Dangerous Grounds

by Shelli Stevens

  Lannie cleared her throat. “Gabe, Christy teaches Spanish at Westwood High School, and in the summer is a salsa dancing instructor.”

  “Really?” Gabe replied and asked Christy a question in Spanish.

  Madison’s jaw clenched as the other woman replied and giggled in a way that was just as cute as she was. She didn’t understand a word they had said. She’d taken French in high school, and even that hadn’t been her best subject.

  “I haven’t been here in a while,” Madison interrupted, glancing around the table. “Does anyone know what’s good?”

  “Oh.” Christy blinked and then shrugged. “I’ve never been here before. I have to confess I don’t eat dinner out much. Like Lannie told you, I’m a teacher and, on my salary, I try to save money.” She laughed. “But you know what? I love to cook, so it works out well.”

  Great, she was a petite and pretty Betty Crocker. Madison glanced at Gabe. Probably exactly his type. He did look impressed, but at least he didn’t appear to be at the salivating stage yet.

  She turned her gaze back to Christy and looked her over again. Funny that she’d claimed to be a poor teacher, because Madison would have bet anything that the dress she wore wasn’t cheap.

  “That’s a great dress, Christy. Where did you get it?”

  “Thanks.” Christy glanced down at the summery floral dress and smiled. “Believe it or not, I got it at a thrift shop. I confess—I’m addicted to second-hand shops and online auctions.”

  “Doesn’t it just make you jealous?” Lannie asked with a sigh. “I go into a thrift shop and can’t find a thing. Christy goes in and comes out with Ralph Lauren.”

  The rest of the table shared a laugh while Madison’s stomach churned with jealousy.

  “What do you do, Madison?” Christy turned to face her with a curious look.

  “I own an espresso shop in Seattle.”

  “Wow, hats off to you. I couldn’t get through my ninth graders without coffee. I’ll have to stop by some time. What’s the name of your shop?”

  “Ooo La Latté.”

  “Nice, very original. Although I’m not sure I’ve heard of it.” Her perfect eyebrows curved downwards into a puzzled frown.

  “I just opened last week,” Madison admitted. “And got robbed three days later. Gabe made me shut down until we catch the guy.”

  Christy’s mouth gaped and she glanced to Lannie and Eric as if for confirmation.

  “It’s true.” Eric nodded. “I’ve been out of my mind worrying about her.”

  “But you don’t need to be.” Madison’s smile felt a little more genuine this time. “I’ve been with Gabe twenty-four hours a day. And I have to say, he does his job very well.” She couldn’t resist adding, “I’m very pleased with our…arrangement.”

  Christy’s look of surprise was priceless, and her demeanor was a little more hesitant when she glanced back at Gabe. That’s right, Madison told her silently, there may be no signs up, but you’re poaching on someone else’s territory.

  “Gabe’s a police officer,” Lannie hurried to explain. “Eric wanted the best protection for Madison and Gabe fits the bill. She’s almost like a little sister to him. Right, Gabe?”

  Gabe looked at Madison and raised an eyebrow. She knew what he was thinking—that she’d made the rules and he was just following them. But she swore he enjoyed this.

  “Right, Lannie.” He picked up his water glass. “Maddie’s just like a sister.”

  Madison looked away. God, she wished he were sitting across from her so she could kick him.

  Eric looked from Gabe to Madison to Lannie, and then shook his head. Obviously this wasn’t a discussion he planned on wading into anytime soon.

  “Who’s up for champagne?” he asked instead.

  Madison and Gabe declined, while everyone else seemed delighted by the idea. The focus turned toward what to order for dinner and conversation died while they all scanned their menus.

  The waitress came and took their orders, then left, leaving them with a basket of bread and some chunky tomato spread to put on it.

  Eric took the basket and offered a piece to Lannie, who shook her head.

  “No, sweetie. You know I’m going low-carb ’til the wedding.”

  Madison resisted the urge to roll her eyes and reached for the basket. Lannie already looked to be about a size two; the poor woman would disappear if she lost too much weight. Eric seemed to share her thoughts, but didn’t comment.

