So Tempting (9 page)

"And I'll try not to stick my foot in my mouth. Or use the wrong fork or something."

He gave her a gentle squeeze. "You're a beautiful woman, Jace. I'm proud to be seen with you." 

A very nice thing to say. Gabriel was a nice man. Jace steadied herself and let him draw her toward the door.

The entry's impact was even stronger at night. The niches, and the precious objects within them, were studies in light and shadow. Dramatic torches with their golden glow heightened the sense of magic. A babble of voices rolled over Jace as they walked inside, the passionate strains of flamenco guitars in the background.

This was a big gathering, lots of glitter and dazzle, Santa Fe society at its finest. Jace saw judges, an assortment of state representatives, agency heads and a sprinkle of celebrities.
Oh, crap. A reception line.
Nerves fluttered to life.
Stop that.
She stiffened her spine. Of course she was out of place in this glittery company, but she would do her best not to embarrass Gabriel.

As they neared Sabanne, she concentrated on scanning the crowd dispassionately, taking deep, slow breaths to calm herself. Gabriel stepped out of line to speak to a dignitary.

Then there he was. Sabanne extended his hand, and she froze. She didn't want to touch him again.

But others were watching.
Don't be silly, Jace.
She swallowed and complied.

Again she plunged into the vortex. Her knees buckled as stars burst behind her eyes.

"Hold on," Sabanne murmured quietly, sliding his arm beneath hers and bracing her.

The sound of his voice brought her out of it, blinking.

He steadied her, then quickly released her.

His eyes remained locked on hers.

She couldn't look away. Couldn't speak.

Just then, Gabriel returned. "Gabriel McMullen, Mr. Sabanne. And this is—"

"The detective and I have met." Sabanne shook Gabriel's hand with a firm grip.

Gabriel darted her a swift look of surprise but recovered quickly. "Nice place you have here. Thank you for the invitation."

Sabanne graced Gabriel with an easy smile, but he stayed focused on Jace. "I am delighted you could come. Please make yourselves at home." He turned toward the next guest.

Jace proceeded through the line, barely listening, inwardly reeling. What the hell was that?

Gabriel guided her to a corner. "I didn't realize that you'd met him."

She jolted. "Oh. Yes, I—I interviewed him about Sam's case." Jace drew the shawl more tightly around her. "Could we get something to drink, please?"

"Sure thing. I'll get you a glass of champagne. Be right back."

She leaned against the wall and desperately wanted to sit down. Instead, she locked her knees and flicked a glance at Sabanne. Right now his head was bent as he paid close attention to some small brunette whose husband stood close as if guarding her. Smart man. She watched other women preen for him, gravitating toward the dominant male in the room, however much his power might be masked beneath a veneer of gracious host. Age didn't seem to matter, nor did marital status. Young and old, married and single, every one of them perked to attention when near him. Whether or not it was a conscious act on his part, he held them in thrall.

Not me, buster.

Then he lifted his gaze and looked straight at her.

And her stomach took a dive.

Jesus.
All the way over here, across a crowded room, his gaze seemed like a physical caress.

That was it. He was just a Casanova, a virile male in his prime, and she'd succumbed to the lure. Sex was okay. She could deal with that. Feeling your heart knock against your ribs could be fun. She'd experienced something like it at the Club. She squinted, trying again to imagine Sabanne with a mask. There was no light show tonight, no smoke, no pounding music to obscure her judgment.

Jace licked her suddenly dry lips. His focus zeroed in on her. Excitement sizzled down her spine as they stared at each other. Her nipples reacted.

Gabriel stepped into her field of vision and broke the connection.

Jace faltered, and Gabriel grabbed her. "Are you all right?"

"Of course." She stepped away from him.
Good God.
She focused on stilling a heart that shouldn't be racing. This was insane.

"Would you like to leave?"

"I'm fine," she snapped.

He handed her the champagne and visibly withdrew.

She got hold of herself. "Sorry. Long day." She exhaled her irritation. "Don't let me stop you from whatever you need to do."

