Dangerous Grounds (16 page)

She laughed and looked out the window. What a relief that the tension from yesterday had faded. They were back to the flirting and having fun. The mistake probably still lingered in his mind, but maybe he’d done the same thing she had—decided to not think about it for now.

Gabe turned the car off of the main highway, and she returned her gaze to the road ahead. She could see the grocery store in the distance, with the tiny wooden drive-through espresso stand.

“Oooh…” Madison sighed. She could already taste the fluffy foam of a latté with the strong bite of coffee under it.

Gabe laughed. “You sound like you’re having an orgasm.”

“It may be better than one.”

“Sounds like a challenge.” He grinned as he pulled up to the window.

“Hi, folks,” the teenaged girl inside chirped with a bright smile. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have a tall, sugar-free vanilla, nonfat latté,” Madison said and glanced at Gabe.

He hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want a decaf?”

“Decaf? That’s sacrilegious.” She scowled and her eyes went wide as she realized his thoughts had turned to the pregnancy scare. “Gabe! For the love of—”

“Okay, okay.” He raised his hands in surrender to halt her sharp response.

“And what about you? Can I get you something, sir?” the girl asked with a curious smile.

“Me, oh. Yeah…” He shrugged and looked over the menu. “If you could just give me a large cup of milk, that’d be great.”

“You just want milk?” Madison and the girl asked at the same time.

“Yeah,” he smiled apologetically. “I’m just not a coffee guy. Remember, Maddie?”

“Nothing in it then,” the girl repeated. “That’s fine, I get that every now and then. Did you want nonfat or two percent?”

“Two percent.”

“All right, I’ll have those for you guys in just a few minutes.”

The girl went to make their drinks and Maddie watched her walk away with a thoughtful expression.

“Why is it, nowadays, that it’s almost required for a coffee stand to hire attractive young women in low-cut tops? Have you noticed that?”

“I’ve only noticed one hot woman.” He reached out to trace her mouth. “But she owns her own shop and wears some form-hiding apron instead of a low-cut top.”

“Hmm.” Madison grinned. “So you think if I showed some cleavage, my sales would go up?”

“Maybe the apron isn’t all that bad.”

“Cute.” She nudged him. “So you like just plain milk, huh?”

“Milk does a body good.”

“So they say. You must drink a ton of the stuff.” She ran an amused glance down his body.

When her gaze made the return trip to his face, their eyes locked. Her expression softened, and in the silence, they managed to communicate the needed apologies from yesterday.

He reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Madison smiled at him and squeezed back.

“All right.” The girl returned to the window, holding out the two drinks. “That’ll be five dollars even.”

Gabe released her hand to take out his wallet. He handed the girl eight dollars and took the drinks from her.

“Thanks.” The girl’s smile widened at the tip. “You folks have a great day.”

Madison gave Gabe a considering look as he drove away, sipping on his milk. He was a great tipper too. That was the next layer.

“How’s your drink?” Gabe nodded toward her cup.

Madison glanced down, having forgotten she was even holding it.

“Oh, let me try it.” She took a sip and gave a small shrug. “It’s pretty good.”

“Not as good as Sarah’s, I’ll bet.”

“Nobody’s are as good as Sarah’s,” Madison replied, and frowned. During the past couple of days, she’d forgotten she was out a barista.

She hated to lose Sarah. Lord, she hoped they’d catch the Bandit soon. Hiring someone else was going to be a real pain.

“You’re scowling. What brought that on?”

She shook her head. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know. Sarah quit. She’s too afraid to work for me anymore.”

“Makes sense,” Gabe agreed. “Why put yourself in that kind of danger if you don’t have to?”

“Hello—I’d like to be able to stay in business here.” She rolled her eyes. “If you keep supporting my lack of employees, my shop’s going to sink like the Titanic.”

“Don’t think of it like that.” He steered the car into a spot at the grocery store. “Think of it like you’re delaying your opening. When we catch the Bandit, you can reopen the shop and start making money again.”

She took another sip of coffee. “But in the meantime, I’m still making payments on the equipment and paying rent on the shop space.”

“We’ll have him within a week.” Gabe looked over and caught her gaze. “I know it, Maddie. This guy is not getting away. Are you struggling to make the payments?”

