by Helen Brooks
Once he was gone, she sank slowly back into her chair, imagining a confrontation between the two men—Garek getting beat up and Robbie being hauled back to jail.
She hoped she never saw Garek again. But even more, she hoped he and Robbie never met.
Ellie was sitting on her couch that evening, across from Robbie and his friend Caspar, when the phone rang. Trying to ignore it, she pretended to study Caspar’s painting.
Caspar hadn’t been able to wait until tomorrow to show Ellie his work, so Robbie had invited him to come over. Caspar seemed nice enough—he was a tall, thin young man with lank brown hair and a skittish gaze—but Ellie hadn’t been too thrilled to find him in her apartment when she arrived home. His paintings held even less to thrill her. His bland landscapes did little to distract her from the shrill ringing of the telephone. Was it her imagination or did the phone actually sound angry?
“Ellie? Ellie? Are you there?” The harsh voice coming from the answering machine definitely sounded angry. “Pick up the phone, Ellie, or I’m coming over…”
Becoming angry herself, Ellie stalked over to the phone on the kitchen wall and snatched up the receiver. “I can’t talk right now,” she snapped. “What do you want?”
“What do you think I want?” he snarled. “I want an explanation of that message you left on my phone.”
“I don’t care what you want—” Seeing Robbie and Caspar eavesdropping with blatant interest, she hunched her shoulders and turned her back to them. “I don’t want to go out with you anymore, you snake,” she hissed, adding a few improvements to the calm, cool message she’d left earlier. “I don’t ever want to see you again, you miserable excuse for a human being. Which part don’t you understand?”
“Oh, I understand you’re upset about something. I just don’t understand what.”
“I had a little visit from your sister today. Let’s just say that she opened my eyes as to your true character.”
There was a long silence. Then, his voice grim, he said, “I’m coming up.”
“Coming up? What do you mean?” She ran over to the window and saw him getting out of his car, cell phone in hand. “No! You can’t—”
The line went dead. She saw him put the phone in his pocket and start up the stairs.
Panic assailed her. She didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want to talk to him. She wanted to hide. She’d get Robbie to tell him to go away…
Robbie!
Oh, dear heaven. There was no predicting how Robbie would behave.
The doorbell rang.
She wondered if there was any chance Garek would just leave if she ignored it.
The bell rang again—a long, extended ring, as if someone was holding his finger on the button.
“Robbie,” Ellie said. “Could you and Caspar please go into Martina’s room for a few minutes?”
Robbie frowned. “Who’s at the door? That guy you’re in love with?”
“I’m not in love with him! ”she snapped, her patience fraying badly. “I just need to talk to him—privately.”
Robbie didn’t move, his frown deepening. “You’re sure acting strangely, Ellie. Crying over this guy one minute and snapping at me the next—”
“She’s probably pregnant, man,” Caspar said. “That’s how my sister was when her old man knocked her up.”
“Pregnant!” A murderous rage lighting his brown eyes, Robbie took an impulsive step toward the front door.
Ellie caught his arm. “Robbie, I’m not pregnant!”
“My sister denied it too,” Caspar said. “But five months later she had little Willard. Cute kid. Except his head was kind of pointy—”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Ellie couldn’t take any more. “Robbie and Caspar, in the bedroom—now!”
Robbie looked as though he was going to refuse, but she gave him a stern look, and reluctantly he allowed her to push him toward the bedroom. “If you need any help,” he said, cracking his knuckles, “just call out and I’ll be glad to—”
Ellie slammed the door closed.
Taking a deep breath, she wiped her damp palms on her skirt, smoothed her hair, then marched over to the door and opened it.
Garek immediately shoved his way past her. “We need to talk.”
“About what? ”she said as coolly as shecould. “About the art foundation you started for your sister? Doreen told me how much she appreciates your efforts on her behalf.”
He gave her an unreadable look. “So?”
“So! So!” She stared at him in disbelief. “May I ask you one question? And please be honest. Did you know your sister would hate Vogel’s?”
He hesitated, then answered bluntly. “Yes.”
