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“That sounds like an enormous undertaking,” Rory said.
“Yes, I can’t wait to get started. I’ve already begun sketches, sectioning smaller areas off around where I’ll put the larger trees. He’s already got massive support beams in, so the outside structure is already there and the builders are framing for the glass now.”
“Amurov wants to put in an indoor garden that large? A tropical garden? It was his idea?” Blaise asked. “What’s he specifically looking to do?” There was speculation in his voice.
Like her father, Blaise was interested in environmental landscaping and he would be shocked at the idea of a tropical garden. One the size Sevastyan was asking for might be interesting for leopards, and Blaise might understand that, but the outdoors appealed to him far more. Flambé wouldn’t have talked to him about Cain’s club garden of paradise even if there hadn’t been a nondisclosure in place, so she wasn’t about to tell him why Sevastyan wanted a very large indoor tropical garden.
“For something that massive he must plan on utilizing the highest technology available,” Rory said. “Temperature control for every section of plants.”
“I can’t imagine otherwise.” Cain had done the same, although he was continually adding to his garden, calling Flambé back to the club to plant new exotics. With the additional space he was adding on, Cain liked to try to find plants no one else had. He pored over catalogs, searching for blossoms and vines to add to the latest section, sending Flambé his ideas, hoping she could get them for him. Often, she had to tell him the plants he’d chosen weren’t allowed into the United States, but she always suggested something close to what he wanted.
“Seriously, Flambé,” Rory said, “I’d love to be part of that when you start working on it, or even before when you’re in the designing phase. I’d like to see how you start to put something that big together.”
“Sevastyan has his own ideas, but if I can’t get you in on it, if he wants it completely private, I’ll have discussions about similar projects.”
She didn’t have a clue how long it would take to plant the massive indoor garden Sevastyan wanted without a crew. She would have to talk him into at least allowing a crew to plant the bigger bones—the large trees and any boulders or waterfalls she would have to build. He could put in his suspension pulleys and cables after as well as any other apparatuses he chose to incorporate just as she had done in the garden of paradise at Cain’s club. She had the feeling that even after she was gone, he would want his garden finished. That bothered her, that he would use it with some other women, but that was the way shifters were, particularly men like Sevastyan, and she had to accept that.
Flambé shifted her weight slightly to ease the sudden burning down her legs as it returned with a fiery scorching heat. It felt as if a white-hot flame traveled over her skin, licking slowly along her nerve endings. Flamme turned in a languid coquettish roll, stretching in a deliberate flirtatious manner. Rory and Etienne scrambled to their feet, moving uneasily away from her. Blaise rose more slowly just as a dark shadow fell over the top of her.
All three men headed to the work truck without a word to their boss and climbed into it, starting the engine and heading away from the estate at a rather fast pace, following the vehicles already departing. Flambé frowned after them, squirming as the burn between her legs flared and then receded as her cat slowly retreated. She rubbed at her arms and thighs, trying to combat the waves of itching and burning that made her feel so edgy and moody.
Sevastyan stood behind Flambé, breathing deep, taking in the heady scent she was throwing off between her little leopard and her as their cycles merged. Flambé might not have heard him, but it was impossible not to feel the menace of his leopard. Shturm was deadly. Snarling. Clawing for freedom. Raking and fighting his human counterpart for supremacy to get to his rivals. Sevastyan’s eyes had gone all cat, glowing a red-hot gold, banding with heat. He fought him back, knowing the leopard was fast enough to go after the trucks and drag the men from inside out onto the ground where he could rip them to pieces.
The female cat had decided to make an appearance, even if it was a small one. It was a risky moment, sandwiched between three males with her mate coming up silently behind her, but at least she had risen. Shturm wasn’t the most forgiving of males. He was rough and jealous and moody as hell, but he was very glad that his mate had shown herself.
Already, as if that brief little flare of energy was enough, the female had subsided, leaving Shturm more on edge than ever. Grateful for the years of experience and discipline, Sevastyan controlled his leopard and forced air through his lungs. Very, very gently, he rested one hand on Flambé’s shoulder, holding her in place, while he circled the nape of her neck with his palm.
“It looks beautiful out here already, malen’koye plamya. It’s amazing to me how quickly you’ve managed to transform the place.” He kept his voice very low. Velvet soft. No inflection that might warn her there might be trouble coming.
“I have a good crew.” She rubbed her itchy arm across her forehead and tilted her head to look up at him. “They really work hard. I haven’t had a chance to look at the greenhouse. Are the builders moving that along fast?”
He nodded, his gaze on the trucks driving away from the property, back to the main road. “It’s a huge priority for me, so yes, it’s coming along fast. You seemed to be having a very in-depth conversation with three of your workers.” He dropped his gaze to her face. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. I wanted you to meet them. That was Blaise, Rory and Etienne. Blaise is my foreman. Rory is really interested in landscaping but Etienne is definitely more of a builder, not that he shirks work. I thought you could interview him, see what you thought, and if you liked him, find a job for him with a construction crew. If not, no worries.”
She started to unfold her legs and stand but he didn’t move his hand, holding her in place. She went still, frowning, looking up at him over her shoulder with her large eyes. “Sevastyan?”
