Gabe sighed. “You want me to go undercover with Skye.”
“You have the best inroad anyone does. Skylar knows everyone. They’d never suspect she would be bringing someone in to investigate them.”
“You got me a cover?”
“We’re working on one now. You got any suggestions?”
“Anything other than Skylar James’s boy toy.”
Gabe could still hear McCall’s snort of laughter in his mind. When he’d been given the details of his cover, he’d balked again. Undercover wasn’t his forte. Being bluntly honest and not one to put up with a lot of bullshit, he often ended up telling people exactly what he thought. Not the best way to stay undercover.
For a moment, he’d even contemplated suggesting Cole handle the job. But the thought of Cole or any man other than himself pretending an intimacy with Skye wasn’t something he could stomach.
“So why are you here?”
Gabe whirled and swallowed hard at the vision before him. Dammit, why the hell did this one woman create such a clamoring of emotions inside him? Emotions he’d worked for years to suppress.
“LCR has uncovered information that someone in New York—someone wealthy, powerful, and connected—is involved in Kendra’s disappearance, and the other girls’, too.”
“Someone I might know?”
“Most likely.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she dropped onto the sofa. “But how can you know this? I mean … if you know it’s someone here … how can you not know his name?”
Explaining how McCall obtained information would take hours, only skim the surface, and probably be only halfway accurate. Gabe had long ago given up trying to figure out how his boss uncovered the information he did. He was just damn grateful McCall used his talents for the good.
“LCR’s spent hundreds of man-hours on this. The clue those bastards gave you about it being someone well connected helped narrow the search. They know he’s wealthy, powerful, and from this area. And probably thinks he’s either above the law or his reputation is so clean, no one would ever find out.”
She drew in a breath. “So what’s the plan?”
Since being blunt was his normal MO, Gabe said, “I’m going undercover … working with you. You’ll take me around, introduce me. I’ll find him.”
She looked shocked but not overly so. “So what are we going to do? Tell people you’re my long-lost husband? Or that we just got married?”
“Would that bother you, princess? Telling people we’re married? You think they’ll see a coal miner under the designer suits?”
“Stop it, Gabe. You know that’s not how I feel, but—”
“Relax.” He shoved a folder toward her. “Here’s my cover. Should make you feel a little better.”
Before she glanced down at the information he’d given her, she gave him a glare. “I told you to leave that chip on your shoulder behind. Looks like you travel everywhere with it.”
Gabe nodded toward the folder. “Read the information, Skye.”
As he waited for her to respond to what she was reading, he glanced around her apartment. It was cluttered and smelled musty, as if it’d been closed up for a while.
Finally she looked up. “So you’re new money.”
“Yeah. Think it’ll fly?”
“New York society is a mixture of both. The old money will be more suspicious of you. Suddenly showing up and no one ever having heard of you will cause a certain amount of distrust.”
Gabe shrugged. “Money new or otherwise spends just as well. I’m a self-made man. That’ll give me an opportunity to be a bit more flamboyant.”
“But buying up foreclosed mortgages and selling them? You can’t carry off—”
“You don’t know what I can and can’t carry off, princess.”
“I’m sure you’re very good at your job, Gabe. It’s just these people …”
“What, Skye? These people can spot a fake? Hell, that’s all these people are. Why shouldn’t I be one more?” The smile Gabe gave her wasn’t kind. “I’ll make sure I don’t embarrass you.”
Skye’s hand gesture indicated her exasperation. “You could never embarrass me, except when you’re acting like a jerk, as you are now. Not everyone is a fake. That’s just your prejudice showing.”
Prejudice, hell. Gabe kept quiet. Arguing the point wouldn’t get him anywhere.
Skye’s continued to voice her concerns. “I’m just worried that whoever this man we’re searching for is, he’ll get suspicious.”
“There’s no reason anyone will get suspicious. My cover will be tight. I’ll just be a new love interest for you. The only man you’ve been linked with in the last few years has been Benjamin Bradford.” He watched her closely as he added, “There’s speculation that your relationship is on the rocks.”
“Ben and I date only casually. I tried to tell you that before. I can break it off.”
Gabe lifted a broad shoulder in a careless shrug. “Don’t do it on my account.”
Seeing Skye’s face freeze into a polite mask of indifference caused a major pang of guilt. Why the hell did he have to be such a prick around her?
“I’ll call him and explain that we can’t see each other for a while.”
“Will he accept that?”
“Like I said … it’s casual.”
Her challenging look was a warning; Gabe took it as such and nodded. “Fine.”
“So what do I need to do?”
This was the part where he would have his way. He leaned forward and locked his gaze with hers. “Absolutely nothing. You take me around … introduce me but you don’t get involved. At all.”
She waved a hand at him. “I can give—”
“Not. At. All. Skye. I’m not going to have you in danger again. If it looks like that’s even a remote possibility, I’m pulling you out. Understand?”
Her full mouth pursed in disapproval. Gabe straightened and pulled away from her before he kissed that pretty pout.
“Do we need to go shopping?” she asked.
