Kept in the Dark

by Heather MacAllister

  Drawing deep breaths, Kaia stood for a moment and fiddled with a display while she centered herself, focusing on the job. Then she went through her relaxation routine, visualizing the steps of the plan.

  Her encounter with Blake had rattled her. She used to imagine all kinds of scenarios for their first encounter. Usually, it was some version of Blake realizing that he’d Made a Horrible Mistake.

  After her arrest, she’d called the number her father had planted in her pocket that day in her dorm. “You know you can’t trust anybody and you trusted a cop? What did you expect?” her parents had asked. And they’d been right. She couldn’t even trust them.

  What was the matter with her? It happened. She’d moved on, but her heart hadn’t gotten the memo. So to harden it, Kaia spent the next several moments reliving some of the more unpleasant memories of her incarceration. Then she replayed the moment Blake had stepped out of her embrace, spun her around, and cuffed her.

  Okay. Okay, enough. Now, the job. Visualize the method. The problem was the method’s details were sketchy. Kaia had memorized the floor plans of the house, but as she’d discovered this afternoon, there had been changes, that she’d duly reported to Tyrone, who’d duly reported to the weasel.

  It would have been nice to get an apology.

  As if it would make a difference. Wasn’t wanting one just more proof that she was losing her edge?

  Forget the apology. What she really needed was a set of current blueprints.

  Smiling vacantly, Kaia moved from group to group and described the emerald necklace while keeping an eye on Tina Nazario and simultaneously ignoring Blake. At that moment, Tina was speaking to the jazz band. Immediately, they pepped up the music, probably to distract from the weather. Next, Tina sent waiters with the jewel drinks out into the crowd.

  The woman was smart. She was the sort who would install multiple safes. And she wouldn’t install them all in the master bedroom.

  Carrying Jo Jo, Tina moved through the room, mixing up groups, holding out an arm so women could admire the collection of bangles she wore.

  It could be said that Tina was the reason Kaia had ended up in jail, but Kaia wasn’t going to say it or think it. It was simply more wasted emotion. Tina was her mark tonight. Kaia needed to think like Tina to guess where she might have installed the safes.

  Tina had a touch of the theatrical in her personality. The decor, her clothes, the way she piled on the jewels, a look that worked for her, her gestures, the over-the-top food and drink—this wasn’t a woman who’d be content with a garden-variety floor safe in the closet. This was a woman who would install one as a decoy.

  The way bracelets were coming off and on her arms, Kaia wished Blake had tagged them instead of the guests. Keeping track of them was like trying to find the prize in a shell game. Actually, Kaia was pretty good at shell games, but Blake’s security problems were not hers. She smiled to herself. She was one of his security problems.

  She heard the scritch scratch of tiny dog nails before a joyous yipping sounded at her feet.

  “Hey, Jo Jo,” she said to the little ball of fur. “I see you got sprung.”

  Jo Jo danced around and licked her toes.

  “Wow. Look at you, all gussied up.” Kaia picked up the wiggling animal, holding her out of tongue’s reach. Jo Jo’s silky blonde hair was clipped at the top of her head with a diamond bow pin. She wore a string of diamonds on a wide black velvet ribbon as a dog collar.

  “That’s some serious bling, Jo Jo. Probably worth more than I make in a year. Well, maybe not this year, if your daddy comes through.”

  Kaia wondered if Casper was skulking about somewhere or if he had taken off to London for real. Not that it mattered.

  “Jo Jo, where are you, sweetums?” Kaia heard.

  Jo Jo wiggled insanely, and Kaia set her on the floor where her feet churned until she got some traction and took off.

  “There she is!” Tina Nazario had a throaty, sexy voice in addition to everything else. No wonder Casper was besotted.

  Tina scooped up the dog and allowed it to lick her face. Blech.

  “That necklace is to die for!” squealed a woman to Kaia’s left.

  No kidding, she thought as everyone in the vicinity looked at her.

