Hard & Lethal: A Bad Boy Romance

by Jade Allen

  A round of applause erupted, signaling the conclusion of the opening trick as the illusionist reappeared on the stage next to the silver-haired mystery to give the crowd more of what they came there for. And then trick after trick, he watched her, trying to find what it was about her that had drawn every bit of his attention.

  Stunned and bewildered an hour later, he left the theater as the final round of applause began to fill the room. He glanced back briefly as the door closed behind him just in time to witness the entire room burst into a standing ovation in response to the night’s riveting performance.

  It appeared that his decision to give the illusionist a chance had been a worthwhile one. Based on the ecstatic reaction of the crowd this evening, the theater was guaranteed to be packed every night for a good number of future performances. At the moment, however, that wasn’t his primary concern.

  He wanted to see the illusionist’s assistant up close. He wanted to see what was really there when the curtain closed and she shed the glitzy, provocative costume and fiber optic lights for street clothes. He needed to know who the real woman was behind the silver wig and the dark contact lenses. As soon as he could, his mind would be freed.

  She would be a woman, just like any other woman—a well-formed one, for sure—but no different than any other human. The sooner the enchantress lost her hold on him and his mind could return to other matters, the better.

  He reached the rear stage entrance, and the man there opened the door wide for him without hesitation. There wasn’t a person in the entire hotel and casino who didn’t cater to his every whim. It was the same in all the properties he owned. Through the door, he located the illusionist right away, standing amid his group of technicians and other experts in the field of magic, but the assistant was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t a room in the entire building that was off-limits to him, but the very moment he began to move to go search for her, the illusionist spotted him, gave a nod and started in his direction.

  A moment later, the man stood before Cade grinning widely as his hand shot forward in earnest. “Mr. Stryker, I do hope you enjoyed the show.”

  Cade grasped the illusionist’s hand reluctantly. “Indeed, I did, Adam. And more importantly, it seemed the audience was very impressed. Why don’t you touch base with my assistant in the morning, so we can set up a deal for future bookings?”

  “Thanks very much; I’ll give a call first thing.”

  Just then, a woman appeared from a side door, and though she wasn’t wearing the silver wig she’d worn on stage, he recognized her instantly. She was dressed in a pair of distressed jeans that hugged her curves perfectly and a black tank top that crisscrossed its way up her back and made Cade long to slide his fingers between the strands of fabric and then tear it off altogether. She rummaged for something in a simple handbag she wore slung over her shoulder as she walked toward them, completely oblivious to his presence.

  “Adam, you wanted to meet on Tuesday afternoon to go over the—” She looked up then and her words seemed to get stuck in her throat.

  “Ava, this is Mr. Cade Stryker, owner of the hotel and casino,” Adam cut in with a knowing smile. “Mr. Stryker, may I introduce my assistant, Ava Winter.”

  There was no possessiveness in the man’s eyes, which meant the illusionist and his assistant weren’t intimately involved, nor did it seem the man had any interest in a romantic relationship with the beautiful Ava Winter. Strange. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to have her?

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stryker,” she said, staring directly into his eyes.

  That was impressive. There weren’t many people who didn’t shift uncomfortably beneath his gaze. She stood there with her spine just as straight as it had been on stage and her eyes locked on his as he clasped her hand within his.

  Still, as much as she might not have been intimidated by his presence, she wasn’t entirely unaffected by it either. He could feel her response to him, the tiniest of tremors the moment he touched her. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to have her falling all over him after all. The thought sent a jolt of desire through his body, and he needed to have her, but he didn’t just want her naked and writhing beneath him. He wanted her completely open, unguarded; unequivocally his. It was a possessiveness he’d never experienced before, and certainly one he never expected to feel for a woman he’d only just met.

  “Would you care to join me for a drink, Miss Winter?” He heard the question loud and clear, but had it really come from his own mouth? What the hell was he doing?

  He hadn’t had any intention of pursuing her. He’d only wanted to see the silvery beauty up close and without all the glitz and glam of the show. At most, he’d intended to invite her up to his suite, indulging in her soft curves for a couple of hours. By then, whatever it was that had had him so captivated would certainly be long gone. This inexplicable need to have her all to himself should have been a warning sign. It should have sent him running in the opposite direction.

  Cade Stryker didn’t need any human; he never had, and he never would.

  “I appreciate the offer, Mr. Stryker, but no thank you. And if you’ll excuse me, it’s late and I have to be getting home.”

  She nodded once more and then walked past him without another word. Had she really just shot him down? He wondered briefly what was wrong with him for asking her out for a drink, but now there was a much more pressing question in his mind—what was wrong with her? Did she not understand who he was? Even without being able to see behind those damn contact lenses, he’d been able to sense her attraction to him. Hell, the sexual energy in the air had been almost palpable from the moment she slipped her hand into his grip.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Stryker. I could have warned you if I knew you’d been intending to ask her on a date.”

  Great, he was getting the sympathy speech from a man who pretended to walk on air for a living? The illusionist’s gravelly voice had suddenly begun to grate on his nerves.

  “Warned me?”