"So that we can go someplace more private after?"

She summoned a smile. "Exactly."

He saluted. "You got it, ma'am." He clasped her hand and led her through the crowd.

Over the next hour, Jace thought her face would freeze into a smile. She saw several people she knew, eyebrows lifted at the sight of her with Gabriel. She met more people than she cared to remember. Making an effort to be gracious because she knew this night was important to his career, she ignored as long as she could a pounding headache and an urgent need to find the ladies' room.

Finally she excused herself and went in search of quiet and privacy. She stayed in the bathroom longer than necessary, splashing cold water on her face and rotating her neck to relieve the stiffness.

Returning to the gathering, Jace spotted ahead of her a room shrouded in darkness. Through the bank of windows, moonlight bathed the mountains. Needing just a few more minutes to herself, she entered the room and neared the windows, drinking in the view of stars and mountains and moon.

She sighed in appreciation.

"It often affects me that way." Sabanne's voice prowled through the darkened room.

Jace whirled, clutching her shawl tighter. "Excuse me. I didn't mean to trespass."

He stood several feet away, only the gleam of his white shirt and his voice helping her pinpoint his location. "A beautiful woman bathed in moonlight is never an intrusion."

Rousing himself from where he leaned against the doorjamb, he approached her. The pale glow splashed across his features, throwing them into a landscape of light and shadow. One bar of darkness cast an impromptu mask over his eyes and for a moment...

She stared, trying to impose the hazy memory over the angles of this man's face. If his hair were loose—

Was that you?

One eyebrow rose. "I beg your pardon?"

Hell. She'd said it out loud. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. "At The Club."

"Are you speaking of a nightclub?" He stared at her. "I do not frequent them."

She couldn't read him. Had no idea if he really didn't know. "This isn't a nightclub, well, not exactly. It moves every night."

"Moves?" he echoed. "Where?"

He seemed honestly puzzled. She glanced again at the ornate silver ring. "All sorts of venues—warehouses, abandoned storefronts, only one night at each location."

"Does this have something to do with your investigation?"  His voice turned suddenly sharp. "Are you
interrogating
me, Detective?"

She hastened to backtrack. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I read the newspapers. There have been two unexplained deaths in a town that has few. I am an acknowledged expert in exotic poisons. You have asked me about means of administering them. Now you ask me if I were present at this...club?" A raptor could have no more penetrating a gaze on its prey.

"I..." It would clearly be a bush league mistake, thinking she could trip this man up. "I saw a man there with long dark hair like yours is all."

"And he was doing something illegal, should I conclude?"

She was grateful for the darkness in the room to hide her hot cheeks. "Not that I know."

"There is more to your story, Detective."

"Nothing important," she stammered.
 
Earl and the captain would kill her if she alienated an expert they needed, just because she'd been unnerved by some guy who might not even exist.

"I was under the impression that your department needed my assistance."

The threat was clear. This man was richer than God and very well connected. Dangerous ground.

"We do. I apologize for any miscommunication.  Thank you for the view. I'd better be getting back." She edged past him, giving him as wide berth as possible, wishing there were another path out of the room. He smelled of midnight in the deep forest...verdant...spicy. Mysterious.

He took a step closer. "Return soon. We will talk." He extended his hand.

She skipped to the side, bumped the doorway.

A small curve of lips over eyes that made her shiver. "Do I make you nervous, Justine?"

Justine?
She gathered the ragged edges of her composure around her. "Of course not."

"We will meet again. You are a puzzle. I am seldom able to resist one."

"Try," she snapped. "Good night." She made her way to the door.

"Detective."

She halted but didn't turn.

"Apology accepted."

She paused, closed her eyes. Forced herself to walk slowly down the hall.

But she felt his gaze on her long after she'd put the crowd between them.

Chapter Seven

Gabriel stared at the road lit by the beam of his headlights, obviously preoccupied. After the first couple of miles, he exhaled loudly and raked through his hair. "Why would you interview Sabanne about Sam Sunshine?"