“I don’t think that really explains your in-depth conversation. It wasn’t about plants or building, Flambé. They were extremely concerned about something. All four of you were. Anyone could see that. I thought we agreed not to keep things from each other.”
Flambé frowned at him. “Sevastyan, sometimes you can be extremely irritating. Extremely. Right now, you’re annoying me beyond even your comprehension. I’m tired and hot and thirsty and I want to stand up, so move back and let me.”
Sevastyan felt the pool of red inside him expand, roar through his veins, hot and explosive, but he flashed her a smile and extended his hand to her. “I see she really is close, making my woman moody. You don’t have a temper, in or out of the bedroom.”
Her hand felt small in his palm when he closed his fingers around it. He pulled her to her feet easily and then against him. She was small but solid, soft. He felt her muscles running through her body beneath her astonishing curves. Very gently, he ran his hand up and down her back as if soothing her when he knew that kind of soft touch did anything but. He kept her close against him, not allowing her to step away from his body when he knew she wanted to. She had been very standoffish since they’d returned from Mitya’s the night before. In fact, she had withdrawn from him so much that he wanted to shake her.
“Only one of us can have a temper, baby, and I’m afraid it’s already been established that it’s me. Shturm is a real bastard. That makes me one.” His hand continued to stroke down her back but now traveled farther to the curve of her spine. His fingers bit deep. Possessively.
“I didn’t mean to snap at you, Sevastyan. I really am hot and thirsty. It’s been a long day and Flamme chose the worst possible moment to make her first appearance in forever. I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t even know what was happening at first. I was all itchy and uncomfortable.”
She pressed her forehead to his chest, her first genuine gesture toward him in weeks.
“It was awful. Truly awful. I wi
sh there was a book on this. Maybe I should have asked Ania what to expect. I didn’t even recognize it was Flamme making me uncomfortable. At first it felt like I’d been out in the sun too long.”
There was a curious reaction in the vicinity of Sevastyan’s heart at the lost note in Flambé’s voice. She was a woman of confidence and yet this small rising of Flamme had clearly thrown her. She really didn’t know what it felt like to have a female make an appearance.
“Let’s get you into the house, baby. You can soak in the tub and tell me all about the conversation with your foreman and the other two workers.” There had been affection in her voice for the three men. He would have to go out of his way to get to know them. Make certain they were good men and would always have her best interests at heart.
Thankfully it was a short distance to the front door. The three employees had been working on the plants closest to the front of the house. He could see at a glance the flowers and shrubs were all low to the ground just as they’d discussed. Even without the embellishments of stone or growth and blooms, it was easy to see improvements to the yard already. Flambé had paid attention to everything he’d said about security and there was nothing that would hinder his ability to see danger coming at them. Even so, she had created what would become an amazing landscaping piece for their front yard.
Sevastyan kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the front porch. His gaze had been riveted on his woman and the three men deep in conversation from the moment he had rounded the corner of the house and seen them together. The men were too close to her. Flambé’s potent scent, so heady to him, had drifted on the wind, inciting his leopard and stirring his own proprietary need of her. He was aware of everything around them in the sense of looking out for danger, but he hadn’t taken the time to see what progress had been made on the overall landscaping of his property.
He paused on the large verandah, taking that moment to really absorb what Flambé and her crew had done in the eight hours they’d been working. More trees had been added to the grove already in place, extending it toward Mitya’s property as well as toward the house. Quite a bit of progress had been made in that area. Some of the trees appeared quite tall, quite mature, and he could see they had to use a small crane to put them in place. Already, the branches were thick and looped down or upward, but extended outward toward the next tree so a leopard could easily run along the limbs and leap from tree to tree.
“The place looks amazing, Flambé,” he reiterated. “You increased the size of our woods by at least another fourth.”
“By the time I’m finished with it, we’ll have doubled it,” she said, suppressing another yawn. “I think I’m getting old. I’m feeling every ache from shoveling dirt.”
His gut knotted as he used the eye scan for quick entry. “Babe, why in the world, when you have such a big crew, would you be shoveling dirt? You oversee things, give orders, you don’t do manual labor.” He took her inside, closed and locked the door behind them.
“When we’re putting in those bigger trees, everyone has to help, Sevastyan. You get them in as fast as possible. It’s just safer that way.” She sounded offhand, a little distracted.
“Go on upstairs and start your bath, Flambé. The chef left our dinner in the kitchen. I just have to turn on the heat. I’ll be right up. Make the water hot. You know how I like it.” He brushed a kiss on top of her head. He’d already programmed the locks on the doors to open with her retinal scan.
“I’m going to wash my hair,” she advised him. “I’ll start filling the tub after I rinse off.”
He nodded and watched her go up the stairs. She was definitely exhausted, not just from her working day. That had started early, before light even, but most likely from the short, unexpected appearance from her female leopard. Her muscles had to feel abused by the contracting and expanding as the cat pushed against her frame, testing her strength. Shifting could be brutal when one wasn’t used to it. He’d forgotten that.
