Glancing up, she noticed Dino with his nose about an inch from the wall. He cursed low and raised his hand to pluck something from the wall near the side of her vanity mirror. “What the…”
From her spot across the small room, she squinted at the tiny black object in his hand, two long wires dangling from the back of it. “What is that?”
Dino held it up before him between his thumb and forefinger. “Nanny cam.”
“Nanny cam?”
“Yeah. People install them a lot to spy on their staff.” He dropped it on the floor in front of him, and it crunched loudly as he crushed it beneath his boot. “Nasty little devices.”
“Someone’s spying… on me?” Coupled with the other ghastly things swirling through her brain, her rising panic swelled into a tsunami of uncontrollable anxiety. Her chest constricted, and her throat swelled, severing her oxygen supply. She hadn’t had an attack like this since high school. Always before a huge test, always when she felt least able to cope. Wheezing and coughing, Jan doubled forward, her vision tunneling as the room around her faded.
Hyperventilating. She was hyperventilating, and the one person who’d always helped her before was completely off-limits now. With her head between her knees, she did her best to calm her rioting body, but it was no use. Dizziness swamped her system, and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind she’d face-plant on the floor in front of her in ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six…
“Jesus, Jan.” As if conjured from her long-ago memories, Dino swept in and took her in his arms, cradling her against his strong, warm chest and stroking her back softly, whispering words of solace in her ear just like he used to.
It felt so good, like she was back where she was always meant to be. She clutched the front of his shirt in her fingers like a drowning man grasping at a life raft. Slowly, his soothing words and steady warmth seeped into her frozen fears and thawed her from the inside out. By the time the attack ended, her forehead rested against the hollow of his throat, and his fingers were tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck, massaging softly. How long she’d sat pressed against him like that, she had no idea. It felt like an eternity but had probably only been a minute or two at most. She wanted it to last forever.
Cheeks hot and mouth dry, she raised her head to look up at him.
“Okay now?” he asked, his fingers stilling against her scalp.
She nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. This close, she could see the worry warring with desire in his intense blue gaze.
“Good.” His fingers slipped lower, to cup the side of her neck and tilt her face up to his as he lowered his head to hers. Her stomach did a slow flip as she focused on his soft, full lips descending toward hers. Her eyes heavy-lidded and her muscles loose and pliant for him. Always for him.
Only him.
“So good,” he whispered against her mouth before capturing her lips with his in a kiss full of such want and yearning, she would’ve melted into a puddle of goo at his feet, if she wasn’t already nestled in his lap. She adjusted her position, moving so that her thighs straddled him, one on either side of his hips. His free hand at her waist pulled her tighter against him, and she released his shirt to slide her hands up his chest and into his hair, keeping him close.
Jan traced his full bottom lip with her tongue and smiled against him as he groaned and opened for her. She took advantage, tasting him, exploring the warm, wet, delicious depths of his mouth like she’d dreamed of since their last heated encounter days earlier. Back in high school, he’d always been in charge sexually. Now though, Jan was her own woman. Successful, strong-willed, a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Right now, she wanted Dino Machiavelli. More than her next breath. More than anything.
“My Jany,” he moaned low in his throat and ground his hips against her, allowing her to feel his growing arousal. He yanked her white button-down shirt from the waistband of her jeans and slipped his fingers beneath to touch her bare skin while she dug her nails into his scalp, remembering how he’d always loved that back in the day. Dino tore his mouth from hers and trailed his lips across her cheek to her ear. “You are so beautiful. You feel amazing.”
She opened her mouth to tell him how amazing he felt too, how beautiful she found him, but never got the chance. A loud, hard buzz came from the front pocket of his T-shirt, where he’d slipped his phone earlier.
“Shit.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ve got to get this. It could be the team. I’m sorry.”
Jan took a deep breath and dropped her forehead to his chest once more as he pulled the device from his pocket and scowled down at the screen. His sigh sounded as disappointed as she felt.
