by Tawny Weber
“Actually, I was calling for Danita.”
His gaze sliced across the room, watching the woman in question tuck her gun back in her purse and neatly fold the sleeping bag into a smaller puff of fabric. He was sure she’d hide it back in her suitcase, too.
“Hang on,” he snapped before tossing the phone onto the puffy gateway of Danita’s sleeping bag.
“Hello?” Danita greeted hesitantly, her gaze flickering away from Gabriel’s as if she were afraid that a full-on look would mean she had to give him a morning blow job.
“Today? Um…” She grimaced, finally looking directly at him with her eyes wide and insistent. “I think Gabriel had plans for the day, actually.”
He did, but he’d much rather execute them without an FBI audience. He still wasn’t crazy about Danita pouring on the charm to con his family, but figured they were all savvy enough to handle themselves. Mostly because this was too good an opportunity to pass up.
So instead of taking Danita’s hint, he gave her a wicked smile and said loud enough to carry through the phone line, “Nope. The day is wide-open, babe. Go ahead and have fun.”
Her glare was lethal. Blue eyes, free of the heavy makeup he’d seen her wear so far, were laser-sharp with anger.
But her tone stayed light and friendly as she answered Maya’s onslaught of questions.
“I really shouldn’t,” she protested for the third time. “I don’t have a gift or anything.”
She listened, still glaring at Gabriel, then gave a silent sigh. “Well, if you’re sure, then yes. Of course. I’d love to come to Pandora’s bridal shower this afternoon.”
Well, that freed up his afternoon nicely, Gabriel grinned. Now he could poke into the goon squad’s plans, see what he could uncover about their revered leader without Danita and her cop sensibilities getting in his way.
It also meant leaving his family to Danita’s mercy. His grin faded. Crap.
He strode over to Danita, holding out his hand for the phone. “I need to talk to Maya before you hang up.”
Giving him a long, calculating look, Danita’s lips quirked in challenge. She turned her back on him to finish saying her goodbyes, a clear message that she still thought she was in charge. Then, without looking at him again, she held out the phone. As soon as he took it, she went to her suitcase, gathered clothes, grabbed a bag and sauntered off to the bathroom.
“What’s Caleb doing while his bride-to-be gets her party on?” he asked his sister.
“He’s fixing the porch on his new place, remember?” she said. “You should have stuck around longer last night so you could see it. It’s really sweet, just a couple blocks from Aunt Cynthia’s. Caleb said as soon as he’s done with the house renovations, he’s going to build a big fence to keep her out, though.”
Over Maya’s laughter about how disagreeable their aunt could be, Gabriel heard the shower start. That didn’t mean Danita might not have her ear pressed to the door, but still, it made eavesdropping more difficult.
“Hey,” he said quietly into the phone, interrupting Maya’s bemoaning the constant campaign pitches from the mayor. “Keep your guard up today, okay?”
The silence was alive with questions. He waited, trying to anticipate the direction his inquisitive sister would take them, and just how he’d answer without blowing his con and Danita’s cover.
“You’re afraid your sweetie might learn a few family secrets?” Maya guessed. Then her tone turned from teasing to deadly serious. “You’re not really planning a long-term relationship with her without telling her the truth about the family, are you? I mean, she has to know what you, well, do. Right?”
Gabriel huffed out a breath and dropped to the bed. Well, he hadn’t expected her to go in that direction. Shit.
“I just don’t want to wave our history, or any current activities, in Danita’s face,” he finally said.
“You know you can’t build a relationship on a lie,” Maya said quietly. “If you’re really planning to marry her, you have to be honest. You have to tell her who you are, Gabriel. The real you. Not some character you’re playing to pull a con.”
Good thing he wasn’t really planning to marry her, then. Because he didn’t particularly like the idea of letting anyone, especially someone with a badge, know who he really was.
“Don’t worry about it,” he suggested. “Just, you know, focus on the girly wedding stuff today instead of heart-to-heart confessions.”