  “Yes, Ava’s not the…easiest person to get close to. She keeps everyone at arm’s length.”

  “And why’s that?” He really didn’t want to be having this conversation with the magic man, but since he’d apparently already ventured down this road, he might as well garner as much information as he could. Maybe he’d learn all he needed to know about her to walk away right then.

  “I don’t know. All I can tell you is I’ve known her for two years, and that handshake between the two of you is the closest I’ve seen her get to another human being in all that time.”

  “She seems more than comfortable with you on stage,” Cade noted, making certain that there was no hint of jealousy imbued in his tone.

  “That’s different.”

  Cade nodded. Obviously, there wasn’t any more he could glean from the man’s limited answers. If he was going to spend any more time amid the company of humans, it was going to be in bed with a hot, uncomplicated woman. Or maybe several. Whatever it took to banish Ava Winter from his mind.

  Chapter 2

  Hope unlocked her apartment door and slipped inside. The living room was dark except for the sliver of moonlight that filtered in through the window’s parted curtains and lightly touched the figure sleeping on her sofa. The girl had a bedroom of her own, but no one would know it by the number of times she’d used it in the past eleven months.

  Jeez, had it really been almost a year? She was going to have to think of something special to commemorate the anniversary. But that would have to wait until morning because she had just enough energy left in her to make it to her bedroom before she collapsed.

  Still, she stopped as she crossed the living room to drape a blanket over the sleeping form and tuck an errant lock of hair behind the girl’s ear. It was the only time the teenager looked light and peaceful, so much in contrast to the heavy burden she carried around on her shoulders when she was awake.

  At least it seemed some of the burden had been eased in t
he past year. Not so long ago, she’d been quite the spitfire with a chip on her shoulder to match, but Hope had seen right through the act. Of course, she had—it was the same act she had put on for the world herself for too many years to think about.

  “Good night, Lexi,” she whispered before she continued across the room and down the short hall to her room. Once there, she collapsed on her bed, too exhausted to even turn down the covers. Her eyes were closed by the time her head hit the pillow, but as she surrendered to her fatigue, a face flashed behind her eyes; it belonged to the man she’d met after the show.

  She knew who he was. Hell, everyone who’d been in Las Vegas for more than five minutes knew who Cade Stryker was. He was the owner of the city’s most prestigious hotel and casino, but while plenty of people knew of him, not many people knew much about him.

  He was a billionaire mogul with a sketchy past, at best. How one managed to get to his position without someone having turned over every stone of his life, she had no idea, nor had the question really concerned her much before tonight. Suddenly, though, who Cade Stryker was and why no one seemed to know anything about him had risen to the top of her list of concerns. Why, she didn’t know.

  The man was sexy as hell, but she’d known that already. She’d seen pictures of him in the past, and there was no point in denying he was probably the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. That wasn’t what had caught her attention and thrown her off guard, though. It was something else; something deeper. There were secrets in the man’s eyes, and for some strange reason, the moment they’d touched, every fiber of her body had wanted to know each one of those secrets.

  And that was quite the feat for a woman who didn’t have a curious bone in her body. She’d learned long ago that it was best to keep her head down and steer clear of everyone else’s business. It was the best shot she’d had at making sure everyone steered clear of hers.

  Maybe it had just been seeing the man in the flesh. His broad, rock-hard frame was enough to make any woman weak in the knees. That was probably it. Hell, she hadn’t had anything that resembled a relationship in well over a year—maybe two. To be honest, she’d been so focused on work and Lexi that her lack of male companionship hadn’t really crossed her mind until she’d seen Cade Stryker standing there backstage.

  And then he’d asked her out for drinks? What the hell was that? Even if he’d been in the mood for a quick lay, certainly, he had all kinds of women at his beck and call. So why go to the effort of asking a complete stranger? Maybe he thought she was just as much an easy lay as his other women. That had to be the reason.

  While she’d been on the verge of sleep just seconds ago, the indignation that suddenly coursed through her veins forced her wide awake. The man thought he could snap his fingers and have her falling into bed with him? Well, he was crazy if he thought she was some floozy salivating over the opportunity to get him naked.

  Despite the way desire tremored through her body at the thought, there was no way in hell that was going to happen. She just wasn’t the kind of woman who was going to drop her panties because some rich, handsome guy snapped his fingers. But damn it, as an image of what might lay beneath the man’s designer suit flashed through her mind, part of her wished she was that kind of woman.

  She banished the image from her mind quickly and forced herself to inhale and exhale slowly, taking deep breaths until her pulse returned to something that resembled normal. Whether it was indignation or arousal that had her heartbeat racing out of control, she didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. Cade Stryker was history as far as she was concerned. She’d met him, turned down his poorly-concealed offer to hop into his bed, and now it was time to forget him. She breathed in, and then out, and her prior tiredness wound its way through her body, relaxing her muscles and pulling her under.

  ****

  A loud knock brought her out of sleep, and she forced her eyes open long enough to peer outside the window. The view of the street and buildings below was still shrouded in a heavy cloak of gray—it was barely dawn. Then what was that sound? There was no way Lexi was already up and banging around in the kitchen. Neither of the ladies of the house believed in starting the day before the sun.