“I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of her head then lifted her off of him and set her aside. “I’ve got to go.”
“Really? Now?”
Dino sat forward and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, hair she’d mussed with her own fingers. Her fingertips itched to do it again, but now wasn’t the time. From his serious expression, he’d obviously switched back into work mode, and so should she. Lou was probably pitching a small fit in the recording studio by now, and she still had three more tracks to lay down today. She had a deadline, and it had to be met, no matter how many stalkers left presents in her dressing room.
He pushed to his feet, and so did she.
“Listen, we’ll talk about this later, okay? I’m sorry to leave like this, but promise me you’ll stay in the building while I’m gone. I’ll be back as soon as I can, all right?”
“Okay.” The word croaked out of her parched throat, and she took a large gulp of water to swallow the lump of tension and regret in her throat. Tension because he was leaving her. Regret for the same reason. “I’ve got a ton of work to do today anyway.”
“Okay.” He kissed the top of her head once more then headed for the door. He looked back, a lingering look full of longing that made her heart leap. “Be safe.”
“You too.” She stood there after he’d gone, staring at the closed door. She sank back down on the sofa and closed her eyes, forcing herself not to stare at the magazines and papers still left behind or the fact that her body still vibrated with passion for the one man she’d never thought she’d see again.
Now, he was back in her life, and if his body’s reaction to hers had been any indication, he wanted her as much as she wanted him. But then her trust issues kicked in and made her wonder, what the hell could have been so important that he’d put such an abrupt ending to a reunion that had been fifteen years in the making?
Ten
Dino pulled his Tahoe up in front of his two-story, white stucco home, parking cockeyed in the driveway. He jammed the transmission into Park and rubbed his hands over his eyes, the smell of Jan’s floral scent still clinging to his skin. Leaving her, when all he’d wanted to do was bury himself deep inside her warm, welcoming body and never return, had been the second hardest thing he’d ever had to do. The first had been walking away from her house fifteen years ago, soaked to the bone from the pouring rain and knowing that he’d lost the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He cursed and bit his lips, putting his head back and staring out the moonroof of his SUV at the blue sky above. The taste of her still lingered on his tongue, and his heartbeat still pounded against his chest, his breath faster than normal as he struggled to put a damper on his raging desire. He’d wanted her, pure and simple, and if he hadn’t received that damned text from Stacy, there would’ve been a good chance he would’ve taken her. Right there in her dressing room.
Shit.
Sitting forward again, he rested his forehead against his forearms on the steering wheel and took a deep, steadying breath. Frustrated as he was presently, the text had probably been a good thing. His Jan deserved better than a quick tryst on an old sofa.
His Jan.
He smiled, small and rueful. There were two words he’d never thought he’d say again.
Was she his?
He dared to hope. It had certainly seemed like she wanted the same thing he did, but for how long? Maybe she only wanted a quick fling with her bodyguard ... or maybe the anxiety over those magazines had messed with her mind, made her seek solace in kissing him when she never would have normally.
Warning bells went off in his head. As much as he wanted Jan, he needed to tread carefully. Needed to know that she wanted to be with him for real and not because of some false emotions brought on by this stalker.
Speaking of which, Dino didn’t like the way those magazines had been planted in her dressing room. Who had access? And what was the stalker’s agenda? What he’d told Jan about most stalkers not typically escalating to confrontation was true, yet he had a niggle of a doubt. There was always a chance this one would ... and he couldn’t take that chance, not with Jan. Even though he knew she would be safe in broad daylight inside a building full of people, he hated having to leave her, but Stacy needed him too. That was his flaw, always trying to fix things for the underdog ... and right now Stacy definitely needed fixing.
Dino lifted his head and stared out the windshield at the front of his house. He’d bought it a few years back, after he’d taken the job at Rockford Security. It was modest, compared to most of the other homes in the Summerlin areas, but it was new and safe and a far cry from anything he’d ever known growing up. All good things in his book.
