“Oh, honey…” The gentle compassion in Janie’s gaze nearly brought Daniela to tears. “What are you going to do?”
“What else can I do? I have to tell him the truth.”
“What about the investigation?”
“I don’t know,” Daniela said miserably. “I’m not even so sure that Crandall Thorne is guilty of anything other than making really bad decisions in his choice of clientele. And even if he is shady, who says it’s my place to prove it? Hoyt Philbin? For all we know, Philbin may have one or two skeletons in his own closet!”
“Don’t say that too loudly,” Janie said grimly. “In this town, Hoyt Philbin can do no wrong. There’s a reason most people wanted him to run for another mayoral term, even though he wasn’t eligible.”
“I know, I know,” Daniela mumbled. “Kenny thinks the man walks on water because of all the good things he did for the city, and for African-Americans, while he was in office.”
“His record does speak for itself,” Janie pointed out. “And the fact that he’s married to an African-American woman scores big points with the black folks in this city.”
“I know. But the point is, Philbin obviously has an ax to grind with Crandall Thorne, and none of us really know the whole story, or his true motivation for wanting to bring Thorne down.” She shook her head wistfully. “I’m such a fool for getting myself into this, for not anticipating the possibility that…that…” She couldn’t even bring herself to utter the heartrending words again. Janie knew.
“I can’t keep deceiving Caleb like this,” Daniela finished, her voice husky with emotion.
Janie nodded sympathetically. “Talk to Noah first,” she suggested. “He’ll understand, and he may be able to come up with some ideas that might help you. Don’t forget your exit strategy.”
Of course, Daniela thought bitterly. How could I forget my exit strategy? According to the original plan devised by her brothers, after getting the goods on Crandall Thorne, she was supposed to “conveniently” withdraw from law school and quietly disappear from Caleb’s life. If anyone asked, she was to say that she’d had a change of heart about pursuing a law degree, and leave it at that.
It had all seemed so plausible in the beginning, so straightforward and easy.
Now the idea of walking out of Caleb’s life sent unimaginable pain knifing through her heart.
Janie glanced at her watch and frowned. “I have to pick up the twins from school,” she murmured regretfully to Daniela. She signaled the waiter for the check, and a moment later he bustled over to drop the bill onto their table.
As Daniela reached inside her purse for money, Janie said quickly, “Don’t worry about it. Lunch is on me.”
Daniela gave her a wan smile. “You don’t have to buy me lunch because you feel sorry for me.”
“Of course I do. But that’s not the reason I’m buying.” Her eyes glowed with warmth. “Kenny told me you talked him into offering me the secretary position. I owe you big time, El.”
Daniela waved off the gratitude. “Don’t mention it. Remember, you’re doing us a favor, as well. You’re rescuing us from the incompetence of people who have no business calling themselves administrative professionals.”
Janie chuckled, settling the bill and rising from her chair. “And you’re helping me save my marriage. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, Daniela, just name it.”
Unless Janie possessed the ability to turn back the hand of time, Daniela doubted there was much anyone could do to help her out of the mess she’d made of her life.
Chapter 16
Later that night, Daniela was awakened from a fitful sleep by the ringing of the doorbell. Groaning, she rolled over in bed and squinted at the clock on her nightstand, frowning when she saw that it was ten o’clock. She’d gone to bed early to escape the beginnings of a stress-induced migraine, and had only just drifted off to sleep.
As she flung back the covers and padded barefoot into the closet for her robe, she wondered if her mother had decided to return home a day early. But Pamela Roarke would have her own key, so it couldn’t be her. The only other possibility was that Kenneth had taken it upon himself to pay Daniela a visit in order to find out how dinner had gone at Crandall Thorne’s ranch. He’d been trying to reach Daniela on her cell phone all day, and she’d purposefully ignored his calls, not ready to share with him the momentous decision she’d made about her role in the undercover investigation. She knew he would go ballistic, and would do everything in his power to talk, or bully, her out of it.
