Nobody Does It Better (22 page)
He looked up, and she was staring at him, her eyes bright.
"I've got an idea," they said together, then laughed.
* * *
The man called
Carmen gave
Paris
the creeps, but the one called Bull outright scared her. A jagged scar cut across his cheek, his dark eyes cold.
For a moment, she wished she had a drink, but it was early in the morning and the pub was technically closed. She looked around the room at the empty tables. Just her and Devin and the creepazoid twins.
She squeezed Devin's hand under the table and he squeezed back. His touch reassured her. She took a breath. Show time.
"You
wanted me to bring her, and I did. But you'll have to convince her," Devin said. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the booth.
"I really don't understand. What is it you gentlemen need to speak to me about?" she asked, resisting the urge to spit in their faces.
Carmen leered, revealing one gold tooth. "That's a good question. Miss Sommers. You see we're in the protection business. We know your little secret. And we can make certain that nobody else finds out."
"Well, that's interesting," she said, leaning across the table and coming even closer to the disgusting beasts. "But I don't really understand how it works."
For the next fifteen minutes, Carmen proceeded to explain, in intricate detail, why his protection service was so effective, along with the amount of that pesky monthly charge that ensured the protection went on and on.
"So, what do you think,
Paris
? Have you heard enough?" Devin asked.
She replayed the conversation back in her mind. Not the cleanest evidence in the world, but it would do.
Paris
flashed her best smile at Carmen and Bull. "Yes. Yes, I think I've heard everything I need to."
Devin lifted his arm and rapped on the wall behind him. "Got that, guys?"
"Loud and clear," came the muffled response, and
Paris
couldn't help but smile when she saw the expression on Carmen's and Bull's
faces
.
When the two thugs were led away
in
cuffs amidst a flurry of activity
Paris
felt as though she was in one of her novels. She wanted to applaud, but quelled the urge. Instead, she kissed Devin.
"Thank you."
Devin shook his head. "Don't thank me. Your father's the one who got Larry to come out here, and Larry's the one who got the local cops involved."
"I'm not the one who thought of calling my father."
"There's no guarantee that tape will stop them or even end anyone up in jail. The wheels of justice don't exactly spin at a fast clip. You should know. But this way, harassing us is a lot less appealing."
"I know. And blackmailing us would be pointless after we run through Plan B, so I'd say we're all set."
"Did you call Rachel?"
Paris
nodded. "Everything's ready. Are you?"
"Ready to spend the rest of my life with you? Oh, yeah. I'm ready."
Paris
laughed. "Ready for a press conference?"
Devin shrugged. "That, too." He smiled at her, but made no move to walk to the door.
"What is it?"
"Have I told you today that I love you?"
She smiled. "Yeah. But you can tell me again."
"I love you."
Paris
stretched her arms around his neck and kissed him, this man of her dreams who had literally made her fantasies come true. "I love you, too."
Epilogue
H
ouston
,
Paris
Sommers yesterday. O'Malley is better known as
Montgomery
Alexander, the reclusive author of a popular series of espionage thrillers. O'Malley surprised Alexander's fans six months ago by announcing at a press conference that Alexander was O'Malley's pseudonym.
Even more surprising was the announcement that, for future books,
Montgomery
Alexander will be the pen name for the dual effort of Sommers and O'Malley. The couple revealed that the next Joshua Malloy book will team the superspy with a female partner, Vivian Jones, promising that the leather-clad, stiletto-wielding heroine will keep Malloy, and his fans, wanting more.
The ceremony was held in the bride's family home in River Oaks. The bride's father, Judge Patrick Sommers, performed the
nuptials
.
Devin tossed the paper on the floor and pulled his naked bride next to him. He liked the sound of that.
Bride.
"You tired?"
She didn't answer, just eased on top of him, moving her body over his until he was just as aroused as he'd been less than an hour before. And an hour before that.
She kissed the top of his ear. "What did you have in mind?"
"Research," he said.
"More research?" she teased.
"Hey, Malloy's never had a female partner before. If you're going to write these scenes, you need to make sure you've done all the prep work."
"Mmm, that's very thoughtful."
"Well, since you're doing all the writing and I'm just a pretty face, I thought it only fair to do my part."
She sat up, straddling his waist and arching her back as he reached up to stroke her breasts with one hand, teasing and tempting her. His Paris, his wife.
"Eventually," she said, her voice ragged, "I'm going to have to stop researching and start writing."
He chuckled, but didn't stop. "All in good time, my dear. All in good time."
* * * * *