Desire & Deception (Entangled Ignite) (6 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

Tessa stood at the window while the sun inched toward the horizon. She was reasonably sure she was still in the Monterrey area. Somewhere in a neighborhood built high into the slope of the Sierra Madre. Kids played in the distance, beat up buses rumbled through the streets, and a rooster crowed.

Earlier in the day, a neighbor set up a tub and washboard in the backyard. Tessa had managed to get her attention without alerting anyone downstairs. The dark-skinned woman had stopped dead then turned toward the clothesline. She worried her hands against a threadbare T-shirt, her eyes darting around. For a moment, she stood there, chest rising in agitation, then her brows gathered in a sorrowful expression. Slowly, she ducked her head, made the sign of the cross, and pinned a tiny onesie to the line. She didn’t look up for the rest of the morning.

Tessa’s last wisp of hope was snuffed out. Kris was right. Who would cause problems with a gang of gun-toting criminals? She didn’t try again.

Music filtered in the open window. A DJ interrupted her brooding, announcing the time.

By now, Monica must’ve figured out something had gone wrong. She’d wonder what happened to them. Tessa bit her nail. Moni would probably be guilt-ridden for suggesting they go dancing.

The house was quiet below her. There hadn’t been a peep from Heather or anyone else all day. Was she okay? The doctor hadn’t mentioned anything about treating another woman. When would Kris come back? What would happen then?

The day dragged on endlessly, with nothing to do. The room contained the bed and dresser, nothing else to explore. The white-washed stucco had an unremarkable, staircase crack at one corner and a dark ring at the bottom where a mop had been dragged along the wall. She’d whiled away some time searching out pieces of glass he might have missed. Later, she ran toilet paper across the area to collect any tiny shards. Later still, she did the entire floor to kill time.

The slide lock slammed open. Kris came in carrying plastic bags, looking wickedly handsome in a dark blue, button down shirt and jeans.

“You all right?” He did a quick scan and frowned.

“Yes.” She stepped off the bed as he came closer.

He dropped the bags on the dresser. “Why are you sitting in the dark?”

He’d taken the broken lamp this morning. That only left a bare bulb at the bathroom entrance. “I can’t reach the pull-string.”

He yanked the cord, filling the area with weak light before he approached her. Gently, he pulled back her hair to check the progress of her injury then checked the bruise on her forearm.

“You’re not getting under the shirt again.” Her chin rose. She tried her best to keep a blush at bay. “All you’re going to find is black and blue skin.”

He searched her face for a moment before releasing her. “I picked up some fajita tacos. Nothing fancy, but you won’t go hungry.”

She nodded while he rummaged through the bags. Her tummy had been rumbling for a while, thanks to the dinner scents floating over from next door.

“I got the pain meds the doc prescribed. Take a couple so you can get some rest tonight.” He set an unfamiliar bottle out, along with a blue tin and some spring water, two soft drinks, and the foil-wrapped tacos. The second bag yielded a package of navy sheets. He tore open the plastic, unfolding the contents.

Thoughtful.
Tessa moved around to help refit the mattress.

“Thanks.” He unwrapped the pillowcases. “Figured I’d get new sheets. Didn’t think I’d be able to sleep on those ratty ones.”

The fitted sheet slipped out of her hands.
He’s staying the night.
Images of bare skin, hard muscles, and sensuous kisses threw her pulse into an erratic beat.
The hard-on can’t be helped…

“Damn.” He frowned again.

“W-what?” She drew an unsteady breath.

“Pillowcases are the wrong size.” The pillow was long and lumpy, bigger than a king-size, but still only
one
. To share. Tapping down her reluctance, she circled the bed on shaky legs to take over his task. She worked a pillowcase onto either side of the oversized bundle while ignoring his eyes on her. That look had a way of making her check that her buttons were properly closed. She handed back the pillow then sidestepped him to find her dinner.

With nowhere to sit, she stood by the dresser while she opened the foil.

Kris reached around her, grabbed a drink, and slid his pocket knife under the cap to open the bottle.

Her mouth watered. Over the past few days, she’d developed a weakness for Mexican soft drinks, or sodas, as the locals called them. She set the other foil package on the corner for him as he set down her drink and picked up his own.

“They’re for you. I’ve already eaten.”

“That’s a lot of food.” Two tacos heaping with fajita and avocado on warm corn tortillas along with piquin peppers should fill her up.

“I’d guess the last time you ate was yesterday.” Kris lounged against the door, Coke in hand, watching her.

He’s fishing
.

She chewed, taking her time, not saying a word, making an effort not to think about sharing the bed with him in a few hours. Finally, she stuffed the trash in the plastic bag. “Thank you for dinner. I was hungrier than I realized.”

Kris regarded her with the same fiery stare from last night. Warmth spread inside her. He’d turned back into that man—the one she’d had straining against her, naked.

She retreated to the bathroom, mumbling about needing to wash her hands and pull her mind from the gutter. In English, of course, so he wouldn’t understand. Ten seconds later, she was racking her brain over how to kill more time. The closet-sized bathroom offered few options. She splashed her face then blotted with the shirt collar. His scent teased her senses even though she’d worn the shirt all day. With nothing more to do, she retraced her steps, then settled at the foot of the bed and waited.

His stance was relaxed, inviting a woman to climb up well-formed thighs, across yummy six pack abs, to settle against a rock-solid chest. She could run her fingers through his hair and pick out each shade of rich brown, blonde, and copper.

“Take me back to yesterday.”

Hmm
? She swallowed, gathering her thoughts. “Yesterday. Ummm. Well, you’re right. I had dinner about this time last night.”