  Lannie folded her hands on the table and leaned forward to face the rest of them.

  “So, the first thing we need to discuss is bridesmaid dresses and the men’s tuxes.”

  “Oh, yes! So what are you thinking?” Christy giggled. “This is so much fun.”

  Madison bit back a groan. Yeah, like scrubbing floors. It was going to be a long night. She sighed and grabbed a second piece of bread.

  By the time their dinner arrived, Madison didn’t want to hear another word about fabrics, colors, or styles. Most of the time she loved exploring the world of fashion, but there was something about squeezing fashion into that tiny bridesmaid category that took all the fun out of it. Not to mention trying to make multiple women look good in the same dress. Talk about a mission impossible.

  She stabbed a piece of lettuce from her Greek salad and glanced over at the men. They’d been deep in discussion about the status of the Mariners for the last half-hour. Gabe said something to Eric, but his gaze drifted over to her and his lips curved into a half-smile. Her lips flattened into a tight smile in response and she continued eating her salad.

  “Gabe, yours looks amazing.” Christy nodded toward Gabe’s plate, even as she twirled her fork around a fettuccine noodle on her own. “Is it as good as it looks?”

  Madison’s attention snapped to the pair; she’d have to be deaf and stupid to miss the suggestive tone in the other woman’s voice.

  “It’s not bad,” he agreed, without responding to her not-so-subtle attempts at flirting.

  Good boy—don’t lead her on.

  “Did you want to try some?”

  What? Madison’s jaw clenched. What was he doing?

  Christy laughed. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

  Madison watched as Gabe cut a piece of his chicken and lifted it onto her plate. Christy ate it and gave a sigh that should have been saved for the bedroom.

  “Wow, that’s just sinful.” She gasped then wound her fork around a length of fettuccine and stabbed a shrimp. “Now you try mine.”

  Gabe held out his plate, but she ignored it and raised the fork to his mouth.

  Madison’s eyes widened. If you eat that, you aren’t getting laid tonight. He didn’t even hesitate or look her way, just opened his mouth and accepted what Christy offered him. Madison’s blood pressure shot up, though she refused to reveal any outward reaction.

  Lannie seemed delighted with the display, and nudged Eric with a grin. He gave her a brief smile, and his gaze lifted to connect with Madison’s. Something in the look he gave her, made her wonder for a moment if her brother suspected what was going on between her and Gabe.

  She dropped her gaze and tossed her napkin on the table, standing. “I’ll be back in a moment. I’m going to run to the restroom.”

  She escaped the table in as casual and dignified a manner as she could manage. If she had to watch Christy’s blatant flirting for one more moment, she was going to hurl into her salad.

  The bathroom appeared blessedly empty as she stood in front of the mirror, scowling at her reflection. Gabe had gotten her so hyped about the natural look the other day that she’d forgone makeup tonight. And instead of dressing to the max, which was her normal routine for going to a nice restaurant, she’d worn khakis and a sweater set.

  Had she known Senorita Christy would be joining them, looking like a petite supermodel and flirting like her life depended on it, Madison would have tried a little harder.

  The soft swish of the bathroom door swinging open had her rai
sing her gaze to see who had come in.

  Now why wasn’t she surprised to see the object of her annoyance walking toward her?

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Hi, Madison.” Christy gave her a bright smile.

  “Hello.” Madison turned on the sink to wash her hands. She expected the other woman to disappear into a stall, but instead she leaned against the sink and watched her.

  “What’s going on?” she asked when Christy still didn’t say anything.

  Christy fidgeted with a ring on her right hand and offered a tentative shrug. “I was hoping to get the chance to speak to you alone.”

  “Speak to me about…?”

  “Gabe.”

  Of course. “What about Gabe?”

  “Lannie told me he was available,” she went on. “And said that she thought we would hit it off.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Madison laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as forced as it felt. For the love of God, somebody shoot me now! “Lannie’s quite the matchmaker.”

