Share
Chapter 45
Related chapters
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 46
The moment she touched him, Xavier lost what little control he'd been managing to maintain.Her hand was on his neck, pulling him forward, drawing him down to her. He shouldn't have said the things he'd said. Once, he'd promised himself that he'd never speak of her again - avoidance had seemed like the easiest option at the time - but he should have known better. You didn't forget a woman like Penny. You didn't pretend she was never in your life. Their relationship had changed him, morphed him in ways he was still discovering, years later.And now she was pulling him into her arms, and he was tired of holding back.His mouth fell on hers, hot and eager. Desperate. That kiss earlier today had happened in a moment of pure relief - and it had only served to stoke the fiery pit of desire inside of him. One taste wouldn't be enough, now.Her hand moved up into his hair, and the other one joined it. Her fingers tangled in the strands, tightening and pulling, drawing him back to long, hot
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 47
Xavier stepped out of the SUV into darkness.It was easy to forget, sometimes, how dark real darkness was, away from light pollution. It made you feel so alone, so small - but not in an intimidating way. It was a reminder that you were only a tiny speck in the universe. And to Xavier, it had also been a reminder of how many mysteries and adventures still existed out there, just waiting for him.He let himself gaze up at the sky for a moment, staring at the heavy dusting of stars. The night view in the Caribbean last month had been stunning, but this was different. The cool, crisp air made the stars seem brighter. Closer, even.He didn't know enough about astronomy to say if Equuleus was up there. He'd never really cared about learning the constellations. For him, it was enough to just look and feel that wonder.After a moment, though, he reminded himself that he had work to do. He flicked on the headlamp and pulled Rinaldi's clue out of his pocket, quickly scanning the words once m
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 48
It felt like it took an agonizingly long time for Penny to free the can of bear spray from the holster at her waist, but in reality, it was probably only two or three seconds.They were still the two or three most terrifying, heart-pounding seconds of her life. And that included that brief moment earlier in the day when she thought she might plummet to her death. The thought of getting eaten alive by a grizzly was a lot more horrific.Finally, though, she managed to get the canister free. And she didn't even wait to point it in the right direction before pressing down on the nozzle.The spray shot out of the can with a sharp hissssssssssssssss. Penny squeezed her eyes shut - in part to protect herself from the cloud of spray and in part because, if it didn't work, she didn't want to watch those claws and teeth coming at her. Or Xavier. He was on top of her, blocking most of her body, and she couldn't bear the thought of his death being the last thing she saw on this earth.Xavier p
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 49
Xavier's blood was hot.He no longer noticed the chill of the wind. No longer felt anything but a wild, ravenous thrill in his bones and a laser-sharp focus on what had to be done.Everything he cared about was at stake. And he was willing to do whatever it took to protect it.His finger was on the trigger. His eyes on the dark figures in front of him. They'd been careless. Much too noisy. And neither of them were prepared for an attack.Or so he thought.Their flashlight swung up, shining right into his eyes. He kept his gun arm steady, but the beam blinded him. Temporarily gave them the advantage.One of the figures moved. Grabbed his wrist. The gun went off, shooting up into the air, and the second man grabbed his other arm, trying to pin him.This wasn't Xavier's first fight. He'd been in a handful of bar brawls back in his extreme sports days, at least before his manager had convinced him he was sabotaging his own success. But he still remembered a few moves.He swung his
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 50
Whether he denied it or not, Xavier was cruel. How could he just blurt out something like that and expect her to believe it? What was she supposed to do with that information?Penny closed her eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. She'd managed to hold herself together so far - she refused to cry in front of him now.Even though she knew better than to believe him, his words had brought a whole swell of emotions up inside her - hope, anger, fear, joy, regret...and all of them were inconvenient.It doesn't matter what you feel, she told herself. Your actions will be the same. He lied to you once about this very thing, and you're not falling for it again. The minute this is over, you tell him to walk away. He already promised to do so.They rode in silence the rest of the way to Artist Point. She didn't trust herself to open her mouth, and Xavier wisely decided not to test her further.By the time they reached the canyon, she'd more or less composed herself. The other tw
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 51
Penny dreamed she was falling.The canyon floor was below her, moving ever nearer, but she never seemed to reach it. Her stomach was in her throat, and she was certain she was going to die, but everything seemed to be taking its sweet time. She was falling to her death, and there was nothing she could do about it, and all she could do was wait.And think.Her head and heart were full of all the things she was leaving behind. Her work. A whole, wide world of things to explore. All the adventures she'd never had. And Xavier, the man who'd twisted her up in so many knots she knew she'd never be fully untangled.She'd risked so much, letting him walk back into her life. But as she watched the canyon floor rush up to meet her, she thought the risk had been well worth it. She was glad she'd opened her heart, even a sliver. She wished she'd opened it more.Funny, how easy big dilemmas seemed when you were about to die.She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact that woul
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 52
At the sound of the gunshot, Xavier broke into a run.He hadn't known what he would find when he arrived at Old Faithful, but he knew one thing - if Penny was hurt in any way, he wouldn't rest until he'd had his revenge. Until he'd made Nash and every one of his men pay for what they'd done.He'd only taken a quick look at the map Rinaldi had drawn on the last clue. But he remembered that it indicated the treasure was hidden somewhere on one of the trails on the geyser's far side, away from the buildings and shops. That's where he and Cruz were heading when they heard the gun. It was just the two of them - they hadn't stopped to hunt down Jackson and Alexei after seeing that car speed away.He sprinted up the trail, Cruz right on his heels. If anything happens to her... If she's hurt because of my carelessness... He'd never forgive himself. He never should have left her alone.He ran like he'd never run before. The muscles in his legs burned. His chest ached with the strain. But he
Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 53
Xavier sighed, but honestly, he couldn't refuse her. He was just so happy to see her alive.Moments later, Cruz was helping Tav back down the trail, while he and Penny were headed in the opposite direction. She had her head bent over the clue, rereading it once again, and even though Xavier knew time was short, he couldn't keep from taking a moment just to drink her in - her curtain of auburn hair, her freckle-dusted skin, her stubborn nose. She was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, even more so for the fact that he'd nearly lost her, and every moment he spent by her side was more precious than any damn treasure.He hadn't forgotten the promise he'd made her - that, at the end of all this, he'd walk away if she asked. He meant to commit every bit of her to memory before that moment, just in case."It can't be far from here," she said without looking up. "But this map doesn't have many landmarks. The treasure could be anywhere.""Read the poem again," he said. "Just in
Latest chapter
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 70
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 69
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 68
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 67
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 66
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 65
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 64
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 63
- Claiming His Treasure series Chapter 62
