Sex, Lies and Mistletoe (20 page)

Desperate for release, his eyes locked on Pandora’s as he pounded into her. She didn’t look away. Even as her eyes fogged, as she panted and started keening excited cries of her orgasm, she kept her gaze on his.

It was the most incredible experience of his life. Passionate, raw and emotional.

Terrified and exhilarated at the same time, he gave himself over to the pleasure of her body. His orgasm slammed him hard, exploding out of control. He shouted his pleasure, then, his face buried in the sweet scent of her shoulder, he tried to catch his breath. And restart his brain.

Because while he might not have a clue what he was going to do about the case, he did know one thing for damn sure.

He was in trouble.

And he liked it.

Ten minutes later, Caleb still couldn’t think straight. He’d barely had the presence of mind to slip that job application in his pocket while she wasn’t looking. He could check into the new employee later, then slip it behind the desk tomorrow. She’d never know.

“Thanks for the, um, help with my books,” Pandora said with a laugh as she gathered her purse, keys and coat in preparation for closing up shop for the night.

He held her long suede coat so she could slide her arms into the sleeves.

“Ready to party?” he said, lifting the silky swing of her hair aside so he could brush a kiss over the back of her neck. God, he couldn’t get enough of her. She was like a drug, addicting and delicious. And as far as he could tell, without any debilitating side effects.

“I have to say I feel a little weird going to a party with no undies,” she said with a naughty glance over her shoulder. “Even weirder when it’s your dad’s party.”

He wanted to tell her they’d skip it. He’d much rather go back to her place. Or to his hotel room with that big claw-foot tub. He wasn’t a foofy bath kind of guy, but he could totally imagine Pandora lounging there, surrounded by steam and frothy bubbles.

But he had a job to do. He’d identified most of the dealers in town by now, so he needed to see if any showed up. And find out who they were hanging out with if they were there.

“We’ll just stop in. Thirty minutes, tops,” he said. That’s all he’d need to gauge the players and gather a few names. “And if we’re there too long, all you have to do is whisper in my ear a reminder of your lack of panties, and we’ll be out the door in an instant.”

Pandora’s laugh was low and husky, making him wish like hell that he could toss this whole mess aside and just focus on getting on with his damn life.

As soon as this case was solved, he was through. He had no clue what he’d be doing. He didn’t even know where he’d be doing it, although Black Oak offered some serious temptation. Not quite enough to allay the issues it presented, though.

“You sure you don’t want to just skip the party and get right to the lack of panties,” Pandora said, only sounding as if she was half teasing as she gathered her purse and gave the cats each a cuddle.

“I want to,” he said in an embarrassingly fervent tone. Caleb coughed, trying to clear the dorkiness from his throat. “It sounds crazy, but I feel like I have to stop in. I can’t figure out what I’m doing until I figure out where things are at with my father. Not just for tonight, but in the big picture, you know.”

Pandora paused in the act of pulling catnip-filled toys out a little mesh bag and tossing them around the room for Paulie and Bonnie to entertain themselves through the night. “Big picture?”

“Yeah.” Caleb felt like an ass, but still something forced him to say, “I figure it’s time we made our peace. Or at least found some neutral ground. See if we can both handle being in the same town for a length of time.”

An earless furry bunny dangling from one hand, Pandora pressed the other to her lips for just a second, as if she was trying to hold back a slew of questions. There was just as much worry and hesitation in her eyes as there was curiosity and delight. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.

“By length of time, do you mean the week left until Christmas?” she asked hesitantly.

While she waited, her eyes all huge and sexy, Bonnie, the black-and-white cat, padded across the floor and started batting the bunny with her paw. When Pandora didn’t respond to the command to play, the cat batted harder, sending the toy flying from Pandora’s fingers across the room. Both cats bounded after the furry treat.

“I’m…” He trailed off. How did he answer? He didn’t want to get her hopes up. He wasn’t the kind of guy who made promises. Not even ones he was pretty sure he could keep.

