“You are too kind to say so.” Anasztaizia put her hand on my arm. “So, are you Christmas shopping for Gabriel?”
Laycee’s eyes snapped from the Hungarian to me, drilling me right in the middle of my forehead. I thought for a minute she was going to go all Exorcist and fully expected her head to begin swiveling around. But I’ll give her credit; except for a slight twitch as the muscle in her jaw clicked into hyper-drive, she gave no outward appearance that anything was amiss.
Denial was pointless, and besides, I had the sudden inspiration that Anasztaizia’s opinion was definitely worth having. Guiltily I retrieved the small plastic bag from my purse and pulled out the black ring box, passing it across to Anasztaizia at the same moment Laycee was overcome by a coughing fit. We both looked across the table in alarm, but Laycee gamely waved her hand, indicating she was okay. I reached around and patted her on the back.
“Oh, Rowan, dahlink,” Anasztaizia cooed, sounding very Zsa Zsa Gabor. “It’s beautiful, and I’m sure Gabriel will love it, but then he would love anything you gave him, no?”
“May I?” Laycee asked.
Her eyes were still a little watery, but the bright spots of color on her cheeks were quickly fading. She took the small box from Anasztaizia’s outstretched hand, and admired the ring before closing the lid and returning it to me.
“Rowan, I must go,” Anasztaizia said, getting to her feet, “but I am so happy to run into you like this. If you have no plans, you must come to dinner on Christmas Eve. We are having traditional Hungarian celebration, and I would love for you and Gabriel to share it with us.”
She didn’t seem to expect an answer right then, which was a good thing because I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Thank you, I’ll make sure to tell him.”
We hugged, kissed each other on the cheek, and said our good-byes. I watched as the lovely Magyar weaved her way effortlessly through the throng of holiday shoppers.
“So—” Laycee put her elbow on the table and cupped her chin in her hand as her mouth formed a wicked line. “As much as I’m dying to know all about that, dahlink,” she pointed a finger after Anasztaizia, “I really want to know just how long you’ve been back with Eye Candy, and why am I only just hearing about it now?”
In a way, I had some idea of what she had gone through keeping her relationship with Jake a secret, and it felt like a weight had been lifted now that I was going to be able to tell her. Although I must confess I kind of fudged things.
For a start, I made it sound as if Gabriel and I had seen each other only a couple of times, and Anasztaizia’s enthusiasm was because she had known Gabriel a lot longer than I had. I told Laycee that he had sought me out, which was true. I told her he was filled with remorse for how he had left me before, which was also true. I told her we were seeing each other on my terms only, which was a complete fabrication.
My reason for keeping the relationship a secret was because I didn’t want her to worry needlessly that I might get hurt again, which was kinda sorta true. And besides, I added, I wasn’t even certain whatever this was between us had much of a future. People have been struck by lightning for lesser lies.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time,” I said glibly.
“Uh-huh. Well, One Day is getting a very nice Christmas gift, and it is a very classy ring, by the way,” she added generously.
I sighed gratefully when she stood up, thinking how well she’d taken the news.
“Oh, don’t think I’m done with you,” Laycee said, bending to retrieve her shopping bags from under the table. “I just want to savor all the juicy bits without the benefit of eavesdroppers!”
It was a long ride back home, and as I suspected, Laycee went all poison ivy on me. I don’t know whether it was dumb luck or intuitiveness on her part, but she didn’t ask me any questions about Gabriel’s occupation. Telling her I suspected my boyfriend was involved with something like the Russian mob wouldn’t have scored either of us any brownie points. Laycee had been involved in my life long enough to know when I was holding something back. But she was also smart enough to know when to push and when not to. Sensing there were areas that were off limits for the time being, she kept her own counsel, and I loved her even more for that.
“So, just how gorgeous is he naked?” she asked, making the turn onto the county road that would take us home. “And if you tell me you don’t know, I swear to God I’m gonna pull over, drag your sorry ass out of the car, and find a stick to beat you with!”