“No,” she admitted. “I have money put aside. I didn’t know how business would be initially.”

“See, you’ll be fine.” He touched her hand. “Are you ready to go get those groceries?”

Madison’s stomach rumbled. “You’d better believe it. I’m looking forward to that barbeque now.”

Chapter Fourteen

After they got back to the cabin, Gabe deposited the three sacks of groceries onto the counter.

“Hey, do you mind unloading these while I check my email real quick?”

“No problem,” Madison replied, already reaching into the first bag and pulling out the ground beef. She felt so domestic, like the little housewife or something. It was rare that she went grocery shopping. Eating out was just so much easier. “Are you expecting something important?”

He booted up his laptop and glanced over at her. “I gave Brian—you know, my partner, the guy who was watching you on Friday—my email address in case they have any news.”

“Oh, right. Hey, if he wrote you, ask him how dinner with Sarah went.”

“Ah, that’s right, they were going to go on a date.”

“I know—it’s so cute.” She put away the gallon of milk; they’d had to compromise on one percent seeing as he declared himself a stout two percent guy and she survived on nonfat. “Did he write?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Gabe replied. “Your brother did, though. Hold on while I read it.”

“Cool, let me know what he says.” She folded the empty paper sacks and placed them under the sink.

With nothing left to do, she grabbed an apple and went to sit on the couch next to Gabe.

“Well, damn.”

“What’s up?”

He set the laptop down on the coffee table and sighed, turning to look at her.

“Eric and Lannie moved up the wedding date.”

“Up? Are you serious? It was already a fast wedding. How up are we talking? And why?” She bit into the apple and held it up to him, offering a bite.

He shook his head. “Next month. Eric got word that he has to go to Cuba in June for three months.”

“No, really? Poor Eric. And they’d rather bump it up than hold off?” Madison took another bite of her apple. “I’ll bet Lannie’s pissed.”

“He didn’t say.” Gabe scrolled down the email. “But they want us to meet them in Seattle to talk about some wedding stuff tomorrow night.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “We can’t do that, can we? We’d risk blowing our cover, so to speak.”

Gabe grew quiet for a moment. “There may be a way to pull it off. We’re not going to your shop or apartment, or even my place. As long as we’re smart about it, we could probably do this. We can catch a boat an hour or two before dinner and meet up with them, then head back afterwards.”

“Are you sure? If you’d rather we skip it, I’m okay. I’m sure they’d understand if we told them we couldn’t make it.”

“I’m sure. In fact, I’m certain this was all Lannie’s idea, because Eric would never ask us to come if he knew it risked your safety.” He smiled at her. “But I think a little night out would be a good break for us. Besides, I’m sure you’re getting bored up here.”

“Are you kidding?” Madison sighed. “It’s been amazing. I love it here, it’s so relaxing.”

“I’m glad.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I’m going to go start the barbeque.”

She watched him disappear out onto the back porch and glanced at the open laptop. So what else did her brother have to say in the email? Did he suspect anything was going on between her and Gabe?

Biting her lip, she leaned forward and started reading the email. Yes, a slight invasion of privacy, but he’d just left it sitting there. She was halfway through reading it when her brows drew together in a scowl.

Besides all the details on the dinner, Eric had also wanted to warn Gabe about Lannie’s newest idea. An idea that involved setting him up with her maid of honor.

How ridiculous! Madison hurried and stood, not wanting Gabe to catch her reading his email. She shouldn’t have even read it in the first place. Now, she was just annoyed. But it wasn’t like she’d expected to find anything like that in Eric’s letter.

“How do you want it?” Gabe asked coming back into the house.

“What?” She gave him a sharp look.

“Your burger. Rare, medium, well-done, on fire…”

“Well-done.”

Gabe reached into the fridge to pull out the ground beef.

“This’ll be the best burger you’ve ever had,” he promised, his grin pure arrogance.

“I’ve had some good burgers,” she warned, pushing aside the jealousy that had flared a moment ago. Gabe was with her for now, and she’d just have to remember that.

On his way back out to the porch, he paused to kiss her on the lips.

