave of his relief.

"Morgan." He pressed her back to the sand again. "If I could turn back the clock and have this past week to live over ..." He hesitated, then buried his face in her hair. "I probably wouldn't do anything differently."

"You apologize beautiful y, Nicholas."

He couldn't keep his hands off her. They were roaming again, arousing them both.

"This thing should come to a head tomorrow night, then I'l be at loose ends.

Come away somewhere with me for a few days. Anywhere."

"Tomorrow?" She struggled to keep her mind on his words while her body heated.

"Why tomorrow?" "A little complication I caused last night. Come, we're covered with sand. Let's take a swim." "Complication?" Morgan repeated as he hauled her to her feet. "What kind of complication?"

"I don't think our man wil tolerate the loss of a s.h.i.+pment," he murmured as he slipped his s.h.i.+rt from her shoulders. "You stole it!"

He was pul ing her into the water. His blood was already pounding for her as he saw the moonlight glow white over her body. "With incredible ease." When she was past her waist, he drew her against him. The water lapped around them as he began to explore her again. "Stephanos and I watched the connection from a safe distance on several runs." His mouth brushed over hers, then traced down to her throat. "We'd just come back from one the night I found you on the beach. Now, about those few days."

"What wil you do tomorrow night?" Morgan drew back enough to stop his roaming hands and mouth. A hint of fear had worked its way in. "Nicholas, what's going to happen?"

"I'm waiting for some conclusive information from Athens. When it comes, I'l know better how to move. At any rate, I'l be there when the boat docks with its cache tomorrow night."

"Not alone?" She gripped his shoulders. "He's already kil ed a man." Nick rubbed his nose against hers. "Do you worry for me, Aphrodite?" "Don't joke!"

He heard the very real panic in her voice and spoke soothingly. "By late tomorrow afternoon, Tripolos wil be brought up to date. If everything goes as planned, I can brief him personal y." He smiled down at the frown on her face. "He'l gain al official credit for whatever arrests are made."

"But that's unfair!" Morgan exclaimed. "After al your work, and the time, why shouldn't you-" "Shut up, Morgan, I can't make love to a woman who's constantly complaining."

"Nicholas, I'm trying to understand."

"Understand this." Impatience s.h.i.+mmered in his voice as he pul ed her close again. "I've wanted you from the minute I saw you sitting on that d.a.m.n rock, and I haven't begun to have enough. You've driven me mad for days. Not anymore, Aphrodite. Not anymore."

He lowered his mouth, and al else was lost.

Chapter Eleven

Her jeans were stil damp as Morgan struggled into them laughing. "You would make me so furious I'd run into the water ful y dressed." Nick fastened the snap on his own. "The feeling was mutual."

Turning her head, she looked at him as he stood, naked to the waist, shaking what sand he could from his s.h.i.+rt. A gleam of mischief lit her eyes. "Oh?"

Taking a step closer, Morgan ran her palms up his chest-taking her time- enjoying the hard, firm feel of it before she linked them around his neck. "Did it make you furious thinking I was wearing a token from a lover waiting for me back home?"

"No," he lied with a careless smile. Gripping his s.h.i.+rt in both hands, Nick hooked it around her waist to draw her closer. "Why should that concern me?"

"Oh." Morgan nipped lightly at his bottom lip. "Then perhaps you'd like to hear about Jack."

"I d.a.m.n wel wouldn't," he muttered before his mouth crushed down on hers. Even as her lips answered his, Nick heard the low sound of her m.u.f.fled laughter. "Witch." Then he took her deeper, deeper, until her laughter was only a sigh.

"Maybe you prefer me when I'm angry."

"I prefer you," she said simply, and rested her head on his shoulder.

His arms tightened, strong, possessive. Yet somehow he knew strength alone would never keep her. "Dangerous woman," Nick murmured. "I knew it the first time I held you."

With a laugh, Morgan tossed back her head. "The first time you held me, you cursed me." "And I continue to do so." But his lips sought hers again without an oath.

"I wish there was only tonight." Suddenly, she was clinging to him with her heart racing. "No tomorrows, only now. I don't want the sun to come up."

Nick buried his face in her hair as the guilt swamped him. He'd brought her fear from the first instant. Even loving her, he could bring her nothing else. He had no right to tel her now that his heart was hers for the asking. Once he told her, she might beg him to abandon his responsibility, leave his job half finished. And he would do just as she asked, he realized ... and never feel like a man again.

"Don't wish your days away, Morgan," he told her lightly. "The sun comes up tomorrow, then goes down. And when it comes up again, we'l have nothing but time." She had to trust him, had to believe that he would be safe-that the danger he lived with would be over in little more than twenty-four hours. "Come back with me now." Lifting her head again, Morgan gave him a smile. Her worry and fears wouldn't help him. "Come back to the vil a and make love with me again."

"You tempt me, Aphrodite." Bending, he kissed both her cheeks in a gesture she found unbearably gentle and sweet. "But you're asleep on your feet.

There'l be other nights. I'l take you back."

She al owed him to turn her toward the beach steps. "You might not find it as easy to leave me there alone as you think," she commented with another smile.

With a quiet laugh, he drew her closer to his side. "Not easy perhaps, but-" His head whipped up abruptly, as if he were scenting the air. Narrowed and cold, his eyes swept the darkness of the cliffs above them.