She tightened her shawl around her shoulders. "He's an expert on exotic poisons. We got some odd readings on the rape case, and maybe on Sam."

Gabriel straightened in surprise. "The same readings?"

Work. Yes. A safe detour. "We don't know about Sam yet. They're running some more tests."

"Why couldn't the lab tell you what they were?"

"Apparently, the compounds they found weren't from something Victor recognized right off the bat, plus he's really swamped. Rather than do the research, he encouraged me to call Sabanne."

"Did Sabanne help?"

She gave a tiny shrug. "A little."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his quick frown. "I guess a guy like that has enough money to delve into whatever weird stuff he wants. That's why he's got all those unusual weapons around, too?"

"He's into studying the ancient world, its weaponry and rituals..." Her voice trailed off.
Sexual practices...

Just sex, that's all it was. All she'd felt, some kind of animal magnetism between them.

But the dark, the vertigo...the exploding colors...

Not going there. So not going there.

"Must be nice not to be working stiffs like us, huh?"

"I guess." Normal. Gabriel was normal. She was normal.

"Some crowd tonight."

Jace was ashamed that she hadn't asked before. "How do you feel? Did you accomplish what you wanted?"

"Judge Carrizales thinks I should run for state office."

"Gabriel, that's great. You must really be impressing the right people."

He lifted a shoulder. "I just work hard."

Jace squeezed his arm. "You're very talented."

"For a lawyer." At last he grinned. "Better if I was still a cop."

It was a relief to return the smile. "Goes without saying."

He hesitated. "You okay tonight, Jace?"

She stiffened. "Yeah, I'm fine." Sure she was.

"You, uh—where do you want to go to dinner? You didn't eat anything, as far as I saw."

"Neither did you." She'd lost her appetite.

"Too busy talking and pressing the flesh." He kept his voice carefully casual, but she could hear the uncertainty.

Don't let that guy get to you, Jace. You're acting like some fifteen-year-old virgin.
"Popcorn's about all I could offer at my place."

White teeth flashed. "My apartment's closer, and food's not my most pressing concern."

She wanted to get Sabanne out of her head. "How fast can this jalopy go, Counselor?"

"We'll be there before you know it."

Jace stared ahead, forcing herself to concentrate on Gabriel's body, his smile...his hands. For a second, her mind seized on the image of another set of hands. A dark curtain.

She grasped for Gabriel's solid presence. This was real. He was real. Nothing else.

"Relax," Gabriel spoke from the darkness. "Turn off that brain."

If only she could.

Jace let her head fall back against the headrest.

And willed Dante Sabanne to go away.

* * *

"Cassie, if my parents find out that we're not at Annie's, we're both dead," Melinda's voice cracked from the strain.

"Don't be such a chicken. Or go on back—I don't care." Cassie had finally secured Dante's permission for her to spend the night away. He'd offered to let her attend his party, but she'd had enough of that scene at Markos's.

Sure, Dante thought she was at Melinda's house, and Melinda's parents thought they were at her friend Annie's, but big deal. This might be her only chance to see The Club; no way was she backing out now.

"I can't leave you here alone. This place is creepy." Melinda looked around at the same shadows that had Cassie a little spooked. She'd never tell, though.

"Jimmy will be here. He said if I could meet him tonight, he'd take me." Actually, he'd said if she decided to grow up and stake her claim to independence, but that was just words. All that mattered was that she was here, that her world was opening up at last.

"He's not expecting me. I'll be a fifth wheel." Melinda jiggled the egg that was the night's admission ticket.

"Be careful with that," Cassie snapped. "And quit worrying. He's not a date."

"But what about when he finds out I'm only sixteen?"

"We're not telling him. No one needs to know. Good grief, Melinda, I'm the one who's been shut up in a convent school. Even I know a place like this isn't going to ask for ID."

"All right, you don't have to snap at me. I just don't do things like this."

Cassie looked over at Melinda, suddenly remorseful at the worry on her friend's face. "I know. I'm sorry—I shouldn't have involved you, I guess. I'm the one who wants to go." She held out a hand. "Here, give me the egg and you go back. It's not fair to make you worry."