I stared at her, blushing furiously, and got the most awful case of the stammers.
“Wow!” Laycee exclaimed, taking her eyes off the road long enough to witness my discomposure. “He looks that good? I knew it! And the sex is pretty spectacular too, right?”
I did a brief imitation of a guppy out of water, and then nodded and grinned. I don’t think I ever actually told Laycee that I was still a virgin at twenty-five. I suppose she assumed that over the years at least one of the guys who’d tried to get in my pants had been successful. Reaching for my hand, she squeezed my fingers.
“I’m not going to pretend my feelings aren’t hurt because you didn’t tell me about this, and I won’t say I understand all your reasons, but I am pleased that you have someone in your life who makes you happy.” Her fingers tightened around mine again. “He does make you happy, doesn’t he?”
Taking sex out of the equation, mainly because that belonged in a category all by itself, I mulled over the question. Did Gabriel make me happy? Yes he did, and surprisingly, it wasn’t because of huge romantic gestures that swept me off my feet. It was the little things—simple, thoughtful moments. Like making sure the coffeepot was set to brew five minutes before my alarm went off, or leaving a glass full of flowers on the kitchen table, or putting a sticky note declaring how much he was already missing me on the bathroom mirror.
“Yes.” I nodded reassuringly. “He makes me very happy.”
Admitting to myself the euphoria Gabriel brought to my life was one thing; telling him how he affected me was another. But laying it all out for a third party? Whoa! It didn’t get any more real than that. Now there was no going back. Our secret was out, and it felt good. It felt right. Laycee peppered the rest of our ride home with salacious, racy comments about Gabriel’s expertise between the sheets and bits of unsolicited advice. I spent most of the ride home in tears because I was laughing so much.
It was dark by the time we got back to the apartment complex where she and Jake now lived and where I’d parked the POS earlier that day. I passed on the invitation to supper, grateful to be truthful about the reason why. Gabriel rarely let more than two days pass without seeing me, and it had been that long already. It was the start of the weekend, and I was fairly confident I’d have company this evening. Jake, overhearing my excuse, looked at Laycee with a puzzled frown.
“Don’t worry, Jake,” I told him with an easy grin, “Laycee will explain everything. It’s a girl thing.”
I was still grinning at the confused look on his face as she walked me to my car.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you, but we’re going to be out of town the rest of the weekend,” she said, her face glowing.
“Oh yeah, why’s that?”
“Jake’s taking me up to the mountains. He wants to give me an early Christmas gift.”
I smiled at her, easily infected by her romantic enthusiasm. “Good job we went shopping today.” I had a feeling she wasn’t the only one who would be getting a head start on the jolly fat guy with the reindeer express. I kissed her cheek and hugged her. “Well, you guys have a good time, and be careful driving. I think they’ve had snow up north.”
“We will,” she promised, waving as I drove off.
My heart began doing its own little tango as I pulled into my driveway and saw Gabriel’s new Hummer. I had been as overwhelmed by this vehicle as I had by the Fairlane and the Ferrari.
“What can I say? I like cars,” Gabriel had said with an unabashed
boys-and-their-toys grin.
“So what do you call this one?” I asked. “Henrietta?”
“Actually it’s Heloise,” he murmured sheepishly.
“I should have guessed.”
“Will you let me buy you one?” he asked, boosting me up into the passenger seat while his hand lingered possessively on my rear end. “I promise you can keep the POS.”
“Absolutely not!” I stared down at him in mock outrage, which lost most of its effectiveness when I realized there wasn’t much of a down to my stare. I assumed he was joking. In my world, guys didn’t buy their girlfriends cars. That only happened in the movies.
“Why not?” He seemed genuinely puzzled by my refusal.
“Far too many complications.”
My answer made him sigh dramatically, roll his eyes, and mutter under his breath. Whatever he was thinking, he wisely kept it to himself.