  “No kidding.” Christy seemed to relax a bit as her smile widened. “I think Gabe is pretty hot and he seems like an intriguing guy. You know, he has that whole dark and dangerous vibe.”

  Yes, she was very familiar with that vibe. Madison looked toward the door, wanting to get the hell out of this room and away from this woman. Having a root canal would have been preferable to continuing this conversation.

  “I hadn’t noticed.” She deliberately kept her tone bland.

  “Oh?” Christy raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s what I wanted to ask you, Madison—if there is something going on with you and Gabe in a romantic sense. I’m not one to step on any toes…” She trailed off.

  I have the perfect opportunity. I could tell Christy to back off, and that Gabe and I are a couple.

  But technically they weren’t. So as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t say that to Christy. Not to mention if she admitted she was sleeping with Gabe, Lannie would know about it before the night was over. And if Lannie knew about it, then Eric would know about it. That’s when things would really get sticky.

  Eric wouldn’t be too pleased knowing that she was sleeping with his best friend. The reputation that had made Gabe a perfect candidate for a rebound would be the reason Eric would flip out if he knew about it. Besides, what right did she have to lay claim to Gabe, anyway? If she were honest with herself, she had none.

  “Gabe is a family friend,” Madison heard herself say. “There’s no romance between us.”

  Just sex. Maybe more, but neither of them was ready to acknowledge it.

  “A friend,” Christy repeated with a nod. “Wonderful. Well, then, I think I’ll go back and see if I can make any more progress with that fascinating man. Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck.” The two words had her stomach clenching.

  She watched Christy disappear out of the restroom and wished she could hate her. Unfortunately, besides the somewhat annoying perkiness, the woman seemed overall a likeable person. If the circumstances had been different, Madison would have declared it an instant friendship.

  Instead, she sat here hoping Gabe didn’t bail on her to get involved with the cute schoolteacher. She pushed a hand wearily through her hair.

  When she came back to the table, Christy had moved full-throttle into flirting. Gabe smiled at whatever she said, and glanced up as Madison approached the table.

  She averted her gaze, not wanting him to see any emotions that she might not yet have under control.

  “We’re looking over the dessert menu, Madison.” Eric passed her one. “What do you want?”

  Madison looked down at the menu. It all looked unappealing to her right now.

  “I think I overdid it on bread,” she replied. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

  “Oh, good.” Lannie grinned and patted her hand. “I hate being the lone one to forego the sugar. I can’t wait until I’m married and I can eat all unhealthy again.”

  The waiter reappeared to take their order. After Eric had ordered a simple bowl of ice cream, the waiter turned to Christy.

  “We’re going to share the tiramisu.” She gestured toward Gabe.

  Madison’s stomach knotted further and a bitter taste filled her mouth.

  The waiter nodded. “Would you like an extra plate with that?”

  “No, that’s all right.” She looked at Gabe and her smile widened.

  “Maybe an extra fork,” Gabe inserted.

  Well, at least he’d asked for an extra fork. Why had she imagined that Gabe would actually discourage Christy’s flirting? She knew his track record. Gabe went through women like she went through shoes. Madison glanced at the watch on her wrist. How much longer did she have to put up with this?

  Though she tried not to watch while the two ate off the same plate, her gaze drifted over of its own accord.

  The lousy piece of crap. Her hands clenched under the table as she vowed that there was no way she would stay another day on the island with him. He could come back to Seattle and bring Christy back to his house for some real education. She didn’t give a damn so long as she didn’t have to watch it.

  “I’ve got it, Gabe,” Eric said. “I’m paying for everyone’s dinner.”

  Madison looked up to see that the dessert plates had been cleared and Gabe and her brother were arguing over the bill.

  “Better let him get it, Gabe.” She gave a brief smile. “After all, like teachers, cops don’t make that much money.”

  Her cheeks burned with shame. Oh, Lord, why had she said that? Why? How utterly bitchy of her. Everyone’s blunt stares seemed to agree with her inner consensus.

