“Yes.”
“There’s high volume dealing at the high school?”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“It’s not going to get any easier, Renegade.”
A shudder shook her. “I know.”
“When are you getting out?”
“Soon.”
“Soon?”
“After this one.”
“Does someone named Gabriel have anything to do with your decision?”
“Yes and no. I wanted out before I met Gabriel. And …” Her words trailed off.
Merrick dipped his head lower. “And what?”
“I’m in love with him. I want what you and Alexandra have. I’m tired of the aliases and living a double life. I live in fear that someone will recognize me and blow my cover.”
“That won’t happen if you get out now.”
Her eyes grew large. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because … because I can’t, Merrick. You of all people should know why.”
Swinging her around, he dipped her. “Get out before you lose everything.” He eased her until she was upright, affecting a smile for those who were watching them. “If you want what Alex and I have, then leave now. You can be replaced.”
Their conversation ended when Salem Lassiter tapped Merrick on the shoulder. “May I have the next dance?”
Merrick relinquished his claim to Summer, bowing slightly. “Thank you for the dance.” He gave her a penetrating stare before walking away.
Summer looked up at Salem, holding her breath for several seconds before she exhaled. She had found herself staring at him each time their paths crossed. After a while, she realized it was the long hair qued at the nape of his neck that had attracted her. Navajo and African American, Salem had inherited the best of both races: black silky hair, dark skin and cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass.
She offered him a friendly smile. “Let’s see if I can remember what Gabriel told me about you. You’re married to Sara, and you have twin girls.”
Salem nodded. “Sara’s brother is Chris’s sister, who in turn is married to Emily. I have twin daughters and a son.”
Summer searched her memory for his name. “Alejandro?”
“No. He’s Chris and Emily’s son.”
Summer moaned, shaking her head. “I’m not doing very well remembering the names of the children.”
“That’s because there are so many children. Sara and I have three; Chris and Emily also have three children; Michael and Jolene, Tyler and Dana have two each. Arianna and Silah have one, Regina and Aaron two. You can’t even begin to count the ones from the prior generation. Martin’s sisters share nine children between them. Everyone stopped counting their grand and great-grandchildren once they numbered twenty.”
She stared up into the dark slanting eyes fixed on her face. “How long did it take for you to remember everyone’s name?”
“It was after my third annual family reunion.”
“That long?”
“I’m sure it won’t take that long for you.”
Vertical lines appeared between her eyes. “Why would you say that?”
“You and Gabriel live along the east coast, which means you’ll get to see his family much more often than the rest of us who live in New Mexico.”
You and Gabriel. Salem made it sound as if she and Gabriel were truly a couple. Even though they had confessed their love to each other, they still hadn’t made a commitment as to where their relationship would or could go.
The selection ended. Summer thanked Salem for the dance, and made her way over to an area where she could get a drink.
Alexandra had decided she wanted a buffet rather than a sit-down dinner. The caterer had delivered dozens of tables, each with seating for six earlier that morning. Vases of pale-colored roses lined the courtyard and patio. The large white tent was erected for the wedding ceremony in order to ward off the sun, or, if the sunny weather hadn’t held, rain.
David Cole had hired a disc jockey to spin tunes, and a portable dance floor was set up between the pool and tennis court. Serena had ordered the pool covered, much to the disappointment of most of the younger children. They had established a tradition of jumping into the water fully clothed.
Feathery streaks of orange and blue crisscrossed the sky as the reveling continued while Summer waited in line for her drink.
“What is it you want to drink?” asked a familiar voice in her ear.
“Club soda.”
She smiled as Gabriel went to the front and requested her beverage. No one seemed to mind that he had cut the line. He returned, carrying two glasses filled with a clear carbonated liquid.
Gabriel motioned with his head. “Let’s go sit in the garden where we can talk without shouting.” She nodded. The music was loud and piercing.
She followed him into a lush garden redolent with the fragrance of blooming flowers. They sat down on a cushioned rattan love seat.
Gabriel stared at Summer’s profile, his gaze lingering on her bare arms. She had removed her jacket before she’d begun dancing. The day had been perfect for his sister’s wedding, and he knew he would remember it always because for the first time in his life he had admitted to a woman that he loved her.
And what he felt for her wasn’t frightening, but peaceful, calming, and soothing. He’d run from love for a long time only to find his heart captured by a woman who had admitted it was not going to work, that they were worlds apart, that she could not fit in his world, or he hers.
He had brought her to meet his family, and they had accepted her without question. Alex had confessed that she and Summer had spent more time talking than they had sleeping the night before.
The men were awed by her beauty and poise, while the women found her friendly and unpretentious.
He watched her take furtive sips of her drink. “What’s going to happen with us once we return to Massachusetts?”
Summer shifted on the love seat and stared at Gabriel’s brooding expression. “We’re going to do what people in love do, Gabriel. We are going to make plans to spend that special weekend together, and then enjoy whatever comes after that.”
He smiled. “When do you want to go?”
“Why don’t we wait for a long holiday weekend.”
“How does Columbus Day sound to you?”
Staring up into his eyes, she said, “It sounds wonderful.”
