Hurricanes and Handcuffs: A Red Hot Cajun Nights Story (3 page)

A strange tickle of sensation brushed across his cheek, nudging him from a foggy dreamland where he’d been tangled up naked with Gabbi. Prying open his eyes, he gazed blearily at the shadowed figure leaning over him. “Gabbi?”

She jerked her hand away from his face. “Didn’t mean to wake you up.” Averting her eyes, she tucked something soft under his chin.

He moved his arm, only to discover it was trapped under a blanket. “How s’dis get here?”

She cocked an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the question or the slurred state of his speech. “Must have been the blanket fairy.”

“Devioush creature. Shneaking in on me like that.”

Her lips twitched. “Sounds like someone’s been drinking.”

“The blanket fairy? Hash that husshy been shtealing my boosh again?”

She chuckled. “Oh man. You are really going to regret this in the morning.”

He was? Hell, might as well go for broke then. He cut loose of the blanket’s confinement and gripped her around the waist, tugging her on top of him so they were chest to chest. Her breasts felt amazing pillowed against him. He didn’t doubt they’d feel even better nestled in his palms.

She blinked at him, her mouth popping open, and he quickly banished whatever she’d been about to say by sucking her bottom lip between his teeth. A startled gasp sprung from her, and he swallowed that sound too, his tongue delving inside her mouth to play over the tip of hers. He thrust deeper, reveling in her sweet addictive taste.

“Jax.” She trembled, her fingertips roving toward his shoulders.

Hugging her closer, he coasted one hand along her spine while the other sifted through her fragrant hair. She was the only one capable of making his balls ache with the scent of fresh bread and ripe strawberries.

He sipped at her lips, the sweet sound of her sighs lulling him into a peaceful contentment. The warm glow encroached on the bliss of finally having her in his arms. Even as he struggled to stay focused in the moment he felt it slipping away from him, the post-whiskey haze muddying his senses.

The last thing he heard before his drunken stupor once again claimed him was the sound of his own snore.

CHAPTER THREE

She should be infuriated beyond words at a man falling asleep during the single most earthshattering kiss of her life. But it was a perfect metaphor when it came to her relationship with Jax. While her world was spinning, he was clueless of the devastation he wrecked on her. Sober or drunk, it made no difference. The outcome was always the same.

Brutally tugging her brush through her hair, she grimaced at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Jeez Louise. She looked like the one nursing a major hangover this morning despite not partaking in so much as a drop of alcohol. Probably it had something to do with tossing and turning all night, her body burning as she replayed every second of their kiss. It might have been short-lived, but it’d punched a serious wallop to her equilibrium.

Maybe she should be thankful he’d fallen asleep. The last thing she needed was to be knocked off her feet. Her response to him proved that any slippage of her control could result in him gaining the upper hand on her. And that would be a huge, costly mistake.

For this seduction to work, she had to be in charge of her emotions. Not him. If she let him get under her skin she’d never be able to walk away from him.

And that’s absolutely what needed to be done. She had no choice.

She secured her hair into a high ponytail and rummaged in her dresser for a pair of jeans and a sweater. Once she was dressed she trekked downstairs to check the status of the coffee. The pot was already down to the eight cup mark. She frowned at the evidence of Jax not only being up before her, but evidently for a while. Well, apparently he felt like she looked. She didn’t know whether to feel bad for him or mark it down as some well-deserved karma.

She snatched a mug from the cupboard and filled it with a healthy serving of the steaming brew. The amount of last minute preparations facing her were enough to make her consider racing back upstairs and huddling beneath her quilt. Lot of good that would do. Besides, before she did anything, she had one major task to get out of the way.

Clutching the mug between her palms, she headed toward Jax’s office, her nerves dancing a chaotic jig. Would it be awkward between them after last night?

Duh. There was a dumb question for ya. Of course it would be. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t even remember what happened. He was certainly buzzed enough to be suffering some memory loss this morning. Praying that was the case, she peeked around the corner of his door.

From what she could see the room appeared empty. Frowning, she kneed the door open and stepped inside. Her gaze skipped over the blanket neatly folded over the back of the couch and scanned the rest of the room. Curiosity setting in, she walked to his desk. His computer was off—a rarity that only occurred when he was out of the house.

On the bright side, there wouldn’t be any awkward exchanges between them. Yet. And she could run her errand without him being any the wiser. Counting her blessings in that respect, she grabbed her purse from her room and hurried out to her car. Teresa, the housekeeper, wouldn’t be here with the rest of her crew for another hour and a half. That should be plenty of time to get back before the mad rush of activity commenced.

