Now Ted was the one trying to hide an incredulous snort as Cam walked over.
“Mom…” he warned.
“How did you meet?” Yvette asked Alex.
“We grew up together. Then we both went to college in L.A.” He squeezed Ted’s shoulder, catching her attention as he smiled. “We lost touch for a while. Finally back where we need to be.”
Ted smiled, ignoring the drink Cam held out to her. “Yeah,” she said softly.
Alex cleared his throat and looked back at Yvette, who clearly thought theirs was the most romantic story she’d ever heard. Then her expression sharpened as she glanced at her son.
“Imagine!” she said. “Not meeting a woman at a bar—”
“Mom.”
“Or a dance club—”
“Seriously, Ma—”
“But finding a woman who clearly has goals beyond finding a new purse.”
Cam gave up and sighed, leaning back in his seat as he took a deep breath and let his mother speak.
Ted grinned at him. “This is making me feel so much better about last night.”
“Glad I could entertain you, Ted.”
Alex smiled and leaned back, his arm around Ted’s shoulders. Judging by the expression on both Frank and Connie’s face, this was not an unknown topic of discussion.
“Connie,” Alex broke in, trying to save his friend the grief. “What are you up to lately?”
She smiled. “Managing a gallery in Santa Fe, actually. Just here for a visit. We got some of your sister’s new canvases in last week. They’re stunning.”
“I’ll have to tell Willow. She’ll love that.”
“And your new place?” Frank asked. “Cam’s told me a bit about it. Sounds like a challenge.”
“It is.” He turned and caught Ted smiling at him. “But I do love a challenge.”
Lunch was fantastic. Conversation was polite, but warm. More than one joking reference to Cam’s love life was made while Alex held Ted’s hand under the table and played with the seam of her pants. If only she’d worn a skirt…
After lunch, Yvette very diplomatically went to “sort the kitchen,” taking Connie with her. That left Frank, Cam, Alex and Ted sitting with glasses of wine in the living room, which had suddenly gone very quiet.
Alex saw Cam looking at his father. “Dad?”
“She stays,” Frank said quietly, his eyes level on Ted.
Alex leaned forward and said, “Frank—”
“You’re a smart girl, aren’t you, Ted?” Frank spoke directly to her.
The room fell silent, and Alex squeezed Ted’s hand.
“Wouldn’t exactly call myself a girl,” she said.
The man shrugged, and in it, Alex saw an edge of the wise guy Frank hid so well.
“You’re the same age as my kid,” he said, “you’re a girl. Not intended as a slight.” He took a sip of his wine, then he looked at Alex. “You live in an interesting place, Alex.”
His breath was deliberately even. He didn’t allow his expression to change to anything except casual amusement.
“Not that interesting, really. Just home.”
“Lot of people depending on your resort project going smoothly.”
Alex paused. “I took a hit when Marcus Quinn died. He was a good man.”
“Yeah.” Frank took another sip of wine. “I knew Marcus. He was a good man. And a good businessman. Took care of his family. Honest with his investors.” Frank’s quick glance told Alex he knew that they knew the Di Stefanos had financed Marcus Quinn’s operation. “A tragedy, what happened to him.”
“Not a tragedy,” Ted said softly. “A crime.”
Frank’s eyes swung back to her. “Yeah. A crime.”
Cam leaned forward. “Listen, Ted, maybe you could—”
“She stays,” Frank said as a muscle jerked in Cam’s jaw. “Don’t you worry about Teodora, Cameron. She won’t be a problem.”
Ted said nothing, staring at Frank with a cool smile on her face.
“Frank,” Alex said, mirroring her posture. “I don’t much appreciate threats against my woman.”
“Not a threat, Alex.”
And Alex realized it wasn’t. If anything, Frank was sizing Ted up as he would a competitor.
“She’s a good match for you, Alex,” Frank said. “Got the same eyes.”
Ted said, “How’s that?”
