The Thrill of You Read online

  The music poured from her instrument and flowed flawlessly from her heart. Every note was perfection in its pitch and tone. The tempo and melody varied, some fast, some slow.

  After hours of playing, she finally stopped, satisfied that she had regained her gift. She placed the instrument back in the box and was just about to close it when she noticed a piece of paper sticking out from the side.

  It was sheet music. A solo sonata she had begun composing years ago but never finished. She looked at the notes on the paper, hearing each in her mind. She picked up the violin with the music sheet and took everything upstairs to the bedroom. She stood in the small sitting room alcove in the master bedroom and played a few notes. Happily, the acoustical sound had near-perfect tone quality. She placed the sheet music on the marble, pulled the French glass doors together and began playing.

  * * *

  Mikhail busied himself away from the house for the next few days. He needed distance, and the marina was the perfect place to get it. He’d been back in Key West for weeks and the last thing he’d been focusing on was work. Even when he did come into the office, his thoughts were always back at his home with Cyanna. Getting up and leaving her was getting harder and harder to do because he knew one day soon it would all be over.

  The likelihood of Cyanna being pregnant with his child at this moment was a very real possibility. They had been together for over two weeks, and if her hormonal calculations were correct, he could already have a child. He smiled to himself.

  He’d been distracted since his morning had been more than a little challenging. Taking care of overindulged wealthy clients had never bothered him. They paid large sums of money to stay at his marina with no questions asked. Executives, celebrities, politicians and even a couple of royals have paid his considerable fee for private accommodations and complete discretion. When they needed a place to pause from life, his marina was the perfect refuge. As long as they weren’t wanted and it wasn’t illegal, he welcomed all to stay in complete anonymity, and he, along with his staff, was always available for their needs.

  But today he wasn’t in the mood to be available and certainly not amiable. He closed himself off from the madness and stayed in his office, sitting at his desk and catching up on long-ignored paperwork. His thoughts wandered often. This wasn’t like him. He was dedicated and meticulous with everything he did, particularly when it came to his marina. But lately his focus had been constantly wavering.

  After finally filling out the last requisition order form for a few needed engine parts, he hit the key on his keyboard, sending the request to be processed. He took care of the last of the week’s accumulated mail. As soon as he tossed the final envelope into his outgoing bin, he stood and walked over to the large windows and looked out at the dock. The view from the marina’s office wasn’t nearly as awesome as the view from the crow’s nest, but he still saw the water.

  Mikhail walked back to his desk and went back to his paperwork. An hour later there was a knock at his door.

  “Come in,” he said.

  The door opened. “Yo,” his friend Cisco Powel said, looking in. “I’m back.”

  “Hey, welcome back. That was quick. I expected you’d be away for another few weeks.” Mikhail stood and walked over to greet his friend. They shook hands. “How’d the job go?”

  “A few weeks, in and out, not bad at all,” Cisco said.

  Mikhail nodded. “Good, I guess resistance was light.”

  “Nothing we couldn’t handle. It went off like clockwork.”

  Mikhail nodded. “Excellent.” They walked back to the desk and sat down. “When’d you get back?”

  “A few days ago,” Cisco said. “I had to do the post—now I’m off the clock for a few.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “So what’s going on around here?” Cisco asked.

  “Nothing much, same ol’,” Mikhail said. Then he began telling Cisco about the new boat he’d purchased. There was another knock on the door. Jumper ducked his head into the office. “Hey, your new gal just showed up,” Jumper said, smiling.

  Mikhail glanced behind Jumper. “Cyanna? Where is she, in the front office?”

  Jumper looked at Mikhail, then at Cisco and frowned. “Cyanna, huh? Well, I guess that’ll do. It’s as good a name as any. She’s on the trailer in the parking lot—where else would she be?”

  Mikhail shook his head. He was becoming completely hopeless. “Yeah, right, of course, never mind,” he said, standing and following Jumper back outside. Cisco lagged behind him as they walked to the parking lot.

