A Wanderer's Secrets: A Billionaire Romance

By Maggie Kane

Emma ran to Europe to stay alive. Her only option was to keep moving.

She never missed a step until she stumbled into Nikos' vineyard, into his bed, and ultimately into his heart. Now, she's committed the one sin that a girl on the run should never do- she stayed. Worse yet, she fell in love. In the ultimate gamble, she bet her past wouldn't find her in the remote corner of the Greek Peloponnese.

When Emma accompanies Nikos to Athens, all bets are off as her past crashes into her carefully balanced fairytale. 

Nikos would do anything to keep her safe- if only she would tell him what haunts her. He hates the fear, the wariness, the secrets that keep her closed off from him. Their bond is strong. He loves her with all his body, heart and soul. Will that bond be enough to overcome the secrets of her past?

The second installment of the Summer Flame Series continues to bring the heat as Emma and Nikos struggle against secrets that threaten to destroy everything. As Emma's past catches up with her present, can love prevail? 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: R&C Publishing
• Release date: May 16, 2018

Book preview

Epilogue

Chapter 1

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Jack Bennett stared at Emma Wilcox’s folder even though he knew every word in it. He stretched his back and legs the best he could in the cramped confines of the plane. They were somewhere over the Atlantic, and he wished again that he would have insisted on the upgrade. He wouldn’t sleep well at night with that on his conscious, however. The Wilcox family had been through Hell the nine months since their only daughter, Emma, had disappeared. He wasn’t going to add insult to injury by padding his expense account.

After the police had moved on to cases that had a higher probability of being solved, Emma’s parents had consulted Jack. The trail had been cold for months, however. It was always so sad to watch the family’s slow acceptance of the most likely outcome. They never actually came out and said it. They never said that they think their daughter is rotting in some shallow grave in a forgotten corner of the Midwest. You can see it, though. It starts around the eyes. Their mouths will claim until their dying breath that they believe their daughter is alive, but you can see the doubt, the fear, the acceptance of the inevitable. That’s what keeps me in business, Jack mused shifting restlessly.

He pulled his hand through his dirty blond hair that always seemed to need a trim. He had been amazed when the tip had come in yesterday. It wasn’t a tip about Emma exactly. One of the passports he had been monitoring had gotten a hit. Gerald DeLaney had been named a person of interest in her case. Immediately after Emma’s disappearance, Gerald and his cousin Michael, had bolted for Europe. The last trace of Emma was a plane ticket to Edinburgh Airport. The police had never connected Gerald or Michael to Emma’s disappearance and when they returned, they claimed they had been on a vacation. Of course, the DeLaney family’s deep pockets made that alibi all too plausible.

Gerald and Michael had both left yesterday for the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. They had gotten off a plane and booked two train tickets to Tripoli. Jack was way behind, but when he had called to ask the Wilcoxes if they wanted him to try to pick up the trail, there had been no hesitation. Jack hoped he wasn’t getting their hopes up for nothing.

He had gone to Edinburgh when he first got the case, but there was absolutely zero trace of Emma after she walked out of the airport. Jack had no reason to believe it, but he actually thought there was a decent possibility that Emma was alive. She had a big head start on the DeLaneys and had done such a good job of disappearing, she might well have beat the odds. It was the main reason he hadn’t hesitated to let her parents know about the hit on the passports. He couldn’t think of a good reason for two of Malachi DeLaney’s thugs to beat feet across the globe unless they had something on Emma.

Jack looked at her picture again. He felt that familiar tug at his heart. Time had dulled it to a tug and not a gut wrenching knife twist. Emma’s long brown hair and that sweet farmer’s daughter look made Jack think of his own sister, Katie. She had been killed on her 19th birthday while changing a tire on a dark winter’s night. The driver had hit her and kept right on going. Of course, they had never found who had hit her. Jack’s life had instantly changed that night and his obsession of giving families peace had been born. He rarely got to give them good news, but he did help them sleep at night. He sent up a silent plea to Katie for a happy ending. There were times he felt her presence so keenly. Sometimes, it was like she was sitting beside him sipping lemonade on the porch swing while he pushed them back and forth with his feet. More than once, he had felt her whisper guidance in his ears when his eyes had failed to see.

There was nothing more to see in Emma’s file, however. He closed it and tucked it away. With an extreme effort, he willed himself to relax. The next couple of days were likely going to be intense. He would need every wink of sleep he could muster. Emma and Katie’s faces blurred and shifted behind his eyes until sleep’s blackness erased them both.

Chapter 2

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Emma blinked open her eyes in the morning’s soft light. A wave of contentment washed over her. Nikos’ strong arm draped across her hip and the warmth of him pressed to her back made her practically purr. She pulled in a deep breath and snuggled back into him.

The summer was gradually fading into fall, bringing a crisp coolness to the morning air. In the last two months, Emma had known a peace and comfort that had eluded her ever since she had fled to Europe, escaping a vicious past and carrying a dangerous secret. Most of the time, she was able to forget it all in the safety of Nikos’ arms.

Today, a sense of unease gnawed at her belly. They were leaving the villa for Athens and though Emma understood the necessity of it, she wanted nothing more than to stay cocooned in the safety and isolation of Nikos’ acres and acres of grapevines. Athens felt like the real world and the real world carried real dangers.

The old restlessness settled around her, making her shift and fidget and waking Nikos. His sleepy mumbles about her wiggling more than a fish on the end of a line made her giggle. She deliberately wiggled again, working her hips against him and enjoying the feel of his hardening erection. His mumbles became a groan.

Are you going to reel me in, Emma asked turning in his arms to plant kisses on his chest. Her hand brushed back the curls of black hair that fell across his forehead. She studied his face with his strong jaw, covered in thick stubble. She traced his lip with a thumb before brushing a kiss across it.

Without warning, Nikos rolled on top of her, pinning her easily to the bed. The key to reeling in a fish is to let them forget they are on the line while pulling them ever toward you. His fingers slid between them, and she parted her thighs. His touch found her already wet and waiting. His mouth found hers with a tender kiss as he stroked her, fanning her growing desire. Her hips rocked against his easy rhythm and she moaned when his teeth closed softly on the tender flesh of her neck. His voice was a whisper against her ear, When the moment is right, one pull and you have them in the boat.

Nikos slid inside her with one solid stroke. He locked her gaze with his as he held himself buried completely within her. She pulled tight around him and her eyes reflected his love and pleasure. She fit him so perfectly.

As their bodies fell into a slow rocking rhythm, Nikos lowered his mouth to hers, pouring every ounce of desire and love he could into the kiss. She pulled him close to her, holding him tightly with her arms. Her kiss set him on fire as her passion rose. He loved it when she abandoned herself to the moment. He let himself be swept along with her.

Emma’s swift movement caught him off guard, and he was suddenly rolling to his back. He didn’t try to stop the motion. He knew he was surrendering to paradise. What if the fish doesn’t want to stay in the boat, she asked giving him a wicked grin as she pulled the t-shirt she had worn to bed over her head. Her breasts swung free, and her hips began to reestablish their erotic motion.

The fish can be anywhere she pleases, as long as she stays close to me. Nikos let his gaze rove over her body.