“You sure? Because I’d planned on hauling out the photo album and showing her all of your baby pictures. Especially that one of you, naked, playing in the mud. What were you? Four?”
“Behave, Maya,” he ordered, laughing now. “Just, you know, keep it smooth, okay?”
“I was thinking I’d do the family dinner thing tonight. You’ll come, right? Spend some time with Dad.”
The shower stopped. Gabriel puffed out a breath, staring out the window at the thick copse of pines. He hadn’t realized until last night how much he missed his father. His entire family. He had no desire to move back to bucolic Black Oak. But he didn’t want to shut the door to visits. But until he’d tied up this mess, he couldn’t plan for any of that.
“No,” he decided. Distance was better. Until he’d figured out who was setting Tobias up, at least. “I’ve got plans tonight.”
He offered an absent goodbye as he gathered his own clothes for the day, and his thoughts for the next state in the game. He needed an ally. Someone in the goon squad who could clue him in to the bigger picture. He knew he wasn’t going to get the name of the kingpin, but he might garner enough info to develop some kind of plan.
“All yours,” Danita said as she exited the steamy bathroom, the scent of wildflowers filling the air.
Gabriel wasn’t a man who looked for subtlety in women. He’d always found that the more obvious a woman, the easier she was to deal with. So Danita’s hair slicked back, her face bare, her wholesome image shouldn’t appeal to him.
So why the hell did she?
“Did you have sweet dreams?” he asked, on edge and wanting her to join him.
“Let’s not play games, okay?” she said, giving him a direct look at odds with the sexy memory he had from the previous night. “We had sex. It’s over. Now we’ll set it aside and forget about it.”
“What if I don’t want to forget it?” he asked, both irritated and admiring of her poise.
Her only response was a casual shrug as she tucked her jammies and whatever else back into her suitcase. The fabric of her dress, a soft blue that perfectly matched her eyes, stretched over her hips, making him damn near drool and shoving him just a little closer to that edge.
“What’ll you be doing while I’m enjoying tea and petit fours while toasting your brother’s upcoming wedding?” she asked as she held up two pair of shoes, one a strappy purple, the other vivid blue. Both made a strong argument for the allure of foot fetishes. “Helping your brother build a porch, was it?”
He shook his head, deciding to focus on the admiration instead of irritation at her intent focus on pretending they hadn’t blown each other’s minds the night before. Fine. She wanted casual, he could play casual like nobody’s business.
“Nah. I’m better at tearing things down than hammering them together.” Still, he could see she wanted an answer. Taking his time, he selected a shirt, then grabbed underwear. Danita’s gaze cut from the black boxers in his hand to his unbuttoned, unzipped jeans and her breath hitched.
Desire flared in her blue eyes, giving Gabriel a brief hope that they could stop pretending and have some sweet a.m. follow-up to their hot night.
Then she blinked and it was gone. Instead she gave him a questioning look. “So what’ll you do instead? Visit your father? Read a book? Scam a few old ladies?”
“I’m more interested in scamming younger ladies.” Gabriel grinned. “I figured I’d hang out here. Make nice with the goon squad. Tour the grounds, see what kind of changes Ham’s made around here since I moved
away.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you up to?”
Smart woman.
Deciding he’d rather ignore her question than lie to her, Gabriel shrugged. Before she could ask anything else, he strode over until he was within touching distance. Close enough for the wildflower sweetness of her perfume to wash over him. Close enough to see her pulse flutter at the base of her throat. And, thankfully, close enough to see her nipples bead against the soft fabric of her dress.
“You forgot something,” he murmured, desperately craving a taste of her again.
“What?”
He tossed his clothes on the dresser behind her, then before she could move, slipped his hands into her damp hair. His fingers curved over the back of her head, tilting her face up to meet his.
The kiss was a sweet hello. His lips brushed over hers, sipping gently. Coaxing nicely. When she rewarded him with a moan, he took it deeper. His tongue swirled. Their breath mingled. His body hardened in demand.
But this wasn’t the time.
