by Joanne Rock
She rested her palm on the metal handrail to the stairs leading up to the plane, wading through too many thoughts to name. The idea of meeting a woman who had the hots for Alec held zero appeal. Of course, the idea of him going to speak with Kittykat alone sort of sucked, too.
“And you want me to go with you, even though Sergio is in jail? I could go back to the precinct now. Find out more about what the police have on your uncle. Possibly we could talk to him while he’s safely behind bars.”
“The threat to you is stronger than ever since my partner knows we’ve joined forces.” He gripped both her shoulders, steadying her while he broadcast the reality she didn’t want to see. “He obviously wants me out of the business, and my share is worth a hell of a lot of money. He’s in too deep to let us walk away now.”
Vanessa felt herself relenting, knowing she had no choice but to see this thing through with Alec. She didn’t understand how her life had gotten tangled up with his so fast, but she also knew she wouldn’t walk away until he was safe from the web of deceit woven around him by people he should have been able to trust. Like his partners, she was in too deep now. Committed to a cause.
Because surely it was the cause and not just the man himself that had her wearing disguises, calling in sick to work and now—good God—jumping on a plane to the Hamptons.
“Any idea why this guy you’ve worked with for years would turn on you?” That part bothered her, contradicted her understanding of human nature—limited though it might be.
As much as she resented the violence in the part of town where she’d grown up, at least you knew who the enemy was. Gangsters advertised their allegiances in the colors they wore, the tattoos they branded on their bodies. But in Alec’s world, the enemy remained more subtle, showing up in your own family or among your friends.
Alec peered out over the tarmac where a few other private jets waited. Squinting against the halogen lights, he turned toward the parking area where cars dropped off the privileged few who could take advantage of this kind of luxury.
“Could we discuss this once we are airborne?” He lowered his voice even though the pilot had disappeared inside the plane. “I’m paying this guy by the hour and I’ll be glad to put some distance between us and Vercelli. He won’t know where we’ve gone until we land, and even then it will take him a while to catch up.”
But would she be safer to take off for parts unknown with a mysterious man who carried a gun and cursed in multiple languages? Add in his major sex appeal and the fact that one night with him had dredged up emotions she didn’t even know she possessed, and Alec Messina was a very dangerous man.
That didn’t stop her from climbing the stairs to the Cessna, though. One way or another, she would help Alec gather whatever evidence necessary to see justice served.
But as Alec pulled up the stairway and locked the door, effectively sealing them inside the passenger compartment all alone, she didn’t have any illusion that she would be safe.
ALEC STARED AT VANESSA still standing in the aisle of the eight-passenger plane and told himself this was a really bad time to think about sex.
In the past twenty-four hours, she’d been held at gunpoint, abandoned in the middle of urban hell by carjackers and dragged semi-unwillingly into Alec’s world of deception and danger. She was perfectly within her rights not to be in the mood for sex. But then again, they’d already lit one another’s sexual fires twice in the short time they’d known one another.
Which was probably why he found himself thinking about taking her clothes off now that they were alone again in the safety of his plane. The pilot’s cabin was sealed shut during flight for both parties’protection. The flight to the Hamptons would be short—less than an hour counting the wait for takeoff—but still offered plenty of time to touch her the way he’d wanted to all day. Ever since they’d gotten dressed this morning, actually.
“Nice ride you’ve got here.” She smoothed her hand over one of the seats he’d had reupholstered when he’d bought the plane two years ago. The scent of the leather lingered even after the new carpet smell had faded the first year.
“Thanks.” He didn’t want to talk about the plane. He wanted to give her a better ride. One she wouldn’t forget after their flight was over. But out of deference to her, he reined in his thoughts. Okay, maybe not his thoughts, but he sure as hell kept better control of his mouth. “I got sick of trying to arrange charter flights as often as I needed them. I told myself this would save me money in the long run, but it was also sort of selfish. Always wanted a plane.”
He ran a palm over the polished walnut cabinet housing the media center at the front of the passenger cabin. The plane had been a cool toy, but it hadn’t come close to filling the gaps in life. It hadn’t been until more recently that he’d keyed into the need to give something back after all the ways he’d cashed in with his business. Teaching self-defense to smart-ass kids like Easy had actually bought him more true satisfaction than the expensive toy.
A welcome wake-up call.
“And since you must realize that showing up at your house in the Hamptons via plane is going to quickly announce your presence around the neighborhood, I can only assume you want to make your arrival known?”
He gestured to the chair she’d been standing behind. Maybe he’d stop thinking about peeling the clothes from her body if he were seated beside her instead of standing across from her and appreciating each and every nuance of her curves. It could happen.
Not.
“I’m done with hiding, thanks to you.” Her arrival at the rec center last night had spurred him out of the routine he’d fallen into. Made him realize he had more to accomplish. “And if there’s anyone in all of Long Island who hasn’t heard I’m back, they’ll know the truth soon after we pay a visit to Donata. She’s very good about spreading the latest news.”