Melinda relaxed a bit. "No, it's okay. I just—" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I guess I'm scared. They say that that girl who was killed might have been at The Club."

Cassie shook her head in disgust. "If they knew that, the case would be solved. She could have just been out at night..." But she swallowed heavily.

"Yeah, in a place like this." Melinda's eyes widened, knowledge sinking in on her as it just had with Cassie.

"Oh, pooh, we don't know where she was. Anyway, she was probably alone, and we have each other."

"How much self-defense do you know, Cassie?"

Almost none, but she wasn't telling Melinda that. "I know enough. We'll be fine." A shape materialized a few yards away, and Cassie's heart sped up. Then he entered the glow of a streetlamp, and she relaxed.

"There he is. Hi, Jimmy."

"Hi, princess. Who's your friend?"

"This is Melinda."

His eyes softened when he shook Melinda's hand. "Hi, I'm Jimmy."

"Hi, Jimmy." Melinda's voice squeaked, and she dropped her head, blushing.

"How old is she?" Accusation in his tone, Jimmy turned back to Cassie.

"Old enough to be here." She dared him to push. "So are we going to stand around all night?"

Melinda shifted from one foot to the other under Jimmy's perusal.

"I oughta have my head examined for this." Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "Come on, children—let's jam." Wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, Jimmy led them down the block.

Several minutes later, tying on her mask, Cassie knew it was worth all the risk as she stood inside The Club, drinking in everything. The lights and their magic. The music vibrating through her body. The edgy darkness, the scents of perfumes and sweat and smoke, all of it even better than she'd dreamed.

Now
this
was living. This was the action she'd been craving. With barely a glance at Melinda or Jimmy, Cassie started into the crowd.

Jimmy grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?" he shouted.

Cassie pulled away. "To dance. Let me go."

His eyes warned her. "You stay close."

She shot him a smile loaded with challenge. "Melinda's the one who needs watching, not me. See ya, Jimmy." Before he could catch her, she plunged into the crowd.

After years in a straitjacket, Cassie reveled in the freedom, not caring if she danced with a partner, if she knew anyone, if anyone noticed her. For now, just the music—swelling in her head, pounding her heart, sizzling up her spine—was enough. She threw back her head and closed her eyes in a long sigh of pleasure.

Freedom. At last.

Lost in the music, Cassie danced, letting her spirits soar, opening her eyes again because there was too much to see, too much she needed to experience...too many years of restrictions and rules to shed. Exhilaration surged within her. She lifted her arms above her head as she whirled.

When hands closed around her waist from behind, she jerked in alarm. A quick turn showed her a handsome blond man whose smile put her at ease.

You're new,
he mouthed.

Cassie nodded, still dancing.

You like it?

Cassie grinned.
I love it.

He threw back his head and laughed. He leaned over, shouting to be heard, "Then let's have some fun." His warm breath tickled her ear.

Cassie shivered at the sensation, his hands on her hips making her pulse race. There was something exciting about the way he looked at her.

This was great. Throwing herself into the dance, she caught a quick glimpse of Jimmy and Melinda. Her friend looked scared, and Jimmy was glaring.

She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at him. Instead, she grabbed the blond man by the hand and led him deeper into the crowd.

Turning back, she placed her hands on his shoulder and leaned forward, raising her voice. "I'm having fun already." Her breasts brushed his chest, and Cassie felt the spike of something hot and delicious.

His hands clasped her hips; he drew her into his body. Cassie resisted, suddenly nervous. He leaned away to look at her. One hand came up, and his thumb traced a path across her lower lip. Cassie went still, hearing the blood rushing in her ears, the music suddenly fading as if they were alone in this space.

Eyes searching hers, he lowered his head. Cassie could feel his warm breath brush her lips, and a new warmth pooled deep within her.

The next second, he was jerked away from her.

Jimmy shoved the blond man, yelling words she couldn't make out. The crowd around them shifted, curious and uneasy. A voice behind her yelled, "Take it outside, assholes."