“If I’m lying, I’ll make it up to you later. Any way you want me to,
mi vida
.”

Madison raised an eyebrow. “Now I’m almost hoping it’ll be bad.”

He laughed and went back outside.

Monday afternoon they were off the island and driving south on the freeway, heading out to meet Eric and Lannie.

Gabe looked over at Maddie, who’d drifted in and out of sleep during the drive over. They’d stayed awake having sex half the night, this time taking the necessary precautions. And even though she’d declared the burger the best she’d ever eaten, he’d still spent part of the night with his mouth between her legs. He loved the taste of her, the feel of her. She’d become his vice.

“Aren’t we running a little early?” she asked, yawning. “I thought dinner wasn’t until six.”

“It isn’t.” He looked at her again. “I thought we’d go down to Pike Place Market and walk around, maybe pick up some fresh fruit and homemade bread for breakfast.”

“Oh, yum. Great idea, Gabe.”

She sat up and glanced outside the window; they were passing through the tall buildings of downtown and making their way toward the waterfront.

“I haven’t been down there in a few years.”

“Me either.” He found a parking garage a few blocks from the market and parked. “Let’s head out.”

A half-hour later they maneuvered through the crowded marketplace, carrying a bag full of fresh strawberries, a loaf of sourdough bread, and a jar of raspberry jam.

“Too bad we’re not going straight home,” he commented as they stopped at the fish market to watch the workers tossing fresh salmon to each other. “I’d love to pick up some of that.”

“I don’t know. I like salmon when it comes to me prepared on a plate. But when I have to see it flying through the air,” she wrinkled her nose, “and smell that really fishy smell, well, I get a little grossed out.”

Gabe laughed and shook his head. Why wasn’t he surprised?

“Maybe when we get back into town for good, we can throw a barbeque and get some. I’ll prepare it and you never have to see or smell a thing.”

“That sounds wonderful.” She glanced up at him and smiled. “You spoil me.”

Interesting. He’d made a comment on their future together, sort of, and she hadn’t even flinched. In fact, she’d seemed excited by the prospect. Maybe this meant she had started to view things between them differently, as more than just a rebound. The idea settled better with him than he expected.

“We should head out and meet up with your brother.”

Madison glanced at her watch and nodded. “You’re right, especially with rush-hour traffic.”

They backtracked through the market and it wasn’t until they’d emerged onto the street that they spoke again.

“I was thinking…” Maddie bit her lip. “When we meet up with everyone we should just try to keep things between us quiet. Make sure nobody suspects we’re going at it like rabbits.”

Gabe flinched internally, but outwardly he managed a casual shrug for her benefit. “No problem. I’m not much in the mood to get decked by your brother tonight.”

She gave him a sharp look and then a hesitant smile. “Great, I’m glad we’re on the same wavelength here. It’s just that it’s none of their business that we’re having sex. So if we could make it look like you don’t even know that I exist…you know, just like it was a few years ago.”

“Say no more.” And he meant it. His jaw hardened.

He might as well have been her pool boy. Fine to go to bed with, but she’d never acknowledge it had happened. God, it was irritating how easily she could just turn it on and off. She was a damned faucet. It wasn’t that easy for him. His emotions, usually kept in check, weren’t so easy to dismiss this time.

And now she wanted him to sit through a dinner and pretend that she wasn’t in his every thought. Act like she didn’t exist. Right. It was as simple as that. Bullshit.

Might as well get started right away. He let go of her hand and increased his pace to the parking garage.

Madison tuned out the bad traffic while Gabe drove to the restaurant where they were meeting for dinner. Irritation had been eating at her for a while now and she didn’t have much trouble pinpointing why. When throwing out the suggestion for them to keep things quiet, she’d been testing the waters, not certain what to expect—maybe for him to argue against it, or perhaps agree after extended persuading.

She certainly hadn’t expected the immediate agreement and the joke about her brother getting pissed. Or the way he’d just dropped her hand in the parking garage, like he couldn’t wait to get started with the charade.

She fiddled with a strand of hair.
You brought this on, Madison, don’t jump down his throat.
Besides, it was for the best. It would just complicate things if word got out that they were lovers. Eric wouldn’t be thrilled.