Blackmailed by the Hero

by Julie Particka

  “So now what? This isn’t exactly the way back to the city.” In Dante’s car again after watching Juan head toward home, Vicky rolled down the window, letting the breeze blow her hair back and dry the thin stream of sweat on her face.

  “I’d planned on taking you to the beach.” He pointed out the windshield as if she could see the ocean from here.

  She chuckled. “Might have told me to bring a suit.”

  “Well, the original plan was to work on the party and then do a sunset picnic on the beach.” He waved toward the empty backseat. “If you notice, I forgot the picnic basket.”

  “But we’re still going to the beach?”

  “Unless you have a better plan.” He turned onto Neilson Way and started driving north, putting Venice in the rearview.

  Sunset on the beach sounded far too romantic for bad-news-Dante-who-blackmailed-her-to-date-him-and-she-almost-fucked-in-her-living-room-last-night. But it sounded kind of amazing with the guy she’d been seeing snapshots of in between.

  The dichotomy confused the hell out of her. The Dante she’d been getting to know didn’t seem the type who would destroy a woman for rejecting him. So why the hell had he threatened to do it to her? And what had yesterday been? Sure, she’d been the aggressor, but he hadn’t even tried to put on the brakes. Exactly like when she’d crawled in his bed by mistake.

  Obviously, there was the possibility that Dante-the-wonderful was an act. Actors lied for a living. She knew the reality well from being Evan’s sister, but she’d also seen it since she’d started working for Elegant Entertainment. Most didn’t go so far as to spend the kind of money he was dropping on this party to solidify the lie, though.

  Under other circumstances, the back-and-forth would have given her a headache, but she was riding along with the ocean breeze raking fingers of wind through her hair while sitting next to one of the sexiest guys in the world. Even if acting like he really cared was all a lie, it was one she was stuck inside for a while.

  And what if—after yesterday, she was afraid to even acknowledge the possibility—but what if the threat had been the lie? She still couldn’t figure out why he’d do that, but if it was the lie and this was the truth…

  She wasn’t supposed to get involved either way, but part of her wanted to know more, to know him more. And even friendship meant getting involved. She blew out a slow breath and tried to focus on anything other than the man sitting next to her. Friendship didn’t involve romantic picnics on the beach, so that was out no matter what.

  Then she caught sight of the Santa Monica Pier and remembered talking to Stasia about dating Evan. They’d started their whirlwind romance at an amusement park. Granted, Stasia hadn’t given details about how things had gone after that, but now they were married and ridiculously happy.

  Vicky wasn’t naive enough to believe the roller coasters had made them fall in love, but hanging at an amusement park was definitely more friend territory than the option he’d presented.

  She laid a hand on Dante’s arm to get his attention, then tipped her head toward the view ahead. “I haven’t been to Pacific Park since we first moved out here with Evan. What do you say? Want to take me on an amusement park date?” She almost flinched as she said “date,” but that had been their two-week agreement anyway. She could pretend she was just playing along rather than slipping up because it felt right. Too right.

  “Are you asking me out?”

  “Nope. I’m asking you to win me a giant stuffed animal and get me sticky with cotton candy. Duh.”

  His lips twisted into a smirk that he couldn’t seem to hold back from breaking into a full-on grin. “When you put it that way, how could I resist?”

  A few minutes later, they were parked and walking hand in hand toward the pier. Dante had thrown on a baseball cap to go with his sunglasses. It would have looked ridiculous if it weren’t still so bright. No one would give the combo a second thought on a day like today. She pulled an elastic out and swept her hair into a messy bun. Dante raised a brow. She planted her hands on her hips and frowned. “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s just not a look I would have ever expected to like.”

  “But you do?”

  “I do.”

  Laughing, she rolled her eyes. “Weirdo.”

  He held out his hand and waited as she stared, finally saying, “I’m less likely to be noticed by people if they see us as a couple.”