Neither Jimmy nor the blond man was listening. The blond man's green eyes sparked with anger. She was angry herself at Jimmy's nerve. But just then, the blond man leaned forward, menace in his features, and he said something to Jimmy that had Jimmy recoiling, fists still clenched.

The blond man straightened, his gaze scanning Cassie with something like contempt. He turned and walked away as though she were nothing.

Jimmy yanked her arm and dragged her off the floor. Cassie dug in her heels, but he was too much bigger for her efforts to have any effect.

When he got to the edge of the dance floor, he barked an order at Melinda. She brought up the rear.

Cassie finally jerked her arm away. "Let me go!"

Jimmy whirled. "Not on your life, princess." He reached for her again.

Cassie sidestepped him. "Are you crazy? Why did you do that?"

"He's bad news, Cassie. You're playing with fire and you don't even know it."

"You can't give me orders. I've had it with people telling me what I can and can't do." Chest heaving, she jammed both fists upon her hips, then reached out to stab a finger at him. "Go away. I don't need your help."

His eyes sparked with alarm. "You have no idea—"

"What?" She couldn't quite hear him.

"Look." Jimmy exhaled. "Nobody's giving you orders, but just...not him, Cassie. Anybody else. He's dangerous."

She didn't believe him. He just wanted to show her who was boss. "I'll dance with whomever I want and you can't stop me."

"I can get you thrown out of here and banned from coming back."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me." Jimmy towered over her.

All she wanted was to have some fun. Just once, to be free to enjoy herself. Casting a glance at Melinda, she saw the fear in her friend's eyes. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Melinda moved closer to Jimmy.

Great. Two to one.

"Fine. Just fine." All the fun had gone out of the night. Cassie wanted to scream, for what good it would do her. Jimmy was ready to get her expelled; Melinda looked as if she would cry.

Cassie's mind raced. So be it. She'd leave, go back to Annie's and have a stupid slumber party. Melinda would quit worrying, and Jimmy would have no say.

But she'd be back. She'd do this the way she should have in the first place: find out where the next notice would be posted, before they left.

But she'd come by herself next time, no matter what she had to do to slip away.

And she'd really have some fun.

* * *

At the doorway to Gabriel's apartment, Jace waited for him to drop her hand and dig for his key. Instead, in one lightning move he had her against the door, his mouth locked on hers.

Yes. This was what she needed. She wouldn't think while he touched her. She would let go, allow herself to float. Jace pressed closer to his hard, eager body. Twined one leg around the back of his, molding them together, softness to hardness...ache to ache.

Gabriel tore his mouth away, his voice low and urgent. "Damn, I want you, Jace."

"Yeah?"

"Don't look so pleased with yourself."

"Get the door open, bud, or I'm unzipping your pants where you stand."

Digging in his pockets, he paused to lift one eyebrow. "Don't think you're scaring me, babe. My neighbors might enjoy seeing my naked ass." He grinned. "I know they'd enjoy seeing yours."

He scrabbled with the lock and finally succeeded. Scooped her up, kicked the door shut and crossed to the bedroom. As she slid down the front of him, Gabriel claimed her mouth once again.

Jace drove her fingers into his thick hair and moaned.

Tongues tangled with a new urgency. Darkness rode them with an unfamiliar edge.

Without interrupting the kiss, Gabriel slipped off her shawl and threw it on the floor. Jerked the straps of her dress down her shoulders. Glided his hands over her breasts as he shoved the dress toward her hips. Strong fingers dug into her waist, while his teeth nipped at the fullness of her lower lip.

She stripped his suit coat, then went to work on his tie. Frustrated by the knot, she yanked it down, unbuttoned his top shirt button, then pressed her mouth to his throat.

Gabriel joined her in a battle to undress him, fumbling with his shirt buttons.

Their eyes met, and Jace sucked in a breath at the storm brewing in his. "Wait—let me." With shaking fingers she unbuttoned his shirt all the way down, while Gabriel's body vibrated under her hands.