Through the midday sun, he spotted Stacy pacing the length of his small porch. He watched her for a moment, surprised to find her looking normal for a change. Her hair was combed back into a tidy bun, and she had on a clean, neat waitress uniform from the buffet where she worked. Even her steps, usually stumbling and hesitant because of her addictions, appeared normal.
Instead of feeling relieved over Stacy’s improved appearance, however, Dino felt annoyed. Resentful. If things were finally going well for her, why the hell did she need to screw up Dino’s life by pulling him away from Jan? Especially now that she needed him the most.
Irritated, he climbed out of the Tahoe and slammed the door behind him before stalking up to the porch. “What the hell is going on, Stacy?”
“I needed to talk to you.”
“Talk to me? I’m working, and I’m in the middle of an important job. Whatever you’ve got to say better be life or death.”
“I need money.” She stopped and met his gaze before looking away again.
“Money?” He curled his fingers into tight fists. “You called me away from my job because you need money?”
“Yes.”
Dino swallowed hard and did his best not to let his rising anger leak into his voice. “What? The cash you stole from my wallet the other day wasn’t enough?”
Stacy at least had the decency to wince. “Sorry about that. I was going to give it back, but—”
“But you gambled it away.” Dino raised a hand and shook his head at her disbelieving expression. “It’s always the same story, Stacy. It’s what you always do.”
“It wasn’t my fault. The house was cheating.”
“The house is always cheating, Stacy. You and I have both lived here long enough to know that. The odds are always stacked in their favor, and if you play long enough you will always lose.”
She frowned. “Save the clichés, okay? I’m in real trouble here. I borrowed some money to enter into the poker tournament at Binion’s and—”
“Who?”
"Huh?"
“Who did you borrow it from?” His gaze narrowed on her face. If she’d been stupid enough to cross one of the local mafia guys, even he wouldn’t be able to help her out of it this time.
“A friend.”
“A friend with ties to the mob?”
“Not that I know of, no.”
He exhaled slowly and scrubbed a hand over his face. Well, at least there was that. “So? You entered this poker tournament and what?” He threw his hands up. “Wait. Let me guess. They were cheating too?”
Stacy crossed her arms and glared at him, her green eyes downright hostile. “I was doing just fine until I lost my lucky keychain.”
“Hang on.” He pulled out his phone and pretended to dial.
“What are you doing now?”
“I’m calling the police. I’m sure they’ll want to put out an APB on your missing keychain. Do you have a description?”
She flipped him off in reply.
“Nice. But I think the police tend to prefer more than obscene finger gestures as a description.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket and placed his hands on his hips, tapping out a staccato rhythm on the pavement with the toe of his black boot. “Look, what exactly do you expect me to do about your little problem, huh?”
“I expect you to help me get it back.”
“Get what back?”
“My keychain. I’m sure one of those bitches working the table stole it when I wasn’t looking.”
He shook his head and looked away. “Unbelievable.”
“What?” She scowled over at him, squinting.
“You. You’ve just got an excuse for everything, don’t you?” Dino waved his hand dismissively and swiveled toward his car again. “Forget it. I don’t have time for this shit anymore. I’m in the middle of something.”
“Wait!” Stacy jogged around in front of him, blocking his path. “I need more money to pay back the other person I borrowed from.” She stared up at him, her expression morphing from peeved to pleading. “Please? Just a couple hundred.”
“Why would you think I’d give you anything after you stole from me, Stacy? You know all you had to do was ask and I would’ve given you what I could. But no, you took it.”
“Borrowed. I borrowed it from you, Dino. I swear I thought I’d asked you. You know how I get sometimes, with my head all cloudy and my thoughts all scrambled.” She hung her head, her slim shoulders trembling. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I promise I just borrowed it, and I will pay you back. Every cent. You have my word.”