That’s not going to happen, she muttered under her breath as she neared the front door, angrily tugging her robe together. If Kenneth Roarke wanted a fight, she’d damned well give him one.
By the time she swung open the door, the hostile challenge was on the tip of her tongue. “I swear to God, Kenny—”
But it was not her older brother who stood on the doorstep, a bemused expression on his face. Daniela’s heart slammed against her rib cage at the sight of Caleb, looking ruggedly appealing in low-rise blue jeans, a white T-shirt and well-worn brown leather cowboy boots. “Caleb?” she whispered in disbelief.
“This time I don’t have to ask if you were expecting someone else,” he said sardonically. “Who’s Kenny?”
“My brother,” she answered, too stunned to take umbrage at his possessive tone.
He frowned. “I thought your brother’s name was Noah.”
“I have two, remember?” She searched his handsome face in the warm, buttery glow of the porch light. “What are you doing here, Caleb?”
“I came to give you a ride.”
Heat stung her cheeks at the low, silky timbre of his voice. “I thought I said—”
“Not that kind of ride.” Mouth twitching, Caleb looked pointedly over his shoulder, and standing on tiptoe, Daniela followed the direction of his gaze. Her eyes widened at the sight of a black-and-silver Harley-Davidson parked at the curb in front of her house.
“Is that yours?” she asked in a voice tinged with awe.
He nodded, a half grin curving his mouth. “I couldn’t have you doubting the existence of my Harley, now could I?”
Daniela couldn’t suppress the delighted laughter that bubbled up from her throat.
Caleb gazed down at her. “Take a ride with me, Daniela,” he coaxed huskily.
Her mouth went dry. “Now? It’s after ten o’clock.”
“Which means the night is still young.”
He was right, of course, but she knew better than to accept his dangerous invitation. She’d be playing with fire, plunging herself into deeper trouble than she was already in. And yet, she wanted nothing more than to be with him, knowing tonight would probably be her last opportunity. After tonight, there would be no more Caleb, no more nerve-racking classroom debates, no more laughter and loving. As she contemplated the bleak days, weeks and months that lay ahead of her, she told herself she deserved this one night, this final taste of bliss.
She smiled up at Caleb. “Give me five minutes to throw on some clothes.”
His gaze darkened as it traveled the length of her body, as if he had X-ray vision that enabled him to see through the chenille fabric of her robe. “By all means,” he murmured, a wolfish gleam in his eyes that made her pulse quicken.
She gestured him inside the house, then pivoted on her heel and headed quickly for her bedroom. As she hurriedly dressed, she felt like a giddy teenager sneaking out after curfew with the irresistible bad boy from school.
She called out, “Where are we going, by the way?”
“Just for a ride. Dress comfortably.”
Five minutes later, she emerged wearing a short-sleeved red shirt and her favorite pair of blue jeans over ankle-length leather boots. She liked the way the stretch denim molded her legs and rode low on her hips, leaving her navel exposed.
So, apparently, did Caleb. He turned at her reappearance and swore softly under his breath. Concealing a pleased grin, Daniela grabbed her keys and
stuffed her driver’s license into the back pocket of her jeans so that she wouldn’t have to carry her purse.
As they left the house and started across the front yard, Daniela waved at her neighbor, Mrs. Flores, who was peeking at them from behind the lace curtains of her living room window across the street. Grinning, Caleb also waved to the old woman, then laughed in surprise when a pale, bony hand lifted slowly in greeting.
Daniela gaped at him. “I think she likes you!” she said accusingly.
Caleb chuckled. “Hey, what can I say?”
“No woman is immune,” Daniela grumbled. “Not even paranoid, ninety-eight-year-old spinsters who live alone.”
That drew another low laugh from Caleb. But as they reached the Harley parked at the curb, their attention was quickly diverted.
Hands braced on hips, Caleb eyed the shiny motorcycle with an appreciation that Daniela shared. “Ain’t she a beauty? An XL 1200C Custom Sportster—from the one-hundredth anniversary series. Torque like you wouldn’t believe.” He ran one hand across the gleaming steel engine compartment. “Sweet.”