Pain lanced through Ellie’s heart. She wanted to creep into the bedroom and hide. But she couldn’t let herself hide from the truth any longer. She needed to know it all. “Did you deliberately choose Vogel’s to annoy her?”
He met her gaze, his own level. “Yes.”
The pain grew worse. “And did you go out with me for the same reason?”
“Yes.”
That was it, then. Her throat was so tight, she could barely speak. “Then there’s nothing more to say.” Afraid she was going to start crying, she turned away.
He caught her arm, and she blinked back her tears. She couldn’t cry—she wouldn’t. Not in front of him. She yanked free of his grasp and folded her arms across her chest, glaring. “Will you please leave? You accomplished everything you set out to do.”
Garek stepped back. He shoved his hands in his pockets, making no effort to defend himself. How could he? Everything she’d said was true. But somehow, at the same time it wasn’t true. He’d certainly started out the way she said. But nothing had turned out as he’d expected. He’d wanted to spite his sister—but it had been a long time since he’d even thought of that. He disliked contemporary art—but he enjoyed listening to Ellie’s enthusiasm for it. He’d gone out with her to teach Doreen a lesson—but somehow, when he was with Ellie, he forgot about his sister. He looked at her flushed cheeks and pursed lips. His gaze flickered down to her rounded breasts pushed up by her folded arms, then back up to meet her angry eyes headon. He wanted her with an intensity he’d never experienced before. He wanted her—and he wasn’t willing to give her up.
“Whatever I intended at the start of our relationship doesn’t really matter anymore. Everything has changed. I didn’t expect it to. I didn’t want it to. But there’s something between us, Ellie, something I can’t deny and neither can you. Come on,” he said, his voice low and seductive.“Admitit. You want me as much as I want you.”
“You’re crazy.” Ellie glared at him, hating the arrogant certainty in his tone. “How could I want you? Everything I thought I liked about you was a lie. You don’t like your family, you don’t like art or music. You don’t even like me.”
“You’re wrong, Ellie.” His hard gaze turned dark and sensual. “I do like you.”
Before she could move, he took her in his arms and kissed her. For a second, everything inside her went limp. He was right. She did want him. She did want to find out what was between them…
But she wasn’t completely stupid.
With every ounce of willpower she could summon, she pulled away from him. “No, Garek. I—”
“Hey, El,” a voice interrupted her. “You need some help getting rid of this jerk?”
As one, Garek and Ellie turned toward the bedroom.
Garek’s eyes narrowed when he saw the stranger standing in the doorway. Pierced and tattooed, the young man had the wiry build and mean eyes of a street kid, and he smelled of too much cologne. Who the hell was he and what was he doing in Ellie’s apartment?
Ellie didn’t appear too pleased at the stranger’s appearance either. “Robbie, I told you I can handle this myself.”
“Robbie?” Garek looked sharply at her. “Your cousin, I take it?”
She didn’t answer his question, all her attention focused on Robbie. “Please go back into M
artina’s room.”
“In a minute, prima.” The mean eyes met Garek’s. “First I want to find out what this perro’s intentions are.”
“And you wonder why I prefer to keep some distance between myself and family members?” Garek drawled.
Ellie didn’t look amused. “Garek, please be quiet—”
“Don’t worry, El, I’ll shut him up.” Robbie rushed at Garek.
Garek waited until the other man was almost on him, then quickly sidestepped.
Robbie went barreling past, crashing into the coffee table and shattering the lump of mud sculpture into a thousand pieces.
“Robbie! Garek! Stop this at once!”
Robbie didn’t appear to hear Ellie. A snarl on his face, he got up and hurtled back toward Garek. Garek met him with a punch to the gut, causing Robbie to double over. Garek grabbed him by the shoulders and followed with an uppercut to the jaw. Robbie collapsed to the floor.
With a shriek, Ellie rushed to her cousin’s side. “Robbie! Robbie! Are you all right?”
