Billionaire's Scandalous Twins

Chapter 14

“Yeah,” he said, with a thoughtful look in his eyes. “I get it.”

His hand at her waist flexed and his fingers began to rub gently, and through the thin fabric of her summery dress, Isobel swore she could feel his skin on hers. Her heartbeat jumped into high gear, and her breathing was labored. Meeting his gaze, she saw confusion written there and she had to ask, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Quickly he said, “Nothing. It’s just…” He stopped, though, before he could explain. Then, shaking his head, he said, “Come on, we’ve still got a long walk ahead of us.”

A half hour later Isobel’s feet were aching and she was seriously regretting jumping out of that cab. But there were compensations, too. Such as walking beside Nick, his arm around her waist as if they were really a couple. She knew she should step out of his grasp, but truthfully, she was enjoying the feel of him pressed closely to her too much to do it.

“We should not be standing like this, or even walking like this. If someone sees us then they might splash that picture on the latest tabloids. And it will be a demotion for you since I am not even a model,” said Isobel and she did not even give Nicholas a chance to say anything more.

It had been so long since their week together. And in the time since, she hadn’t been with anyone else. Well, she’d been pregnant for a good part of that time, so not much chance of hooking up with someone new. But even if she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have been looking. Nick had carved himself into her heart and soul in that one short week and had made it nearly im­possible for her to think about being with anyone else.

Which was really too bad when she thought about it. Because he’d made it clear they weren’t going to be getting together again. Not that she wanted that, or anything….

“Oh!” She stopped suddenly as they came abreast of the street market they’d passed on their way to the lab. An excellent way to clear her mind of any more disturb­ing thoughts of Nick. “Let’s look in here.”

Frowning some, like any man would when faced with a woman who wanted to shop, Nick said, “What could you possibly want to buy here? It’s a tourist trap.”

“That’s what makes it fun,” she told him, and slipped out of his grasp to walk beneath the awning and into the aisle that wound its way past at least thirty different booths.

She wandered through the crowd, sensing Nick’s presence behind her. She glanced at tables set up with sterling silver rings and necklaces, leather coin purses and crocheted shawls that hung in colorful bunches from a rope stretched across the front of a booth. She smiled at the man selling tacos and ignored the rum­bling of her stomach as she moved on to a booth selling T-shirts.

Nick came up behind her and looked over her head at the display of tacky shirts silk-screened with images of Cabo, sport fishing and the local cantinas. Shaking his head at the mystery that was women, he wondered why in the hell she’d chosen to shop here.

“Need a new wardrobe?” he asked, dipping his head so that his voice whispered directly into her ear.

She jumped a little, and he enjoyed the fact that he made her nervous. He’d felt it all day. That hum of tension simmering around her. When he touched her, he felt the heat and felt her response that fed the fires burn­ing inside him. The moment he’d wrapped his arm around her waist, he’d known it was a mistake. But the feel of her body curved against his had felt good enough that he hadn’t wanted to let her go.

Which irritated the hell out of him.

He’d learned his lesson with her a year ago. She’d lied to him about who she was. Who was to say she hadn’t lied about her response to him? Wasn’t lying still? But even as he thought that, he wondered if anyone could manufacture the kind of heat that spiraled up between them when their bodies brushed against each other.

“The shirts aren’t for me,” she was saying, and Nick pushed his thoughts aside to pay attention. “I thought maybe there’d be something small enough for the boys to—here!”

She pulled a shirt out from a stack and it was so

small, Nick could hardly believe that it could actually be worn. There was a grinning cartoon burro on the front and the words Baby Burros Need Love Too sten­ciled underneath it. “It’s so cute! Don’t you think so?”

Nick’s breath caught hard in his chest as she turned her face up to his and smiled so brightly the shine in her eyes nearly blinded him. He’d given women diamonds and seen less of a display of joy. If this was an act, he thought, she should be getting an Oscar.

“Yeah,” he said. “I guess it is.” Then he looked past her to the woman who ran the booth and in Spanish told her they’d be needing two of the shirts.