His expression dropped the room temperature.

Uh-oh
. “What exactly are you looking for?” She rested one ankle over the other, trying to feign calm.

His boot scraped the floor as he shifted his weight. “Where did you go?”

She straightened the shirttails, gathering her thoughts. This was going to be a battle of wits, and much to her chagrin, he had the upper hand right now. “To a seafood place across from the hotel.”

“Tell me more.”

“Chef served a fantastic red snapper.”

“And?”

“The waiter flirted with us the entire night,” she supplied with a straight face.

“Who was there?”

She moistened her lips as she held his gaze. “Heather and I.” No way she’d turn over the others.

“Who else, little Tessa?” he asked patiently.

The tacos churned in her stomach. “Some friends joined us for dinner before we went club hopping.”

“Who are your friends?”

She clamped her jaws, unable to come up with a suitable decoy. Her heart pounded in her throat. Any minute now, she’d hit a wall. He was weaving through questions faster than her brain could check the angles. She couldn’t come up with a story, keep the facts straight,
and
translate the words to Spanish. He’d catch her, now or later, and make hell that much hotter for her.

“What’s the big secret?”

“Does it matter?” She crossed her legs, trying to curb the anxiety welling up inside her.
Get a grip.

“What brought you to Monterrey?”

“I came to visit a friend.”

“Tell me about your friend,” he insisted.

She turned away, curling her fingers, fighting the urge to fidget.
Crap
. This night wasn’t going to end well for her.

“Him? Her? Friend? Boyfriend?” His tone went lower. “Lover?”

Her eyes met his.
Is that what he thought?
She hesitated, choosing her words with care. “I hadn’t taken a vacation in years. I booked the trip to see my friend—who’ll remain unnamed.”

He drank from his bottle then continued, staring at her. “After dinner with
friends,
you decide to go clubbing.”

She nodded.

“How many places did you hit?”

“Um, we went to three clubs.” That damn stare grated on her frayed nerves.

“And where was your friend when Oscar followed you out?”

She bit off her words before revealing a female. “
They’d
already left. Thank goodness.”

His lip curled. “What kind of friend abandons a woman in the city knowing she isn’t familiar with the area?”

“We followed in our rental so I’d know my way back. If I got lost, w-we’d hire a cab to guide us.” Why was he upset? They’d ended up playing straight into his plans. “We should’ve left when everyone else went home, but Heather wanted to keep partying.”

His eyebrow shot up. “Sure Heather wanted to party and not you?”

She nodded. “By two o’clock, I was done.”

“So why didn’t you leave?”

“I wouldn’t dump Heather.”

“Why not?”

“What kind of friend abandons a woman in the city knowing she isn’t familiar with the area?” He quirked an eyebrow at her audacity. “She can’t speak Spanish. I may not understand every word, but I can follow the conversation well enough.”

“She makes herself understood when she needs to,” he supplied.

“Heather speaks alcohol and party.” She tossed her hair. “That wouldn’t have gotten her to the hotel at three a.m.”

He cocked his head. “What did Heather expect at that hour?”

Tessa shrugged. “She wanted to have fun.”

“Fun.” He nodded slowly. “What do you consider having fun?”

Tessa’s brows met as she frowned. She still hadn’t figured out exactly what he was getting at. Which made it harder to figure out what she should and shouldn’t say.

He squared his shoulders, staking her with another baneful glare. “Well, Tessa? Were you running around chasing a man that could
give you
what you wanted?”

“No!” Her jaw hardened.

“Your friend was.”

“Normally, we don’t run in the same circles.”

“What circles
do
you run in?”

Tessa bit her tongue, refusing to give details about her life.

“What aren’t you telling me?” He paused, not happy with her silence. “There’s more to you than meets the eye, little Tessa.” She refused to be drawn in. “Do you play the shy introvert to those around you then bare your breasts to a camera during a drinking spree?”

What kind of question was that? “I’m not into the club scene. Yes, I like dancing, but until recently, my schedule has been brutal.”

“So”—he went back to digging—“you found a man looking for a partner. And?”

“I wanted a dance partner,” she clarified. For goodness sakes, he made it sound like she’d been looking for a weekend hookup.

“You weren’t dancing when I saw you.”

“Then you hadn’t been there long. I’d told him I was done for the night.”

He mulled that over while he emptied the bottle. “You claim…” Something drew his attention. “Heather was on her own?”

“No-yes-what?” Her brows gathered together while she tried untangling the question. The man was talking in circles. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what she might have revealed. But then that was probably his intent.

Kris pulled away from the wall and put the bottle on the floor. “Time for bed, Tessa.” His inscrutable expression confused her even more.

She wasn’t sleepy, but she took her cue from his sudden change in attitude.

He sat beside her to remove his boots and socks. “I’ll sleep on this side.”

Obediently, she went around and got under the crisp, new sheet. Kris removed his shirt and opened the drawer an inch to use it as a hanger. Tessa’s toes curled. He bent at the waist. Shoulder muscles and biceps bunched as he pushed the heavy frame toward the wall like an empty egg carton. A quiver ran through her, leaving her wide-eyed.

His lips twitched. “Just want to make sure you stay put.”

She jerked away, ignoring the thrill flashing through her. Seconds ticked by without a sound.

“You should hit me.”

She twisted back, slack-jawed. “What?”

“Come.” He motioned her over. “Make it good. No scratches.” He grimaced. “The punch would be more believable.”

“Why?” She sat up, pulling the sheet with her.

“Let’s say you were fighting me off.” He smirked. “Like you did this afternoon.”