“Because I see two people I like and respect, tearing each other apart.”
Her head pounded. Her muscles ached with fatigue. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually slept. Kalesia wanted nothing more than to confide in Wolf. Have him dismiss her concerns. But that was just a fool’s dream. No matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn’t erase what she’d seen, what she’d read. Gabriel had so few friends. Did she have the right to risk his friendship with one of them?
“Tell me.” The genuine worry in his keen regard scuttled her defenses as if they didn’t exist.
“How,” she moistened her bottom lip. “Exactly how familiar are you with Gabriel’s past?”
He pulled back a fraction, a subtle stiffening in his massive frame.
“Familiar enough.”
“Then are you aware that Gabriel was an assassin?” Kalesia blurted out. God, even to her own ears, it sounded melodramatic.
“What the devil are you talking about?”
“The fact that Gabriel hired out his skills to the party with the most money. That he deliberately killed and mutilated when the price was right.” Her voice dropped. “Men. Women. Children.”
“Lady, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Wolf snarled, the very softness of his words making them more frightening. “You are out of your tiny little mind if you believe Gabe capable of such acts.”
Hard as it was, she met his eyes with a steady gaze. “I have proof.”
“What proof?” Wolf demanded.
“Pictures, reports. There is no doubt. Gabriel was paid to kill. He didn’t care for whom, as long as the price was right.”
Wolf gripped her chin and jerked her face up to meet his. “I don’t know where you got your so-called proof, lady, but one thing I can assure you—it’s all a pack of lies. Gabriel Steele is one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met.”
Kalesia wished she could believe him. “I asked him.”
“Gabe?”
“Yes. He didn’t deny it. In fact, he admitted he lied to me.” She removed her chin from his grasp, her eyes dropping to her laced fingers as aching pain lanced through her. She had been so wrong. She, also, had thought Gabriel a man of honor but where was the honor in wanton killing?
Wolf sank down on his haunches with a dark grace. A scowl hardened his face into a mask that had more than a passing resemblance to his namesake.
“You’re telling me Gabriel admitted he was an assassin? He actually came right out and said he sold himself to the highest bidder?”
“No,” Kalesia hedged, “not in so many words. Still, when I confronted him he didn’t deny it.” It hurt. Oh God, it hurt. Despite her vow in the past not to trust anyone, she’d really believed Gabriel was the one man she could trust. With the truth of about her abilities. With her life.
Wolf recaptured her chin on the edge of one hard palm. “You’re a fool.” His gray eyes captured her gaze and refused to let go. “Gabriel’s a hard man. Even a cynical one. But he’s no murderer. I know. I was wrong about you.” Wolf shook her. “I thought you were good enough for Gabe. If you can actually believe he’s an assassin, then fuck you. He’s better off without you. You’ll only hurt him. Gabriel deserves someone who will believe in him, not just use him.” He rose to his feet with that same lethal grace and stalked out.
Kalesia was stunned by the unexpected attack.
Slow tears welled and fell unnoticed. She ignored the concerned meows of her cats at her feet.
* * * * *
“You are one stupid, hardheaded son of a bitch.”
A brilliant light exploded in Gabriel’s skull as he turned, startled, into Wolf’s lightning-quick left. The bitter taste of copper flooded his mouth as a right followed. Astonishment kept Gabriel rooted to the ground as Wolf stood over him, rubbing his reddened knuckles.
“You are just too damn proud to defend yourself, aren’t you? Can’t lower your pride to explain,” Wolf sneered. “No, instead you give up without a fight the best thing to walk into that sorry excuse of existence you call a life. I hope you’re going through hell. You deserve it. Any man who can’t bother bestirring himself to keep a woman like Kalesia, doesn’t deserve her. She’s a woman a smart man would kill to keep. Who knows,” Wolf taunted, “maybe I’ll decide to fight for her myself.” He left without another word, the threat hanging on the air.
Gabriel wiped blood from the corner of his mouth on his sleeve as he climbed slowly to his feet. The pain in his jaw and mouth was nothing compared to the knifing agony eating at his soul.
