Heartbreaker

by Joanne Rock

  “It’s mostly club soda. But thank you.” She felt at a loss for how to navigate her new relationship with him. Between his kindness on the flight to Tahoe and the way he’d set up an interview with a woman who could single-handedly reignite Elena’s lapsed social media presence, she could no longer pretend that Gage was her enemy. “Astrid went to greet Chiara, by the way. Thank you again for setting up the meeting.”

  Turning to look out over the mountains, she sipped her drink, grateful for the cooling effect of the chilled wine and soda. With Gage standing so close to her, she definitely wouldn’t be needing the patio heater to keep warm. His shoulder brushed hers and a thrill chased up her spine.

  “Good. We’ll stay long enough for you to obtain what you need, see the baby and then return to the casino residence.” They’d dropped their bags at the posh four-bedroom house earlier before continuing to Jonah’s in a rented Land Rover. Desmond Pierce owned the casino and was letting them stay there for free.

  Gage leaned closer to speak in a tone meant just for her, even though they were alone on the patio. “You can give me the high sign when you’re ready to leave.”

  “What’s the high sign?” she pressed, hearing Astrid’s voice inside the great room, and guessing her hostess was returning.

  “Whatever you want.” He kept his dark eyes fixed on her in a way that made her heart beat faster. “A wink, maybe.” He lifted his attention to her updo. “Or you could let your hair down.” His focus shifted back to her eyes. “I’d definitely notice that.”

  With an effort, she restrained a shiver at the thoughts those words ignited. “That would be a bad idea, as I’m sure you already know.”

  Behind them, she heard the sliding door open. The noise of the game on the TV and the voices from the house grew louder.

  “Then I’ll have to settle for a long, smoldering look,” he told her softly, still speaking for her ears alone. “Once I see that, I’ll have you out the door in no time.”

  She wanted to tell herself he was just teasing. Just trying to rile her. But his lingering attention suggested otherwise in the moment before he pivoted to greet Chiara Campagna.

  Elena did the same, forcing herself to flip the switch into professional mode. Still, the breathless anticipation of their flirtation didn’t fade.

  Not when Gage excused himself to return to the house and give Elena space for her interview. And not when she delved into a conversation with one of her generation’s most sought-after beauty and fashion icons. But no matter how often she found her thoughts straying to Gage Striker, Elena refused to consider the scenarios he’d painted in her mind as anything more than outrageous fantasies that had no place in her real life.

  * * *

  Seated in one of the paired leather recliners in Jonah’s great room, Gage peered out the wall of windows. Chiara Campagna was lifting her phone to take a photo of herself with Elena.

  He could only see Elena’s face in profile, so it was difficult to read her mood. He knew he’d caught her off guard when he’d voiced his desire for her, but it wasn’t as if she’d been unaware of it. They’d been sidestepping it since their first meeting at Mesa Falls, circling and taking each other’s measure after all this time. By now, he’d seen enough to know he wanted her as much as ever, no matter how things had ended between them before.

  He refused to pretend otherwise.

  “She’s still there,” Jonah observed drily from his seat beside Gage, his voice even louder than the TV’s impressive surround-sound audio. “You’ve checked out your date at least five times since we sat down.”

  Caught.

  “She’s been an unexpected complication at Mesa Falls,” Gage explained, forcing his attention back to the game even as Jonah stabbed the remote to lower the television volume. “I didn’t anticipate having to take a role on-site in Montana, and I sure as hell didn’t expect to have to confront my ex in the process.”

  He’d known Jonah since they were thirteen, meeting him the same way he’d met the other owners of Mesa Falls Ranch: as suite mates at Dowdon. There’d been four of them in a room at the end of the hall, and three in the room across from them. Seven friends. Six who graduated. The six who remained now owned and operated the ranch together as a way to honor the life of the one they’d lost.

  Jonah made a dismissive sound. Dressed in a weathered college T-shirt in honor of the game they watched, he didn’t look much different from how he had in their school days, except his dark blond hair was cut shorter and he had some kind of verse in Finnish tattooed around both biceps. “With the way you two look at each other, she won’t be an ex for long.”

  “Old flames die hard. Or so the saying goes.” Gage retrieved his craft beer from the table between their chairs and tipped the bottle to his lips, wishing he could quench his thirst for Elena as simply.

  Jonah sat forward in his recliner so his leather loafers were back on the floor. “You’re not concerned about starting a relationship with someone who’s actively trying to put Alonzo’s name back in the public eye?”

  “Who said anything about a relationship?” Gage resented the question. It was as if he was betraying the memory of a guy who’d helped them through the aftermath of a hellish trauma. “I’ve got no choice but to keep an eye on the situation. I need to stick close to her, and I can’t pretend the attraction doesn’t exist.”

  “Call it what you will,” Jonah conceded. “But Elena Rollins means trouble for the ranch. You know that as well as I do.”

  “That’s why we’re redirecting her with the Chiara interview today,” Gage reminded him, refusing to feel guilty about distracting her with this trip since the resulting story would further her prospects far more than anything she might learn about Alonzo Salazar. It benefited them both. “I’m taking what precautions I can, but I can’t prevent her from finding out the truth about Alonzo if she’s determined to dig.”

