His Girl Friday (20 page)

Her breath rustled in her throat. "Stay with us?" she echoed blankly, and her eyes turned to Cabe's in the dim streetlight's glow. He reached out and touched her cheek, drawing his fingers warmly down it to her soft mouth. "With us." She swal owed as he unfastened her seat belt, and his own, and drew her gently to him. "You mean, we're going to live together?" she faltered as his warm mouth brushed lazily against her own.

"Married people usual y do. Yes, that's it, open your mouth.. "

She did, trying to speak, but he had another entirely different function in mind. She felt his tongue darting past her lips and the lights went out. She could refuse him nothing once he touched her. Her arms went around him almost convulsively and her mouth answered his, a soft moan! working its way out of her throat as the fever burned highs and bright. His hands had moved from her thighs to her breasts, searching for fastenings before he suddenly came to his senses and realized where they were.

"What an incredibly stupid thing to do," he ground out,-; wrapping her up tight and shuddering as his face slid down into her warm throat. "Hold tight," he whispered, feeling; his trembling reflected in her own soft body. "Just hold! tight until we stop shaking."

She lay against him struggling for breath, while her mind tried to absorb what he'd said before he kis ed her. "You; said. . married people," she murmured.

"That's right." He nuzzled his cheek against hers. "What do you think?"

She pulled away from him. "I think it would be bet er if you were sure," she replied, looking into his intent eyes bravely.

"You don't think I am?"

She smiled. "No. You've been free for a long time. And what happened at your father's ranch, wel , it happened quickly. I might not be pregnant," she added nervously. He shrugged. "Then we'l try again," he said. "After we're married," he emphasized, tapping her gently on th tip of the nose. "No more mes ing around on couches."

"But aren't you asking me to marry you because I could be pregnant?" she asked.

"No."

"Because I was a virgin," she persisted.

"No."

"Then why?"

He bent and kis ed her, very gently. "When you work it out, you can come and tel me. Let's go up. Jenny wil worry." She waited until he opened the door for her, and he walked her to the elevator and out to her apartment. He kis ed her good-night, a bare brush of his lips over hers, jgave her a warm smile and walked away whistling. Danet a went into the apartment no wiser than when she'd left.

Eleven

The rest of the week went by in a flash. Cabe took Danet a out every night, but there were no more pas ionate kis es in his car—or anywhere else for that mat er. He held hands with her, his grip faintly posses ive, his eyes exquisitely tender as he looked down at her. He never mentioned Karol, and she didn't cal him. It was just as he'd said: he was closing the door on the past.

Jenny marveled at the reformed playboy, not realizing that it had al been an act on his part. Danet a didn't eri4 lighten her, either. She was too much in love and too overwhelmed with Cabe's at entivenes to bother with explanations. She was praying that their new relationship would last. He never talked to her about the night in the garage. He never referred to it again, although once in a while she couldn't help but notice the way his eyes wandered to her flat bel y and lingered there with an odd glow in them. But his conduct was above reproach, in public and in private. Friday came, and Cabe drew Danet a into his office,'Closing the door quietly behind them.'

"Ben just came in," he told her. "He'l ask you out to lunch if we're right about him. You have to accept." She searched his hard eyes. "You don't want me to."

"No," he said with husky posses ion in his voice. "But I have to let you. Everything depends on it. We're baiting a (rap. In this case, it's neces ary. These men are dangerous. It was a burglary at first, but it might get more deadly as we go along. We have to stop them, now."

She felt a twinge of fear, but she smiled in spite of it. "Okay."

His hand slid into her hair and he pulled her cheek to his broad chest, holding her gently while he stared over her head and wondered how he could trust her to a reprehensible man like Ben. If anything happened to her, he'd never be able to live with it.

"You be careful," he said above her head. "If you feel afraid at al , for any reason, get away from him and cal me. I won't leave the office."

"He won't hurt me," she said, portraying more confidence than she felt. She drew back and lifted soft, caring eyes to his. "Don't worry."

"How can I help it?" he asked quietly. "You're my life."

She caught her breath and tears burned her eyes as she saw the fierce posses ivenes in his face. "I'l be very, very careful," she promised. He laughed coldly. "Don't take chances. Don't go anywhere alone with him. Anywhere, even to a phone booth, do you understand me?"

