The Pretender

by HelenKay Dimon

  He’d skipped putting the box in the drawer. It was out on the table now, and she was grateful. She didn’t need one more distraction. The man under her proved interesting enough.

  Taking his hand, she guided it down her body. Straight to the center of her again. He didn’t need a lesson in this. A finger slipped inside her. Went deep before plunging in and out. It only took a second for her hips to match the rhythm.

  She wanted to drop her head back and let the sensations pulse through her. But she wanted something else more. Her hands wandered over his thighs. She rubbed her palms up and down his legs until he couldn’t stop moving them. She circled and tempted but never touched the one place that strained for her.

  “Damn, Gabby. Do it.” He growled out the order.

  That made her want to tease him even more. Her fingertips drifted over him, skimming the hair on his legs then dropping between them. When they traveled back to his stomach, he grabbed her wrist. The hold didn’t hurt. It wasn’t even that insistent.

  She was able to break it without trouble and flatten her palm low on his pelvis. “Who’s begging now?”

  “You sure you want to play this game?” He asked the question through harsh pants.

  She could not think of a more inviting thing. He didn’t think about surrendering. She doubted the word ever entered his mind. But he did want to play.

  “I want you inside me.” Her mind couldn’t think about anything else.

  Need flashed in his eyes. “Put me there.”

  She patted the bed, searching for the condom. Moved the comforter to the side. Lifted up a bit on her knees, sure it had slipped underneath her. When she glanced at him again, he held the packet between two fingers.

  “Need this?” he asked.

  “You do it.” Because she wanted to see him roll it on. Watch him touch himself.

  The man did not waste time. He tore the packet open and had the condom out in record time. He slowed down for the rest of the show. Started to roll it on then stopped. He took her hand and wrapped his around it. The two of them guided the latex on him. Inch by delicious inch, it slipped over his length until he was fully sheathed.

  By the time they finished, he was rock hard and she needed to end the torment. The game had backfired on her. She’d wanted him to beg, but now she all but pleaded with him to move his hand.

  Lowering her body down, she guided him. Felt his length slip inside her, stretching her. She kept going, pushing him deeper. Her inner muscles grabbed on to him and tightened. She couldn’t feel where he stopped and she started.

  Without thinking, her body started to move. She pushed and pressed. She rode him in time with a steady beat in her head. The same one that hammered in her heart.

  His hands slid over her and her head fell back. The pulsing started deep inside her, that clenching that warned her about what was to come. The tightness wound and coiled inside her. She felt the waves of pleasure build and plunge faster.

  Her brain turned off and her body took over. This was raw and filled with need. Every part of her that ached before burst to life now. As her body rose over him and his hands traveled over her she felt wild and free. Open and so clear.

  When her hips started to buck, he lifted his legs. His feet slid along the comforter as he curled around her, cradling her.

  “Gabby . . .” he said as his head lifted off the mattress.

  Tension pulled at the corners of his mouth. She could see he was on the edge, waiting for her. But she prolonged the pleasure. Clenched her lower body even tighter and let the waves hit her.

  He swore as his hands clamped down on her waist. He dragged her down as he lifted up. They met in the middle for a kiss that sent a new shot of excitement through her. His breaths grew shorter and his eyes closed. When he dropped back onto the bed, she knew he was right there. His mouth opened and she let go then. Gave in to the pleasure that hovered just out of reach as he came.

  Their bodies pressed together as the orgasm ripped through her. So much for control. This knocked her off balance and had her gasping. She grabbed on to his shoulders to keep from toppling over.

  The final waves robbed her of her strength. She fell against him. Hot and covered in a slight sheen of sweat, she lay on top of him. His body rose and fell on rough breaths and she held on for the ride. When he finally stopped moving, she snuggled in. Her legs fell to either side of his hips and she didn’t move. She wasn’t sure she could.

  “Damn.” His voice sounded reverent.

  She was right there with him. She would have agreed but keeping her cheek on his chest felt too good. They fit together like the perfect puzzle. He didn’t notice the slight bulge of her stomach or the way her thighs had a bit too much jiggle. Or if he did, he didn’t seem to care because he caressed and kissed her there enough.

  This, him, today and every day since they’d met, he made her feel worshipped . . . loved.

  What the hell? Her eyes popped open just as she was drifting off. A winding panic started deep in her stomach. Had she become so needy that she was desperate to call any affection love?

  The thought made her stomach flip over. “Harris?”

  He laughed and his whole body shook. “There is no way I can go again right now. I’m not twenty.”

  His amusement eased some of the anxiety welling inside her. “You’re a very impressive thirty.”

  “You’re a little off, but we’ll go with that number.”

  “Thank you.” She wasn’t sure why she said that except that his ready acceptance of the Tabitha situation and her role and all of the messed-up drama in her family made her feel welcome in his arms. It was an unusual sensation not to be judged.

  His arms tightened around her. “I should be thanking you because that was . . . damn, woman.”

  “I mean for listening.”

  She could feel him smile against her hair. Man, everything about him was tempting and adorable. Except for the few things that made her want to strangle him.

