Mario Rossi would show up. Possibly to meet Isabella. Could she be the leader of Mario’s cartel?
“Exactly,” he said. “Hiring locally will bring a lot more cash into our hometown and the county.” The right kind of money, not the kind that brought more crime and death into the area. Maybe after he wrapped up this case, he’d opt out of the DEA to follow through on his cover with real money. After he stopped the flow of tainted heroin—the street term white snow sounding innocent when the consequences of using were anything but—into the region and saved countless innocent lives.
But he didn’t know how to be anything else. He’d miss the rush, the adrenaline of stopping criminals in their tracks.
People gathered in lines beside the buffet tables, but Mario wasn’t among them. He hoped like hell this wasn’t some god damn dead end. Colton had been tracking the drug dealer’s movements, and they’d brought him here according to all his sources. Mario’s boss wanted to oversee every detail. Bringing this person into custody meant everything to Colton. He trusted his sources. They’d never let him down before. Plus, his gut instinct confirmed his intel.
“We’ll get more tourists into the area,” Alexandra said.
He gave his former high school friend a sidelong glance. She’d been overseas throughout her university days and they’d lost touch. When he’d learned she’d returned to Magnolia Falls to run her family’s vineyard following her mother’s death, he’d been glad to hear she’d returned to her roots.
Roots meant something. And he aimed to safeguard his from getting spoiled before he returned to Washington to take on his next assignment.
“Is that Spencer Caldwell?” he asked, pointing to where his old friend danced with a leggy redhead.
“Yes. Hired him a few years ago.”
“You convinced our local genius returned to Magnolia Falls to work for you?” he said. “He rocked the New York Stock Exchange.”
“Money isn’t the only thing that motivated Spencer to sign on with Saxon Vineyards,” she said, then drank again.
“Oh?”
“He missed his family,” she said matter-of-factly. “I offered him a way home.”
“Nice.” He briefly wondered if he’d find his way back to Magnolia Falls on a permanent basis, then pushed the wayward desire down deep to make small talk with Alexandra about local business to maintain his cover. “Your ongoing investments into updating historic Magnolia Falls will bump up the tourism numbers,” he said, continuing to gaze at the dance floor.
The music’s tempo ramped up to a bump and grind of 80s hits. Once more Isabella’s dance partner spun her away from him, then brought her back to hold her close. She kept pace, matching him step-for-step.
Her sexy red dress swish-swooshed around her long legs, the hemline risque enough to draw some serious male appreciation and yet demure enough to convey a hint of innocence.
His collar seemed to strangle him and his groin tightened. Damn it again. Keep your head in the game and get your cock out of the equation. He was here for work and not pleasure. He undid the top button of his dress shirt to loosen it and killed the attraction with the last crime scene photos he’d processed.
The song ended, Isabella and her dance partner exited the parquet floor, then they made their way toward one of the wet bars tucked into the ballroom’s corners.
He followed her movements, the sway of her full hips sending another rush of heat to his groin.
Alexandra nudged him. “Instead of drooling over her from a distance, you could just ask her to dance.”
“Who?”
“Isabella. You’ve been watching her all night,” Alexandra said while stopping another server to lift a new glass of wine from his tray. “Can’t blame you. She’s a trustworthy friend on top of being absolutely gorgeous.”
“Yes. She’s a real beauty.”
“What’s up with the sarcasm I hear in your voice?” Alexandra asked, then raised her glass and drank.”
“Not sarcasm. Just figure she’s out of my league.”
She laughed. “Colton, I don’t remember you ever having a problem getting a date.”
“Well, you turned me down fifteen years ago.” He’d liked her, admired her for more than her looks. He’d never considered her as a potential girlfriend until he’d had a particularly nasty breakup. She’d comforted him after he’d had one beer too many—as a friend. And then he’d made a first-class fool of himself.
“You didn’t know what you were doing. Plus, you were a good friend back then,” she said. “Go ahead. Ask her to dance. She’s a super person with a heart of gold.”