  “These are rough-cut emeralds…” As Kaia described the necklace to the group of three women, she sensed another set of eyes on her, too. Just beyond Tina’s shoulder, Blake silently watched her play jewelry salesman, his suspicious stare almost a tangible thing. She was surprised no one had remarked about the way he looked at her.

  He presented a real problem unless she could find a way to either distract him or reassure him she was exactly who she claimed to be. Except she wasn’t. How ironic that this time she was the one who was undercover.

  Jo Jo gave a couple of squeaky yips and wiggled her way out of Tina’s arms. “Jo Jo!”

  The little dog made a beeline for Kaia. “Hello, Jo Jo!” Pretending delight, Kaia picked her up again.

  Tina approached. “I see Jo Jo has a new friend.”

  Kaia scrunched her nose at Jo Jo, who tried to lick it. “We met this afternoon when I was helping Royce set up. I’m his assistant,” she added, to reinforce her cover for Blake’s benefit.

  Tina scrutinized her way too closely for Kaia’s comfort. “Jo Jo usually doesn’t like strangers.”

  “Jo Jo has good taste,” Blake said, walking toward them. He wore an admiring look that they both knew was fake, although Kaia had to admit that it was a pretty good fake.

  He was a good actor. But she already knew that.

  Tina clearly didn’t like the competition. “Do you see the woman sitting on the end of the couch over there?” Tina gestured vaguely. “That emerald necklace is just her style.” She reached for Jo Jo and Kaia gladly handed the dog over before escaping to the far side of the room.

  BLAKE WATCHED HER go, torn between believing her and acknowledging that she was probably lying, an all too familiar conflict where Kaia was concerned.

  She handled the jewelry like a pro—which she was, he reminded himself.

  But why did he have to keep reminding himself? Why couldn’t he trust his feelings?

  Why did he still want to sweep her away and start over somewhere new, just the two of them?

  Before Kaia, Blake had never had any trouble telling the good guys from the bad guys. Kaia had been convicted. She was a bad guy. Only—how could he have not sensed that badness in her? Sure, he knew all about psychopaths, but that didn’t apply to her. She’d been so open about her life. She hadn’t told him everything about her parents, but she’d shared way more than he’d expected. She had a job. She’d been going to college.

  What he’d been told about her didn’t fit. How could he have fallen for someone who exemplified the opposite of everything he believed in?

  His captain had assured him he’d been taken in by an expert, but Blake was never one-hundred-percent sure. Not even fifty-percent sure.

  He had no idea what the truth was about her now. The Bennets had disappeared off the face of the earth, obviously using different identities. Or maybe they were here tonight. Who knew?

  Clearly, Tina had no idea who Kaia was and so far, his former lover was behaving herself. But she had to be thinking about going to jail for stealing from the Nazarios. She wouldn’t be human if she didn’t want a little revenge.

  Something he should remember concerning himself.

  Blake continued to study her, hoping for a clue to the truth. As he watched, Tina’s dog streaked across the room. Kaia bent and picked her up again and the dog licked her ear. Dogs had a sense about a person, didn’t they?

  Great. He was looking to an animated dish mop for character references.

  KAIA ALLOWED AN ecstatic Jo Jo to lick her chin so she could chance a quick look at Blake. He still stared straight at her, as though they were the only people in the room.

  She shivered, and excused herself from the group, leaving the emerald nec
klace behind.

  At least he hadn’t thrown her out or made a scene. That was something. Except she wasn’t going to be able to do either of her jobs tonight if he kept staring at her as though he expected her to grab a bunch of jewelry and bolt from the room at any moment.

  “Time for some more bling, Jo Jo.” The dog went for her ear.

  “Stop it.”

  Jo Jo settled against her. “I know you get a lot of attention,” Kaia said. “So what’s up with the clingy behavior? It’s not like we got off to the best start.”

  She slowly moved toward a display, scratching Jo Jo’s ears beneath the diamond bow. Sneaking a look in Blake’s direction, she saw him talking to one of his men.

  Finally, a distraction.

