Enamoured (Escape Fantasy Romance) (8 page)

“Is that—is that Randall and Esme?” she leaned over the balcony, trying to squint against the reflection off the water to get a clearer view.

“I don’t know who Randall and Esme are, but that’s definitely Gabe, my site supervisor.”

“Is he—is he doing ballet?”

“This is you keeping them away from each other?” Esmerelda snapped as she walked along the pontoon toward shore. Even from here she could see Melanie and The Interferer, heads bowed together over the balcony—watching a sunset, of all things.

“This is you sobering up our tiny dancer?” Rumpelstiltskin’s response was just as sarcastic as Gabe twirled and leapt and giggled his way ahead of them. For a big guy he was surprisingly graceful.

“Fairy dust is potent, Rump, you know that. We’re just lucky it wasn’t enough to keep him in a trance.”

Rump stopped, and Esmerelda ploughed into him. “We can put him under? Give me your purse.”

Esmerelda tugged it away from him. “No, Rump. We are not going to put him under. You can’t just go around doping folks with fairy dust. He has to be involved with his fairy tale, not oblivious to it.” Her words were accompanied by a splash, and they both turned to see Gabe floating on his back in the river, a big grin on his face.

“What is he doing now?” Esmerelda gasped.

“Looks like backstroke,” Rump replied.

“Oh, my God,” Melanie gasped.

Colin took off running down the stairs, and Melanie followed. She hit the pontoon as Colin dived off the wooden deck and hit the water. In moments he was by Gabe’s side, and she sighed with relief as he started to swim him back to the deck. Gabe wasn’t in the least distressed.

She turned around and realised the elderly couple were just a few feet away. “Randall, what happened? What are you doing here?”

Randall blinked sheepishly behind his thick glasses. “I didn’t know you lived here.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Yes, you did.”

“Oh. Well, we were just out for a nice little jaunt.”

She folded her arms. “Try again.”

“Okay. Someone made an offer on the Marine Parade property, and I wanted to get the contract process started.”

“Randall, it’s six o’clock on a Saturday evening. The bank, the solicitors, the council, they’re all closed now. It can wait until Monday morning.”

Randall’s chin lifted. “But I thought if you drew up the contracts, we could start straight away with the exchange.”

Colin reached the pontoon, and placed Gabe’s hands together on the deck. Melanie hurried over to the edge of the pontoon. “The solicitors do the contracts, Randall, not me. It can wait until Monday.”

She grasped hold of Gabe’s hands. He smiled up at her, and she paused. His brown eyes were full of joy, with a sparkle of almost child-like innocence as he grinned up at her.

“Hello. You’re pretty.”

She couldn’t help laughing. “Hello. You’re wet.”

Colin hauled himself up out of the water, and Melanie stopped laughing. His t-shirt was now transparent, and she could clearly see the delineation of muscle, washboard abs and dark nipples. She couldn’t help staring. He was all hot, and wet and sexy, and strong and…

”Wow. You must work out,” Gabe commented as Colin stood up, leaned over and grasped his hands. Her thoughts, exactly.

Colin’s laughter wheezed out as he hauled the heavier man up onto the pontoon. “I work out with you, Gabe.”

Gabe frowned as he lay back on the pontoon. “Oh.”

“Oh, Gabriel, dear, are you all right?” Esme hobbled up to them.

Gabe’s perplexed frown switched from Colin to Esme. “Yeah, I’m okay…Who …?”

“Aunt Esme, dear,” Esme patted him on the arm. “Oh, dear, we need to get you inside and out of these wet clothes.”

“Let’s get him upstairs, we’ll find something for him to wear,” Melanie offered, and flicked a brief glance at Colin before looking away. “You, too, Colin.”

“Here, let me help you,” Esme crooned, and Melanie shifted so she could reach her grand-nephew, only Esme crossed to Colin, and took hold of his arm. A surprised Colin let her. Melanie shrugged and turned to help Gabe to his feet.

He leaned heavily on her, and they almost pitched over the other side of the pontoon before she was able to find her balance. “Let me help you,” he said to her, smiling as water dripped down his face.

Melanie rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Gabe.”

Randall followed behind them, shaking his head.