Pulling alongside the behemoth, I realized my mistake. It wasn’t Gabriel’s vehicle, after all. His was all black with only the basic chrome accessory work, whereas this one twinkled like a Christmas tree. And just to confirm it was a different vehicle, there was a broad silver stripe running down the side and the windows were heavily tinted. Definitely not Gabriel’s, unless he’d traded up for a newer model.
Turning off the engine, I stayed where I was for a few moments. By now Gabriel would have almost wrenched off my driver’s-side door in an effort to get to me, but nothing in my front yard moved. My visitor was a mystery.
Getting out of the POS, I gave the Hummer a final glance before hitching my purse up onto my shoulder. A prickle along the nape of my neck and the edgy sensation poking me in the ribs warned me that something was amiss. “Well, you sure as hell ain’t gonna find out what it is standing here,” I muttered as I pushed my anxiety down. I started forward, completely unprepared for the near heart attack that was waiting to spring itself on me.
CHAPTER 26
“Hello, Little One. Surprised to see me?”
The accent was unmistakable, and I forced my major blood-pumping organ back into my chest as I watched her come around the Hummer’s front grille. I noticed she was dressed pretty much as she had been the first time we’d met, the same thigh-high boots and tiny skirt, but today a midriff-baring top and a long, black trench coat had replaced the zippered jacket. Her long hair was piled on top of her head, held in place by what looked like a pair of chopsticks, producing an effect that could only be described as stylish disarray. I felt certain Laycee would have appreciated the effort required to produce such a fashionable statement. She was the last person I was expecting to see, and my anxiety level kicked up a notch as she waited for me to speak.
“Hello, Katja,” I said.
My voice was amazingly normal, and she beamed at me, delighted that I remembered her name. I don’t think there was anyone she met who would ever forget it. Or her. The kohl-rimmed, violet eyes raked over me, and the gorgeous, red-stained lips parted in a smile.
“Where are the others?” I asked, glancing behind her.
She pouted. “Tonight I come alone. Aleksei is doing”—she waved a hand, long red nails slicing through the air—“whatever it is he does when he’s not doing me—”
I raised my eyebrows, wondering if my understanding of doing me was the same as hers. I decided it couldn’t be because she didn’t even pause as she continued “—and Oscar . . . is no longer with us.”
Oscar? The guy in the World War Two bomber jacket had been called Oscar? That was a bit of a letdown. Even with his midwestern accent, I had been hoping for something a little more Hollywood. Chase or Tyler at the very least.
“So, what brings you to my neighborhood?” I asked, leaning against the hood of the POS. “Slumming?”
She walked toward me, the long trench coat flapping open and showing flashes of skin visible between the tops of her boots and the bottom of her skirt.
“We need to have a talk, Little One. Female to female.”
This wasn’t good. When another girl tells you that you need to have a talk, girl to girl, woman to woman, or even female to female, I can guarantee the conversation is going to be about a man. The only man who linked Katja and me was Gabriel, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to discuss anything about him with her.
“Sorry, Katja, but now really isn’t a good time. I’m expecting company.” I turned and began walking toward the house. My gut was telling me it wouldn’t be a Hallmark moment if she were still here when Gabriel showed up. “Give my best to Aleksei when you see him,” I called out with a wave over my shoulder.
I don’t know how she moved so quickly in those boots she was wearing. One second she was behind me; the next, she was on the top step of my front porch, looking down at me and blocking my progress.
“No, Little One, I think we will very much have a talk. Right now.” Her tone was both imperious and icy.
I took a step back—startled, to say the least. “How did you . . . ?”
I looked behind me, and when I turned back, it was to find she had moved again and was now standing right in front of me. I blinked and realized she was attempting to seduce me with her beautiful violet eyes. Only this time there was no mesmerizing pull, no hypnotic effect, and I had absolutely no desire to find out what her cranberry-stained lips tasted like.
“Really, Katja, is that the best you can do?” I asked, insulted. “You tried that before and it didn’t work then, so I wouldn’t hold out much hope now.”