“No. Noah’s receptionist is a closet fashion queen. She assured me that not even Skylar James herself could tell I wasn’t born into high society.” He smiled briefly. “Angela’s a fan.”
“You’re not, though … are you, Gabe?”
How the hell was he supposed to answer that question? A fan? No, he could never be considered a fan or an admirer. The words were too weak … too common. The powerful feelings Skye brought out in him were more akin to words like “volcanic,” “tumultuous,” and “unrelenting.”
Since he couldn’t tell her that his feelings for her went well beyond simple admiration, he chose to change the subject, knowing it would definitely get her mind off their current conversation.
“So where do you want me to sleep?”
“You’re staying here?”
“You’ve got reporters watching your apartment at all hours. They see me staying with you, they’re likely to be more convinced. Besides, it’ll just be easier to work together if I stay here.”
The look on her expression-filled face was priceless. He read her perfectly. She was wondering if he was looking to create more than just a façade of intimacy. Would she be interested if he was? The instant that thought surfaced, Gabe squelched it. No way in hell was he going to start up something when they both knew where it would lead.
“You do have an extra bedroom, don’t you?”
And again, he read her perfectly. She looked relieved. He ignored the stabbing pain in his gut. Stupid to think she’d want anything else. What was stupider was for him to want anything else. Grabbing his luggage he’d dropped on the floor, he turned around and headed to the guest bedroom. “I’m going to take a shower.” With one last look at the beautiful woman he was married to but couldn’t touch, Gabe closed the door.
A long shuddering breath escaping her, Skylar twisted around quickly in case Gabe opened the door again. If he saw her face, he’d know the truth. Know what she wa
s thinking. Gabe was here. Staying with her. They would be together.
She told herself not to get her hopes up. The expression on his face told her he didn’t want to be here. This was a job for him. She was merely assisting him, giving him access to information he otherwise would not be able to get. Nothing more.
Finding Kendra and the creep who had her was their main priority. She would never forget that. Ever. But when he’d asked about where he would sleep, she hadn’t been able to hide her reaction. He’d scared the hell out of her. Stupid really, but she hadn’t slept with a man in eight years. Gabe had been her one and only lover. And once again, she’d felt like the twenty-year-old virgin she’d been. As inexperienced and inept as she had been when they’d first made love. Only Gabe had ever been able to bring out these insecurities.
When he’d mentioned the guest bedroom, she had felt a moment of relief. Followed quickly by an overwhelming disappointment. Gabe wasn’t here to reignite anything between them. She needed to remember that.
She also needed to forget that once her nervousness about intimacy with Gabe had disappeared, she’d been uninhibited and ravenous, enjoying his lovemaking unlike anything else she’d ever experienced.
Glancing down at her body, she knew forgetting how Gabe could make her feel would be a test in willpower. Her peaked nipples and the slow, sensuous throbbing between her legs was a clear indication that when it came to Gabe, forgetting his lovemaking … and not wanting it again … would be no easy task. Especially with him just a bedroom away.
fifteen
Gabe looked down at the invitations in his hand. Four parties in one night? How the hell could a person live like this? Why would anyone willingly live like this? Just attending one party was a sure prescription for a massive pain in the ass. Going to four in one night was something he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy. And it looked as though he’d be living this hell at least until they pinpointed the bastard they were looking for.
A sound behind him alerted him that he was no longer alone. He turned and had to wad the invitations in his hand to keep from dropping them. On a regular day, Skye was a beautiful woman. Tonight she stunned.
The shimmering gold dress clung to her as though it were a part of her … as if it were attached to her skin. It glittered and sparkled as she breathed, mesmerizing and exciting at the same time. Shoulders, bare and gleaming, reminded him of rich cream. His mouth watered as he remembered running his mouth over her warm, silky skin, gliding his tongue down her back, cupping her perfect ass in his hands. The memories were eight years old but as vivid as if they’d happened yesterday.
Swallowing a curse, Gabe looked back down at the wadded invitations, knowing if he continued to look at her, he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself. He’d wanted her years ago like nothing he’d ever wanted in his life. Why the hell had he thought that had changed?
He was still attracted … very attracted … to his wife. Hell, what was he thinking? Of course he was attracted to her. Skye was a beautiful woman and he was a man who’d gone without a woman for a long time. It was nothing more than that.
“Do I look okay?”
Her tentative question brought his head up and him back to earth. He was probably scowling—his usual expression.
“Yeah, you look real nice.” He mentally rolled his eyes. Not only had he sounded like the country bumpkin he was, he also sounded like a dimwit.
Fortunately, she seemed to enjoy his lame response, since she gave him a smile that could light up New York. His heart and another body part responded the way they were designed to respond. Dammit.
“You look very handsome.”
Tearing his eyes away from the vision in front of him, Gabe glanced down at his own garb. Wearing a tuxedo went against every natural instinct he possessed. Even though the fit was excellent and the designer one even he’d heard of, it still felt unnatural and strange.
And Skye looked as comfortable in her expensive clothing as if she’d been born in them. Which she practically had been.
“Did you look at the invitations I accepted?”
“Yeah.”