Fourteen
Summer stood outside the vacation retreat belonging to Michael and Jolene Kirkland, feeling the blistering heat from the Jamaican sun on her bare shoulders. When she’d agreed to go away with Gabriel she hadn’t though it would be to a foreign country. He had only hinted that she bring along her passport.
They had returned to Massachusetts after Alex and Merrick’s wedding and settled back into a routine wherein they saw each other before classes began, and once or twice a week when they either dined out in a Boston restaurant or she prepared dinner at her apartment.
She had posted the names and time for auditions for all of the students who had signed up to participate in the spring concert. Once the eighty-four, three minute auditions began she knew it would also begin her undercover work. Aside from subbing for the English instructor, she had had very little one-on-one contact with students.
She and Gabriel had boarded the ColeDiz Gulfstream jet at Logan’s International Airport at seven that morning. They were delayed on the ground because of strong winds, but after being cleared for take-off, the flight was smooth and turbulence-free. They finally touched down in Kingston at one in the afternoon to a blistering sun and temperatures in the low nineties.
A driver had awaited their arrival, and once their luggage was stored in the trunk of his car, Summer found herself wrapped in Gabriel’s protective embrace as she sat back to enjoy the passing landscape.
The verdant beauty of the island was overwhelming: the mountain ranges, waterfalls, and beautiful beaches with pristine whi
te sand and crystal clear turquoise waters.
The two-storied white stucco structure was completely West Indian in character: red-tiled Spanish roof, white-tiled floors surrounding the house, and Creole jalousie shutters. The cloying scent of blooming flowers and fruit was redolent in the warm air.
Gabriel had carried their bags into the house, but Summer continued to walk around, surveying her surroundings. She gasped when she realized the beach was only a few hundred feet away.
She retraced her steps, rushing into the house and bumping into Gabriel. His hands went to her shoulders to steady her. “Hold up, darling. Where are you rushing to?”
“I need to unpack my swimsuit. I can’t believe the ocean is so close.”
Grasping her hand, he pulled her toward the bedroom where he had put her luggage. The rooms he had selected for their stay faced the rear of the house and the Caribbean. The sound of the water was certain to lull them to sleep.
Summer slowed her steps as she walked into a room furnished with an antique mahogany four-poster bed draped in mosquito netting, a matching armoire, and rocker. A slow-moving ceiling fan stirred the air coming in through the jalousie windows. Her gaze shifted from her bags, to the bed, and then to Gabriel.
“Where’s your luggage?”
His expression had become impassive. “It’s in another room.”
“I thought that we would…” Her statement died on her lips. Heat stung her cheeks.
Taking two steps, Gabriel pulled her to his chest. “I didn’t want you to think I’d asked you to go away with me only to sleep with you. We could’ve done that back in the States.”
Reaching up, she curved her arms around his neck, pulling his head down. “I know that, silly. I could’ve slept with you the day we came back from Florida, but I wanted to wait for our special weekend.” She brushed her mouth over his, her tongue darting out and grazing the hair on his upper lip.
Tightening his hold on her waist, Gabriel picked her up until her head was level with his. He kissed her, his mouth moving over hers as he literally caressed her lips.
Her arms went around his head, holding him fast as she parted her lips to his probing tongue. She opened her mouth wider, inhaling and swallowing his breath. A soft moan escaped her when his large hand cupped her hips.
“I want you. I need you. I ache for you,” he whispered hoarsely against her mouth.
Summer could not tell Gabriel how much she wanted him because the words were locked in her throat with the rising passion coiling between her legs. She couldn’t verbalize her need, but she could show him.
Her right hand touched his belly before moving under his T-shirt. Her fingers tangled in a thick mat of hair as another moan escaped her. She had become a sculptor, her hand and fingers moving over muscle and sinew. Moving sensuously against his body, she wanted to get closer until they were one.
Gabriel inhaled the scent of her skin, hair, and her rising feminine heat. A single layer of cotton separated their bodies, yet he felt his skin burning as if he had been set afire.
Holding her effortlessly, he carried out her out of the bedroom and into the one where he had left his luggage. He wanted to make love to Summer, but not without protecting her. Parting the mosquito netting surrounding his bed, he lowered her to heirloom linens. He slipped off his loafers and lay down, facing her.
His left hand gathered the hem of her dress, moving upward until his fingers were splayed over her thighs. She moaned softly, closing her eyes as her lips parted. Gabriel stared at her erotic expression, his own passion rising more quickly than he wanted it to as he moved over her. Lowering his head, he staked his claim not only on her body, but also on her heart.
Waves of heat merged with shivers of cold, leaving Summer gasping as Gabriel’s tongue moved in and out of her mouth in a rhythm that sent her pulses racing and her senses spinning out of control. She opened her eyes, reached up and pulled the elastic band from his hair. Unbound, wayward waves fell over his forehead and over his shoulders. Her hands cradled his face, moving up and tunneling through the long hair. Her mouth and tongue were as busy as his when she caught his upper lip and suckled it before giving the fuller lower one equal attention.