“Secret eyes, Teodora.” Frank gave her a slow smile. “You know how to keep a secret, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You know what my business is?”
Alex heard Cam suck in a breath.
“I know what you do.” Ted glanced at Cam. “And what you’re trying to do.”
Frank’s face softened. “Do you?”
“It’s admirable.”
“Takes time.”
“Do you have it?”
The corner of Frank’s mouth turned up. “I’ll make it.”
Then, showing a business savvy that Alex had no idea she possessed, Ted leaned forward and asked, “What do you want from me, Mr. Di Stefano? Not Alex. Me.”
“You’re a doctor.”
“I am.”
Of course… Alex closed his eyes.
Frank shrugged again. “A good doctor—a discreet one—is hard to find sometimes.”
“First, do no harm, Mr. Di Stefano.”
“Ask no questions, and I’ll tell no lies.”
Ted leaned back and into him. He wrapped a hand around her shoulder and squeezed, hoping she realized that he’d back her play, whatever that play was.
Bad guys played rough, and gun-shot wounds—or anything that indicated a crime had occurred—had to be reported, making medical care something of a problem for Frank Di Stefano’s men, particularly if they had to be out in the desert where even emergency medical clinics were scarce. They had interests. Quiet relationships with farmers and truckers. People who lived or moved through the corridor between Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Mexico with regularity. Interests that Frank needed to watch over, along with his people.
Ted took a deep breath. “How often?”
“Less and less all the time. But occasionally…”
She pursed her lips. “It’s a small town. Off the beaten track. Discretion is possible.”
Fuck. She was making the deal and she didn’t even know what Frank Di Stefano was offering. But Alex knew the old man had something, so Ted had probably figured that out as well. He wasn’t going to all this trouble to recruit an asset just to piss her off when he gave them useless information.
Ted continued, “It’s also a place with a lot of families. Kids. And it needs to stay safe. Anyone who might… come to me for help needs to understand that.”
“I understand, and they will too.” Frank glanced at Alex, and the man’s eyes held steady. “I respect people who take care of their own.”
The coldly political side of him knew this was a good deal. Moral implications aside, Frank Di Stefano clearly knew that Cambio Springs had a secret. What that secret was, he might not know, but the Springs was already on his radar. Giving the crime boss an interest to protect it, and possibly deflect attention from it, was a smart move.
The fact that it laid the woman he was in love with open to possible cooperation with criminals was the part that churned his gut.
Ted took a deep breath and made her decision. “I’ll give you my number.”
“That would be much appreciated, Teodora.”
“And I’ll leave it with Yvette, too,” she said. “The next time you’re nearby, you should call. Our turn for lunch.”
Fuck, but she was smart. Yvette liked Ted, and reminding Frank of that was a good call.
The old man’s mouth twitched. “Once that spa’s running, she might be a permanent resident.”
“Might be awhile with Marcus gone,” Alex said, bringing them back to the reason they were there.
“Yes, Marcus,” Frank said, glancing at Cam.
Cam stood and
smiled at both of them. “You’ll have to excuse me for a moment; I just remembered I have a call to make.”
Keep Cam protected. Alex smiled. Oh yes, Frank Di Stefano had very clear priorities.
Frank watched Cam walk out of the room, then he lowered his voice, and Alex could hear the East coast edge again.
“Marcus was a good guy. He one of yours?” Frank was looking at Ted.
She glanced at Alex and nodded. “He grew up in our town. His family’s not that great, but Marcus was always a good guy.”
“Hard worker,” Frank said. “That man worked his ass off. That’s the reason I fronted him. I knew he’d be able to pay me back. Banks don’t take that shit into consideration, but a man can tell.”
Alex asked, “So it was a straight loan?”
“It was.” Frank nodded. “No funny business. Nothing going through or coming out.” He raised his shoulders. “Not saying I didn’t see the possibilities, with his crews moving all over the desert like they did, but Marcus was a family guy, and I respected that.”