"You're bristling with chauvinism, Mr. Rit er," she said demurely.

"That, bad temper and hunger," he added curtly.

"I can't do anything about the chauvinism and bad temper," she murmured, sliding her arms slowly around his strong neck, feeling confident and pos es ive herself for the first time. "But I think I can take care of the hunger part," she breathed as she drew his mouth down over hers. For a long moment he just stood there. Then a sound broke from his lips, a smothered kind of groan, and his arms enveloped her, gently lifting her so that she fit against his tal frame. He kis ed her with devouring ardor, so lost in her that he wouldn't have heard a bomb go off at the door.

"My mistake," she said seconds later when they were both shivering. "I think I just made it worse!"

"You're going to have to marry me," he ground out against her mouth. "Think up any excuse you like—possible pregnancy, guilty conscience—whatever wil get you to the altar. But it has to be soon. My God, I'm starving to death!"

She felt the shudder run through him and her eyes opened, soft like gray down, ardent. "We could lock the door," she suggested hesitantly.

"No. Once on a sofa was more than enough," he said stiffly. He brushed his mouth over her cheekbone and down to her lips. "I should have been stronger, for your sake. I should have held back."

"It's al right," she whispered, shocked at the emotion in his deep voice.

"It damned wel is not," he said tersely. He lifted his head to look at her. "You deserved a white wedding with al the trimmings, right down to a respectable wedding night. I cheated you out of it, and I'm sorry."

She didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected that kind of regret, or such a statement from a man like Cabe. "Do I real y know you at al ?" she asked softly.

"Not very wel ," he admit ed. "But I'm working on it. The white wedding you'l get, belatedly. And I promise you, your wedding night is going to be everything it should have been." His eyes searched hers with soft tendernes . " I 'II make you believe you're stil a virgin." She colored and leaned her cheek against his. "When you talk to me like this, I feel like one," she whispered. His arms contracted. "I can't regret the pleasure," he whispered huskily. "I've remembered it at night, some-limes, and I'd have to get up and go for a walk just to relax. The need was white hot. It stil is. But it's not just physical," he added, searching for words. "It's a wholenes . A onenes . I told you that night that I felt as if I'd been shaken to the core of my soul. That's what it was like. Shat ering and humbling. Reverent." His eyes closed.

With a wild lit le cry she buried her face in his throat, shivering al over with shocked pleasure. At the time she'd felt like that, too, but she'd convinced herself that he only felt guilty. Now she knew bet er. It was so sweet. Like being given the key to a candy store at the age of six. Like walking on air. Tears washed down her face and she laughed through them.

"You do care, don't you?" she asked brokenly.

"That's a mild way of putting it," he replied on a forced laugh. His eyes were closed and he was rocking her against him. She felt heavenly.

"Say the words," she pleaded, tightening her grip on his neck.

He drew back, though, and shook his head, smiling. "Not yet." "When?"

"On our wedding night," he said. He pushed back her hair, adoring her face with his eyes. "I'l say it until you're sick of hearing it."

"I never wil be," she promised.

He set her back on her feet. "In that case, it's going to be a long night." She smiled at him. "Promise." He kis ed her eyes closed. "I promise. Now get back out there and accept a date with Ben while I try not to think about how many guns I've got at the apartment." She moved away from him reluctantly. "Everything wil be al right," she said. "Jenny says Eugene's main troubleshooter is going to be in charge tonight."

"Yes, I know." He cocked an eyebrow. "Have you ever met Hunter?"

"No. Jenny says he's. . wel , rough."

"Rough doesn't cover it." He grinned. "Former Green Beret, former CIA, former mercenary.. I gues Hunter's done it al . He pulled our irons out of the fire overseas, and he's stil doing it. We place a lot of trust in him on this kind of thing." His face hardened. "I don't envy Ben's colleagues when Hunter gets a hold on them."

"What if Ben doesn't bite the bait?"

"He wil ," Cabe said grimly.

And he did. Ben invited her to lunch and, under the guise of asking casual questions, managed to get out of her that Jenny had brought al sorts of maps and documents home with her, and that she and Jenny had been invited to a party and would be away from home al evening. Ben deposited her at the office and went off with a thoughtful smile on his face.