  “And that means we won’t get mobbed by your fans.” She stared a second longer, then wrapped her fingers in his, trying desperately to ignore the electricity that raced up her arm. It was a stupid, innocent touch, one she could pretend meant nothing. “Lead on, boyfriend.”

  “Careful, a guy could get used to that.”

  So could she. “Fine. Lead on, jerkface.”

  He frowned at her for a second and then burst out laughing as he tugged her toward the pier. “Well, I definitely won’t get the wrong idea now.”

  Chapter Eight

  Before they made it to the park entrance, the sound of at least a dozen dogs barking met them, and Vicky yanked him to a stop. He looked around, confused. “What’s wrong?”

  Her eyes lit up like a kid’s on Christmas morning, and she pointed to a sign off to the left—Adoption event. “Can we? Please?”

  Between location shoots and his busy schedule when he was home, the last thing Dante needed in his life was a dog. But maybe Vicky wanted one. “As long as you don’t try to push me into saving them all. I’m not a canine warrior.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “Some superhero you turned out to be.” Dropping his hand, she practically skipped up to the temporary fencing.

  It didn’t take long before she was nose to nose with a spotted mutt that looked like some weird combination of dalmatian and pit bull. Dante strode over, and the animal’s tail stopped moving as it eyed him, immediately alert. “Friendly thing, huh?”

  “She was until you got here.” Vicky reached through the fence and stroked the dog’s head. “It’s okay, girl. I know he looks big and tough, but he’s really an old softie. You should have him tell you about Diner Fries and his first job.”

  Dante laughed but watched as the dog returned its full attention to Vicky. A few minutes later, a shelter rep came over and asked, “Are you interested in Jinx?”

  Vicky’s joy melted away. “I wish I could be, but my apartment complex doesn’t allow animals. And my ex was allergic, so as always, I have to get my doggy love through the fence.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” The rep walked away, looking almost as sad as Vicky had.

  While she and the dog bonded, Dante went after the rep. “Hey, I couldn’t help but notice your reaction back there.”

  The rep gave a sad smile. “I know Jinx will make someone a wonderful pet. Problem is…she’s a handful and not an easy fit.” The kid glanced toward the pen and then jerked his head forward again. “Her time’s up tomorrow. I begged to get her included in today’s event as one last chance, you know?”

  He didn’t know, not where animals were concerned, but he understood last chances. That’s what acting had been for him after… After. If Vicky knew the dog was going to be euthanized tomorrow, she’d never forgive him for leaving it behind. Cursing himself, he pulled out a card and scribbled his number on the back. “This is going to sound stupid, but I want you to keep me updated on her. If someone adopts her, I want to know. If she’s still here at the end of the day, I want to know that, too.”

  The kid nodded, frowning as he took in the front of the card. “Holy shit. You’re the Inferno?”

  Not anymore. “Yeah. Just keep it quiet that I’m here, okay? Text me about Jinx.”

  “Sure thing, but I’m totally spilling tomorrow that I met you.”

  “Tomorrow’s fine. I’d just prefer to stay incognito today.” And he’d prefer to not have Vicky’s heart break over something he could save. He wasn’t sure how, or where, but one way or another, that dog was finding a home.
r />   …

  They spent an hour with the dogs, but Vicky knew her reality wouldn’t allow her to have a pet. She only hoped someone saw how friendly Jinx was and gave the adorable mutt a chance. Walking away was made marginally easier by the fact that a little boy took her place at the fence, seeming to take a shine to the dog right off.

  Still, she laced her fingers in Dante’s in some strange effort to hold off sadness. Someday things would be stable, and she’d have a place where she could have a dog. Maybe a cat, too. For now, regardless of everything else, the guy by her side was trying to help her on that path. It would have to be enough.

  Immediately upon entering the park, Dante headed to the games. “Is this the part where you make me play every game so you can give me grief over the ones I suck at?”

  He must have heard the stories about Evan and Stasia, too. Either that or he’d noticed how bummed she was about Jinx and was trying to distract her. She could play along. “Nope. I just figure the size of the prize will show how much you want me to go out with you again.”