“You’re right.” He could use the opportunity to discover what her connection to Mario Rossi was until Mario showed up. “Think I’ll slide the DJ a tip and tell him to play another slow song.”
“Ha. Still can’t get those two left feet of yours to cooperate?”
“What I’ve got in mind doesn’t require stellar dancing ability,” he said. “Catch you later.”
Going into deep cover meant blurring the lines to get close to his enemies. Isabella probably had no connection to Mario, but he’d double his surveillance and run a quick background check on her before giving Isabella the all clear. And that meant the next dance she danced would be with him.
Isabella wiggled her toes in her Jimmy Choo’s, trying to regain the feeling in the tips. She’d give anything to kick the damn things off, go to her room, read, and chill before her meeting with Alexandra tomorrow. Instead, she flashed a smile at—Tony? Tom?—who’d been sweet, but she didn’t want to encourage him. Time to put the brakes on his interest.
“Thanks for dancing with me,” she said.
“You sure you don’t want to spend the rest of the night with me?” he asked, holding her gaze with slightly bleary eyes. “We’d be good together.”
Great. Scratch sweet. “Aw. Only good? Sorry, not interested. I expect great when I go to bed with a guy,” she said with an edge in her voice.
Tom-Tony’s gaze narrowed. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No.” Isabella stepped back, scanning the room for a quick escape and spotted her import-export rep milling with their clients. “I never kid around when it comes to my expectations.”
He made a move toward her, but she jammed her spiked heel on top of his foot. “What the fuck?” He jumped away and bounced on his one good leg.
“My point exactly,” she said. “Arrivederci bastardo.”
She swept around him and made her way toward her rep without bothering to look back.
“Good move,” a masculine, deep voice said from behind her.
She stopped, turned around, and locked eyes with the man approaching her. “Old boarding school trick,” she said. “Still comes in handy when guys try to go too far.”
The sexy man who had been watching her while she danced with that idiot closed the remaining distance between them. “Shouldn’t have to put up with that crap from anyone,” he said. “You want me to boot the jerk out?”
“No reason to draw any negative attention to the event. We’ve raised a lot of money and positive awareness for the International Miracle Network,” she said. “I’d rather keep the media’s focus on the charity than put its lens on an ugly incident. He’s taken care of.”
“For now.”
“And for later,” she said. “The contract he hoped to sign with our company won’t happen. That’ll be tough to explain to his superiors at Vincenzo Resorts. Might even cost him his job.” Isabella held her head high and locked her gaze onto his. “What’s your name?”
“Colton Sutler.” He stretched his hand.
Ah, the accountant from D.C. Alexandra had mentioned in passing. Someone Alexandra had known in high school. Clearly, not someone she needed to worry about.
Isabella took his hand and shook it. A tingling sensation traveled along her skin, then arrowed deeper. Did this handsome guy always make hearts race? Most likely. “I’m Isabella,” she said, pulling her hand fro
m his and rubbing her arm to erase the sudden sparks.
Colton cocked his head to the side and lifted a brow. “You always this mercenary with overzealous dance partners?”
“Only when it’s necessary.”
The air crackled between them, overriding the clinking glasses and party chatter. He held her gaze. “I like a woman who knows how to handle her affairs, Isabella.”
She inhaled his woodsy, dark scent and more awareness sizzled along her nerve-endings. Oh, he’d be more than great in bed. Probably beyond impressive. But she didn’t casually hook up with guys no matter how appealing, especially not with a man who exuded a powerful ruggedness despite the tuxedo contouring his broad shoulders to perfection.
“Speaking of business.” Not affairs or anything remotely sounding like getting between the sheets with someone. “I’d like to continue mingling with the guests to drum up more donations for the charity.”
“Another excellent idea,” he said, then smiled. “Mind if I join you? You know, just in case another jerk tries to come at you. I can be your pro bono bodyguard.”
“Why would you be pro bono?”