Damn Wolf. He hadn’t the faintest idea what he was talking about. He hadn’t let Kalesia go. Didn’t Wolf understand she’d never been his to begin with? He’d known it deep down but hadn’t been able to prevent himself from reaching out for a small taste of her warmth, her compassion, the fire that seared a man to his soul but left him whole. He had deceived Kalesia and he had deceived himself into thinking there might be more, that he could live in peace.
How could he lie to Kalesia and tell her she was wrong? That he’d never been an assassin? However the paper pushers wanted to dress it up, that’s exactly what he had been.
How could a man defend himself against the truth?
* * * * *
“Are you sure you have to go?” Kalesia kept her eyes downcast as she played with the food on her plate so she could avoid Wolf’s steady gaze.
“Positive. There are several things we need to track down physically.” It was Badger who answered. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet all evening.
“When do you have to leave?” She pushed a tiger shrimp around on its bed of rice and delicately flavored vegetables.
“After dinner.”
The shrimp skidded off the plate. “So soon?” What would she do without them as a buffer between her and Gabriel?
Wolf’s expression was the epitome of innocence. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can find out who is behind the threat to you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me what you had planned?” Gabriel asked with a dangerous softness.
“You didn’t ask,” Wolf smiled, taking a large bite of sweet cornbread.
Kalesia didn’t like the almost baiting tone to Wolf’s voice. Nor the way he eyed the swelling of Gabriel’s lower lip and the puffiness of his cheek. A small frown pulled at her brow. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the two had been fighting. She opened her mouth to ask, then snapped it shut. Some things she was better off not knowing.
“We’ll talk later.”
“Sure,” Wolf agreed easily.
Bent over, putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, Kalesia froze as she heard the sound of an engine turning over. No. They wouldn’t. Not without saying goodbye. Not when they, or at least Wolf, knew the situation between her and Gabriel. A sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she hurried into the living room, wiping her hands on the dishtowel.
Gabriel stood in the open doorway, a stack of forgotten papers clutched in one fist. “Fuck. I, of all people, should know better than to trust Wolf when he’s affable.” He slammed the door shut. “The sorry son of a bitch sent me out of the room on a wild goose chase to give him and the others the opportunity to take a powder.” He turned, restrained fury in the taut line of his lean body. From across the room, his gaze pinned Kalesia.
“Get out,” he growled. “Do us both a favor and get the hell out of here.”
Kalesia dropped the towel and ran up the stairs. She shut and locked the door behind her. Her knees gave out. Slumped against the solid strength of the door, she put her hand over her pounding heart.
Sweet mercy, Gabriel looked like he’d wanted to kill her.
Shoving away from the door, she stumbled toward the bed. A wave of weariness swept over her. She was so tired, she thought, sinking down on the edge of the bed. Tired of the tension. Tired of all the conflicting thoughts swirling around in her head. Tired of being afraid. Tired of learning that trust was just a mirage.
Trust, hah! She had trusted Christopher and look where that got her. But did she learn her lesson like any smart woman? Oh no. She turned right around and trusted Gabriel. A hard hand squeezed her heart. She’d trusted Gabriel in a way she’d never trusted anyone else.
Fate was a fickle bitch with a capricious sense of humor, she decided bitterly. How else would you explain relying on a cold-blooded killer to keep you safe from a murderer?
Hand raised to push her bangs off her forehead, Kalesia faltered.
Safe. From the moment she’d met Gabriel, she had felt safe. Never doubted he could protect her from the killer haunting her nights. Not once. Not even after holding the damning evidence in her hand.
Her hand dropped to her lap as she stared, unseeing, at the wall. How could that be? Why hadn’t she hightailed it out of his home the moment she’d read the reports? Remembered snatches of recent conversations replayed in her mind. One in particular stuck.