There was a bigger game at stake. A game he intended to win. And, he decided in that second as their tongues danced sweetly together, Danita was going to be his prize for a game well played.
He slowly, oh so slowly, released her lips. Eyes still closed to hold on to those last vestiges of delight, he sighed. His fingers, still tangled in her damp tresses, clenched tight for just a second, unwilling to let go. Then he forced his eyes open and his body to relax.
“You forgot to kiss me good morning,” he said with an easy smile, pretending that little meeting of the lips hadn’t kicked his ass harder than all the lovemaking the night before.
“And you’re out of line,” Danita said, her voice shaky. “We’re here to do a job. The whole lovers thing is only supposed to be an act. Our cover. You need to stop.”
She stepped away, took a deep breath and finally met his eyes. Confusion and stress were clear in hers. “You need to stop,” she repeated. “We’re going to screw this job up. Someone will get hurt if we don’t focus and stay on track. That someone could be you. It could be me. Or it could be a member of your family. Are you willing to risk that?”
Gabriel gave her a searching look before gathering his clothes. When he reached the bathroom door, he glanced back. She was staring, worry clear in those pretty blue eyes.
“I’ll finish the job, Blondie. And I’ll win the game with zero casualties. And when I’m done?” His smile was cocky and assured, because he knew he was making this promise to both of them. “When this is done, it’s just going to be you and me. No excuses, no games, no bullshit. And no more running away.”
GABRIEL’S VOW, because those hadn’t been idle words, was still ringing in Danita’s head three hours later as she walked up the cobblestone path toward the Black Oak Inn. Her thighs were sore from her unexpected workout the night before, bruises from their foray against the dresser keeping her aware of just what she’d done with Gabriel. And how damned good it had felt.
Too good. She’d had to force herself out of his arms before she’d begged him for more. She’d grabbed onto that sleeping bag like it was a lifeline. Compartmentalizing, she told herself. Keeping the sex from being too important. Or running scared, the little voice in the back of her head mocked.
And now it was time to pretend to be the loving fiancée. Quite a different role than the good-time girl she’d come to town as. She smoothed a nervous hand over the soft jersey material of her blue dress. The fabric relied on her figure for its style, flowing in a smooth flow from the sweetheart neckline to her calves. She’d dressed it up for the shower with a dozen bangles that climbed halfway up one long sleeve, and a vivid turquoise chiffon scarf twisted around her waist in lieu of a belt. Purple sandals and a matching headband tied the ladylike look together nicely.
Now to act the part she’d dressed for. She grabbed the door handle, her last-minute gift in the other hand and with a deep breath, stepped into bride central with a big smile on her face.
Ten minutes later, she wished she was still meeting with the gang of armed goons. At least then she’d understood the rules. She definitely didn’t belong in this roomful of giggling women, all talking about lingerie, trading recipes and singing odes to true love.
“You look like you’re ready to run from the room.”
“Of course not,” Danita lied, offering Cassiopeia a big smile. Pandora’s mother looked like a Celtic gypsy with a crystal fetish. Red curls waved over the shoulders of a green velvet caftan, clashing wonderfully with the string of pink crystals around her neck. “It’s a lovely party. I’m just a little shy is all.”
The redhead arched one slender brow and tilted her head. She looked at Danita like she could see clear through to her soul and was taking notes. “Sweetheart, you don’t have a shy bone in your body. But you are uncomfortable with all of this. Estrogen overload, I’m thinking. You must work with men, hmm?”
Warning signals rang in Danita’s head, but she kept her expression light and her laugh easy. “Oh, no. I work in a dress boutique in San Francisco, actually.”
“Hmmm.” Green eyes appraised her, then Cassiopeia took her hand. After a brief glance at Danita’s palm, the woman stared into her eyes.
Her shoulders a little stiffer now, Danita briefly wished for some kind of woo-woo shield she could wrap around her.
“Come with me, sweetheart,” Cassiopeia commanded before Danita could figure out how to get away. “I wasn’t going to do readings, this is Pandora’s day, after all. But you clearly need some insight and guidance.”