  It sounded again, even louder this time. Someone was knocking at the front door, but who on Earth would be showing up at her apartment before six in the morning?

  She bounded out of bed and through the apartment as a sliver of apprehension prickled her skin. It had been almost a year and there had been no sign of anyone looking around for her, but all the while, she’d known there’d been no guarantee it would stay that way.

  “Lexi,” she whispered vehemently a second before she stopped to shake the girl’s shoulder.

  “What’s up, Hope?” she replied sleepily.

  “Lexi, hide.” Lexi bolted upright as her head whipped back and forth, obviously looking for the threat. As another knock sounded at the door, she nodded in understanding and she bolted to Hope’s bedroom.

  Hope waited another moment, listening to make sure Lexi had locked the bedroom door, and then she approached the front door slowly, smoothing her clothes and the wayward strands of silver in her wig. It was time to play it calm and cool.

  She peeked out the peephole into the building’s hallway, but the sight that greeted her wasn’t what she’d expected. A tall, middle-aged man stood on the other side of the door, and although his features were kind, he wore an aggravated expression on his face. He was well-dressed, so perhaps he was a lawyer, but upon closer inspection, it was obvious his clothing was a uniform, not an upscale suit.

  A private detective? No, they didn’t wear uniforms. An undercover police officer? It was technically possible, but she didn’t get the impression the man was involved in law enforcement or detective work. He seemed somehow familiar though.

  She could keep silent and pretend no one was home, but then she’d never know who the man was or why he was there. The very thought of retreating irritated her; she wasn’t a coward. “Who is it?” she asked before she could change her mind.

  “My name is Steven James, Ma’am. I’m looking for Miss Ava Winter,” he whispered loudly. Obviously, the man was aware that others would be sleeping at this hour—just like she’d been only a moment before.

  “Why are you looking for Ava Winter at—” she glanced quickly at the clock on the wall, “—five-thirty in the morning?”

  “I’m here on behalf of Mr. Cade Stryker.”

  Cade Stryker? Why was he sending a man to her door practically in the middle of the night? If he thought she was going to be flattered over a late-night booty call, the man was clearly insane. With her ire rising quickly, she unlocked the door and flung it open.

  “I’m Ava Winter. Can you please tell me why Mr. Stryker has someone pounding down my door this early in the morning, or…this late at night?”

  “He just sent me to call on you, Ma’am. He was hoping you would join him for breakfast.” The pained look on his face told her he wasn’t any fonder of banging on a woman’s door before sunrise than she was.

  “I’m sorry Mr. Stryker sent you here unnecessarily, but if you’d tell him Ava Winter isn’t interested in drinks or breakfast with him, I’d appreciate it.”

  The man looked at her with a perplexed expression on his face. Apparently, he wasn’t any more accustomed to women turning down the ostentatious billionaire than the billionaire was himself. “Um, if you’d just come with me, Ma’am, I’m sure the two of you can sort this out.”

  He’d begun to look at her—really look at her—like he was trying to see behind the mask she wore to the woman underneath it. Strange.

  “I can’t do that, Mr. James. I understand you’re just doing your job, but I’m going back to bed now.” She smiled kindly at the man, feeling a little bit sorry for him despite his unwelcome intrusion and strange gaze. She had a feeling Cade Stryker didn’t take rejection well—mainly because he’d never been on the receiving end of it. “Hopefully, once y
ou’ve told Mr. Stryker I’m not interested in joining him for breakfast, he’ll let you do the same. Good night.”

  The man met her eyes for a moment more, but then he nodded once cordially, and turned to leave. “Fat chance,” she heard him whisper under his breath as he started back down the hallway.

  She closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief—or maybe it was a sigh of frustration. She was relieved the man hadn’t been there for the reason she’d been dreading, but at the same time, the nerve of Cade Stryker to be sending a man to her home to fetch her left her so irritated, there was no way she was going back to sleep. She stomped across the living room and knocked on her bedroom door.

  “It’s okay, Lexi. You can come out now.”

  The door creaked open seconds later. “What was that about?” There were remnants of trepidation in her tone, but she wasn’t in a panic like she’d been moments ago.

  “Just some rich prick who thinks a little too highly of himself, that’s all. Why don’t you go back to bed for a while. It’s still early.”

  “I guess so. Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Good night, Kiddo.”

  Lexi padded down the hall to her room then and Hope heard the squeak of the mattress springs as the girl flopped back on the twin-size bed. She smiled. When Lexi had first moved in, she’d slept with her door closed and locked every night. She couldn’t even remember precisely when that had changed, but she didn’t know the last time Lexi had bothered locking her door, or even closing it for that matter.

  The irritation she’d felt gave way to something much more pleasant: the peace that came from knowing she’d provided Lexi a haven where she could heal and become whole again, something that no one had ever done for Hope.

  She kept that feeling at the forefront of her mind as she dragged herself to the small kitchen and set a pot of coffee to brew. If she was going to be awake at such an ungodly hour, she might as well have a good amount of caffeine coursing through her veins so she could at least be productive.