Her nails bit into his scalp, fingertips traced the outline of his ears, pads on her thumbs sculpting the elegant ridge of high cheekbones, and her palms cradled the lean, dark face of the man with whom she had fallen in love.
Her breasts trembled above her rib cage as a swath of heat ignited a pulsing desire between her legs, bringing with it a gush of liquid.
“Gabriel.” His name was a hoarse whisper filled with a desperate need that was communicated to the man straddling her throbbing body. “Love me,” she murmured. “Please.”
Gabriel heard the impassioned plea, Summer repeating it over and over until it became a litany. He wanted to take her quickly, mate with her as the raw passion that hardened his flesh like tempered steel throbbed against the fabric of his jeans, but hesitated because he did not know how much experience Summer had had with men.
Forcing himself to go slowly, he undid the many buttons on the front of her dress, exposing silken flesh in his journey to view what had been concealed from him since he’d watched Summer Montgomery enter the room where they were scheduled for a new teacher orientation.
It was her walk that he’d noticed initially, then her face. She had a long, graceful stride, her hips swaying fluidly with each step she took. The way her jeans had hugged her hips and tight thighs had annoyed him because he hadn’t been able to control the stirring between his own thighs. It had been the first time in his life wherein just staring at a woman had turned him on.
Summer had accused him of being a stuck-up snob because he hadn’t approached or talked to her. What she did not know was that he hadn’t been able to come within five feet of her or she would’ve seen the effect she’d had on him. All she had to do was look below his waist to know that he’d been lusting after her.
It had taken hours of meditation, long vigorous swims in the cold waters of the ocean, and a grueling workout of push-ups and sit-ups to rid his body of the pent-up lust. And that was what it had been—lust. But now he was being offered the opportunity to pour his love, not lust, into a woman he loved.
His cousins had ribbed him about not making love to Summer, but it hadn’t bothered him. What they hadn’t known was that she wasn’t someone he could bed, and then walk away from. They hadn’t known that he had fallen in love with her, and that she had become the one—the one woman who could lift his dark moods, offer him a gentle peace that had eluded him for years, and the one with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
Summer closed her eyes as Gabriel undressed her. What seemed like long agonizing minutes in fact were only seconds. The dress parted and he gasped. She opened her eyes to find him staring at an ecru-colored lace demi-bra and matching thong.
Sitting back on his heels, Gabriel smiled. “Cute, but not too practical.”
Peering up at him through her lashes, she smiled. “What’s not practical about them?”
He trailed his fingertips over the swell of breasts above the lace cups of her bra. “It doesn’t cover enough.” His fingers feathered down her flat belly and lingered on the moist heat between her thighs. “Especially here.”
“It covers what needs to be concealed.”
Supporting his weight on his elbows, he lowered his chest to hers. “If I can undress you with my teeth, then what you’re wearing isn’t practical, darling.”
“You must have a very talented mouth,”
He lifted his eyebrows. “I do.”
Staring up into his golden eyes, she said, “Then do it.”
He shook his head slowly, his unbound hair moving sensuously around his face. “Perhaps another time.” Reaching around her back, he unhooked her bra and dropped it on the floor beside the bed. Seconds later, he eased her panties down her hips, legs, and feet, and it joined the bra on the floor.
His fiery g
aze made love to her naked body. Their gazes met and fused. There was no fear in her eyes, but a naked, unabashed love she did not attempt to conceal.
“This is how I love to see you.”
He did not look away as he reached for the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it up and over his head. He unsnapped the waistband of his jeans and pushed them down with his boxers.
Summer lay motionless, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched Gabriel undress. He was so different from the other two men whose beds she had shared: his height, body, and temperament.
His clothes had concealed a lean, hard body. Without them he was much larger than she had originally thought. Firm muscle rippled under his pectorals and biceps as he slipped off the bed to step out of his jeans. Her mouth went suddenly dry when she saw the thick mat of black hair on his chest taper into a thin line over his flat belly and disappear into an inverted triangle of curls cradling his heavy sex.
It wasn’t until he turned his back and reached down into a carry-on bag that she saw the tattoo spanning his lower back. It was a musical staff with tiny notes, but she could not make them out.
She forgot about the tattoo, her mission, and her double life as she opened her arms to receive the man she loved, one who was to become her lover. His latex-covered organ brushed her inner thigh as he settled himself between her legs.
Smiling, Summer trailed her fingertips up and down Gabriel’s back, eliciting the response she wanted. Burying his face between her neck and shoulder, he moaned deep in his throat. She grazed his hips, outer thighs, up his ribs as his breathing deepened and his body quivered under her sensual assault.
It was her turn to moan when she felt his tumescence throbbing rhythmically against her mound. Eyes closed, hands falling limply to her sides, she gave herself up to the exhilarating sensation of the mustache on her bare flesh as Gabriel kissed her breasts. His tongue circled the areola, her nipples hardening quickly. He alternated rolling them between his teeth with suckling her until she arched off the mattress.
His rapacious mouth charted a path from her lips to her belly. Her soft moans of pleasure escalated into long, surrendering groans, with a rising heat simmering under her skin. Her whole body was being flooded with a desire that sucked her into an abyss of abandoned ecstasy.
Renegade Page 14