  “So, Cyanna, huh?” Cisco said. “Who is she?”

  Mikhail glanced at him pointedly. “She’s a friend, and she’s none of your business.”

  Cisco chuckled.

  Mikhail turned and glared. “None of your business,” he repeated.

  Cisco stopped laughing as he shook his head and raised his hands in mock surrender. “All right, all right, I get it. None of my business.”

  “So, Cyanna, that’s what you’re calling this one. Right,” Jumper said. Cisco started laughing again.

  Mikhail turned and scowled at his friend. “I don’t know yet, maybe,” Mikhail said, redirecting his attention to Jumper.

  “You all right today, boss? You seem a little...out of it.”

  “I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind today.”

  “Are you clocking out again?” Jumper asked hesitantly, knowing about his jobs and how he helped out with his old military team.

  “No, not for a while,” Mikhail said.

  “Maybe you just need to get some rest,” Cisco piped up.

  “Yeah, maybe,” Mikhail said.

  The three men got to the main parking lot and continued to where the truck was hitched to the trailer and large boat. Fannie was already there checking out the new boat when they walked up.

  “Mikhail, this is perfect,” Fannie said as they approached. “We get dozens of rental requests for a catamaran. Our younger clientele are gonna love this.”

  “Yeah, it looks good, beautiful body, excellent form,” Mikhail said approvingly as they approached the trailer and boat.

  “Well, you know what they say, looks are deceiving,” Jumper began. “She looks good on the outside, but we need to check under the hood. This model is a beauty, but they need special care. They can be temperamental.”

  “She’ll be the perfect party boat after fishing and sightseeing,” Fannie added.

  Luther came from around the side and wolf-whistled loudly. “Ah yeah, man, this is it. This is dope. I can just see us out there hitting the waves on this baby. Can you imagine the parties on this thing? Seriously, man, with two cabins, an owner’s suite and plenty of comfortable room to kick back, this baby is gonna be dope. Okay, so when are we gonna load her on the slipway and transfer her into the water? I can’t wait to take her out.”

  “Not so fast. Like Jumper said, we’re gonna need to check her out first,” Mikhail said as he began walking around, looking at the large boat.

  Jumper chuckled. “Yep, that’s right,” he said as he went in the opposite direction, meeting Mikhail at the stern. “The body looks good, but we gotta check the engine to see what we got. I’m almost sure we’re gonna need to amp the power and realign the navigation equipment.”

  Mikhail nodded and turned around. “What do you think?” he asked Cisco and Fannie.

  Cisco nodded steadily. “It can work.”

  Fannie smiled. “I agree. Our younger boat renters are gonna love this one, especially the front netting. I think I’d better order a few replacements now, just in case. Maybe even a thicker braid.”

  “Okay, let’s unload her and see exactly what we have,” Mikhail said.

  Cisco and Luther nodded as Jumper climbed into the truck’s cab and cautiously drov
e the trailer and catamaran to one of the maintenance and repair slips in back. After they’d secured the boat on the floating dry dock, they began checking it out thoroughly. It wasn’t until hours later that they finally walked away satisfied with Mikhail’s new acquisition.

  The staff headed home, but Mikhail stopped at his private bungalow first. He went up into the crow’s nest and stood at the window, looking out across at the panoramic view. First to the seven bungalows tucked amid the private gardens below and then to the serene horizon beyond the trees. He leaned against the window frame.

  He’d always found peace when he looked out the window, but today, unexpectedly, the serenity he had always found eluded him. He looked up as the darkening evening sky approached. The first star already shone brightly. It instantly reminded him of Cyanna and the place called nowhere. The memory was intense. Just thinking about her made his body burn. He had no idea how long he stood there thinking about Cyanna and what he wanted. After a while, he leaned away and walked back to his desk.