“No, thank you, though.” Danita believed in the esoteric arts just enough that her nerves were dancing with objections. “I should say hi to Pandora. And to Maya, she just came in with more of those lovely chocolate tarts.”
Her hand firmly gripping Danita’s, Cassiopeia plowed through the crowd like a friendly steamship. “Don’t be silly. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy tarts after the reading.”
But after a quick glance at Danita’s stressed face, she made a beeline for the tarts, tucking three into a plate and handing it over without letting go of her other hand.
“Sit, sit,” she said when they’d arrived at a small cubby off of the dining room. She pulled a velvet pouch from a pocket, then unwrapped a thick deck of cards as Danita cautiously sank into a tapestry-covered chair, her tarts still in hand.
“Cassiopeia, I appreciate the offer,” Danita said with a smile as she set the plate on the small table. “But I’ll admit, this kind of thing kind of scares me. I think I’d much rather wait and see what life has to offer as it happens. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“Oh, I don’t think there will be too many surprises here,” Cassiopeia said with a knowing smile, shuffling the large cards with deft fingers. “We’re not looking to the future so much as we’re taking a more in-depth look at the present.”
“All I need is a mirror for that.”
“Then consider this a magnifying mirror.”
Through shuffling, she offered the deck to Danita. Not seeing any way out of the reading, Danita swallowed hard, then schooled her face to smooth calm.
“Cut the deck into three, please.”
Danita was pleased that her fingers didn’t tremble when she lifted half the deck and set it next to the remaining half.
Cassiopeia took the cards back, restacking them, then dealt the top six into a triangle with the seventh in the center.
“Influences. Past, present and future. The Five of Swords and Strength. Eight of Cups with The Lovers. And Death with the Two of Cups. Your lesson is the Seven of Cups.”
Danita barely heard Cassiopeia’s husky words, she was so fixated on the naked card. The Lovers? Shit. It was like someone had plastered a sticker reporting how many orgasms Gabriel had given her last night.
“You’ve had a difficult past,” Cassiopeia was saying in that singsong tone. “A childhood subjected to talk and gossip, that while it gave you something of a complex, it also made
you a strong, empowered woman. You’ve developed a tendency to hide from your past behind that strength, though. Until you face it, you can’t move forward.”
Danita’s eyes flew from the naked couple card to Cassiopeia’s knowing green eyes. Her heart sped up, making it a struggle to keep her expression neutral. She didn’t believe in this stuff, she reminded herself. Not really.
“The Eight of Cups and The Lovers mark where you are on your present journey. You’ve an opportunity to leave the past behind on your search for something. Your quest will allow you to overcome emotional baggage, but it will require you to trust as you’ve never done before.”
“What trust?” Danita asked before she could help herself. There was probably something telling in the fact that the Lovers card scared her a lot more than the Death one. “That’s The Lovers card. Doesn’t it mean sex?”
Perfectly groomed brows arched over amused eyes. “No, darling. The Lovers is so much more than sex. It’s balance. It’s choice. It’s finding love.”
Even as tiny tendrils of panic clutched at her, Danita was shaking her head. “Oh, no. I’m don’t believe in—”
She barely managed to stop herself before blurting out the word love. Not a good confession given that she was here pretending to be engaged. Dammit, being a good-time-girl was so much easier.
Flustered, Danita sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to remember that she wasn’t here to discuss her psyche, she was here to break a crime ring. But her eyes were drawn to that Death card as dread curled low in her belly.
“This indicates change,” Cassiopeia instructed, one red-tipped finger pointing to the hooded skeleton. “The end of one phase of your life, and the beginning of another. The release of something painful that you’ve carried with you for years. In order to move forward, you have to let go.”
But what if she was scared to move forward? Danita couldn’t tear her eyes off the card.
“Excuse me?”
Jolting, both women glanced toward the door. Cassiopeia in outrage, Danita with gratitude. Maya gave an artful grimace before offering an apologetic “Cassiopeia, the caterer is ready to bring out Pandora’s cake. I thought you’d want to be there.”