Cole nodded his thanks when Melanie handed him a fluffy towel and a change of clothes. He didn’t want to know where she got the clothes, just in case it was from Lowry’s personal wardrobe. He shuddered. Ick.

He followed her dutifully as she led Gabe and him to bathrooms where they could shower and change, his gaze resting on the casual swing of her hips. She was a beautiful woman, with a graceful gait that seemed unwittingly sexy. He sighed. She was related to Lowry. Get that through your thick skull. He entered the bathroom, but stopped at the shuffle of dainty feet behind him. He turned, surprise arching his eyebrows.

“Oh, it’s all right, Mrs Stilson, I can take it from here,” Cole told the helpful Esme, smiling politely before shutting the bathroom door on her face.

Phew. The woman had a strong grip, and had insisted on helping the man who saved her grand-nephew from a ‘disastrous end’. Although Gabe had seemed to be just fine, if a little…happy. His lips quirked. The site supervisor was normally a quiet kind of guy, almost shy. Colin knew the man had an admirable work ethic, and paid close attention to detail—particularly when it came to the safety of his crew. He was still trying to figure out if Gabe was somehow involved in Lowry’s scam, or if he was just as he presented—a hardworking good guy who put his trust in the wrong people. It was weird, seeing the man so relaxed, so outgoing. He smiled. He’d even thumped Lowry on the back and given him the thumbs up when he’d seen the house. He wondered how that would pan out Monday morning.

Cole showered under the warm spray. He lifted a bottle from the shelf in the shower and uncapped it, sniffing its contents. Melanie. His body tightened when he realised this was her bathroom, her shower. She would normally be in here, suds trailing over her glistening body…

He rested his head against the shower screen. Down boy. Think with your other head. Despite all the publicity photos, all of the write-ups in the social and political pages, he was beginning to sense all was not as it seemed with this family. Melanie seemed to make a point of avoiding her stepfather, and his partner, at every opportunity. Well, after the display with the partner at the fundraising night, he could understand that situation—but her stepfather? There was something going on there.

What if she wasn’t in cahoots with him? What if she wasn’t working with him, but against him? That could also explain why she had what she had, and why she didn’t want her stepfather to know it.

His mind drifted to the conversation they’d had before Gabe had gone for a swim in the Georges River. He and Melanie had something in common. His father had also been killed when he was young. The only difference was, Cole had witnessed his father’s murder. Eventually the man who had pulled the trigger, and the men who had hired him, were arrested, tried and convicted. Cole’s father had been a whistle-blower, a material witness, and had died trying to right a wrong. Now Cole spent his life doing the same. And there was something very, very wrong going on in this family, he could sense it.

He finished his shower and dried himself off quickly, determinedly ignoring more of Melanie’s lotions. He couldn’t help noticing that there weren’t any masculine products in her bathroom. No aftershave, no anti-perspirant. Not even a second toothbrush.

He’d done his research. There didn’t appear to be another man in Melanie’s life—although he couldn’t quite figure out why. She was gorgeous, with long dark hair, blue eyes and a body built for happy naps. He wasn’t going to deny that her being ‘unattached’ gave him a quiet satisfaction.

He frowned. It shouldn’t. He was on a job. Yes, he’d cozied up to her in order to get closer to Lowry, but he hadn’t liked doing it. Well, he had liked doing it, but not the reason behind it. If she was involved with her stepfather’s criminal acts, he’d have to arrest her. If she wasn’t, he was going to tear her family apart. Either way, that would probably kill any affection on her end.

Better to get whatever information he could about Lowry, and close this case as quickly as possible. Maybe that would minimise any hurt he created. He opened the door and stepped outside into the hallway.

The house was constructed so that one wall of the hallway was clear glass overlooking the river—and the balcony below. The sun had set, although there was still a faint orange glow that the encroaching night still hadn’t managed to extinguish. Below, it looked like the party was breaking up. Lowry and Dunn were gently herding the guests toward the drive. He scanned the area. He couldn’t see Gabe, or his great-aunt and uncle. Or Melanie. He automatically searched the crowd for the tall, willowy brunette, but she was nowhere to be seen. Probably seeing to her other drenched charge. But Lowry and Dunn were occupied, at least for a little while. Now would be a good time to do a quick search of Lowry’s office. He could always claim he got lost looking for his host…

He crept down the wooden stairs on quiet bare feet and slipped inside the home office. He closed the door and leaned against it briefly, listening. When satisfied there was no immediate threat of discovery, he slipped across to the massive dark timber desk and started going through the drawers. There were a number of files that he quickly scanned through. He paused when he saw a sale property contract for the Illawarra proposed development. The old couple. His jaw muscles clenched. The listed sale price was well below market value. Bastard.