  Turning her back to the room, Kaia quickly reached into her bodice and unpinned the RFID disk from her bra. “Want some more bling, Jo Jo?” She pinned the device to the dog’s velvet collar and set her down. Jo Jo scrambled off.

  One problem solved.

  Kaia pretended to make a minute adjustment to the display before following Jo Jo. Until she sneaked upstairs, she needed to stay close to her tag. Blake probably had her highlighted on the monitoring system.

  Speaking of… She raised her eyes to his and found him back to staring at her once again. This time, she didn’t look away. Earlier, his touch had awakened prickles of awareness in her. Was it all one way? Did he still feel anything for her? She knew he had once—there were some things a man just couldn’t fake.

  Blake stood there, a handsome hunk who saw the world in black and white, good and bad, right and wrong.

  Kaia was more…colorful.

  From across the room, she could tell from the set of his broad shoulders that Blake’s body was tense. Without looking away from her—Kaia didn’t think he even blinked—he held a hand to his ear. His lips moved.

  They’d always moved really, really well, surprisingly full and tender for a man so hard everywhere else.

  He tapped the earpiece he wore and lowered his hand. The entire time, he’d stared at her.

  A tiny movement at his side caught her attention. Blake was moving his index finger between his thumb and middle finger, cracking the knuckle, Kaia knew. It was a habit he’d developed after breaking his finger and he did it when he was stressed.

  As they stared at each other, Blake’s dark gaze skimmed over her with unmistakable desire.

  He shouldn’t be looking at her like that and he knew it. Obviously, he thought she’d let it go unchallenged. Kaia started walking toward him. He was wrong.

  7

  TROUBLE IN A BLACK dress was headed his way.

  Blake probably deserved it for staring at her.

  As Kaia came straight toward him, he forced himself to remain motionless, feet slightly spread in the power position, even as his heart rate increased. She drew closer, her gaze fixed on his, and Blake watched the black dress mold to a body he remembered in detail. He’d been contemplating those details all night.

  Kaia had the smoothest skin of any woman he’d known. She didn’t get out much, after all, since most of her work occurred at night. But he’d loved to run his hands over it, liking that she’d purred like the cat burglar she was.

  Purred like the cat burglar she was. Listen to him. That was just bad, as corny as anything he’d ever heard in any chick flick. Also bad was standing here waiting for her to come up to him instead of taking control of the situation.

  The situation approached the edge of his personal space and kept right on going. Blake stepped back before he could stop himself. How was she able to do this to him?

  Kaia’s lips curved as she registered his slip. “Do I make you nervous?” she murmured, her voice throaty.

  “No.”

  She stepped forward until they were nearly touching. One deep breath on somebody’s part and they would be. He stopped breathing.

  She leaned next to his ear. “Liar.” Her tongue flicked his earlobe.

  Blake inhaled sharply, his skin going hot and cold from just that tiny point of contact.

  “You’ve been watching me,” she whispered.

  “I’d watch any thief around this much jewelry.”

  “Hmm.” She looked up at him, so close; he couldn’t focus on her face. “But I’m just a lowly jeweler’s assistant.”

  “You’ve never been a lowly anything.”

  “Oh, yes.” She moved back and deliberately looked him up and down. “I have.”

  He swallowed against a mouth gone suddenly dry. Her gaze moved to his throat.

  He’d lost control of the encounter, not that he’d ever had it. The entire evening he’d been focused on her exclusively. Even now, he had no idea where Tina Nazario was, where Royce was, or which guests were trying on jewelry. Someone could swallow a ring. Hide a bracelet in a napkin whisked away by an unwitting catering staff. Any of these bunches of flowers could have a necklace lying in the bottom of the urn. Blake wouldn’t know. He was depending on Luke one hundred percent because he’d been useless tonight, and all because of this woman.

  He knew she was up to something, yet he still wanted to draw her into his arms and crush her against his chest as he devoured her mouth.

  Her mouth. Unwillingly, his gaze dropped. He’d spent hours kissing that mouth. He’d always left her skin pink from his beard no matter how soon it had been since he’d shaved.