“How long did he take to pay you back?” Ted asked.
“A while. I’m not a charity. But he paid regular and he paid in full over five years ago. Went through a bad period awhile back after his woman lost a baby…” Frank shook his head. “Too much drinking. Too much time at the tables. It’s a hard thing. He got behind in his payments, and I had to have a word. But he straightened out. Since then, no business with him, though Cam’s given him some work with his businesses. I see him around town. He’s asked my advice on a few things. We were friendly.”
“So nothing shady on his end?”
Frank shook his head. “Nothing. Quinn was straight. He might have understood grey, but he kept his business clean, which is not always easy to do in this town. And he was damn good. Growing. Opened an office in Barstow, but kept the one here because of the wife’s family. When I heard he was killed, that surprised me.”
Ted crossed her arms. “So if that did surprise you, what didn’t surprise you?”
Alex turned to her and muttered, “I love how smart you are.” Then he turned back. “Sorry, Frank.”
Frank was amused. “No worries. Don’t ever stop doing that shit, and you’ll be a happy man. Married to Yvette forty years and not a day goes by I don’t tell that woman what a gift she is.”
“That’s sweet, Frank,” Ted said with a smile. “But seriously, what didn’t surprise you? There was something, right?”
“The partner. Chris Avery. You know him?” Frank asked Alex.
“Marcus’s brother-in-law. Yeah, I know him. He’s finishing up the project since Marcus is gone.”
Frank turned to Ted, who seemed to be his new favorite person. “You know how I said, a man knows? Even if banks don’t? On paper, Avery looked clean. Knew Marcus wanted to expand, came to him with a business plan. Marcus had lunch with me to look it over. Asked my advice. And on paper? Good plan. Clear. Partnership agreement was clean. Smart deal.”
“But he wasn’t,” Alex said quietly.
Frank shook his head. “Something in my gut, Alex. Just like I knew Marcus Quinn was a man who’d pay me back the money I loaned him, something else told me that Chris Avery was trouble. I met the man, I wished I hadn’t given that business plan my approval. I kept waiting for the day I heard he stole something or paid someone off. Something that would give Quinn problems. I didn’t, but there was something about the guy I didn’t like.”
“Murder?”
Frank pursed his lips. “Hard to say. Like I said, it was a surprise. But I’ve heard whispers that Quinn was having money problems, so I’m not sure what that’s about.”
“Can you ask around?” Ted asked. “See if the whispers get louder?”
“Are you going to answer your phone at three in the morning if it’s an emergency?”
“I already do that, Frank. I don’t ignore calls.”
“Then I’ll ask around.” Frank looked at Alex. “But if you’re right, bad news. Josie’s a good woman. If her brother was involved in her man’s death…” Frank shook his head. “Very bad business, Alex.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Ted said. “And her.”
The smile he gave her wasn’t just a smile, it was a grin.
“Don’t make me curious, Teodora. I might just drive out to the desert and look for what’s behind those secret eyes.”
Chapter Fifteen
The full moon painted stripes across his back as he lay between her legs. Ted felt like hours had passed, and he still hadn’t come up for air. She was going to break through her skin if he didn’t go faster.
“Alex, please.”
“Shh.” The whisper stroked the inside of her thigh.
“I can’t. Come here.”
“No.” His voice was inches away from the wolf, a low growl that sounded barely human. She gripped his hair tighter and felt the rumble of appreciation in his chest.
Sex was one of the few ways that shifters could distract themselves during a moon night. And since Alex and Ted were miles away from home in an unknown hotel, both of them had decided to resist the change. It was difficult. Almost painful. But they were some of the strongest shifters in their clans, and they could take it.
Plus, it wasn’t like they hadn’t used this means of distraction before.
Alex was just maddeningly patient when it came to this particular task. She caught the edge of her release and held on, not letting the hint of pain distract her as Alex’s fingers dug harder into her hips. He would leave bruises, but she didn’t care. She’d left her fair share on him tonight, too.