She threw her bag onto the passenger seat and jammed the key into the ignition. A second later she was on her way. Thanks to some investigative Googling yesterday, she’d tracked down a costume shop less than fifteen miles away. With the help of her trusty GPS, she made it to the store without getting lost.

Hitting the lock button on her remote, she tucked her purse strap in place over her shoulder and ventured inside the single-story brick building. Racks of colorful outfits and every accessory imaginable lined the aisles in front of her. Wigs in various colors and lengths occupied the entire back wall. Although she’d never been much into playing dress up as a kid, she couldn’t contain the thrilling spark that shuttled through her as she surveyed the endless possibilities. Just as quick as it appeared, the sensation morphed into one of pure panic.

How the hell was she going to narrow down her options with this many choices?

“Can I help you?”

She pivoted to the smiling sales clerk. “Oh God, I hope so.”

The woman laughed. “I know. It can be a tad overwhelming. But we’ll get you something fabulous. I promise.” She gestured with her hand, indicating for Gabbi to follow her. “Occasion?”

“I’m attending a Mardi Gras party.”

“Ooh, fun! Well, we have quite a few costumes that fit the bill.” The clerk swept her with an appraising look. “I guess my next question is how sexy do you want to go? Some of our outfits are on the racy side.”

Considering what she had in mind, the more skin the better. Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d be the only female there hoochie mama-ing it up. If she wanted to catch Jax’s attention and not have him fall asleep on her this time around, she’d have to pull out all the stops. “Racy is good.”

The woman’s gaze sparkled. “This
definitely
sounds like a fun party.”

God willing it would be. Because she was counting on creating a memory that would last her a lifetime. 

She made it back to the house with fifteen minutes to spare before Theresa and her ladies bustled inside with their arsenal of cleaning supplies. Leaving the rest of the house in their more than capable hands, Gabbi stationed herself in the kitchen for the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon. When Jax initially informed her of his plan to throw a Mardi Gras ball she’d adamantly held her ground about not preparing a full course dinner for his seventy plus guests. That was the good news. But it was still no easy feat arranging a tasty appetizer menu for that many people without losing her mind in the process.

Fortunately she’d been able to make the crawfish gumbo ahead of time, along with the braised short ribs. The assortments of breads were done, as were the pralines and beignets. The servers had her instructions on the Bananas Foster. All she really had to concentrate on now were the mini muffulettas and hot crawfish dip.

Midway through shredding the shellfish a tickle of awareness crept along her nape, convincing her that she was the subject of someone’s intense scrutiny. Fairly certain she knew the identity of the culprit, she glanced toward the kitchen entry and locked stares with Jax. Judging from the tense set of his gorgeous features, he wasn’t suffering from the ill side effects of too-drunk-to-recall-I-kissed-the-daylights-out-of-you syndrome. Or perhaps he was, depending on how you looked at it— and how recently he remembered said fact.

Still holding her gaze, he took a step forward. Before he could get any farther than that he was waylaid by one of the many delivery people who’d been coming and going from the house all day. Theresa quickly hustled to Jax’s side. “Go on, Mr. Noble. I can take care of this.”

Jax’s focus lingered on Gabbi for a second. Finally he peered at his housekeeper and shook his head. “No, it’s all right.” Turning his back on her, he followed the delivery man into the hallway.

Gabbi released her breath. It was ridiculous to be this nervous about the inevitable confrontation between them, especially considering what she had up her sleeve for tonight. But then again it’d be difficult enough summoning the necessary courage to see her through this without the added complication of whatever he intended to say about last night. What if he insisted it’d been a mistake? Or worse, he
had
been drunk and didn’t know what he was doing. She wouldn’t be able to bear the pain of that admission, much less follow through with her plan.

And she had to. It was the only way to break his hold on her heart. Steeling her will with that reminder, she tossed the bits of crawfish into the dip and whisked the creamy ingredients together.

The remainder of the afternoon and early evening zipped by. Before she knew it, six o’clock rolled around. If she didn’t get things wrapped up soon she’d never have a chance to escape the kitchen and set her scheme into motion.

Whipping her apron off, she inspected the numerous platters resting on the warming trays. Normally she wouldn’t leave her station behind the stove until the very last hot app left her domain. She’d just have to hope that Jax’s guests would be too loopy on hurricanes to notice if a food shortage crisis hit.