  He sat down and opened his laptop computer, then clicked to a program he used often for his job. It was designed to perform comprehensive and meticulous background checks by the military and would certainly put Cyanna’s detective to shame. He typed in a name, Ammar Robah Sharif from Qatar, and started reading the sites.

  “See, I told you he’d still be here,” Stephen said.

  “Yep, you were right,” David answered.

  “Yo, man, what’s up? Where you been?” Spencer asked.

  Mikhail looked up, surprised to see his cousin Stephen Morales and his two new brothers-in-law, Spencer Cage and David Montgomery, standing in the doorway of his office. It was as if they’d appeared out of thin air. He smiled, trying to play it off, but the idea that all three men had come into and walked through his house and up to his office without his knowledge showed he was too distracted and maybe losing his perceptive touch.

  “Hey,” he said, quickly ending his hour-long investigation. The men crossed the room quickly and met in the middle. After hugs and handshakes, the conversation continued. “So what? You guys are hanging out away from the wives tonight? Where’s Dominik?”

  “He’s on shift,” Stephen said. “He’s putting serious hours in as the medical center’s E.R. director. He’s gonna catch up with you later.”

  “So what are you guys doing out?”

  “We’re celebrating,” Stephen said.

  “Celebrating what?” Mikhail asked.

  Stephen and David looked to Spencer. Spencer smiled proudly. “I’m gonna be a father.”

  “Whoa, excellent news. Tatiana’s pregnant—congratulations!” Mikhail exclaimed, happy for his sister and brother-in-law. They hugged and everyone laughed happily. “Well, now, this deserves a celebration. Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Mikhail said. After showing the men his latest acquisition, they decided to head over to a friend’s popular club. They sat around, laughing and talking about work, family and of course the women in their lives. David and Stephen reminisced about fatherhood and their wives.

  “We’re headed over to Cutter tomorrow. You and your friend should join us.”

  “My friend?” Mikhail asked. “What friend?”

  Stephen, Spencer and David looked at each other and smiled.

  “All right, let’s get on with it,” Spencer said.

  Mikhail looked at him questioningly. “Get on with what?”

  “The intervention.”

  “What intervention?” Mikhail asked. “What’s going on?”

  “That’s the question of the hour—what’s going on with you?” Stephen asked. David and Spencer nodded as the three gave Mikhail their full attention.

  “What do you mean?” Mikhail asked.

  “Cyanna Dupres,” Spencer said.

  “Mia and Shauna told Nat and Tatiana about you bringing Cyanna to the hospital to meet the baby,” Stephen began. “You don’t bring women around us, not around your family, ever.”

  “Then Nat and Tatiana meet Cyanna living in your home a few days later,” David added. “Nat’s worried. She told me that no woman has ever lived with you in your house before, ever.”

  “So, what’s the deal, bro? You’ve never mentioned her before, she shows up out of nowhere and she’s living in your house,” Spencer said.

  “They’re worried there’s a problem and that you might need our help. So here we are,” David said.

  Mikhail chuckled, then laughed out loud. David, Spencer and Stephen looked at each other. When Mikhail finally calmed down, he shook his head and smiled. “No, my brothers, I’m sure I can handle this alone. But thanks for your concern anyway. I got this.”

  “Is it another job?” Spencer asked.

  “No.”

  Stephen nodded his head. “We have money.”

  “A lot of money,” David chimed in.

  “A whole lot of money,” Spencer added.

  Mikhail looked at his family’s faces and saw their ardent concern. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Thanks, but I’m fine. We’re fine—trust me. Cyanna is very important to me and we’re working on a project together. I’ll let you know more later on.”

  The three men accepted his word. A few minutes passed, the small celebration-turned-intervention broke up and everyone headed out. Mikhail drove home, pulling up in front of the house twenty minutes later. He turned the engine off and paused. Before he even got out of the car he heard it. It was haunting, poignant and tender with the slightest hint of sadness. Slow and melodic, the music drew him in. It wasn’t something from his classical collection; it was different. The more he listened, the more he wasn’t sure he liked it. It was just too heartrending.