He replaced the files and searched the rest of the office, quickly making his way to the framed painting on the wall to peer behind it. He smiled. There was a safe. How convenient.

He checked the frame of the painting. There were hinges on one side. He swung the painting to reveal the door of the safe behind it. He cocked his head as he gazed up at it. The safe was an old model, which was surprising. He hadn’t thought Lowry was the complacent type.

He went to work trying to crack it. After ten minutes he sighed in frustration. Okay, so maybe not so complacent. What was the damn code? He wasn’t a safecracker. Far from it.

He tried as many codes as he could. Lowry’s birthday. His wife’s birthday. Melanie’s birthday—although he was kind of relieved it didn’t open on that one, it had ‘Ick Factor’ all over it.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the soft, feminine voice rasped from the doorway.

He froze before slowly looking over his shoulder.

Melanie stood just inside the study. Her expression was a mix of horror, anger and disappointment, and it was the last emotion that affected him the most.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he whispered immediately.

She closed the door behind her with a quiet snick and stalked across the room. She was barefoot—no wonder he hadn’t heard her. She moved with a lithe grace that suggested years of dance training.

“You little toad,” she whispered furiously. “You come into our home as a guest, and as soon as our backs are turned, you try to rob us? How could you?”

Although her assumption provided an excuse for his actions, and was entirely in keeping with his cover, he didn’t like the conclusion she’d drawn, nor the speed with which she’d drawn it.

“You think I’m capable of that?”

She frowned. “You’re alone in my stepfather’s office, and your hand is practically inside his safe. What am I supposed to think?”

Well, when she put it like that… “I’m not a thief.” He tried to keep the injury out of his tone. He was undercover, for Pete’s sake. He was supposed to be a badass. Let her think you’re a badass.

“I’m not a thief.” Oh, please, just shut up.

She folded her arms, and arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what it is you’re doing…alone…in my stepfather’s office…at his safe.”

He said the first thing that came into his mind. “I’m helping you.”

She blinked. “What?”

He nodded. Yeah, that’s right. “I’m helping you.”

She took a step back. “You’re helping me?”

“I saw the stuff on that disk. You’re going after your stepfather.” God, he hoped he was right. Otherwise, there goes the case. He was taking a punt, but something in his gut told him that’s exactly what was happening here. While she spit nails at him, she still struck him as a decent woman, a woman deep in over her head. A woman who needed help.

Melanie glanced around the office. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped, although her voice was whisper-quiet.

He put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re trying to get some dirt on your stepdad. I’ll help you.”

Her blue gaze narrowed, and he felt like he was being pierced by laser beams as she tried to read his expression.

”I don’t trust you.”

“When have I given you a reason to distrust me?”

She gaped at him momentarily before launching into her answer. “Gee whiz, let me think on that one.” She held up a finger. “You blackmailed me into a date,” she said, then raised another finger, “you stole the disk,” another finger rose, “you spied on the data on that disk, and now you’re sneaking around my home.” She met his gaze. “Why the hell would I trust you?”

He gazed down at her for a long moment, saw the anger, the hurt, the fear she tried to keep hidden. “Because I’ve kept your secret,” he whispered to her.

Voices outside the door sent Melanie’s already pounding heart into aerobic territory. The door handle clicked as it turned. She reacted instantly.

She slid her fingers through Colin’s still-damp hair and tugged his mouth down to meet hers.

His lips were warm, soft, and seductive. He opened his mouth against hers and slid his tongue inside. Their kiss wasn’t teasing, or gentle. It was hot, wet and soul-drugging. She vaguely heard the quiet click as the portrait covered the safe, felt his hands against her waist as he guided her around. The rough surface of the cool, exposed stone pressed against her back, Colin pressed against her front, and she felt like molten fire trapped between a rock and a hard place.