Sex, Lies and Valentines (15 page)

“You forgot something,” he murmured, desperately craving a taste of her again.

“What?”

He tossed his clothes on the dresser behind her, then before she could move, slipped his hands into her damp hair. His fingers curved over the back of her head, tilting her face up to meet his.

The kiss was a sweet hello. His lips brushed over hers, sipping gently. Coaxing nicely. When she rewarded him with a moan, he took it deeper. His tongue swirled. Their breath mingled. His body hardened in demand.

But this wasn’t the time.

There was a bigger game at stake. A game he intended to win. And, he decided in that second as their tongues danced sweetly together, Danita was going to be his prize for a game well played.

He slowly, oh so slowly, released her lips. Eyes still closed to hold on to those last vestiges of delight, he sighed. His fingers, still tangled in her damp tresses, clenched tight for just a second, unwilling to let go. Then he forced his eyes open and his body to relax.

“You forgot to kiss me good morning,” he said with an easy smile, pretending that little meeting of the lips hadn’t kicked his ass harder than all the lovemaking the night before.

“And you’re out of line,” Danita said, her voice shaky. “We’re here to do a job. The whole lovers thing is only supposed to be an act. Our cover. You need to stop.”

She stepped away, took a deep breath and finally met his eyes. Confusion and stress were clear in hers. “You need to stop,” she repeated. “We’re going to screw this job up. Someone will get hurt if we don’t focus and stay on track. That someone could be you. It could be me. Or it could be a member of your family. Are you willing to risk that?”

Gabriel gave her a searching look before gathering his clothes. When he reached the bathroom door, he glanced back. She was staring, worry clear in those pretty blue eyes.

“I’ll finish the job, Blondie. And I’ll win the game with zero casualties. And when I’m done?” His smile was cocky and assured, because he knew he was making this promise to both of them. “When this is done, it’s just going to be you and me. No excuses, no games, no bullshit. And no more running away.”

GABRIEL’S VOW, because those hadn’t been idle words, was still ringing in Danita’s head three hours later as she walked up the cobblestone path toward the Black Oak Inn. Her thighs were sore from her unexpected workout the night before, bruises from their foray against the dresser keeping her aware of just what she’d done with Gabriel. And how damned good it had felt.

Too good. She’d had to force herself out of his arms before she’d begged him for more. She’d grabbed onto that sleeping bag like it was a lifeline. Compartmentalizing, she told herself. Keeping the sex from being too important.
Or running scared,
the little voice in the back of her head mocked.

And now it was time to pretend to be the loving fiancée. Quite a different role than the good-time girl she’d come to town as. She smoothed a nervous hand over the soft jersey material of her blue dress. The fabric relied on her figure for its style, flowing in a smooth flow from the sweetheart neckline to her calves. She’d dressed it up for the shower with a dozen bangles that climbed halfway up one long sleeve, and a vivid turquoise chiffon scarf twisted around her waist in lieu of a belt. Purple sandals and a matching headband tied the ladylike look together nicely.

Now to act the part she’d dressed for. She grabbed the door handle, her last-minute gift in the other hand and with a deep breath, stepped into bride central with a big smile on her face.

Ten minutes later, she wished she was still meeting with the gang of armed goons. At least then she’d understood the rules. She definitely didn’t belong in this roomful of giggling women, all talking about lingerie, trading recipes and singing odes to true love.

“You look like you’re ready to run from the room.”

“Of course not,” Danita lied, offering Cassiopeia a big smile. Pandora’s mother looked like a Celtic gypsy with a crystal fetish. Red curls waved over the shoulders of a green velvet caftan, clashing wonderfully with the string of pink crystals around her neck. “It’s a lovely party. I’m just a little shy is all.”

The redhead arched one slender brow and tilted her head. She looked at Danita like she could see clear through to her soul and was taking notes. “Sweetheart, you don’t have a shy bone in your body. But you are uncomfortable with all of this. Estrogen overload, I’m thinking. You must work with men, hmm?”

Warning signals rang in Danita’s head, but she kept her expression light and her laugh easy. “Oh, no. I work in a dress boutique in San Francisco, actually.”

“Hmmm.” Green eyes appraised her, then Cassiopeia took her hand. After a brief glance at Danita’s palm, the woman stared into her eyes.

Her shoulders a little stiffer now, Danita briefly wished for some kind of woo-woo shield she could wrap around her.

“Come with me, sweetheart,” Cassiopeia commanded before Danita could figure out how to get away. “I wasn’t going to do readings, this is Pandora’s day, after all. But you clearly need some insight and guidance.”

“No, thank you, though.” Danita believed in the esoteric arts just enough that her nerves were dancing with objections. “I should say hi to Pandora. And to Maya, she just came in with more of those lovely chocolate tarts.”

Her hand firmly gripping Danita’s, Cassiopeia plowed through the crowd like a friendly steamship. “Don’t be silly. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy tarts after the reading.”

But after a quick glance at Danita’s stressed face, she made a beeline for the tarts, tucking three into a plate and handing it over without letting go of her other hand.

“Sit, sit,” she said when they’d arrived at a small cubby off of the dining room. She pulled a velvet pouch from a pocket, then unwrapped a thick deck of cards as Danita cautiously sank into a tapestry-covered chair, her tarts still in hand.

“Cassiopeia, I appreciate the offer,” Danita said with a smile as she set the plate on the small table. “But I’ll admit, this kind of thing kind of scares me. I think I’d much rather wait and see what life has to offer as it happens. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“Oh, I don’t think there will be too many surprises here,” Cassiopeia said with a knowing smile, shuffling the large cards with deft fingers. “We’re not looking to the future so much as we’re taking a more in-depth look at the present.”