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  She lifted her head and looked at him. Those beautiful eyes were clear. No confusion or frustration. Most of all, no anger or pity. He accepted her for her. She almost didn’t know what to do with that information.

  “You keep looking at me like that and you’re going to get lucky again very soon.” She placed a quick kiss on the scruff of his beard. Liking the roughness, she did it again.

  “Honestly? I’m not a guy who believes in luck.”

  Not the most romantic thing she’d ever heard, but okay. She was actually a little disappointed, but tried to hide it. “Fair enough.”

  He put a hand under her chin and held her gaze. “Or I wasn’t until you.”

  “Well, that’s better.” She lay her head back down, hiding her smile from him. “Just wait until you get your strength back.”

  “How about now?”

  She kissed his chest. “Now works.”

  Chapter 17

  The next afternoon, Harris stood with Gabby and Damon near the front porch of the main house. They’d eaten lunch and stayed outside for as long as possible to let the smell of smoke clear. Now they had a meeting. Gabby just didn’t know it yet.

  She’d just announced her intention to clean up the shed following the fire. Harris didn’t volunteer to help because he knew they had other plans. Just as he thought it he saw two heads poke up from the bottom of the hill near the boathouse. Two men, one young and one old. Both unknowingly under surveillance.

  He nodded in the direction of their guests. “We have company.”

  “Who could be . . .” She spun around to look and her smile faded. “Oh, no.”

  Just then Stephen and Craig came into view. Stephen wore his usual dark suit. Craig was explaining something that had Stephen nodding. Mostly, Harris noticed the small suitcase. He sure as hell didn’t think this meeting would extend to an overnight visit, so he had no idea what that was about.

  “He’s here about the fire,” Damon said.
>
  “You don’t need to pretty it up.” Gabby crossed and uncrossed her arms. She’d morphed from the vibrant, confident woman last night to unloved niece in less than two minutes. “You mean he’s here to blame me for another mess.”

  Harris didn’t care why they showed up now. He just wanted both men on the island for a short time. “It’s convenient.”

  She looked him up and down with a strange look on her face. “Do you know what that word means?”

  “Sometimes people think they’re collecting information when really they’re subtly being interrogated.” That was the reason Harris and Damon had the conference call with Stephen early this morning. The reason he left the DC office he practically lived in these days as rumors of an impending divorce swirled around him and arrived in record time. They’d specifically asked him to come and check the property before the reconstruction phase started.

  From the way Gabby rolled her eyes she looked less than impressed with Harris’s response. “No offense. But neither of you are what I’d call subtle.”

  Damon put his hand against his chest in mock pain. “That hurts.”

  “I can be very charming,” Harris said at the same time.

  She broke out the eyeroll for a second time in less than a minute. “That’s not the same thing.”

  Stephen and Craig reached them. Neither smiled. Harris guessed Craig had been fine until he had to walk and have a conversation with Stephen. That man sure did know how to suck the life out of a party.

  “Gabrielle.” Stephen provided that less-than-cheerful greeting before nodding to Harris and Damon.

  “I thought you preferred to go by Gabby,” Damon said.

  Her gaze did not wander away from her uncle. “Which is why my uncle called me Gabrielle.”

  Harris decided to take control of the introductions. “Craig, you know everyone, right?”

  “I do.” Craig’s gaze shifted to the house. “Are you guys okay?”

  Harris was about to answer but Gabby jumped in first. “We got lucky.”

  Stephen made a sound somewhere between a snort and a scoff. On him it sounded refined and extra annoying. “I’m sure luck had nothing to do with it.”

  “Now, that’s a lack of subtlety,” Damon mumbled under his breath.

  “Excuse me?” From the red face to his refusal to give his niece eye contact, Stephen looked ready to blow.

  That possibility didn’t work for Harris at all. Gabby was off-limits and Harris needed a few minutes with Craig and Stephen or the meeting would mean nothing.

  He gestured toward the house. “We should take a look at the damage.”

  Craig held up a hand. “I can come back and—”

  “Craig, I doubt Stephen will want to stay on the island very long.” It was the best argument Harris had for having the two of them stick around, though he couldn’t blame the kid for wanting to run. Even standing outdoors the tension threatened to choke them all.

  “I’m prepared to be here for however long it takes.” Stephen made that announcement then headed for the house. Brushed right by Gabby without saying a word. Didn’t really recognize anything but the house looming in front of him and his rush to get in there.

  “At least stay for a few minutes.” Damon put a hand on Craig’s shoulder. “I have some questions.”

  Craig frowned as he glanced at his watch but started walking. “Ah, sure.”

  They all headed in then. Harris hung back until he walked even with Gabby. He didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure she would even hear it. Her shoulders had stiffened and her hands stayed balled at her side. That energy that usually pulsed through her had faded until her skin looked dull and her eyes flat, devoid of all emotion.

  She had retreated into her shell. He recognized the move now. He had no idea how to reach her, so he settled for resting a reassuring hand on the small of her back as they walked.

  Only her steps slowed when they walked into the house. Stephen zoomed down the hall to the library. He hesitated before going in, tripping a little on what was left of the door’s threshold, and visibly straightened his shoulders.