Wincing, Robbie sat up. “I think so,” he said thickly, rubbing his jaw. He glared at Garek. “Think you’re pretty tough, huh? This isn’t over. Not by a long shot. You’re not getting away with what you did to Ellie. You’re going to have to do right by her—”
“Caspar!” Ellie called out hastily, cutting her cousin off. “Come help me with Robbie!”
Garek, leaning against the door to catch his breath, watched as another man came out of Martina’s room and helped Ellie support Robbie into the bedroom. Pieces of the lump-of-mud sculpture made crunching noises as the trio stepped on them, pulverizing them into dust. “Don’t worry, man,” Garek heard Caspar mumble to Robbie. “We’ll figure something out—”
Ellie shut the door and came back into the living room.
“Charming cousin you have,” Garek said.
She glared at him. “Did you have to hit him?” she asked indignantly.
Garek folded his arms across his chest. “He at tacked me.”
“Well, you didn’t need to be so…so violent.”
Garek, recognizing a woman’s illogic when he saw it, forbore to respond. Instead, he asked, “What was he talking about? What have I done to you?”
Her gaze slid away and she hunched her shoulders irritably. “Nothing. Would you please leave now? I think you’ve caused enough trouble for one night.”
“I’m not leaving until we get this mess straightened out between us—”
The bedroom door flew open again.
Ellie turned. “What is it now—” She stopped.
Once again, Robbie stood in the doorway. Only this time, he held a gun.
Chapter Nine
“Robbie!” Ellie cried. “What are you doing? Put that gun away!”
Garek looked at the gun, then at Robbie. “Don’t be a fool, Hernandez,” he said coldly.
Ellie moved in front of Garek. “Robbie,” she pleaded. “Remember what happened last time you shot someone.”
“Rafe was an ass, Ellie. He deserved to be shot in the rear end.”
Garek, tense and watchful, frowned at the name. Rafe…Ellie’s ex-boyfriend?
He tried to pull her behind him, but she yanked away. “Get out of the way,” he growled at her, “before your idiot cousin shoots you.”
Ellie didn’t budge. “Garek will leave, Robbie. You don’t need a gun.”
“Who said I want him to leave? Caspar and I came up with a better idea.” His gaze on Garek, Robbie ground a dirt clod from the sculpture under his heel. “My aim has improved since the business with Rafe, perro. You better do what I tell you, or you’ll be sorry.”
“What is it you want?”
“You’re going to marry Ellie,” Robbie said deliberately. “My friend Caspar here is an ordained minister.”
Caspar gave a little wave from the bedroom.
“Robbie!” Ellie was horrified. “Are you insane?” She sniffed the air, then looked at him suspiciously. “Were you smoking something while you were in the bedroom?”
“No way,” Robbie said. “I’m clean. I just want your baby to have a daddy.”
Ellie felt, rather than saw, Garek turn to stare at her. Her cheeks burned, but she didn’t look away from her cousin. “Robbie, I told you before I’m not pregnant. Put that gun down right now—” She started forward, only to stop when Garek put his arm around her shoulders. She glanced up at him and received a shock. In spite of his cool facade, a muscle ticced in his jaw, and fury blazed in his eyes. A sick feeling of dread rose insideher.
“Very well,” he said to Robbie. “Let’s hurry up and get this over with, then.”
Triumph flashed in Robbie’s eyes. Keeping the gun trained on Garek, he stepped aside so Caspar could emerge from the room. The tall thin man approached the happy couple and opened a white leather prayer book.
“Dearly beloved…” he proclaimed.
Ellie’s body jerked in silent protest. The arm around her shoulders tightened.
“Better to play along,” Garek said to her under cover of Caspar’s booming voice, “than to risk someone getting hurt. We can deal with it afterward.”
“No,” she said stubbornly. “Robbie, I refuse to go through with this ceremony. What are you going to do about it? Shoot me?”
His big brown eyes took on a wounded look. “You know I would never hurt you, Ellie,” he said indignantly. “I would just have to shoot your boyfriend.”
“That’s not funny, Robbie.” She knew he didn’t really mean it. But then he hadn’t really meant to shoot Rafe, either. Could she ever forgive herself if he accidentally hurt Garek?