She rushed to the rear service entrance and hurried up the stairs to her room. After locking the door behind her, she shuffled to her bed and gazed down at the costume awaiting her. Sucking in a deep, fortifying breath, she steadied her nerves and exhaled slowly.

“Here goes nothing.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Reasonably assured he’d greeted the majority of his guests, Jax strode to the bar situated adjacent to the Baby Grand and requested two whiskey sours. Tempted as he was to down both glasses, one of them was for Gabbi. No doubt she needed it just as much as he did. Possibly more.

She’d really knocked the ball out of the park with the party spread. He couldn’t travel two steps without one of the guests stopping him to compliment the outstanding dishes and inquire about the likelihood of stealing his talented chef out from underneath his nose. Over his dead body, if he had any say on the matter.

Then again, considering what transpired in his office last night, Gabbi might have different thoughts on that outcome.

He couldn’t believe he fell asleep on her. It might have been more along the lines of him passing out, if you wanted to get technical about it. Regardless, that voodoo doll of him must resemble a pin cushion by now.

Wincing, he snagged two beverage napkins and tucked them beneath the tumblers before elbowing his way through the congested solarium. He entered the main hallway, leaving behind the noisy blend of chatter and the energetic beat of the zydeco band entertaining the crowd. Nodding to the few stragglers who were parked near the doors, he stepped into the kitchen.

The pair of servers bullshitting near the island immediately halted their conversation. He offered them a smile and glanced toward the stove. No sign of Gabbi anywhere. More than likely she’d taken advantage of the momentary lull in action to take a bathroom break. He could wait for her.

Setting her glass down on the counter, he inspected the assortment of pralines and selected the biggest out of the bunch. He popped the treat into his mouth and leaned against the island. The two young servers eyed him before they grabbed a couple of trays and booked it out of the room. Shit. He hadn’t meant to scare them away.

Shrugging to himself, he snitched another praline and polished it off. Damn, they were good. He’d have to sweet talk Gabbi into making them on a regular basis. It’d mean adding another thirty minutes on his daily run, but more than worth the extra sweat equity.

Ten minutes passed, and other than the lone occasion when a guest accidentally wandered into the kitchen, Jax remained the solitary person in the room. Frowning, he checked his watch for the billionth time. Where the devil was Gabbi?

He glanced toward the doors leading to the rear stairway. Maybe she’d gone up to her room.

Uncertainty percolated in his gut. Should he go up there? Usually he tried not to invade her private space, and it wasn’t like she didn’t deserve some downtime after all of the work she put in making this party a success. It’d be pretty shitty of him if he barged in on her now. Better to leave her alone. There’d be plenty of time for them to talk later.

Collecting his drink, he returned to the solarium. He spotted Olivia canoodling in the corner with whatshisname. Seriously, what the fuck was his name? Colt? Wait, no. Cal. Yeah, that’s it. Jesus, hard to keep track. His cousin almost outnumbered him in the revolving partner department. Then again, she actually tried to make relationships work with her long string of men. Judging from the besotted way she was hanging on Cal’s every word, she was desperately attempting to land number thirty-something.

He headed in their direction, and Olivia tore her attention from Cal long enough to jump to her feet and offer Jax a hug. She pulled back and grinned at him. “Really outdid yourself with the costume.”

“What?” Smoothing a palm over his tuxedo lapel, he struck a debonair pose. “My costume requires no costume. I’m the most interesting man in the world.”

Olivia stroked her chin, her eyes twinkling through the cutouts in her zebra-print mask. “Let me guess. When you’re behind the wheel, potholes move out of
your
way.”

“I see you’ve heard of me.”

A laugh belted from Olivia. Cal looked like he didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. Mentally shaking his head, Jax glanced at his cousin. “I appreciate you coming. Means a lot to me.”

Olivia’s gaze softened. “I noticed that I’m the only one in the family who made it. I’m sorry, Jax.”

“Don’t be. You’re the only one I invited.” He swiped two shrimp cocktails from the passing server and handed them off to his cousin and Cal. “Make sure to try the crawfish gumbo too.”

Olivia nibbled on the blue cheese and bacon-wrapped gulf shrimp impaled on the skewer and hummed in appreciation. “Oh my God, these are to die for.” She stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck as she peered toward one of the circulating silver trays. “I want to eat everything.”

“You should. Except the pralines. Those are mine.”