  “If only we knew the truth as well, maybe we could prepare for the consequences.” Jonah’s final words were drowned out by the sudden wail of an infant from somewhere deeper in the house. Unbelievably, the guy broke into a broad grin. “Duty calls. Excuse me.”

  Gage watched as he wound through the house to the main staircase and took the polished steps two at a time, his hand running along the mahogany banister. A moment later, Astrid appeared in the doorway from the outdoor patio, hurrying through the great room with a quick wave to Gage before she followed her husband up the stairs.

  The sight of their commitment to their new child reminded Gage of the hopes he’d once harbored for his future with Elena. There’d been a time they’d discussed their dream home, designing and decorating it over shared meals or in stolen conversations between business meetings. They’d even talked about having a family together.

  They’d spoken about most everything, it seemed, except her past. Instead, she’d allowed it to blindside him, unwilling to give him any time to process it before she boarded a jet and took it right out of his life. Now, he knew better than to expect more from her. They could have a physical relationship instead. Straightforward. No strings.

  His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the patio doors opening again. Chiara and Elena entered the great room. Chiara was showing Elena a photo on her phone. He caught the end of a conversation about dyeing techniques for silk kimonos.

  Elena’s gaze flicked to his, the eye contact as tantalizing as any touch after their exchange on the deck earlier. He liked thinking he’d invaded her thoughts as surely as she dominated his.

  “Gage, will you take a photo of us by the fireplace?” Chiara asked suddenly, passing him her phone. “I took some of us outside, but I need to be sure I have some images of Elena’s suit.”

  “Of course.” He was surprised the woman remembered him by name from the party the other night since they hadn’t been formally introduced. But he was glad to see Chiara seemed as enthused a
bout the meeting with Elena as Elena had been about interviewing her. “It’s a beautiful jacket,” he remarked as he adjusted the focus.

  Of course he’d noticed Elena’s stunning emerald-colored skirt and jacket, even though he’d been determined to focus on his work and not her during their trip here. But that plan had fallen by the wayside, and now that he’d allowed himself to consider the possibility of being with her again, he couldn’t peel his eyes off her.

  The double-breasted blazer was sewn with corset details, making the fabric hug her narrow waist. Even viewing her through the phone’s camera, Elena set him on fire. He clicked a few shots and then passed the device back to its owner.

  Chiara reached for it, then pocketed it in the long white cardigan she wore with brown suede pants and silver pumps. “But did you know that Elena designed it herself? I’m so impressed with everything from the fabric choice to the clever boning sewn into the seams.”

  Gage hadn’t known that. New facets of this woman kept cropping up, making him wonder how well he’d ever known her.

  Something he was determined to change, if only to anticipate her next move.

  Before he could respond, their hosts called them from the stairs.

  “Friends, we’d like to introduce you to someone.” Jonah stood beside his wife, who cradled a pink blanket in her arms. The smallest hint of an infant’s face was visible from Gage’s vantage point.

  What struck him most was how damned happy Jonah appeared. His eyes filled with paternal pride as he gazed down at his daughter in his wife’s arms. Though Gage hadn’t thought about marriage in six years, he could still understand the appeal as long as you were with someone you trusted implicitly. And how often did that happen in life?

  The women rushed to surround Astrid, cooing over the baby and admiring everything about her. Gage moved more slowly, clapping Jonah on the back when he got to him.

  “Congratulations, man. I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you.” He lowered his voice for Gage’s ears only. “I’m still scared out of my mind I’ll screw up something. But apparently, from what I hear from other parents, that feeling doesn’t go away for at least eighteen more years.”

  Gage’s father hadn’t invested that much concern in Gage’s upbringing, shipping him off to the United States for school to ensure his antics—youthful attempts to capture his dad’s attention—didn’t taint the family reputation. Alonzo Salazar had been more like a father to Gage than the man who’d sired him.

  “The fact that you worry about being a good parent says a whole hell of a lot about the job you’re already doing,” Gage assured him as he watched Astrid pass the pink bundle to Elena.

  Something about seeing her hold the little girl, an expression of tender fascination on her face, felt like a sucker punch to Gage. A reminder of the chance for the family they’d never gotten.

  Still, he couldn’t have looked away if he tried. Transfixed, he was still watching her fifteen minutes later when Astrid and Jonah disappeared into the kitchen to oversee preparations for the evening meal. Chiara followed them, leaving Gage alone with Elena in the front room near the foyer.

  “Would you like to hold her?” Elena asked, approaching him with Katja in her arms. “You have a lot more experience with children than I do given all those cousins who have kids.”

  And in a flash he was transported to that time he’d taken her to New Zealand to meet most of his relatives at a family party. It had been a huge deal for him, introducing her to everyone. His mother had insisted on holding a big reception on his father’s estate, inviting half the country.

  He reached to take the baby from Elena, his arm brushing her breast in a purely accidental way. Awareness of her exploded. Bending closer to speak into her ear, he said, “I hope you’re contemplating giving me that high sign sooner rather than later.”