Badger had been speaking with Gabriel, trying to get him to take a break. “Gabe, why don’t you rest? You’ve been at that for thirty-six hours straight, man. Shit, even with a clear head, the photos Harley sent over aren’t the most pleasant way to spend an evening.” There had been real concern in Badger’s voice.
“Don’t worry about Gabriel, Badger. I’m sure that in his line of work a few grisly photographs won’t unsettle him.” Kalesia cloaked the barb in a bland smile.
Gabriel lifted bloodshot eyes.
Kalesia couldn’t look away.
His voice was dark and roughened with weariness and something Kalesia almost swore was pain.
“Let it be, Badger. When the lady’s right, she’s right. In my line of work, photographs of murder are not the stuff of nightmares.”
The weight of Badger’s disapproval still made her squirm.
Not only had she not run, she’d taunted Gabriel at every opening. Her head spun. An awful thought entered Kalesia’s head and refused to go away.
What if she’d been wrong all along?
Hard on the heels of that thought, Wolf’s disgusted lecture came back to haunt her.
But Gabriel hadn’t denied it, she cried out silently, wrapping her arms around her waist.
Did you give him the opportunity? Really give him a chance?
Kalesia desperately tried to recall every word from their confrontation that day.
Bile burned the back of her throat. Oh my God. She hadn’t. She’d thrust the pictures at him and practically dared Gabriel to refute them.
She began to rock on the bed. Think. She had to think. Unbidden, images formed. Of Gabriel, holding her after making love. Of his face, stark and ravaged, as he stared at the moon. She remembered his uncertainty about her acceptance of his scars, of the nightmares he refused to acknowledge haunting his sleep.
Fine fractures raced across the ice encasing her heart.
Remember I would never hurt you on purpose.
Would you believe me?
I believe in you, Gabriel and no matter what happens, I’ll be there for you.
Believe me?
I’ll be there for you.
Could the portrayal that was in that packet of a hardened, cold-blooded killer be the other face of the scarred and haunted man she knew?
Only if every word uttered, every touch and action had been premeditated and calculated to deceive.
The ice shattered.
No!
No, she refused to believe that the man who had come to seduce hadn’t been instead seduced.
Whatever lies there were, they were not about hiding the fact he’d once murdered for a living. She had to believe that. Otherwise, nothing made sense.
That meant another explanation besides the obvious for those photographs and reports.
Dear God, how could she have been such a fool? Why had it taken her so long to see the man, not the monster created by some coward hiding behind anonymous information? Kalesia sprang off the edge of the bed. She had to see Gabriel, apologize, talk to him. Get him to explain. This time she would listen, not hurl accusations.
Pure certainty filled her and for the first time in days she wanted to laugh. This was right. At the bedroom door, she paused. Her hands went to the hem of her shirt. She peeled it off. Her jeans, bra and panties quickly followed.
There was an inquisitive mew. Kalesia glanced down at the Siamese sitting by the door. “Sorry, Tia. I need to do this by myself.”
A niggle of worry crept in. What if Gabriel wouldn’t accept her apology? What if he refused to listen?
No. No more doubts. He’d hear her out. After all, Gabriel was a reasonable man.
A secret smile curved her lips.
If he proved stubborn, she’d just have to seduce him.
* * * * *
Arms behind his head, the white sheet bunched at his waist, Gabriel stared at the flickering reflection of the river on his ceiling.
He’d kill Wolf for this stunt. Throwing Kalesia and him together had been an asinine idea. It was not going to erase the fact she had finally found out he was a monster.
All it did… All it did was… Gabriel swallowed the painful lump in his throat.
Damn Wolf for allowing him hope.
Gabriel sensed rather than saw the presence of another person. Adrenaline surged through his bloodstream as he gathered his muscles to strike. A split second before he launched his attack, the scent of amberwood and magnolia drifted to him.
The faint, sensual fragrance went straight to his cock.
Son of a bitch.
He lifted one knee and hoped to hell the sheet hadn’t slipped, leaving him waving in the breeze.
The sheen of moonlight on roundness of a hip, then the smooth length of her thigh caused Gabriel’s breath to catch in his lungs and his erection to strain for attention.