“There it is, baby.”
“Yes.” Her back arched off the bed when she came, and before she could catch her breath, he was on her. In her. Pushing her knee up and out to drive deeper as he gritted his teeth and lost himself in their connection.
She reached down. Felt them joined.
“Beautiful,” she breathed out.
He rose over her, his eyes wild when she met them.
“Beautiful,” she whispered again, reaching out to wrap her hand around his wrist where it was planted at her side.
“Tea,” he groaned when he finally came, then fell over her, chest heaving.
Round four and they’d just hit midnight. Alex rolled to her side and shoved his face into her neck, letting out a harsh breath. Her arms came up around his damp shoulders, held him as he caught his breath.
“Not enough,” he panted.
“Shhh.” She soothed him, alternating long strokes along his back with hard digs into the muscles at his back. “I see office work hasn’t softened you up,” she said, trying to distract him.
“Hope not.”
He was built like a rock. Different, but familiar. The young man’s body had hardened into what it was now. Thicker at the shoulders, but still trim at the waist. There was nothing soft about Alex, and she found she liked exploring him. Liked seeing the beginnings of wrinkles around his eyes. Liked the stray silver in his hair. He’d grow more handsome with age. She wondered what he thought of the changes in her body, but figured he didn’t mind anything considering they hadn’t left the bed in about four hours.
Her fingers trailed over his bicep, massaged the tricep, before moving to his neck. He shifted farther into her, hips still between her legs, his arms around her back as soft lips marked lazy pathways at her neck. Ted sighed in pleasure and let him explore.
It was an intensely vulnerable position between shifters. Ted had never let anyone put their mouth at her throat except Alex.
That, she supposed, said it all.
“You still love me?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Even though I pissed you off at dinner?”
“You can’t pay for everything, Alex.”
“I can try.”
“I’m a grown woman.”
He pulled his head back the kissed her mouth, touching his tongue to hers before he pulled back and grinned.
“Thank God fo
r that.”
She could see it again, the heat building in his eyes. She had a voracious sexual appetite, but it was nothing compared to Alex on a moon night.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Don’t get lazy, McCann.”
“Mmm…” He lowered his mouth to her breasts. Slow kisses that made her toes curl. “Wolves don’t get lazy. Cats do.”
“I can keep up.”
“You keep up,” he said, the growl coloring his voice again. “But it’s my job to make you purr.”
Late Sunday afternoon, they drove back to Cambio Springs, brainstorming about what they’d learned in Las Vegas.
“I think it was Avery,” he said.
“Marcus was a smart guy. If there was something funny in the company—”
“Josie told me, the day after Marcus was killed, that if there was anything that might have killed him, it would be him thinking the best of someone. Trusting the wrong person. Something like that.”
Ted fell silent. Yeah, she could see that. Marcus was a nice guy, but he’d had a bad childhood, so he knew that marked a person. And he’d turned his life around in a bad spot, so he probably thought others could do the same. Plus, he was a born optimist.
“Do you not think it was Avery?” Alex asked.
“I don’t not think it. I just don’t think we should leap to conclusions when we don’t know much.”
“We know more.”
“Yeah. I’m glad we went,” she said. “I think it was worth the drive.”
“Me too.” He turned to her, smiled, and grabbed her hand to pull it into his lap. She knew he wasn’t talking about Marcus’s murder, and he was right. That was worth way more than a drive.
“So…”
“Hmm?”
“How are we going to tell everyone?”
“Tell them what?” He frowned. “About Avery?”
“No, about us.”
Alex chuckled. “It’s Sunday, Ted.”
“So?”
“We’re going to Jena’s for dinner. We walk up, holding hands, no one’s going to wonder a thing. By Monday afternoon, everyone in town will know. No announcement necessary. Done.”
“I was talking more about our parents.”
Desert Bound Page 16