  Elena quickly stepped back once she’d safely passed him the infant. “You speak as if I would be green-lighting a whole lot more than an exit strategy, but I haven’t given you any cause to think I’m foolish enough to get close to you again, Gage.”

  “Foolish or not, you can’t deny there’s a strong sense of unfinished business between us.” He tucked the pink blanket around the little girl’s foot, keeping her wrapped up tight. Her blue eyes were open, her focus vague. She smelled like baby shampoo.

  And she seemed a whole lot happier for his attention than Elena, who paced in front of the windows overlooking the horseshoe-shaped driveway.

  “Perhaps. But I promised your father I’d leave you alone,” she reminded him, falling back on that old rift between them and using it to keep a wedge there. “I can’t go back on my word.”

  “That didn’t concern you when you snuck past my security to get into my house, so I can’t imagine you’re all that worried about what Nigel Striker thinks about you now.” He found himself parrying her maneuvers, and forced himself to stop. “But if going back on your agreement concerns you, I’ll repay the old man as a way to buy you out of the deal.”

  That stopped her pacing.

  She stared at him from across the living room, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

  “You can’t be serious.” She shook her head, as if trying to convince herself she’d heard correctly.

  “On the contrary, I couldn’t be more sincere, Elena. I’ve already wasted too much time trying to ignore an attraction that refuses to die. I’m done deceiving myself that this thing between us will end up any way but in flames.” He moved toward her, his boots echoing on the polished marble. “I think, in your heart of hearts, you know that, too.”

  “Leave my heart out of it,” she warned him, dark eyes narrowing.

  He didn’t stop until he was standing much too close to her, the only barrier between them a contented baby.

  “As you wish.” He nodded, agreeing to her terms. “But I’ll take all the rest of you just as soon as you’re ready to give it.”

  She was still staring at him in a wordless standoff when Astrid called them into the dining room for the meal. Gage already knew the food wasn’t going to do anything to take the edge off the real hunger.

  Eight

  Back in the Land Rover after dinner, Elena buckled her seat belt for the short drive to where they were staying. The day had been more fun than work, even though she’d signed on for an interview with Chiara Campagna. As it turned out, Astrid and Chiara were not only smart, creative women with tons of knowledge about fashion, they were also a blast to be around. The evening had gone better than Elena could have hoped.

  The only moments that had given her pause involved Gage making his renewed interest in her known. Because although she’d felt the sparks fly between them from the moment he’d filched her phone at the party the other night, she had thought he was firmly opposed to reigniting the flame. Now, she knew otherwise, and she wasn’t sure what to do about that.

  She’d been floored when he’d offered to repay his father for the bribe he’d offered her. It made her regret that she’d never come clean about that. In the past, she’d told herself that it wouldn’t matter to Gage that she hadn’t accepted the money because Gage had been so quick to believe the worst of her anyway. But this week had forced her to rethink that perspective—a viewpoint she’d formed in the heat of anger and hurt. In truth, she’d been quick to believe the worst of him, too, and the realization was more than a little uncomfortable.

  “Did you get everything you needed from Chiara tonight?” Gage asked as he pulled the SUV out onto the main road. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he changed the screen on his dashboard map for directions to the casino. “Or will the two of you be getting together again?”

  Elena peered across the dark interior of the vehicle. With shadows playing across his face, his bone structure was all the more defined, the shadow of bristle along his jaw sending her into a tantalizing daydream about kissing him there.
/>
  Clearly, her body was rebelling against her for all the times she’d put up barriers between them. She tried to remember his question.

  “While I definitely have enough to run a series of spotlights on her and her work, she asked me if we could get together again this week,” she answered finally. After two years of focusing on the social media for her ex-husband’s cooking show, Elena had been floundering to get her own voice back for her own brand. But tonight had reminded her how much she had enjoyed what she did. How much she had to offer her followers.

  “It seemed like you two hit it off.” Gage nodded, sounding satisfied. “Good for you.”

  His obvious pleasure in her success confused her, after they’d been at odds so often this week. That dynamic anchored her, helping her to stay strong against his undeniable appeal. But he’d shifted the playing field on her tonight and she didn’t know what that meant for where things would go next. She wasn’t ready to jump back into a relationship. Even a hot, passionate fling.

  No matter how fun that might be.

  To distract herself, she turned on her phone and idly opened her most active social media platform.

  And nearly had a heart attack. Gasping, she fumbled her phone.

  “What’s wrong?” Gage asked. “Should I pull over?”

  “No. Sorry. Nothing’s wrong.” She stared in disbelief at her number of followers, refreshing the page to see if there’d been a mistake. “My following has more than quadrupled in size tonight.”

  “What did you post?” he asked, brows furrowing.

  “Absolutely nothing.” She clicked open her mentions and found the posts from Chiara and Astrid. “But your friends posted about my suit. I can’t believe this.”

  There were more comments than she could ever hope to reply to personally. In the course of one evening, her social capital had grown to more impressive proportions than ever, even bigger than when her blog had been at its most successful.