“Because I’m still in training. Need experience.”
His grin reached his pewter rimmed gray eyes, turning them into liquid silver. Her heart hop-scotched inside her chest. Not good. Not good at all. Colton Sutler did things to her carefully guarded libido, but that didn’t mean she wanted to brush him off. She pressed her palm against her sternum and waited for her pulse to slow down. Spending the evening with a guy like him wouldn’t upend her carefully laid plans for the future.
Plans that kept her on the straight and narrow after coming close to losing everything she’d worked for during her senior year in university.
“Fine. I’ll help you with that only because I’m feeling charitable tonight,” she said, smiling and lighthearted despite still searching for a way to diffuse the attraction pinging between them. “But first I’d like to speak with my public relations person. We haven’t touched base since the silent auction. She’s over there.” Isabella pointed to her pretty American colleague, Jillian Baxter, whom she’d hired over a year ago to expand her promotions and marketing into the US marketplace. Jillian’s ebony curls with light highlights framed her tawny brown face as she stood by the buffet at the opposite side of the expansive ballroom. Her spirals danced as Jillian nodded, laughed while chatting animatedly with a man whose back blocked the rest of Isabella’s view.
“Looks like she’s occupied with someone else.”
“Probably a potential donor or contact,” she said. “I should go.”
“How about I walk you there, then grab some food while I wait for you to wrap up,” he said easily. “You know., so I’ll be close by as your pro bono bodyguard in case you run into trouble.”
A laugh bubbled inside her. This guy seemed legitimately fun. And she hadn’t had a whole lot of fun lately. “Sure. If I need your assistance, I’ll snap my fingers.”
“Awesome. Let’s go over then.”
They walked side-by-side with mere millimeters separating them as they made their way to the banquet tables. Though they didn’t touch each other, electricity crackled and sparked over her bare skin. Then the charges zipped beneath the surface into her nipples, making them pebble into tight points.
Her nerves jangled, but no way would she let Colton see how much he’d affected her.
Then the man talking with Jillian turned around and the familiar face sent a wave of relief through her. “Mario,” she said, quickening her pace.
Colton kept up with her. “You know that guy?”
“Oh, we’ve been friends since we were kids. Like famiglia,” she hastened to add before they reached Mario.
“I didn’t know you’d be here.” She embraced Mario and kissed his cheeks one-by-one. “Alexandra didn’t tell me.”
Mario’s expensive cologne wafted into her nostrils, another familiar touch point and she inhaled it gratefully. “Actually, I told her to hold off. I wanted to surprise you, darling.” Mario held her at arms’ length and laughter crinkled the corners of his espresso colored eyes.
“I wanted to tell you ages ago, but Mario insisted we wait until he could tell you in person.”
Isabella looked at one, then the other. “Wait. Are you two?”
“Dating?” Jillian shot Mario a sultry look with slanted amber eyes. “Yes. We met at a food and wine conference a few months ago.”
“Well, this is a crazy coincidence,” Isabella said. “But a nice one.” She genuinely wanted her friends to be happy. Though the fact that they were an item caught her off guard.
“Definitely.” Mario tugged Jillian a little closer and kissed her temple. “I had no idea she worked for you until after we… connected.”
“And well, we never knew how long this would last, but here we are,” Jillian said, twining her fingers through Mario’s hair. “I hope this isn’t a problem for you.”
“No,” Isabella said, moving a little closer to Colton despite her desire to keep men at a distance until she’d established her career. “Not at all.” Truthfully, seeing her colleague’s happiness made her wistful for her own.
Another ballad piped through the speakers, Jillian looked up at Mario. “I love Slow Hands,” she said.
“I know,” Mario said, stroking her arm until he linked hands with her. “Let’s dance, tesoro.”
“Join us,” she said over her shoulder as they moved toward the parquet floor. “It’ll be fun.”