  “And a bunch of smaller ones won’t cut it?” The way he tipped his head toward hers said her answer mattered a lot more to him than it should. “Is this like the size of the diamond in an engagement ring or something?”

  And…that was not a conversation they should’ve been having, not even in the vaguest sense. “Well, engagement is not an option, and if it were, I don’t want a diamond anyway. So, yeah. In this, I demand the most humongous prize available.”

  “Fine. But when I get you that prize, you have to agree to attend an event with me tomorrow for my charity.” He tugged her past most of the games, ignoring Tub Toss, Water Race, and Mini-hoops. Clearly, he had a specific destination in mind.

  “Okay, but where are we going in such a hurry?”

  “You said the biggest prize available. Those are here.” He stopped and waved toward the booth to his right: Riptide Ring Toss.

  He was right—the jumbo prizes in the booth were the largest she had seen, and there was even an adorable giant penguin. “Ring toss, though? Does anyone ever win this game?”

  As soon as she said the words, she caught herself. This was her way out of further dates. Things with Dante could become all business if he failed here. So, why did the idea of him losing stress her out suddenly? They could still be friends without the dates and the stupid sexual tension. If it was all business, she could force herself to stop thinking about where dating usually led, where they’d almost gone twice already.

  Dante threw a hand over his heart as if she’d wounded him. “You doubt me?”

  “I doubt the game.”

  Laughing, he handed a ten to the barker running the booth. “Keep a count. I’m playing until I win the lady a prize—however many buckets it takes.” He took his bucket of rings and leaned close to Vicky, his breath feathering her hair as he whispered, “All the games have tricks to make them more winnable, but do you want to know the real trick—the thing that makes the difference between walking away with a big stuffed animal and not just lighter in the pocket?”

  “What is it?” she said on a breath, trying to figure out why her arms were breaking out in gooseflesh and why she wanted to lean into him.

  “The same thing that gets you anything in life…perseverance.” He tossed the first ring, flicking his wrist as he let go. It spun but bounced off a bottle and slid between them. “Well, that and a bit of luck.”

  With every toss, Vicky wanted to take back the challenge. She didn’t need a damn stuffed animal. Dante was on the last ring from his bucket, and her heart was hammering. Stupid charity event. I probably don’t even want to go. The party planning’s the important thing, right?

  Dante tipped his head toward her and said with a grin, “I’d ask for a kiss for luck, but I have this sinking feeling you won’t—”

  There was no thought involved on Vicky’s end. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, yanked him toward her, and pressed her lips against his. It didn’t begin as anything romantic. It was just some strange form of desperation that sprang from her mouth, yet still different from the kiss in her apartment.

  Then a piece of the wall she had built around herself in the aftermath of her divorce shattered, and she yielded against him, pressing her body to the length of his and twining her arms around his neck. She’d heard of magical kisses, but she’d never experienced anything like one until now, until the moment his tongue teased at the seam of her lips, and not a single sliver of her being could resist opening to him.

  He claimed her mouth, not through any force or demand, but by gradually accepting every inch she offered. There was no struggle, no fear, no doubt. There was only the momentary fusion of two souls.

  And then it was over.

  Eyes dark with a desire she was sure matched her own, Dante whispered, “How could I ever ask for more than that?” Then, with a flick of his wrist, he let the last ring fly.

  Vicky’s heart almost stopped as she watched it sail over the bottles, spinning so fast it was little more than a red blur. It bounced off one bottle, killing the spin…and fell onto another, swirling over the mouth of the thing before it settled around it.

  “Like I said, Vicks, perseverance and luck. Thanks for the latter.” He dropped a gentle peck on her nose, then waved at the carny. “I do believe the lady gets a prize.”