Smiling, the woman found another matching shirt, dropped them both in a sack and held them out. Nick paid for the shirts before Isobel could dig in her purse. Then he took hold of her hand and, carrying the bag, led her back out onto the street.

“You didn’t have to buy them,” she told him once they were on their way to the dock again.

“Call it my first present to my sons.”

She stumbled a little and he tightened his hold on her hand, steadying her even while he felt his own balance getting shaky.

“So you believe me?”

Nick felt a cold, hard knot settle into the pit of his stomach. He looked into Isobel’s eyes and couldn’t find the slightest sign of deception. Was she too good at hiding her secrets? Or were there no secrets to hide? Soon enough, he’d know for sure. But for now “I’m starting to.”

They walked oblivious to the fact that they were being followed and that they had been followed all day that they had landed from the time that the cruise had docked here.

The man called Barbara and said,” Ma’am they went down to the lab and then they have given something to test DNA and they are waiting for the results. They are now moving around and shopping in the streets.”

“DNA? Are you entirely certain?” asked Barbara and her worst fear was coming true. She had done  lot and come a lot of way to gain where she was standing she was of course not going to lose it to some crazy floozy who had maybe given birth to Nick’s child after having a one night stand.

“Yes Ma’am. I am certain. They have said that they would test it and the report would be given within 48 hours,” said the man as he kept his distance from the couple who was shopping.

“Then you know what you have to do, right?” asked Barbara and the man said,” Yes Ma’am, I know. But should we not wait until we get the reports. It might not be true also?”

“Are you questioning my orders now? Who is the boss? I forget who gives the orders,” said Barbara and the man replied,” Sorry Ma’am. It will be done.”

“Now that is something that I like hearing. And you remember what I told you the last time, is it not? Or shall I remind you once again?” asked Barbara. She knew that Nicholas was no where near the ship so she was on the deck sipping on the fruity cocktails and having her feet massaged.

“No Ma’am. I know what you need to get it done. It will be an accident and there will be nothing which will get you tied up to the accident. It is foolproof and safe and you shall what you need,” said the man and then he found that Nicholas and Isobel were moving once again.

“I just want her to be hospitalized and not back on the cruise again,” said Barbara as she sighed and the woman who was doing her feet paused for a  moment to look up at he and Barbara said,” It will be a shame if the same fate were to befall on you, you know. You need to understand when to stop and when to not and when to keep your mouth shut.”

The woman did not tell anything more and then started washing her feet again.

“It will be done, Ma’am,” said the man as she hung up on the call. Barbara thought what would Nicholas do when something like that happened. After all accidents happened every single day and it was not a very big deal. Now the more important part was how was she going to entice him after he came back on board.

Her assistant, rather her slave said,” Do you think that it would be prudent to do so Mistress?”

“Well if you think it that way then definitely not, but then again who has gone ahead in life without taking some risks and this is a risk that I am going to have to take. Nicholas thinks that even after his engagement he can treat me like his whores and other one night stands, he needs to understand that I am not someone to be played or trifled with. My Daddy might think that I need protecting and he is right in some ways but who is going to protect him from me?” asked Barbara as she started laughing viciously.

Her slave said,” You are really very clever, Mistress. I am glad to be of service to you.”

“So am I dear. So am I,” said Barbara. She had thought that she could do this to control Nicholas and she was right also but she had not taken a lot into consideration. One of them being no crime ever remains hidden and whatever is hidden as in the graves of the past, they always come back to haunt you in future.

None of them remembered. Isobel did not know that she had once been doomed to a life of misery because of Barbara and what she had done and all the scandal that had ensued to her name. Neither did Nicholas know that he was being played and never looked at the woman who actually had his heart. The one who was truly destined for him.

They did not know. But Time knew, as time was the greatest witness of all. Once again the same thing was going to happen and this was a mistake that would be repeated again but what if there was a loophole?

What if there was a chance that something else might happen that none of them knew about?

What if Isobel had the chance to live her past once again?

But Barbara did not know this and she was happy thinking that she was going to be able to sink her claws in her fiancé once more. And Isobel did not even know what danger was awaiting her once she placed her feet on the streets of Cabo…