Vanessa slid into the seat, her long, lean body pressing into the sleek expanse of leather. “I might have to skip the visit to any woman who signs herself as ‘Your Pussy.’ Call me old-fashioned, but I’m not much into sharing a man I’m sleeping with, even if the sex came about under extenuating circumstances.”
“And just what’s that supposed to mean?” He pushed an intercom button behind the media center and informed the pilot they were ready to take off. Then, switching off the system, he sat down in the seat next to Vanessa.
He’d been prepared to sit across the aisle from her to give her some breathing room, but he’d be damned if he would deny himself the pleasure of her proximity if she was going to play head games with him. “Are you trying to suggest that sex between us wasn’t inevitable? That you could have somehow avoided getting involved with me if we hadn’t been thrown into the carjacking situation?”
She turned to glare at him, her dark, smoky stare turning him on even though she happened to look damn annoyed with him right about now.
“I beg your pardon?” She crossed her arms, adopting a classic battle pose. “Inevitable? Don’t you think that might be overstating the case just a little?”
“Hell no. And buckle up, damn it.” He jammed his own seat belt into place, knowing there were a hundred other things they should be discussing before he walked back into his world after a six-month absence, but right now, this seemed more important. “I don’t care how traumatic things were last night. We felt the heat of this attraction long before we slid into the Mercedes.”
She shook her head, her long, dark hair dancing with the movement. “Feeling an attraction isn’t the same as acting on it. I think I could have scavenged a whole lot more self-control without the memory of a gun jammed into my temple.”
Damn. He was being insensitive and he knew it. Last night had been rough. He just didn’t like to think she’d been driven to his bed for any reason other than that she wanted him. Badly.
“You’re right.” He didn’t have any desire to argue with her now that they could let their guards down for the first time since they’d left his apartment
that morning. Reaching across the armrest that separated them, he stroked a gentle touch along her shoulder. “I just wish I didn’t have to thank a couple of street punks for bringing you to me because I wanted you from the second you volunteered to demonstrate a self-defense move for me.”
A hint of a smile played over her full lips as the plane inched forward, the sound of the engines gently rumbling through the cabin no matter how much noise-deadening insulation he’d installed beneath the carpet.
“You looked like you were in need of a worthy opponent.”
“Except I don’t want to keep being your adversary.” Learning about her sister’s accident made him understand why her first instinct was to shove people away. She didn’t trust the legal system, and Alec suspected half her reason for going into law enforcement had been to do a better job than the cops had done on her sister’s behalf.
But he wouldn’t be another guy she mistrusted, another man she suspected wouldn’t hold up his end of the bargain. He just wasn’t sure what she expected from him.
“Which brings to mind an interesting point.” She kept her posture ramrod straight, no hint of relaxing into his touch. “If we’re not adversaries anymore, what are we? Where do you see this thing going once we can nail your partner?”
He hadn’t expected that kind of candidness from her. Not here. Not yet. The question felt like an opportunity, a chance to reach for something better than he’d ever had before.
But he must have taken too long to answer since she exhaled an exasperated, “Never mind.”
“No. I’m just thinking.” He wouldn’t let her yank the question back now. “I haven’t really thought about the future in so long. I’ve been buried in work with the center, just keeping my head above water.”
“Must be hell when you don’t have access to your private jet.” She crossed one gorgeous leg over the other, making it difficult to think about any future beyond undressing her.
“You’re just pissed because you know you would have been flying around in your own Cessna by now if you had followed your dreams after college.” He slipped his hand inside the cuff of her jacket sleeve, grateful for any access to her body.
Beneath them, the hum of the engines grew louder as the plane picked up speed. They must have received the go-ahead to take off because the aircraft launched forward fast enough to gently pin them in their seats.
“I know no such thing.” She closed her eyes for a moment as they lifted into the air, her lashes grazing her cheek in a rare display of relaxation—enjoyment?—for a woman who seemed to have been born wary. “There are thousands of MBAs in this city and only a tiny percentage of them achieve the kind of success you have.”
“One of the things Vercelli told me once was that people do business with us because they want to foster goodwill with the mob.” He didn’t appreciate the reminder that all of his success might not be built on hard work alone. “How messed up is that? But I never did a freaking thing to suggest to anyone I ever worked with that I had a connection to Sergio.”
“I didn’t mean to say your business is flourishing because of that.” A crease furrowed the smooth surface of her forehead. “I just meant to point out that no degree guarantees any kind of success. And I can promise you that no matter how close your ties to organized crime, you wouldn’t have this kind of success in real estate without a canny eye for development and a shrewd knowledge of what properties to buy. Business sense isn’t granted to any man because he carries a gun, and I’ve arrested enough nimrods with weapons to know this for an absolute fact.”
The plane leveled off as they reached their cruising altitude, the engine noise fading into the background, or perhaps Alec just grew more accustomed to the muted rumble.
“Thanks.” Her frank assessment pleased him more than a garden-variety compliment tossed out by women in his past. Donata’s interest in him had coincided precisely with the moment she found out he had as much net worth as his uncle, and his business was legal to boot. He’d been happy to help Donata get out from under Sergio’s thumb until he realized she’d never leave his protection without another man lined up to bankroll her expensive habits. “And for the record, I know you’d excel at anything you wanted to do. The MBA is a piece of paper. It’s you I have faith in.”