“Don’t,” she said, interrupting his mental struggle. She crossed over and took his hands. “Please, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I should warn you, though, that the town grapevine is working overtime and you’re the main topic. So if you stay, that’s only going to get worse.”

It wasn’t the town he needed to worry about, he realized as he looked into those heavily fringed eyes. It was Pandora. She was more dangerous than an arsenal of AK-47s. At least, she was to his once happily frozen heart.

“Sweetheart, I honestly don’t know where I’m going to be, or where I want to be, in two weeks. But I do know I’m exactly where I want to be right this minute.”

Pandora’s eyes were huge and vulnerable. He’d like to think it was because of his heartfelt declaration. But there was something else there, lurking. Something that made his gut clench. Because beneath the nerves and sweetness there was a fear. Like she was afraid of him sticking for too long. Afraid of what he’d find out.

“Pandora?” he prodded. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

He didn’t know if he was hoping more that she would, or that she wouldn’t.

“You’re exactly where I want you to be, too,” she finally murmured. Whether that was true or not, he didn’t know. But he was positive it wasn’t what she’d been thinking about.

But before he could push, she rose on tiptoe, and, even as nerves simmered in her eyes, brushed a soft kiss over his lips.

It was as if she’d flipped a switch that only she knew existed. His body went on instant hard-on alert, and his mind absolutely shut down. All he wanted was her. All he could taste, could think of, cared about, was her.

More and more of her.

He slanted his mouth to the side, taking their kiss deeper with one swift slide of his tongue.

His fingers still entwined with hers, Caleb let his hands drop, then wrapped both their arms around her waist to pull her tighter, effectively trapping her soft curves against the hard, craving planes of his body.

Why the hell was she wearing this bulky coat? All he wanted, now and for as long as it lasted, was to get her naked.

Lost in the pleasure of her mouth, Caleb didn’t hear the key in the door until a loud clatter of the chimes hit a discordant note. Pulling her lips from his, Pandora jumped, blinking the sexual glow out of her eyes as she looked over his shoulder toward whoever had come in.

Her jaw dropped and her face turned bright red even as embarrassment filled her eyes.

“Hello, Mother.”

10

“WELL, DARLING?” Cassiopeia said as she settled comfortably on Pandora’s couch and sipped chamomile tea. “It looks like you have a lot to share. When did you get involved with the likes of Caleb Black? And more important, why didn’t you ever mention him in your emails? I’d have stayed away a few extra days if I’d known you had that kind of entertainment on tap.”

That entertainment, as Cassiopeia called him, had barely stuck around long enough for introductions before he’d high-tailed it out of the store for his father’s party.

Now, twenty minutes after Cassiopeia’s shocking arrival, she was soothing her travel woes with tea while Pandora resisted the urge to pace.

“I’ve got so much to tell you. I shared the basics in our emails, but things are really going great at the store,” she said, even as a part of her wondered if she hurried her mother along, could she catch Caleb at the party. The other part of her, the one that bwawked like a chicken, was glad her mother’s arrival had given her an excuse to keep their relationship quiet for a little longer. Sort of. Nothing was ever hidden from Cassiopeia.

As if reading her mind, her mother gestured with her teacup.

“I’d rather talk about the man,” Cassiopeia said with a smile too wicked for someone’s mother.

“I’d rather not,” Pandora decided. Not while she was so mixed up over the issue. “Let’s focus on the store instead, okay? Before we left, I printed out the financial statements. Do you want to see them? I saved the store, Mom.”

She felt a little giddy saying that. As if she was tempting fate. But she was so excited she had to share. And hoped, like crazy, that her mom would be proud.

“I mean, it’s obviously too early to tell for sure, but I’m betting the café and the aphrodisiacs stay solid, long-term.”

“Most likely,” Cassiopeia agreed with a shrug that seemed more disinterested than dismissive.

