Countdown - Iris Johansen [92]
His mouth covered hers to smother her cry as he started to move. “This? And this?” His breath was coming harshly. “Tell me. I want it to be good for you. God, do I want it to be good. . . .”
Jane’s lips brushed Trevor’s shoulder before she nestled closer. “Are you tired? I’m going to want to do it again.”
“Tired?” He chuckled. “Are you impugning my stamina? I believe I can keep up with you.” He licked delicately at the tip of her breast. “Now?”
“Pretty soon. When I catch my breath.” She stared into the darkness. “It was good, wasn’t it?”
“Superb. Wild. Mind-blowing.”
“I was afraid I’d be disappointed. Sometimes anticipation spoils the real thing.”
“And did you anticipate?”
“Sure.” She lifted herself on one elbow to look down at him. “I tried not to, but when you’re denied a candy bar, that’s the only thing you want to eat. Now I’m getting my fill of you.”
“You’d better not. I’ll make damn sure I’m much more appetizing than a candy bar.” He smiled up at her. “And what did you anticipate?”
“The Joy of Sex, the Kama Sutra.”
“Good God, what a challenge.”
“Can you meet it?”
“Oh, yes.” He moved over her, his eyes gleaming down at her. “Can you?”
It wasn’t Julius barring the way, Cira saw as she neared the end of the tunnel. Thank the gods, it was her servant, Dominic.
“Dominic, what are you doing here? I told you to leave the city.”
“The Lady Pia sent me.” He looked beyond her at Antonio and stiffened. “Do you wish him dead?”
“I told you I didn’t betray you, Cira.” Antonio was beside her, taking his sword from her hand. “Now let’s get out of here.”
Dominic took a step toward Antonio. “He made you unhappy. Shall I kill him?”
A low rumble shook the floor of the tunnel.
“Out,” Antonio said. “I’m not going to let us all die to satisfy Dominic’s bloodlust.” He grabbed Cira’s arm and pulled her toward the tunnel opening. “Or yours.”
Dominic took a step toward him.
“No, it’s all right,” Cira said as they burst out into daylight that was like night. Smoke. She could scarcely breathe. She stopped in horror, staring at the mountain burning like a flaming sword, fingers of lava streaming down its side. “Later, Dominic. We have to get to the city. Pia—”
“That’s why she sent me,” Dominic said as he ran after them down the hill. “The Lady Pia was afraid Julius had found out about her. She thought someone had been following her since yesterday. She told me to tell you she’d meet you at the ship.”
“What ship?” Antonio asked.
“It’s moored down the coast,” Cira said. “I paid Demonidas for passage away from here.”
“You did?”
“Why are you surprised? I’m no fool. Julius will never rest when he finds me gone. I have to get far away from Herculaneum.”
“I’m only surprised that you were able to get anyone to help you. Julius is very powerful.”
“I managed. Pia helped. Demonidas is waiting for me.”
“Perhaps,” Antonio said, gazing at lava running down the volcano. “Or maybe he sailed when the mountain exploded.”
That had been one of Cira’s fears as she ran through the tunnel. “He’s a greedy man and I paid him only half. He’ll take his chances. The lava flow doesn’t seem to be going in that direction. It’s heading straight toward—” She stopped in horror. “Toward the city.” She gazed at Dominic over her shoulder. “How long ago did the Lady Pia send you?”
“An hour.”
“And she was leaving right away for the ship?”
Dominic nodded, his gaze on the lava. “She said to tell you that she’d be waiting for you.”
And it seemed as if the mountain had erupted a century ago, but it couldn’t have been very long. Surely Pia was out of the city.
“Do you wish me to go and make sure?” Dominic asked.
Send him into that fiery trap? That deadly lava was flowing faster every second. But what if Pia . . .
She forced herself to look away. “If someone is going to go, it will be me.”
“No!” Antonio said. “It would be insane. You wouldn’t even be able to reach the outskirts before—”
“This isn’t your concern.”
“By the gods, it couldn’t be more