The house was large, and there were two smaller houses on the property for his men and other possible staff, but Sevastyan didn’t particularly want anyone around once the day was over. He liked his time alone and since he’d found Flambé, he wanted his time with her uninterrupted. More often than not, he knew he would keep their play in the master bedroom, where he’d set up his domain. With no one in the house and no way to be surprised, he wanted to be able to utilize any room in the house when the mood struck him.
He was pushing fairly hard to get the construction done on transforming the two garages into one massive greenhouse so they could have a tropical garden. He had been thinking about what types of equipment he would want hidden amongst the plants. He liked the idea of waterfalls and streams. He wanted to have very comfortable chairs to relax in and many places to inspire his imagination for tying on the ground as well as in the air. Flambé looked beautiful in ropes and, although new at erotic bondage, she was more than willing to try anything with him. He also wanted a place for the leopards to relax.
She was soaking in the steaming bathwater when he walked in, barefoot and naked himself. He simply stepped into the tub and joined her, sinking into the water opposite her so he could watch her face as they talked. The hot water was working its magic. Her hair was wet and piled on her head. Her face was clean and free of all lines of worry. She looked hopelessly young, as she did sometimes, and very relaxed. Her eyes were closed and she smiled faintly when he joined her, but she didn’t open her eyes.
He circled her ankle and picked up her foot to stroke her calf with strong fingers. “You were going to tell me about the conversation that had your crew so concerned, Flambé.” He kept his voice low, that velvet-soft, mesmerizing voice that played over her senses, the one she responded to the most.
“They were mostly giving me a hard time about the rescue operations. My team is bringing in a woman and her three children. She was caught on camera recently in her leopard form. Strawberry leopards are so unusual that they make huge headlines if they’re seen. She was seen in a big way because she had three kittens with her. Scientists are trying to prove why their spots are red, not black, and where the strawberry leopards come from. But there are so few because poachers want their furs . . .” She broke off, sighing. “It’s a big mess.”
He waited, not hurrying her. He pushed his thumb into her tense, tight muscle and rubbed until he felt it slowly give way and then massaged gently. There it was again. The truth. Misleading him. What was she hiding?
“They think I trust too much. Maybe I do, Sevastyan. The internet has made it so much more difficult for me to go anywhere without being seen. My father could slip in and out of a country and no one was the wiser, but now, if I take two steps somewhere, Franco knows or those people who put a price on my head are watching the airports and they know.”
That was all true. “Is that what these men were worried about?”
Her lashes fluttered and she frowned as she opened her eyes to look at him. “Sort of. It all kind of fits together. Are you sure you want to hear this? I haven’t really figured out if they’re right or wrong. They gave me a lot to think about.”
He didn’t want to tell her that he was the only one she needed to figure it out with, but it was the truth. If he didn’t get a satisfactory answer from her, he would be talking to all three of the men, one at a time, until he was satisfied. Something in the way they were acting really bothered him. He kept his fingers relaxed as he switched to massaging her other calf.
“Bounce it off me.”
“The woman, Shanty is her name, insisted on meeting only with me when she’d never met me. My team was going to extract her, but she wanted me to go to South Africa myself to escort her and the children to the United States. I have a perfectly good team and they explained to her that it was impossible for me to come. When she balked, I had to tell her that if she didn’t go with them, we couldn’t pull her out. For some reason, all three of the men didn’t like that she was insistent I go
to her. They thought it was strange.”
He kept his gaze on her face. He didn’t allow his heart to accelerate or any change to his breathing. If these three men thought there was a problem, there most likely was a problem.
Her teeth sank briefly into her lower lip and then she sighed again. “My father didn’t want me to continue with rescuing. He said it was becoming too dangerous.” She made the confession in a little rush. “I disagreed with him. It was the only thing we argued about right up until he passed away. I have a team of investigators and they’re very good, but maybe the men are right and I hurry them because I’m so afraid of losing someone. I need to be more careful.”
Or not do any more rescuing. Sevastyan didn’t say it aloud. He was going to consider how to keep her safe and not sound like a dictator. Clearly, she felt passionate about what she did. To just tell her she had to stop when she wouldn’t do it for her father wasn’t going to work. He needed a better solution.
“It’s nice to know the men who work for you also look out for you,” Sevastyan said, his voice mild. He was going to make certain he knew everything there was to know about them. He hoped to enlist their aid. He also wanted to talk to her investigation team and find out about this woman, Shanty.
“Don’t fall asleep yet, baby. You need to eat. You haven’t been eating much at all lately.”
11
SEVASTYAN lay awake for a long time, his body burning hot. Flames licked over his skin and ignited like gunpowder in his veins. It seemed that every time he woke now, Flambé beside him, his body woke first, already in a state of need. He always savored the buildup of heat and fire. He let it happen rather than trying to suppress it the way he had for years. Now, there was his woman.
She lay curled up in a ball the way she did, making herself so small in the middle of their bed, that red hair of hers already spilling out of its braid, proclaiming to him that she couldn’t be tamed. She always turned on her side, away from him, as if she could get away in her sleep, but he slept with his body around hers, his arm anchoring her to him, one leg thrown over her so there was no way she could possibly escape.