Daniela had to agree, admiring the bike’s sleek, classic lines and shiny two-tone finish. “Very sweet. I’m glad she really exists.”
Caleb grinned, picking up one of the matching black-and-silver helmets and passing it to her. He watched as she donned the helmet before he put on the other one and nimbly straddled the motorcycle.
With mounting excitement, Daniela climbed onto the leather seat behind him and wrapped her arms around his broad torso. The powerful engine rumbled to life, grabbing her heart and making it pump hard and fast. She tightened her arms around Caleb until he laughed.
“Easy on the ribs, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”
She could barely hear him above the roar of the engine, but she knew she was in good hands. She trusted Caleb with her life—literally, it now seemed.
He pulled away from the curb and sped off down the quiet, tree-lined street, making it to the highway in record time. At that late hour there was very little traffic, and Caleb took full advantage, weaving easily between lanes. Daniela pressed her head against his back and reveled in the wind rushing through the uncovered ends of her hair, whipping it about their faces. The engine pounded relentlessly beneath them, a living being consisting of silver and chrome, pumping, throbbing, burning, until Daniela felt as if she were one with the bike. She nestled closer to Caleb, feeling as if they, too, were one.
The Harley boasted a four-speaker enhanced sound system, so that when Caleb cranked a Lenny Kravitz song, she felt every pulsing vibration of the electrical guitar and Lenny’s raw rock lyrics in her bones. Caleb sang and bobbed his head in time with “Fly Away,” and, laughing, Daniela joined him. She felt joyously weightless, as if she were made of nothing but air. Though she’d ridden a motorcycle before, she couldn’t remember the ride being so utterly exhilarating, so liberating.
Caleb took them into the bright lights of downtown San Antonio, zipping past beautiful old Spanish colonial buildings, and billboards advertising various local restaurants and Spurs’ season tickets. Before long, Daniela realized that their destination was either the Riverwalk—or Caleb’s apartment. Her heart raced at the latter possibility.
He pulled into the parking garage connected to the Towers of the Majestic and parked in his assigned space. Killing the ignition, he pulled off his helmet and swung his long leg from the Harley with fluid ease.
Daniela waited as he turned and lifted her easily out of the seat, setting her gently on her feet. Grinning, she removed her helmet and shook her curly mane forward, then backward, like some model in a shampoo commercial.
Caleb stared at her. “Do that again.”
“What? This?” She swung out her hair again, and he groaned softly.
“God, everything you do turns me on.”
She felt a thrill of pleasure, thinking that the feeling was mutual.
He grasped her hand, and together they started across the parking garage until they came to the street exit, joining the flow of other people heading down to the Riverwalk in search of exciting nightlife. Daniela didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that they weren’t going up to Caleb’s apartment.
“We’ll come back afterward,” he said low in her ear, as if he’d read her mind. “I want you to see my place.”
Daniela’s belly flip-flopped. “I’d like that,” she told him, meaning it.
They crossed the next intersection and descended a staircase leading down to the Riverwalk, a meandering stretch of water that shimmered under the starry sky. Lapsing into companionable silence, Caleb and Daniela strolled, hand in hand, past a promenade of riverside restaurants, clubs, bistros and boutiques that featured a charming array of Mexican-made products, imports, art and clothing. As the two followed the winding path of the river, the sounds changed. First an acoustic guitar and companion cello, serenading the warm night air and drifting from the open door of a restaurant. And then, just a few steps later, the dueling guitars of native Mariachis sprinkled the evening with the festive culture for which the city was best known.
As Daniela took it all in, she felt an indescribable sense of completion wash over her and settle deep into her soul. She’d lived in San Antonio all her life, had been downtown more times than she could recall. But never before had the Riverwalk seemed more magical to her. With Caleb by her side, it was a breathtaking wonderland of soft light and beauty, where romance was thick upon the warm night air, and nothing else mattered but this enchanting moment in time.