Dino rolled his stiff neck to release the knot of tension that had formed between his shoulder blades. Stacy’s word was worth about as much as a counterfeit two-dollar bill. He’d always considered any money he gave her a gift. He knew he’d never see a dime of it back, ever. No matter how many promises she made. Until the other day, he’d never minded helping her out, even considered it a worthy cause if it helped her get her life back on track. But then she’d stolen from him and things changed. She’d betrayed his trust, and Dino didn’t deal well with betrayal.
At his continued silence, she sniffled loudly, real tears streaming down her cheeks when she looked up at him again. “If I don’t pay them back the money, they’ll come after me.”
He groaned. “Aw, shit. I warned you about those guys, Stacy. You swore you’d call me before you ever took anything from the mob guys. Which loan shark was it?”
Her posture slumped. “Vinnie, over at the Tropicana.”
Dino cringed. “Vinnie? Christ, he’s the worst. You could’ve robbed a Seven-Eleven and done better than him.”
“I know, I know.” She swiped the back of a shaky hand under her eyes. “But I was desperate, and he was available and—”
“Please tell me money’s the only thing you got from him.” He clenched his teeth and loomed over her, feeling more like a pissed-off dad than a friend at the moment. “Stacy?”
“Yes. It was only money.”
“Like it was only a friend you borrowed from?”
“No.” She met his gaze directly, anger sparking hot in her green eyes. “This time I’m serious. I’m a gambler, not a hooker.”
“And there’s nobody else you can get the money from?”
“I can’t go to Jan with this, if that’s what you mean.”
“Does she even know about this other side to your life?”
“No.” She met his gaze directly. “And she can’t either. Ever.”
Part of him knew he should walk away right now. Leave Stacy alone to sort out her own problems for a change. Th
at really was the only way she’d learn. But the other part of him, the part of him that was still a scared kid cowering in the corner while his dad rampaged through the house, ripping apart everything in sight, that kid couldn’t turn his back on Stacy. They were kindred souls, him and her. Both battered by circumstance and shaped by what might have been.
He sighed and pulled out his wallet, freshly filled from a stop at the ATM that morning. He didn’t miss the way Stacy’s eyes widened at the wad of bills he’d neatly tucked into the slot, and he made a mental note to keep his cash where he could see it until he safely departed the premises. A sound echoed from between the closely packed homes on his street, and he looked up to see one of his neighbors eyeing him and Stacy with obvious suspicion. He caught enough grief around here for being a single male homeowner. The last thing he needed was for his nosy neighbors to think he was engaged in illicit activities as well. He pulled Stacy farther into the shadows and whispered, “How much do you need?”
“Two grand.”
“Two grand?” His voice rose, and he crossed his arms, tucking his wallet safely under his arm and out of her reach. The snooping neighbor now stood openly in his front yard, watching them. Perfect. He bent closer to Stacy and growled, “That’s way more than a couple hundred.”
“Two thousand, and Vinnie will be gone from my life.” She clasped her hands in front of her as if in prayer. “Please? I’ll owe you big time.”
He grumbled under his breath and took her arm, hauling her toward the SUV. “Get in. I’ll have to hit the bank for that kind of cash.”
Once they were both in the vehicle, Stacy leaned over and hugged him tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Whatever.” He started the engine and backed out of the driveway fast, his tires squealing as he punched the accelerator. He wanted to punch something else too, like Vinnie’s face in, for conning a sweet, vulnerable girl like Stacy into taking a “loan” from him when it was obvious she had serious addiction problems. Dino squeezed the steering wheel tightly in his hands and zoomed out of Summerlin and back into Las Vegas proper, heading for his local bank branch. There went his vacation fund. A vacation he desperately needed after weathering a week of being in such close proximity to Jan. As he turned into the drive-through and filled out his withdrawal slip, he did his best not to think about the scorching kiss he’d walked away from earlier or the gruesome gift the stalker had left for Jan.
Deadly Betrayal (The Rockford Security Series Book 1) Page 8