“Really?” She kept her tone skeptical, but Alec didn’t miss the hint of pleasure in her voice. “You may have missed your calling as a motivational speaker.”
He skimmed a touch along the inside of her elbow, his knuckles grazing the fabric of her linen jacket as he adjusted his hand for a better angle.
“I happen to be feeling pretty damn motivated right now.” He hadn’t meant to say it; the words just propelled themselves from his mouth.
But sitting next to her here in their bubble of privacy soaring over Long Island, he found it difficult to remember why he should keep his hands to himself. Her dark hair glowed with subtle bronze highlights under the lone reading lamp they’d left on above their seats. The supple leather creaked quietly behind her shoulders as she pressed herself deeper into the seat.
“Motivated for what? Seducing a city detective into your personal mile-high club?” Her words were softly chiding, but her breath quickened, her chest expanding and falling a little faster than before.
Not that his eyes were glued to her very admirable breasts, damn it.
“I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had occasion to share this plane with clients and not once have I seduced any of them. I may have persuaded them to sign on the dotted line for a land deal or two, but I never cinched a mile-high quickie for myself.” His fingers strayed up her arm, stretching the fabric of her jacket as far as it would go to accommodate his touch. He could feel her heart pounding at the contact, knew she experienced the same relentless tug of attraction that had never been far from his mind today.
“There’s where you’ve been getting it all wrong, Messina.” She tipped her head back against the seat, a silent gesture of surrender if ever he’d seen one. “You can’t think in terms of a quickie when you’re flying around in a private jet. Look at this place. A woman is bound to be more in the mood for the five-star treatment once she sets foot in here.”
His hand stilled on her arm. Lust blindsided him, seriously impairing his ability to form sentences.
“I seem to have lost my capacity for thought somewhere between ‘five’ and ‘star.’ Can you clarify for me that you’re not going to be offended if I rip those clothes off you right now?”
“The way I see it, your uncle’s mistress is going to spit nails if she figures out we’re sleeping together, so I’d prefer to go into this meeting with a clear memory of why I took the risk.”
“Was that a yes?” His blood slammed through his veins with such force he couldn’t be entirely sure.
“Damn it, Alec, I’m going to be seriously offended if you don’t rip these clothes off me now.”
12
A WOMAN COULDN’T MAKE HERSELF more clear than that.
Vanessa held her breath as she waited for Alec to comprehend her meaning. She had dealt with enough reality in the past five years to recognize she needed an escape today—if only for a few stolen moments. Alec made a better fantasy man than she could have ever dreamed up on her own. Sure, he might have a few wicked ways about him. And she understood that he possessed a dark, earthy quality some women might not appreciate.
But Vanessa wasn’t most women.
She could admire a man who didn’t take his jet to some remote Caribbean island the moment times got tough in his real-estate business. With as much money as Alec must have access to, he could have gone into hiding anywhere around the globe, yet he’d opted to hang out in the Bronx where he’d taught kids how to survive. How to fight back.
Maybe Alec needed this escape right now as badly as she did.
“Come here.” His command was soft but unmistakable as he lifted the armrest between them and unbuckled her seat belt. His fingers maneuvered the meta
l buckle, brushing along her hip for a fraction of a second. Long enough to send a sensual flutter along her nerves.
Uncertainty—a foreign sensation—held her motionless. She’d expected him to take her at her word about ripping her clothes off. Their encounter the night before, and even that morning had been marked by deep hunger and restless need, driven by an elemental urge to connect.
She hadn’t anticipated this slow watchfulness on his part now, his eyes brimming with heat he seemed to be keeping carefully controlled.
“Over there?” She settled for walking her fingers up his lower thigh.
“Yeah.” He trapped her fingers and dragged her closer, tugging her toward his lap. “Over here. Where I can get a better look at you.”
She found herself leaning, reaching, stretching out across his chest as he wrapped his arms around her until she half sprawled over his lap, her legs the only part of her body that lingered in her vacated seat.
She didn’t need to hold on to him since he held her right where he wanted her. Still, she found her hands seeking his shoulders, her fingers gliding along his shirt to the corded strength of his neck.
“Is this close enough for you?” Her breasts tightened at his proximity, the anticipation of his touch making every inch of her skin hot with awareness.
“Not nearly enough, and I think you know that.” He tightened his hold on her with one arm while letting go with the other. Reaching up to the reading light, he clicked off the small lamp, casting the passenger cabin in darkness except for a softly illuminated red Exit sign above the door.
While the dark soothed her, easing any leftover doubts about the wisdom of being with him again, she couldn’t help but remember that he’d brought her closer in order to look at her.
Or so he said.
“You’ll never see me now.” She palmed his cheek, her fingers sifting into the dark hair along his temple. The motion brought her breasts that much closer to his chest, the ache for him growing sharper every second she was suspended over his lap.