As if she’d been doing it for years, she glided toward him with a smile and adjusted his tie. A very wifely thing to do. “It won’t be as bad as you think.”
Gabe breathed in her scent … lavender with a touch of spice. He jerked away from her hands before he did something supremely stupid.
Ignoring the little dip in her smile, he said, “Did you get in touch with your boyfriend?” Ah hell, he’d meant that to sound businesslike but it sounded more like a jealous teenager. Or jealous husband?
“Yes. I told him I needed to back off seeing him for a while. I told you the truth, though—there’s really nothing going on between us. We’re just good friends.”
“That’s not what the tabloids say.”
She tilted her head in the flirty way he remembered all too well. “I thought you didn’t read them.”
He shrugged and turned away with the pretense of grabbing something from the desk. “I’ve seen them in the checkout counters at the grocery store. They’re kind of hard to miss.”
A full-throated laugh was her response.
Gabe whirled, ready to snarl some sarcastic comeback. He swallowed the words. Her eyes were glittering with amusement and sweetness. How the hell did a woman who’d been surrounded by the best of everything all of her life still look so sweetly innocent? That had been one of the biggest reasons he’d fallen in love with her. She’d been so natural … so real. At that thought, he shut down those memories. He didn’t need them and neither did Skye. Besides, they had a job to do.
“You have any more questions about me or my cover before we head out?”
“Not you, but I’m still a little confused about Cole’s cover. How is pretending to be my new chauffeur going to help us find the guy who has Kendra?”
“Chauffeurs know a hell of a lot about their employers. Cole’s excellent at getting people to talk.”
“So while we’re inside, looking for the creep, he’ll be with the other chauffeurs discussing secret liaisons and such.”
“Something like that.”
“Then I guess he’s waiting downstairs for us, so we’d better go.” She held out her hand to him. Before he knew it, he took it and walked hand in hand with her to the elevator.
Skylar kept a surreptitious eye on Gabe as they entered the small space. She’d never seen anyone look more uncomfortable in a tuxedo in her life, especially a Sebastian St. Claude. And the crazy part was, he looked gorgeous. “Tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome” might be the oldest cliché in existence, but it fit Gabe perfectly.
Eight years ago, Gabe had been just as tall and dark, but he’d been lanky, thin. He’d still been recovering from his ordeal and had look malnourished. And there had been an innocence about him … a naïveté. Even after all he’d been through. Skylar had fallen in love with a shy, handsome boy with a wicked sense of humor and a unique sense of adventure. He’d also been one of the kindest people she’d ever met.
The only resemblance between the young Gabe and this gorgeous man beside her was that he was still tall and dark. Everything else had changed. Broad, muscular shoulders tapered to a narrow waist and hips. His long legs looked like solid tree trunks beneath his clothing.
Years ago, she’d thought Gabe was handsome but had fallen in love with the man inside. Today, she was uncertain of the man inside, but the outside man made her mouth water.
They were only about two floors down when she heard the increase in his breathing. Dammit, why did she have to live forty floors up in a pent house apartment anyway?
They were five floors down when his face began to perspire.
Odd, but when they’d come up a week or so ago, he hadn’t had the same reaction. Then it hit her. He’d been concerned for her. His focus had been on her safety and well-being and not his.
Taking a chance that she wasn’t doing something monumentally stupid that s
he’d live to regret, Skylar turned to stand in front of him. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she looked up at him and said softly, “You know, we never did get to finish our honeymoon. How about we continue it tonight?”
Deep blue eyes, which had been dilated and slightly out of focus, zeroed in on her. “Are you insane?”
Satisfied she had his attention, she moved even closer and whispered a soft kiss against that stubborn chin. Her lips moved softly back and forth, loving the slight stubble prickling at her mouth. “Remember how good it was, Gabe? How hot you could get me?” Her tongue flicked out and licked at the corner of his mouth. “Remember how I would scream when you pushed inside—”
His mouth slammed down on hers and Skylar forgot all about the reasons she’d started this distraction. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pressed against his hard body and allowed him to eat at her lips. His tongue plunged and retreated over and over again and Skylar groaned as heat ignited, simmered, built, and then raged out of control.
Years. It had been years since she’d felt this arousal … this mind-blowing, body-exploding experience. Gabe’s hands roamed all over her body; one hand stopped at her ass, where it kneaded, molded, and pinched; another hand moved up her torso and then stopped on a breast, where it caressed with just the right amount of pressure.
Skylar gasped against his mouth and moved into him, trying to fit her mound against the hard steel of his erection. She rubbed, she moaned. Dropping her hands to his hips, she pressed him deeper, grinding against the part of his body that had once given her so much pleasure.
Shattering, earth-pounding pleasure flooded through her. Yes, this is what she’d been missing. What she’d longed for. Heat flashed like lightning through her. She was throbbing, breaking apart … coming full force … life darkened, expanded … brightened … brilliant light flashed … the universe was exploding and then …
Ping! The elevator doors slid open.
Breathing heavily, Gabe dropped his hands and growled against her mouth, “Nice diversion, babe. Was it good for you?”
“Gabe, this is Jackson Harding. He’s—”
No Chance Page 19