He’d check. Just as soon as he could take his eyes off the woman moving across the room toward him.
She didn’t stop until she was directly beside the bed.
Muscles unbearably tense, Gabriel waited, a tight lid clamped on the insidious slide of longing.
“I can’t sleep.”
Chapter Eleven
Without speaking, Gabriel lifted the covers.
She rushed into his arms. “Gabriel, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Shh, later,” he growled as his mouth closed over hers, tasting, exploring and relearning the honeyed depths of her mouth with a savage need. Heat exploded through him as she sank frosted-tipped fingers into the depths of his hair, returning his caress with all the fierce strength she possessed.
He arched up into her, his body already aching. Son of a bitch. If he didn’t slow down, he’d come before he was ever inside her.
Sucking in a deep breath, he rolled over, pinning Kalesia beneath his taut, aroused frame. Unable to resist the sensual, feminine scent of her skin, he nuzzled behind her ear before stringing tiny, stinging kisses down her neck to the curve of her breasts. “Oh God, sweet witch,” he muttered against her soft skin. “Do you know how much I need you? Need you to bring warmth and chaos into my life? Need you to chase away the shadows?”
He tasted between her breasts with the tip of his tongue and groaned. God, she tasted so good.
They needed to talk. Settle things between them.
Kalesia wrapped one leg around his hip.
Gabriel fought the sheet for a moment, before sweeping it to the foot of the bed. He clamped his hand around her leg, just above the knee and placed it back around his hip. The hell with it. There was only one thing he needed to know. The rest they could work out later.
He lifted his head and met her eyes, all pretense seared away. “One last chance. If you’re not sure, absolutely sure, this is what you want, walk away now. Because if you stay tonight, tomorrow I won’t give you a choice.” Propped up on one elbow, his shoulders held tight, he waited for her answer. Son of a bitch, he felt naked.
Her hair spread like a dark flame across his pillow, Kalesia smi
led, eyes gleaming in the muted light. “If I hadn’t been sure, I never would have come to your room. Make love to me,” she pleaded, the passionate demand in her voice a siren song he had no desire to resist.
Gabriel closed his eyes. He dropped his forehead against her. He opened his eyes. “Son of a bitch, I’ve missed you, sugar,” he admitted.
“Would you have really let me walk out of this room tonight?” she asked, her breathing light and rapid.
Gabriel slid his hand slowly up the outside of her leg, loving the feel of the smooth, resilient flesh under his palm. “I thought I could when I asked.” He shook his head. “I was just fooling myself. I knew that the moment you said you’d stay,” he confessed starkly. “I could never let you go.” He claimed her mouth in a deep, tongue-tangling kiss. “Not if my life depended upon it.”
Hot. So hot. He could feel the heat from her pussy just inches from his fingers. Her position left her open to him. Gabriel moved his hand a fraction of an inch and stifled a groan against her throat as he found pure liquid fire.
Shit.
Son of a bitch.
She was going to burn him alive.
He tasted the skin where her neck and shoulder joined before biting down gently and sucking. Hell, he’d never felt this primitive with a woman but something inside him demanded he mark her, leave evidence for everyone to see that she was his.
Kalesia moaned, a breathy, husky sound, her arms coming up to hold him tight. “Yes.”
He thrust his leg up, rubbing against her mound.
“Gabriel!” His name broke from her lips at the rough demand of his leg.
His tongue traced a wet path to the peak of the other breast. The nub stood up, hardening in anticipation.
“What, sugar, tell me what you want!” Half plea, half demand, he teased her with the tip of his tongue, never quite hard enough, never quite long enough.
Kalesia sank her nails into the firm muscle of Gabriel’s buttocks in sensual retaliation.
A harsh groan tore from his throat and he let her feel his teeth on the tiny, hard bud.
“Don’t. Don’t tease me. Not tonight. I want you too much.” Kalesia ran her foot down the back of his leg.
Tapestry of the Past Page 17