  “And I suppose the espresso business does so much better,” Gabe replied, his tone soft and cold.

  He wanted to fight? Well bring it on. “Well, gee.” She sighed. “I’m sure it would, if you’d let me open my shop for business.”

  “Madison?” Eric gave her a reproachful glance. “Why are you coming down so hard on Gabe? He’s doing me a favor by watching over you. Any advice or decisions he’s making are for your own safety.”

  Of course, she seethed. How could she have forgotten she was a favor for Eric? This was so unlike her, though. It was rare that she let her emotions get this out of hand, and never was she so foolish as to let anyone see when it happened. She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down.

  “You’re right, Eric,” she forced herself to say in an agreeable tone. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m getting a bit of a migraine, and it makes me short-tempered.”

  “Then we should head out,” Gabe insisted, standing. “We have a long drive ahead of us.”

  Madison wanted to tell him she would just stay here, but all her luggage was up on Whidbey. She rose from her seat and grabbed her purse. “Thank you for dinner, Eric.”

  “Don’t forget the rehearsal dinner is in two weeks,” Lannie mentioned quickly. “I hope you feel better, Madison.”

  Eric leaned forward to shake hands with Gabe.

  “Thanks for everything, Gabe.” He’d spoken the words low, but Madison could still hear him. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it—she must be having a bad day.”

  Gabe said something in response, but this time she couldn’t hear.

  Christy looked flustered as she watched them get ready to leave. She touched Gabe’s jacket and leaned forward to whisper something into his ear. She wasn’t quite as inconspicuous when she slipped him a scrap of paper.

  Ugh! Having seen enough, Madison turned on her heel and walked away from the restaurant to the elevator. She jammed the button for the parking garage, hoping that she’d left quickly enough that she wouldn’t have to share the elevator with Gabe.

  But luck wasn’t on her side. He walked up and stood next to her.

  “Did you have a nice dinner, Maddie?”

  Her jaw clenched. “Lovely. And you?”

  “It was very nice.”

  The doors to the elevator slid open and they both stepped inside, waiting qu
ietly for a moment.

  The doors slid shut and the pleasantries disappeared.

  “Are you going to explain your temper tantrum back at the table?” Gabe turned to look at her with cold eyes.

  “I have a headache.” Madison looked away, completely in control of her emotions again.

  “Right, the headache excuse,” he replied with a slight edge. “You seem like the type to use it.”

  Her teeth snapped together, the control slipping, but she forced her lips into a smile. “What can I say? It can be very useful.”

  “Ah…maybe that’s why Bradley dumped you.”

  “Oh, you did not just say that.” Madison’s head whipped around to face him, but he had already stridden through the doors that had just opened.

  She reached the car a moment after him and climbed into the passenger seat, belting herself in with more force than necessary. The control she’d regained disappeared once again.

  “Don’t presume that you know me or anything about me.” Her blood boiled, and it was a miracle her voice didn’t shake since her hands were so badly.

  “I wouldn’t have to presume if you’d just calm down and talk to me about it.” He turned to glare at her. “I want to know why you freaked out at dinner.”

  “I didn’t freak out,” she snapped. “I was just fine, considering I had to watch you mentally undress Christy all night.”

  Damn! That thought wasn’t supposed to have left her head. Madison closed her eyes and didn’t bother looking at Gabe. It was just what he’d wanted her to say and they both knew it.

  “You’re the one who made the rules tonight, Maddie.” All of a sudden he sounded weary. “You told me to act like you didn’t exist. What was I supposed to do? Eric knows me inside and out. He knows that I wouldn’t brush off such blatant flirting.”

  “You didn’t have to flirt back.”

  “Didn’t I?” He glanced at her. “Didn’t I, Maddie? Be honest with yourself for once. If I hadn’t flirted back, Eric would have known something was up. Would you have been prepared to deal with his suspicions?”

  Be honest with yourself. Her stomach twisted. “No. I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with that.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to draw attention to what we’ve got going on between us. That’s personal.”