  The next thing she knew, she had a giant stuffed penguin under one arm and her other around Dante’s waist as he fed her cotton candy. For a moment, she felt like a teenager again. Like there’d been no wasted marriage, no divorce, no need to put her life back together because she was just starting it now, and for this snapshot of time—it was perfect.

  If she examined it too long, the idea terrified her, but just this once, she wanted to forget all the other things in her life and just…live.

  “You know what would make this impromptu date even better?” she asked, feeling far braver than she had any reason to.

  “What?” Dante shoved a huge bite of cotton candy in her mouth as if daring her to try to talk around it.

  She let it melt, then swatted him on his ridiculously hard pecs. “Just because of doing that, now you have to take me on the Ferris wheel before we leave.”

  Dante jerked to a stop. “The Ferris wheel?”

  She nodded. “You can see forever from the top. I’ve always thought it would be incredibly romantic to take a ride on it and get stuck up there for hours.” The fact that she’d been avoiding romance with him until this moment seemed blissfully unimportant.

  “Sure, until one of you needs to go to the bathroom.”

  She laughed, the sound freer than she could remember it being in a long time. “Thanks for spoiling the fantasy moment with a big stinking pile of reality. Come on. One ride? Then we can figure out a way to half-ass that picnic on the beach.”

  After ditching the now empty bag of cotton candy, Dante scrubbed at his face and dragged a hand through his hair. “One ride and we’re done?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, but if we get stuck at the top for hours, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

  Well, if they got stuck at the top for hours, odds were she’d end up giving in to temptation and kissing him again. Only this time she wasn’t sure she’d want to stop. And she was more than willing to take full responsibility for that.

  …

  Right before they boarded, Dante’s phone buzzed. The family who had visited with Jinx after Vicky was taking her home. That was the high point of the moment. He was staring down the low as it swung to a stop in front of them. Bright yellow and about as cheerful as could be, the Ferris wheel car made him want to run back to the dogs—or his own car.

  He plastered on as brave a face as he could muster and climbed aboard anyway. The door hadn’t even shut to lock them in yet, and Dante could feel himself turning green. Way to impress her, dumbass—let her see you at your absolute worst when things have finally taken a really fantastic turn.

>   As the Ferris wheel car swung into motion, he tried to focus on the kiss. That amazing press of lips on lips, the dance of tongues—the meaning behind it. When he’d mentioned a kiss for luck, getting one was the last thing he’d expected. And his luck had been crap.

  While ring toss was completely rigged against the player, it had been one of those stupid things he’d taken it on himself to learn how to beat. He almost always won within fifteen tosses. He’d paid for a full fucking bucket. On the last ring, he’d been sure fate was telling him this was all over, that if he walked away from Vicky now, she’d be safe from Reed. Since that had been his goal in the beginning, he would have taken his lumps and let her go, secure in the knowledge that she wouldn’t be one of that asshole’s victims.

  Then he’d have found some way to nurse his libido back to life.

  But she’d kissed him. More than kissed him, really. It was as if she was as afraid of him losing the game as he was. It had given him more than luck in the end. It had given him hope.

  And then she’d thrown the damned Ferris wheel on top of that magical moment.

  The car tilted back and forth as the wheel moved to pick up the next load of passengers, and Dante closed his eyes. It’s only a few minutes. You can survive a few minutes without making yourself look like a total ass.

  “Are you okay?”

  Or not. Dante gritted his teeth as he forced a smile. “Sure. Never better. Why do you ask?”

  She tipped her head toward the plastic bench. “Because your knuckles are turning white from gripping the edge of the seat so hard.”

  He tried to make himself let go, but he couldn’t. Clearly, he would have to admit the truth or look like an even bigger idiot for trying to hide something so obvious. “Fine. I’m afraid of heights—particularly the ones that won’t kill you but will maim you for life.”

  “Then why did you agree to do this?”

  “Because you wanted to do it.” He shrugged like it should have been as obvious as his fear, but the move was hampered by the way he was attached to the ride.

  “That either makes you the biggest dork in the world or the biggest sweetheart.”