“Don’t you care?” Pandora frowned, trying to read her mother. Calm and centered, as always. A little worn-out, which wasn’t surprising since it was a long trip from Sedona. But shouldn’t there be some relief? Some joy at the prospect of keeping the store a success? Some pride in her only child?

“Darling, of course I care. The café is a brilliant idea and you’ve done a wonderful job. I knew if left to your own devices, you’d come up with something.”

Her mother’s smile widened, a self-satisfied look just this side of gloating in her eyes.

“You left to force my hand?” Pandora realized, almost breathless from the shock.

“Well, the store
was
in trouble, of course. And I was having a heck of a time figuring out how to keep things afloat and still meet my commitment in Sedona. But I imagine I could have probably muddled through, canceled the appearance and crossed my fingers until the spring bus tour if I’d had to.” Cassiopeia waved a heavily bejeweled hand as if her manipulation didn’t matter. “But the point is, I didn’t have to. Thanks to your return to Black Oak, and your clever café idea, we’re in wonderful shape for the first time in years.”

“That was a huge risk to take if you didn’t have to,” Pandora pointed out, trying to calm her sudden jitters. “I could have ruined the store. What if I’d failed?”

“Then you’d fail,” Cassiopeia said with a shrug.

“You’d risk the family legacy to teach me a lesson?”

“The family legacy is talent, dear. It’s intuition. It’s not a building and a bunch of candles and crystals.”

Pandora choked down the urge to scream. She knew what the hell to do with the shop, dammit. But she didn’t have any talent. So where did that leave her? She’d thought she’d finally contributed to the family name. That she’d done something worthy of the women who’d come before her.

“Darling, you make it so hard on yourself. Instead of embracing hope, which will help you realize your gift, you spend all your time chasing the Furies, trying to corral misery before it causes hurt,” Cassiopeia said, launching into one of her favorite stories. In the Easton family, they didn’t believe in choosing a name until they’d discovered the newborn’s personality. Pandora had been Baby Girl for eight months until the gods, fate and the tarot cards had revealed her destiny to Cassiopeia. “You need to quit worrying about those miseries, darling. Instead, focus on joy. That’s the only way you’ll find the right path.”

With that, Cassiopeia rose and glided to the kitchen to set her teacup in the sink, returned to kiss the top of her silently fuming daughter’s head and left.

An hour later, frustrated tears still trickled down Pandora’s cheeks. She didn’t even answer when someone knocked tentatively on her door. Eleven o’clock on a Sunday night, it could only be one person. And she was too worked up to deal with her mother twice in one day.

The knock sounded again, a little louder this time.

Who the hell needed to chase misery when it was always right there, tapping her on the shoulder and reminding her that she didn’t measure up. That she was a waste of her family name. Ungifted and unworthy.

The urge to run away—again—made her body quiver. But unlike her escape when she’d been eighteen, this time she didn’t have anywhere to go. Nor did she still have that cocky faith that she could prove to her mother, her grandmother and everyone else in Black Oak that she could be a success without the family gift.

Pounding replaced the tentative knock.

“Fine,” she huffed, jumping to her feet.

Her mother wouldn’t give up. She had probably headed home to gather some crystals and cards, determined to help her daughter find that damned path she always harped on.

“What?” Pandora snapped as she threw open the door.

The bitter cold from the icy rain swept over her bare toes as she stared.

“Oh.”

It wasn’t Cassiopeia on her doorstep.

It was a delicious looking chocolate éclair with what looked like a tub of ice cream and, if she wasn’t mistaken, hot-fudge sauce.

Her eyes met Caleb’s golden gaze.

“I thought you could use a sugar rush,” he said, lifting the dessert a little higher. “It comes with, or without, a second spoon.”

She hesitated. Attention was a good thing, but attention while she was having a tantrum? Hardly something she wanted Caleb to remember her for.