"Wel ?" Cabe prompted when she was in his office with the door closed. She grinned. "He bit!"

"Hal elujah," he chuckled. "Okay. Get to work. Now we wait."

That night Cabe wore his dinner jacket with a black tie and a faintly ruffled white shirt above wel -tailored black slacks. He looked elegant and very, very sexy and Danet a had to grit her teeth to keep from throwing herself at him when he came to pick her up at the apartment. "You look great," she sighed. His own eyes were going over her electric-blue satin dres with its low neckline and midcalf skirt. It was close fit ing and very elegant, and his smile was predatory. "You dish, you."

"Don't I even rate a mention?" Jenny asked, her hands on her hips. She was wearing a red dres , slit up one side and buttoned to the throat with black satin clasps to hold it together. It shouldn't have suited her fairnes , but it did. With her long hair around her shoulders and a minimum of makeup on, she looked devastating.

"Nice color," Cabe remarked.

"I'm living down to the image your colleague has of me," she said haughtily.

Danet a had to hide a giggle. Jenny looked uncharacteristical y hostile, and Danet a found herself wondering just how deeply the mysterious Mr. Hunter had gotten under her skin.

She didn't have long to wait. There was a curt knock on the door and Jenny went to open it before Danet a could.

"Good evening," she said in the same tones a judge might use when ordering an execution.

A tal , dark-eyed man came into the room. He was dres ed, as Cabe was, in evening clothes, but he had a face as cold and hard as ice, and his thin mouth looked as if it had never smiled. His hair was an echo of his eyes, almost black, and his skin was very dark. He had extremely high cheekbones and a nose as straight as a ruler. Danet a thought at first that he had a vaguely oriental look. Then those dark eyes met hers and she realized that he was Indian. American Indian.

"This is Mr. Hunter," Jenny introduced him without looking at him again. "Danet a Marist," she continued, nodding toward Danet a, "and that's. ."

"Hel o, Cabe," the newcomer said. His voice was deep and curt, without any inflection or accent.

"Hunter," Cabe replied. "It's been a long time."

The man cal ed Hunter turned back to Jenny. "You, I presume, are my date?"

"You're a big, strong man," Jenny said with a venomous smile. "You ought to be able to survive an evening in my company." Everyone smiled, except the icy Mr. Hunter. He checked the watch on his wrist. "We'd bet er go."

"Are we ready?" Cabe asked with a pointed question in the eyes that met Hunter's.

Hunter nodded. "The reservations are confirmed," he said, and let his black eyes slide sideways toward a nearby lamp. Cabe nodded back. "Then let's go," he said, taking Danet a's arm. "I'm starved!"

They went out together. Danet a noticed that Mr. Hunter stayed on one side of the elevator on the way down and Jenny stayed on the other. It was so obvious as to be amusing that they were going to neutral corners. She wondered what had caused the ice age to move in.

The restaurant was crowded, but they were seated quickly.

"Now what?" Danet a asked.

"Now we wait," Hunter replied. He studied the menu briefly and laid it down, staring around at the glit er of crystal. His eyes made an emphatic statement about his feelings toward it.

"What are you going to have, Jenny?" Danet a asked while she tried to decide between chicken cordon bleu and steak medal ions in cheese sauce. Jenny glanced toward Hunter. "Something raw," she muttered. "Oysters, maybe."

Hunter lifted an eyebrow and glanced down at her. He didn't say a word, but Jenny suddenly blushed and averted her gaze to the menu. "The shrimp creole looks good," she said nervously.

"I want a rare steak," Cabe said. He glanced at Hunter and grinned. "How about you?" He added something gutteral and total y incomprehensible to Danet a and Jenny. Hunter replied in the same rough-sounding language and a corner of his thin mouth quirked. He added, in English, "But I'l set le for beef."

"What language was that?" Danet a asked, fascinated.

"Apache," Cabe told her. He smiled at her expres ion. "Didn't I ever tel you that my grandmother was Apache? So was an uncle somewhere back down the line. Grandmother taught me the language. It's easy, once you get the hang of the glottal stops and the long and short sounds of the vowels."

"And once you learn the nuances of inflection that turn an insult into a compliment," Hunter added, a twinkle in the dark eyes that glanced off Cabe's.