She poked him in the chest with the clean end of her skewer. “No fair. You have Gabbi every day of the week.” Licking a drop of cocktail sauce from her thumb, she eyed him with open curiosity. “Speaking of Gabbi, is everything okay between you two?” She scooted closer and lowered her voice. “You know, after what happened yesterday?”

He gaped at his cousin. How the hell did she know about that? Did Gabbi say something to her? He couldn’t imagine she would, but who else would have said anything, much less known about the soul-shaking kiss they’d shared?

Olivia glanced at Cal, who seemed too preoccupied with scarfing his shrimp cocktail to pay attention to their conversation. She returned her gaze to Jax. “I did read Whitney the riot act for her inappropriate behavior. She wasn’t very contrite, but you don’t have to worry about her pulling another stunt like that.”

Aw shit. That’s what Olivia had been referencing. He’d all but forgotten about the incident with Whitney, seeing how he’d had much bigger things to dwell and dread on for the last twenty-some-odd hours. “Thanks for talking to her, but I have zero intention of crossing paths with her any time soon.” For her own safety. Otherwise there was a good chance he’d ring her scrawny little neck.

“I’m glad to see you’re changing your ways.” Olivia clinked her cocktail cup against the side of his glass in a toast. “I’ll admit I was a tad concerned you and Whitney might, you know, hook up.”

He scowled. “She’s got to be at least ten years younger than me. And she’s hardly my type.” Jesus. How many fucking times did he have to repeat that?

“Err, I hate to say this, but I was unaware you
had
a type. Other than the basic requirements. Like breathing and under the age of eighty.”

“Smart ass.” To all outward appearance it might seem like he’d sleep with just any woman. He’d even convinced himself of that for a while. But the truth was he’d been finding it difficult to dredge up more than a fleeting interest in the majority of females he associated with. How could he when he was obsessed with a sassy redhead who breathed life into his lonely, bored existence? And that was prior to him knowing the intoxicating pleasure of her kisses. Now that he possessed firsthand knowledge there’d be no freeing Gabbi from his consuming thoughts.

A choked sound came from Cal, and Olivia jerked her gaze back to him. “Honey, are you okay?”

Just when Jax was certain Olivia was about to jump in and save the day with a Heimlich maneuver,  Cal gave a thumb’s up signal and sheepishly coughed into his fist.

Her forehead still pinched with worry, Olivia squeezed Cal’s shoulder. “I’ll go get you some water.”

“Thanks, babe.” The instant Olivia dashed off, Cal leaned sideways in his seat, his focus riveted on something in the distance.

Jax turned his head to see what held Cal’s rapt attention, and his gaze collided with the exquisite backside of the blonde woman standing several feet away from them. The majority of her back was bare, revealing the delicate curve of her spine and a good portion of her tailbone. Vibrant teal and aquamarine feathers formed a short, snug skirt that hugged her hips and ass. He followed the luscious length of her legs to the strappy heels and back up again, that mouthwatering posterior like a magnetic tractor beam reeling him in.

Before his brain completely short circuited, he recalled the equally mesmerized Cal beside him. His allegiance to his cousin temporarily overriding his own lustful fascination, Jax narrowed his eyes at Cal. “You do realize you’re visually fucking another woman while my cousin is over there getting water for you.” Goddamn asshole.

Cal’s expression turned defensive. “It isn’t like we’re married.”

Thank God for small miracles. Olivia could do way better than this douchebag. “There’s this little thing called respect. Maybe you’ve heard of it?” Or not. “Doesn’t matter if you’re single. You’re still with Olivia.”

“What do you know about respect?” Cal snorted. “I hear you’ll fuck anything that walks.”

Jax gave Cal a menacing look that immediately shut him up. First chance he had he was warning Olivia about this loser. He glanced toward his cousin and noticed she was heading their way with the glass of water. As if it had a will of its own, his focus tracked slightly to the right, seeking out the woman in the peacock dress.

She hadn’t left her spot near the hurricane ice luge. It granted him ample time to once again admire the graceful line of her back. And yes, her gorgeous heart-shaped ass. Hell, just because Cal wasn’t allowed to look didn’t mean the same applied for him.

A weird sense of déjà vu settled over him the longer he stared at her. Why did he feel like this moment had occurred countless times before?

Almost the second that thought bloomed in his mind the woman pivoted in his direction. Their gazes locked and he felt a brisk familiarity punch him square in the solar plexus. It didn’t matter that the elaborate mask obscured half of her face, or that she wore far less clothing than he was used to seeing her in.

When it came to Gabbi, his heart and body would always recognize her regardless of any eye-popping costume.