When she didn’t say anything for a few seconds, Caspar cleared his throat. “Do you, Garek, take this woman…”
“This is ridiculous!” she burst out. “It’s completely illegal. Don’t we have to have blood tests or something?”
Caspar shook his head. “The law is much more lenient nowadays. Blood tests aren’t required.”
“But what about a license? We have to have a license!”
“Don’t worry,” Caspar informed her. “I can print a blank one off the Internet. They’re good in any state.”
As Caspar proceeded with the ceremony, Ellie glanced despairingly at Garek, hoping for some help.
He was watching her with a cynical twist to his mouth that made her stiffen. How dare he look at her like that? As if…as if he thought she wanted to marry him.
Garek made his responses in a calm, cool voice that caused her to grit her teeth. She had to choke out the words.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Caspar said.
“Congratulations,” Robbie said, beaming at the two of them over the top of his gun.
“Thanks,” Garek said, his voice full of sarcasm. “We appreciate your…good wishes. You two can leave now. My…wife and I would like to be alone.”
Robbie shook his head. “No way. We’ve got to make sure this marriage starts off right.”
Ellie didn’t know what he was talking about and at this point she didn’t care. She felt completely drained. This night that she’d so looked forward to had turned into a nightmare. The only good thing about it was that it couldn’t possibly get any worse…
“You two need a wedding night.” Robbie sat down on a chair and used the gun to motion the couple toward Ellie’s bedroom. “And I’m goingto make sure you get it.”
Inside the bedroom, the newlyweds stared at each other for a long moment.
Ellie broke the silence first. “So what do we do now?”
He shrugged. “Go to bed.” He sat down on the mattress and lay back, watching her. “I hope you don’t snore.”
She stared at him. “You’ve got to be joking.”
“No, I’m not. I’m a light sleeper and snoring keeps me awake—”
“Not about that.” She waved her hand impatiently. “I mean about spending the night here. Together.”
He put his hands behind his head. “I don’t see that we h
ave much choice.”
“Are you crazy? We do have a choice. We can wait until Robbie falls asleep. Or we can try to go through the window—”
“Too dangerous. I have no desire to risk waking your trigger-happy cousin, or to get shot in the rear as I try to shimmy out the window.” He dismissed her plans with a yawn, then patted the mattress beside him. “Come to bed…wife.”
Ellie couldn’t stop staring at him. Was he insane? She knew he was angry. Why wasn’t he yelling at her? Why was he pretending this marriage was real? “Garek, stop fooling around.”
“Who’s fooling?” In one swift, graceful motion, he rose to his feet and crossed the room to where she still stood by the door. He put his hands on the wooden panel on either side of her head and bent down to touch his mouth lightly to hers. “We have all night—let’s make the most of it.”
His mouth closed over hers, and she forgot to think. The attraction that she’d tried to deny flared up immediately, swamping her brain with Technicolor emotions, flooding her body with fluorescent sensations.
She responded blindly, instinctively. His arms came around her, hers curled around his neck. His grip on her tightened; then suddenly, he lifted her and carried her across the room.
He laid her gently on the bed, still kissing her, pulling off his coat and shirt and quickly unbuttoning her blouse. His warm hand cupped the curve of her breast.
Air grated in her lungs. She felt as though she were on fire. His kiss wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t tentative or kind or respectful. Instead, it was hungry, carnal, overwhelming, unstoppable. His mouth pulled on hers, as if trying to suck the very soul out of her, so he could take possession of it, take possession of her…
She broke away, gasping for air. “Stop,” she panted. “We can’t do this…”
He kissed the line of her throat, down to the curves of her lace-covered breasts. His fingers undid the button of her skirt, and eased down the zipper, spreading the fabric to expose a scrap of silk and a line of lace. “Why not? You got what you wanted, didn’t you? Marriage to Chicago’s Most Eligible Bachelor…”
The sarcasm in his voice broke through the haze threatening to envelope her. What was he talking about? Did the conceited jerk really think she wanted this? That she wanted to marry him, a man who was using her to punish his sister?