“All I need is a mirror for that.”

“Then consider this a magnifying mirror.”

Through shuffling, she offered the deck to Danita. Not seeing any way out of the reading, Danita swallowed hard, then schooled her face to smooth calm.

“Cut the deck into three, please.”

Danita was pleased that her fingers didn’t tremble when she lifted half the deck and set it next to the remaining half.

Cassiopeia took the cards back, restacking them, then dealt the top six into a triangle with the seventh in the center.

“Influences. Past, present and future. The Five of Swords and Strength. Eight of Cups with The Lovers. And Death with the Two of Cups. Your lesson is the Seven of Cups.”

Danita barely heard Cassiopeia’s husky words, she was so fixated on the naked card.
The Lovers?
Shit. It was like someone had plastered a sticker reporting how many orgasms Gabriel had given her last night.

“You’ve had a difficult past,” Cassiopeia was saying in that singsong tone. “A childhood subjected to talk and gossip, that while it gave you something of a complex, it also made you a strong, empowered woman. You’ve developed a tendency to hide from your past behind that strength, though. Until you face it, you can’t move forward.”

Danita’s eyes flew from the naked couple card to Cassiopeia’s knowing green eyes. Her heart sped up, making it a struggle to keep her expression neutral. She didn’t believe in this stuff, she reminded herself. Not really.

“The Eight of Cups and The Lovers mark where you are on your present journey. You’ve an opportunity to leave the past behind on your search for something. Your quest will allow you to overcome emotional baggage, but it will require you to trust as you’ve never done before.”

“What trust?” Danita asked before she could help herself. There was probably something telling in the fact that the Lovers card scared her a lot more than the Death one. “That’s The Lovers card. Doesn’t it mean sex?”

Perfectly groomed brows arched over amused eyes. “No, darling. The Lovers is so much more than sex. It’s balance. It’s choice. It’s finding love.”

Even as tiny tendrils of panic clutched at her, Danita was shaking her head. “Oh, no. I’m don’t believe in—”

She barely managed to stop herself before blurting out the word love. Not a good confession given that she was here pretending to be engaged. Dammit, being a good-time-girl was so much easier.

Flustered, Danita sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to remember that she wasn’t here to discuss her psyche, she was here to break a crime ring. But her eyes were drawn to that Death card as dread curled low in her belly.

“This indicates change,” Cassiopeia instructed, one red-tipped finger pointing to the hooded skeleton. “The end of one phase of your life, and the beginning of another. The release of something painful that you’ve carried with you for years. In order to move forward, you have to let go.”

But what if she was scared to move forward? Danita couldn’t tear her eyes off the card.

“Excuse me?”

Jolting, both women glanced toward the door. Cassiopeia in outrage, Danita with gratitude. Maya gave an artful grimace before offering an apologetic “Cassiopeia, the caterer is ready to bring out Pandora’s cake. I thought you’d want to be there.”

Cassiopeia’s irritation faded as she glanced at her watch before gathering the cards together and dumping them, cloth and all, into her pocket. “They aren’t supposed to bring the cake out for an hour yet. What is that girl thinking?”

She gave Danita an apologetic look, “I’m sorry, darling. We’ll finish this later, okay?”

Danita offered a weak smile. It was like a steamroller apologizing for not completely smooshing you.

“You looked like you needed to be rescued,” Maya said with a laugh after the redhead had swept out of the room. “Don’t let Cassiopeia freak you out. Whatever she sees, she keeps it to herself. She’s better at that confidentiality thing than most doctors.”

“She’s…”
Scary. Freakishly accurate. Intimidating.
“She’s fun.”

“She’s going crazy with the wedding stuff, actually,” Maya confessed. “Dad insisted on paying for the entire wedding, so she’s trying to keep the balance by throwing a couple of weeks’ worth of parties and celebrations.”

Danita looked back at the table where her future had just terrified her and grimaced. “Couldn’t he have let her bake a cake instead?”

Maya laughed, but before she could say anything, a forbidding looking woman called to her.

“Damn.” Maya’s curse was more a breath than a word. Her smile didn’t change, but her body stiffened as the older lady approached. “Danita, have you met my aunt? Cynthia Parker, also known as Her Honor, the Mayor. Aunt Cynthia, this is Danita.”

“Yes, yes, we’ve met. You’re a registered voter, as I recall?” Cynthia said with a toothy smile. “Tell me, what issues are important to you in the election next fall? Are you a proponent of gun control? How do you feel we’re doing, as a country, with the war on drugs?”

Huh? Danita’s eyes cut to Maya, who had a look of resigned amusement on her face. The younger woman gave a shrug and rolled her eyes as if to say
ignore her.

“Mrs. Parker, I’m sorry but I’m not sure I’ll still be living in the state next fall.” Or that she wanted to dish politics at a bridal shower.

The mayor’s brown eyes narrowed, disappointment clear on her face. Then she visibly regrouped and gave a friendly nod. “I understand. You have doubts about your future with my nephew. With good reason, of course. He’s the epitome of his father. Oh, the charm is there, but the problems that go along with it are plentiful. If you manage to stay together through fall, you and I will have a chat about your background.”

With that and a pat on Danita’s shoulder, the mayor strode away.

Relieved to see her go, and baffled by the bitterness in her tone when she’d mentioned Gabriel, Danita frowned.

“I’m confused,” Danita confessed to Maya. “She sounded like she had a problem with Gabriel. And that part about discussing my background. Was that a joke?”