  He walked into the foyer and looked around until he figured out from where the music was coming. He headed up to the bedroom. He stood in the doorway. Cyanna was standing in the alcove with her eyes closed, gently pulling the bow across the strings. Mikhail was riveted at the sight of her. She wore a free-flowing, floor-length colorful chiffon draping sarong. She was stunning. The beauty of what she was playing paled to the beauty of seeing her standing there.

  He felt her vulnerability pour from her soul through her music. The love in his heart poured out. There was no turning back. She had him—all of him—body, mind and spirit.

  She finished playing, pulling the bow all the way down and stopping. He applauded softly. She turned abruptly and only half smiled at seeing him standing there. “Hi,” she said softly.

  “Hello.”

  She placed the instrument on the small center table. “I didn’t know you were home. How long have you been standing there?”

  “Awhile. That was beautiful, haunting. Whose is it?”

  “You mean the composer?” she asked. He nodded. “It’s mine.”

  “You wrote that?” he asked. She nodded, then bit at her lower lip nervously. “Wow, you are extremely talented.”

  “Thank you. I wrote it a long time ago.”

  “It’s very sad.”

  “Yes, it is. I wrote it for my parents. Today,” she began then paused and took a deep breath. “Today is the anniversary of their deaths. I guess I was just feeling...” She stopped talking and turned away.

  Mikhail quickly walked over and pulled her into his arms. She went willingly. The solid strength of his body was exactly what she needed. She melted easily into him and closed her eyes. This was all she ever wanted—to be safe, to be wanted and to be loved in the arms of the man she loved. But how did you tell the man you loved that you wanted more than you knew he was willing to give? Her thoughts swirled with sadness—for herself, her parents, for her brother.

  “Derek isn’t here. He always makes a point of calling me or coming to me on this day. When his helicopter went down, a part of me died with him. I’ve been standing behind Derek all my life.
Even when I’m onstage, he’s there with me. And now he’s not. His shadow was safe, and now it’s gone. I guess maybe that’s why I want to have a baby so badly. Right now I’m alone.”

  “You’re not alone, Cyanna.”

  “I mean family. I have friends and I guess even extended family, but there’s no one close to me. No one I can go to or rely on. And now this is the first time I’ve ever been really alone before. I guess I need to get used to it.”

  “No, you don’t. You have me. I’ll always be here for you.”

  They went back into the bedroom and sat on the large overstuffed double chair beside the fireplace. She laid her head on his chest, and he draped his arms around her shoulders. After a while she closed her eyes and fell asleep. It was the first night they didn’t make love.

  Chapter 10

  Cyanna moaned in the last remnants of sleep and reached out, feeling for the body always at her side. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. It was still dark in the bedroom, but she could hear the steady sound of rain falling outside. She turned and looked over to Mikhail. He wasn’t in bed. She sat up, grabbed her cell phone on the nightstand and checked the time. It was a little after four in the morning. She knew it was way too early for Mikhail to be at the marina. She waited a short while.

  “Mikhail?” He didn’t answer.

  She grabbed her robe and slipped out of bed to find him. He wasn’t in the bathroom or out on the balcony. She went downstairs. She peeked in the living room and the office. She headed to the kitchen. She checked the family room, where she noticed the sheer curtains billowing in the warm nighttime breeze. She walked over to the French doors that led to the covered patio and found Mikhail outside, standing just beyond the trellis in the muted light.

  Every gorgeous inch of his body was pure sex appeal, and to her extreme pleasure, he had nothing on. He was stunning. Her stomach quivered as her body craved him. She was intoxicated just looking at him.

  She slipped outside into the shroud of darkness and walked up behind him. He was staring out at the pouring rain. She reached out and touched his arm. The passionate, charged connection between them was undeniable. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge her presence. “Hey, what are you doing up? You need your rest.”