I was bluffing, but she didn’t necessarily know that. Besides, how could she be so blatant about pulling the same move twice in a row? Didn’t I at least rate a token show of subtlety?
A frown pulled her perfectly arched eyebrows together, making her look, I’m pleased to say, a little perturbed. “Don’t fool yourself, Little One. I almost had you in the palm of my hand last time, but now I think something about you has changed.”
I caught a flash of long, painted nails out the corner of my eye as she grabbed the collar of my jacket and almost yanked me off my feet. Leaning forward, she sniffed my neck, reminding me of a dog. I suppose I should’ve been grateful she wasn’t trying to sniff my ass. If I’d felt insulted before, it was nothing to what I was feeling now. I jerked myself free of her hand.
“Well, well . . . I see you have been keeping Gabriel busy.” She flashed me a suggestive smile. “But of course, I knew that already.”
Liar. She hadn’t known, not for sure. That’s what all the sniffing was about, confirming her suspicions. Somehow she could smell him on me.
“My name, in case you’ve forgotten, is Rowan.” I spoke with only the barest hint of sarcasm. The patronizing way she was referring to me was getting old real fast, and the smile on her face said she knew exactly how much it irked me. She just didn’t care. Katja would continue to call me exactly what she wanted—and my feelings be damned.
“You know you have no future with him, don’t you?” Pushing open her long coat, she rested one perfectly manicured hand on her hip. I noticed that her nail polish matched her lipstick. “You are like the others, something to amuse him like cat with mouse. Then he will tire of you and move on.”
“Oh?” I wondered why Gabriel’s love life was of any interest to her, but you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to come up with that answer.
“Trust me, Little One, I have seen it happen many times before. It always ends badly . . . for the female.”
I had to give her credit for the remorseful look on her face. She was one hell of an actress. “And you care about this . . . why?”
“I like you”—oh, the hell you do!—“and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I appreciate your concern, Katja, but you needn’t worry. I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
“You think so?” She turned and climbed the steps back up the porch so she could look down on me again. “I wonder.”
Looking thoughtful, she began tapping her long nails against the railing. I was going to get a cric
k in my neck if I continued looking up at her, and the nail drumming was already beginning to irritate me. Climbing the stairs, I leaned against the opposite rail.
“What do you really want, Katja?”
“I told you, Little One, I like you. You are different from the others.”
“Others?” I crossed my arms and waited. Was this the best she could pull from her bag of tricks? Fling Gabriel’s previous girlfriends at me? If she thought I was so insecure I was going to be distraught about other women he’d slept with, she was grossly underestimating me. It might have been true back in the summer, when we’d first met, but not now.
“I have known Gabriel a long time.” The expression on her face could easily pass for sympathy. “He has had many women, and it is always the same. First there is excitement and curiosity, but too quickly it turns to boredom. I am sorry to tell you that it will not last. It never does.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is so. His attention wanders and he is easily distracted by the promise of a new experience.”
“How long does it take before he gets bored?”
The cranberry lips pulled into a tight line. I don’t think I was reacting in quite the way she had imagined. She didn’t answer me.
“I see.” A sense of quiet satisfaction rolled through me. “I’ve already lasted longer than the others, haven’t I?”
She glared at me, her violet eyes turning a deep, dazzling amethyst, before regaining her composure and gifting me with what I imagined was her most beguiling smile. “Is true, I have never known him to be as . . . enamored.”
“So what’s the problem, Katja, jealous?”
She’d have to be a complete idiot to think I was buying her concerned girlfriend routine, and Katja didn’t strike me as stupid. What’s that saying about hell having no fury like a woman scorned? Yeah, well, it doesn’t hold a candle to one woman poaching on another’s territory. It seemed that the glamorous cover model wasn’t happy about my bedding Gabriel, and I could only imagine why. Clearly she had come to warn me off. Only I wasn’t about to roll over simply because she said so.
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