The line to board the river barges was always shorter at night than during the daytime, when tourists crowded onto the sidewalk with their cameras and bags filled with souvenirs. Caleb bought two tickets at the window, and in no time at all they were at the front of the line. As Daniela watched, he murmured a low greeting to the fresh-faced Hispanic youth taking tickets and slipped a large bill into the boy’s eager palm. When the next water taxi pulled into port, only Caleb and Daniela boarded, moving to the very back of the barge for more privacy.
As they started off, she sent Caleb a teasing look. “So now we’re resorting to bribery to get what we want?”
His grin flashed white in the moonlit darkness. “Only when absolutely necessary.”
“Of course,” Daniela said with mock sobriety.
Caleb leaned close, his breath a soft, sweet whisper against her face. “You don’t like being alone with me?” he murmured huskily.
His words sent a melting warmth rushing through her. She swallowed, gazing into his onyx eyes. “I think you already know the answer to that.”
He smiled, dark and seductive. Her belly quivered in response.
The tour guide took one look at them, and correctly guessed that they weren’t interested in a narrated ride. With a quiet, conspiratorial smile, he put away his microphone and simply concentrated on steering, his back turned to them.
As the barge drifted lazily down the winding, moonlit river, Caleb and Daniela paid scant attention to the colorful sights and sounds around them, so absorbed in each other that everything else ceased to exist.
“It’s such a beautiful night.” Daniela sighed as Caleb draped an arm over the back of the seat behind her. “The weather is perfect, not too warm or muggy. Just perfect.”
“Like everything else about this night,” Caleb agreed. He shook his head slowly, his expression soft with wonder as he stared at her. “I’ve been to the Riverwalk a thousand times before, but I can’t remember ever enjoying this place as much as I am now.”
Daniela’s heart clutched and she glanced down, murmuring, “I had the same thought a while ago.”
Hearing the note of sorrow in her voice, Caleb tipped her chin up to meet his probing gaze. “That’s not a bad thing, Daniela,” he said softly. “There’s a reason we both feel this way.”
I already know the reason, she thought moodily. My reason, anyway.
“Should we be out in public together like t
his?” she asked, allowing a trace of apprehension to intrude upon what had to be one of the most romantic nights of her life, second only to the slow dance on the hilltop terrace of his father’s ranch. “What if someone from St. Mary’s sees us?”
“I can’t worry about that,” said Caleb, the piercing intensity of his dark gaze taking her breath away. “Ever since I saw you in class this morning, all I’ve been doing is thinking of ways to get you alone to myself. God, Daniela, I don’t know how I’m going to make it through an entire semester with you sitting, front and center, in the second row. I’m so distracted I can’t think straight.”
She couldn’t help but grin, her toes tingling inside her boots at the ragged frustration in his voice. “You seem to be managing very well. No one would ever guess how distracted you are, especially when they’re in the hot seat.”
Caleb laughed. “You handled the hot seat exceptionally well.”
Her grin widened. “Considering how terrified I was, that’s saying a lot.”
He eyed her with amused curiosity. “Did I terrify you, Daniela?”
“Only half the time.” She slanted him a naughty look beneath her lashes. “The other half of the time, I wanted to jump your bones. From the very first day of class, you caught me daydreaming about kissing you.”
He chuckled softly, his warm lips finding her ear as he confessed, “Then that makes two of us.”
A hot flush heated her skin as he nuzzled her throat, his fingers gently massaging the nape of her neck. She closed her eyes and rested her hand on his knee, resisting the temptation to let her fingers slide up his leg, to cup that oh-so-wonderful swell of manhood. As if reading her mind, Caleb shifted in the seat, moving closer to her, and without a second thought Daniela accepted the unspoken invitation, easing her hand farther up his denim-clad thigh until she heard his breath quicken in her ear. She drew back slightly, meeting the blatant desire in his smoldering gaze. Before she could even think about what she was doing, or be shocked by her own brazen behavior, she closed her fingers around the straining bulge of his erection.
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