  They stood motionless. What now?

  Rain blew against the windows, rattling the glass, probably setting off one of the alarms. One of his men could check into it.

  “Look! The awning’s going to blow over!” someone shouted.

  Concerned noises rippled through the crowd, but neither he nor Kaia looked away from each other as the guests became caught up in the drama going on outside. He should be grateful for the weather because otherwise, he and Kaia standing close like this would attract all kinds of attention.

  No matter what, he was not going to move away first.

  And then Kaia did something really stupid. She pouted those red lips of hers in a slow, soft, tiny kiss.

  Blood pounded in his head as he fought the urge to touch her. Kaia raised a finger to her lips, brushed slowly back and forth, and then hovered her finger over his mouth. He could feel the warmth, could feel the nerves in his lips respond even though she didn’t touch him.

  But he wanted her to. Desperately. He was mesmerized enough to forget where he was and who he was with. Lightning flashed, followed by a boom of thunder. Blake was wound so tightly, he flinched.

  Kaia saw and laughed, infuriating him.

  Then her head jerked. She looked down at her arm and he saw his fingers wrapped around it. Blake didn’t even remember grabbing her. Instead of releasing her the way he should have, he pulled her behind one of the huge floral arrangements at the base of the stairs. The room lights dimmed and flickered, like his good sense.

  He stared at her, at the taunting expression on her face. I’m not going to let her get to me, he thought while he moved his hands to her shoulders. And then he hauled her to his chest and kissed her, because she did get to him.

  Pure electricity sizzled through him, recharging parts of him he’d thought were dead—the parts that were alive only when he was with Kaia.

  No. He wrenched his mouth away almost immediately and stared at her, breathing heavily, hating her and hating himself.

  “That wasn’t much of a kiss,” she scoffed.

  She was right.

  “This will be.” He kissed her again, parting her lips, feeling a dangerous relief as their mouths fused together.

  This was all kinds of wrong, but he needed to do it. He’d acknowledge the chemistry and get it out of the way so they could both move on. Prove to himself that his feelings were nothing more than an echo of a dead relationship. She’d been playing him then, just the way she was playing him now.

  But she felt so good in his arms. So right. Why? He knew what she was; why did she fascinate him so? Why couldn’t he forge
t her? How could he be attracted to someone who was against everything he stood for?

  She tasted the same, but richer, more womanly. Desire heated his blood and burned away all sense of reason. He was right back to being that undercover investigator who’d allowed his emotions to become involved. He was listening to his heart and not his mind.

  Blake stroked his hands from her shoulders to her elbows and back again. Her arms were hanging at her sides and not wrapped around him the way they should be. It slowly dawned on him that he was in this alone. She wasn’t kissing him back. He pulled her lower lip into his mouth and sucked gently; something she used to love.

  Nothing.

  She’d manipulated him into revealing his desire while letting him know she felt nothing.

  He supposed he deserved it, and yet he still wanted her. He gentled the kiss prior to pulling away and releasing her because it showed that he hadn’t lost all control.

  “Did you like that?” Her voice was a husky whisper. “Did it make you feel like a big, strong man?”

  There was contempt in her voice and the set of her mouth, but Kaia’s eyes were black and opaque.

  “That wasn’t what it was about.”

  “You’re right. It was about showing me who’s got the power. Who’s stronger. Who’s in charge.”

  She gave him a half-smile and pointed at his chest. “And you know what?” She smoothed her hand down his tie, past the end, skimmed his belt buckle and tugged down his zipper. Then she slipped her hand inside and grabbed his balls. “It’s not you.”

  She’d shocked him.

  Blake had a surreal moment. “Ka—”

  She squeezed.

  He couldn’t stop the gasp. No man would have been able to. “Hey, now.” He tried to move away, but she tightened her grip, not hard enough to cause damage, but she definitely had his attention.

  Her expression never changed.

  Blake was unnerved and there wasn’t much that unnerved him. This wasn’t the Kaia he knew. Had he ever truly known her?