  Craig didn’t limit his gawking to the library. He looked around at the items on the walls and peeked into other doorways. When he got to what remained of the library he took a deep breath. Harris wasn’t sure of the significance, except that he would know as they all did that this was the room where Tabitha died. While some facts were kept out of the news that one wasn’t.

  By the time Harris and Gabby got there, Stephen stood in the middle of the room. He turned in a circle, scanning the damage. His gaze finally landed on Gabby. “Why this room?”

  “You’re asking me?”

  “Yes, Gabrielle. I am.” Stephen let out a furious exhale that matched the sharpness of his voice. “Do you have any idea what the renovation is going to cost?”

  The last of the fight seemed to drain from her. She threw up her hands. “There is no reason for me to set fire to the house.”

  Harris felt sick for her. On one level he understood the uncle’s frustration. The man knew part of the story but not all of it, but his absolute dismissal of Gabby ticked Harris off. “She inherits it, doesn’t she? Why would she burn it down?”

  Stephen walked over to the bookshelf. “We’ll see.”

  “Okay, yeah.” Craig edged his way toward the hall. “Maybe I should go.”

  Nice try, kid. As if Harris would let Craig leave now. “And miss the family drama?”

  “Let’s all go into the dining room for a second.” Damon didn’t give anyone an opportunity to argue. He made the suggestion then started walking.

  He led the impromptu march down the hall and through the other side of the house. Except for a few scorch marks on the ceiling and some water damage, this part of the property hadn’t sustained much damage.

  A long table stretched along the center of the room. With windows on two sides, the room was bright. The light bounced off the pale yellow walls. They each took a seat with Stephen at the head of the table and Damon and Harris sitting across from each other. Harris had pulled out the chair next to him, thinking he could reach for Gabby’s hand if things got rough.

  Before anyone else could start, Stephen folded his hands together on top of the table and stared at Damon. “Where are you on the investigation?”

  “Someone broke into the house and searched the library,” Damon said. “I’m assuming the person didn’t find what they needed because they torched the library after that.”

  Stephen’s fingers clenched together. “Where were you during all of this?”

  “Sleeping.”

  Stephen’s fingers turned white, almost gray. “That’s your answer?”

  “Yes.” Damon threw a notebook on the table but didn’t open it. He pointed the tip of his pen first at Stephen then at Craig. “I’m going to need alibis from both of you.”

  “Me?” Stephen sounded appalled by the idea.

  Confusion swept across Craig’s face. “Wait, why?”

  “Right? It sucks to be hauled in and questioned for things you didn’t do.” Gabby dropped that little verbal bomb with a load of sarcasm.

  “Relatively few people travel to and from this island. I need to account for all of them,” Damon said.

  Except for his hands, Stephen hadn’t moved one inch since sitting down. His back remained board straight and the flat line of his mouth didn’t budge. “I need to understand why you, a trained professional, didn’t hear someone breaking in.”

  The accusation was tough to miss, but Damon didn’t take the bait. He sat there answering every question lobbed at him with a straightforward, totally Damon-like response. “I slept through the first intrusion. I heard the second and ran downstairs but didn’t see anything but fire. It raced up the drapes, which explains why the flame took off so quickly.”

  Stephen scoffed. “So you failed to apprehend the person even though you were right there.”

  Harris noticed Stephen had perfected the scoff.
He brought it out almost as a reminder that he viewed his status as being above everyone else’s. So, Harris took a turn. “He could have been killed in the fire.”

  Harris knew Damon didn’t need his help, but Harris couldn’t stay quiet. He’d sat there, taking it in, listening to Damon dole out comments in a dry tone, but Harris was reaching the end of his patience with good ol’ Uncle Stephen.

  Stephen waved a hand in Gabby’s general direction without bothering to look at her. “Talk to her about that.”

  “You just don’t stop.” She sat back in her chair with her arms crossed in front of her. “What is your problem with me? Just say it.”

  “Do you really want to go into this right now? I can lay out why I have my suspicions.” Stephen unleashed on her in a voice filled with fury before turning to Harris. “And you. You’re here but as far as I can tell you don’t add anything to this endeavor.”

  Good. That was exactly what Harris wanted. He was fine being the target. He glanced at the cell on his lap, the one tucked out of sight under the table, and knew he needed a little more time.

  “I didn’t set the house on fire, if that’s what you mean,” Harris said, half hoping to tweak Stephen even more. The guy balanced right on the edge of his control. It might be helpful to see what he did when he lost it.

  Damon nodded at Harris before joining in the conversation again. “Craig? You were on the island the night of the first break-in.”

  Damon’s loud voice seemed to startle Craig. He jumped in his seat. “I was?”

  “You and Ted went to Baltimore,” Gabby said.

  “A couple of days ago? Yeah. Just the two of us came back. We didn’t bring anyone and I didn’t see anyone.” Craig shrugged. “I can give you a list of my regulars and some names of tourists and others I’ve taken around over the last week.”

  So helpful. Harris didn’t know if that was a genuine offer or clever subterfuge. “Do you go up to the main house when you’re on the island?”