“Sounds good,” Colton said before Isabella could protest, turning to glance her way. “I’m game. Are you?” He shot her a charm-the panties-off-a-girl grin.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Her hormones hummed to life, making her head spin. “Absolutely,” she said after a beat of hesitation. After all, she could handle her urges during one song. “But then I’m done. My feet are killing me.”
Isabella took his hand. Her skin sizzled at the contact, igniting sparks. They licked their way into every erogenous zone she possessed. By the time he wrapped his arms around her and drew her into his muscular body, the flames discovered places she’d forgotten existed.
Colton swayed with Isabella, close, but not too close or he’d let his other brain do all the talking. Around them, other couples crowded the floor and he could see Jillian cozying up with Mario, leaving no doubt about what she had planned for the rest of the night.
“Your PR rep is nice,” he said, wondering about the connection between Mario and Isabella besides being childhood friends.
“Yes. She’s excellent at her job. I’m glad I hired her.”
He held her slender waist, resisted the urge to cruise his palms down her full hips and over her incredible ass. “That’s crazy how she hooked up with your friend at a conference,” he said with a fake note of incredulity in his voice.
“Hmmmm. Small world.”
“Yes.” The coincidence didn’t escape Colton’s radar. After everything he’d been through in the field, he questioned anything happening by chance. What was Isabella’s real connection to Mario? Most people who knew him were on the wrong side of the law in a bad way. Only a fool would believe she didn’t know the real Mario.
But maybe not. She seemed genuinely amazed when she spotted Mario in the crowd. Still, she could be part of the drug cartel—his partner. Perhaps even the person directing the entire operation. “How long have you two known each other?” he asked, though he’d crosscheck anything she told him with a database search afterward.
“Oh years. Our parents...,” her voice trailed off and her shoulders stiffened, then she shrugged. “Let’s just say we have a lot in common and leave it at that.”
Interesting. Mario’s family had been embroiled in an international embezzlement scandal when he’d been a kid. As had another fashion icon and her husband. Colton searched his memory and bam… He connected the dots. Isabella’s parents had also been arrested and jailed for a time. “Yeah. Like you’re both Italian, and he’s in the ho
spitality business,” he said, not betraying his thoughts. “You supply his hotels and resorts with your wines too?”
She twined her arms around his neck and turned her head to glance over at her friends. “We have a contract with Rossi Resorts and Spas,” she said quietly. “Our way—my brother and me—of maintaining our families’ prior business connections while showing the world that the Cavelli/Rossi names are synonymous with honest transactions.”
Not Mario Rossi’s. Not given the last bit of intel he’d received before returning to Magnolia Falls. “Now?” he asked. “You mean they weren’t before?”
She stiffened ever so slightly. “No. But I don’t like to think about those days.”
He could imagine why. Isabella would have been almost ten-years-old when the scandal made the news. She’d disappeared off the paparazzi’s radar shortly before they had announced the prison sentences. “I understand.” He brought her closer to him. A huge part of him hated bringing up her history… her voice had gone flat, lost its sparkle when she’d replied. “Glad things have changed for the better.”
“After my grandfather saved our vineyards and restore our finances, my brother and I busted our tails to maintain our family’s reputation.” She swished her head back to meet his gaze. “Trust is our watchword.”
He inhaled more of her delicious aroma. Damn. She smelled good—like an exotic perfume but not too bold.
Light. Expensive. Elegant.
But despite his inclination to go with his gut and believe her, he couldn’t relax his standards. Not after what had happened three years ago when he’d been betrayed by the woman he’d been with while undercover. Danger could lurk beneath the understated perfume.
“Song’s ending,” she said as the last notes played through the speakers. “Thanks for the dance.”
He caught Jillian and Mario leaving the dance floor and tracked their exit all the way to a hallway leading to the manor house’s grand foyer. Knowing Mario had been given a suite of rooms while staying at the winery’s manor house, Colton decided to stick with Isabella. Because he had to make sure her story checked out. “How about we go for another round?” he asked.
Tempted By Her Rescuer: Brotherhood Protectors World Page 12
