Out of Mind

by Stella Cameron

  She knew the answer to her own question. “You know too much.”

  “I have ways of finding things out, honey,” he said. “You can’t change that.”

  “Why don’t you find someone else to interfere with?”

  “You make that sound vaguely obscene.”

  She actually snickered. “You know what I mean.”

  “Obscene was that party you attended earlier,” he said. “Things like that aren’t suitable for you.”

  “Why? Am I too pure?”

  “Yes.”

  “I wasn’t attending the party, I was talking about a job.”

  “Which you won’t be taking under any circumstances,” Ben said. “You don’t belong in places like that.”

  “It’s a very nice place, and if I decide the job is worth having, I will take it.”

  “I saw the guy who got too hot for his clothes. He prefers the way he looks without them. He thought you would, too.”

  “Don’t be silly.”

  “You didn’t look away when he put on his show.”

  “Did you look away when women were swimming nude in the pool?”

  He opened his mouth and closed it again. Sometimes it was best to wait for a better time to push a point.

  “Ben,” she said quietly, “have you heard any comments about Mean ’n Green showing up at the sites of two sudden deaths today?”

  He raised his brows, following her line of thought. “No,” he said, glad he could be honest. “Don’t worry about that.”

  Her expression gradually grew horrified. “My scooter,” she said. “It’s outside the Brandts’ house. When they see it there, they’re going to ask how I got home.”

  “It’s downstairs in the storeroom,” he told her.

  “How—”

  “It is. That’s all that matters. Are you going to cooperate with me? I need to know exactly what’s been happening. When did you start feeling as if you were being watched and followed around?”

  “I never could keep anything from my meddling family. I figured they knew pretty much what was going on with me, but Sykes didn’t need to bring you all the way from Hawaii.”

  “He knew I’d be mad if he didn’t.”

  She looked at him. “Sykes isn’t intimidated by anyone getting mad. He’s just interfering.”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged. “Are you going to stop closing me out and let me help you?”

  “With what? All I’ve got are silly premonitions, and—”

  “Yeah. Only your premonitions aren’t silly. You’ve felt danger. And two people with some sort of connection to you died today. Stop the pretense, Willow. Do you think I’m not aware of it when you close your mind to me?”

  “I’m not in your league.” She sounded almost frantic. “I never could be, and it only makes it more obvious when we’re around each other.”

  “Fine, only I’m not leaving. If I have to shadow you day and night, that’s what I’ll do. I thought you might like to do what you can to help is all.”

  Willow put down her coffee. “I don’t need a shadow.”

  “Not if the shadow is me, right?”

  She jumped to her feet. “I didn’t say that.”

  Ben got up and moved closer. Willow backed away. “Dammit,” he said. “Why don’t you just give in and admit we need each other? Why don’t you stop fighting it? I want you, Willow. I’ve never stopped thinking about you.”

  “Do you think this is easy for me? Something happens whenever we get too close.”

  “You noticed?” He took her by the shoulders. “Willow… Okay, okay.” Resting his chin on top of her head, he took deep breaths.

  He sat with her on the couch, and she gave one of the sweet smiles that reminded him of how shy she had been when they were first attracted to each other.

  “Okay, Ben. We’re fine, aren’t we? Or we will be?”

  Taking her hand to his mouth, he kissed her palm and folded her fingers over it carefully. “I will never give up on us.”

  The phone rang and Willow jumped. She drew back as if she feared being attacked.

  “I’ll answer it,” Ben said.

  “No, I will.” She snatched up the receiver and listened, hardly responding to whoever had called.

  She hung up and the thing rang again. Willow answered again. “I’m not answering any questions tonight. Leave me alone.”

  A second passed and she said in a hesitant voice, “Nat. Sorry…yes, someone at the Times just called. It was nothing.”

  Ben held out his hand for the receiver, but Willow motioned him away. “This has been a really long day,” she said. “I need some rest or I can’t think straight. Not that I know anything helpful anyway… Leave Chris to me. I’ll track him down in the morning. He doesn’t like to be interrupted at night.” She listened some more. “In the morning, Nat. I’ll be in your office first thing. That’s the best I can do.”

  She held the phone away, and Ben took it from her fingers to hang up. “What’s that all about?”

  “I was at Billy Baker’s right before he died. Chris was seen going into the flat above the dance hall on South Rampart tonight. Someone gave his name to the cops, but they can’t find him to ask him any questions.

  “And my scooter was seen outside the home of Val and Cleo Brandt this evening. Apparently, a freaky and very localized storm set down on top of their guests at a pool party there. After all the mayhem, I wasn’t there anymore but no one saw me leave. Nat’s starting to think there are too many coincidences involving me.”

  9

  Caroline watched numbers light up inside the elevator.

  There was time to do this.

  She was too excited to sleep anyway, even if it was possible with all the noise in the street outside the hotel. She had intended to explore, but Joan’s invitation to a little party in the top-floor suite sounded like the kind of exotic thing Caroline had finally escaped from Idaho to find.

  It wasn’t even midnight. The ship didn’t leave until early tomorrow evening—hours and hours from now. Why not meet some of the other singles cruising to the Caribbean with her? That way she would already have people she knew when she got on board.

  After the ship returned to New Orleans, she could hang around and see the city, unless she had met someone who gave her a reason to move on quickly, and a place to move on to.

  Take it as it comes. Remember what you told yourself: “This is the first day of the rest of your life.”

  The hotel was old. Everything in the French Quarter was old, and as strangely foreign as the books said it would be. Foreign, thrilling and dangerous, or so it felt.

  The elevator opened at one end of a short hall. Facing her, double doors stood slightly open and the kind of singsong, upbeat music she had heard coming from bars in the area escaped the suite where she was headed.

  This wasn’t like her, going to parties late at night with people she had never met.

  Caroline gave a nervous giggle. Going to any parties at all was unlike her, but she was ready to change all that. Her high-heeled sandals caught at the dark red carpet and she wobbled a bit as she walked. The shoes made her legs look good! Confidence was a big part of the new, adventurous Caroline.

  “This is the first day of the rest of your life.”

  Fiddle music, that’s what it sounded like. And she didn’t understand the singers’ language, but thought it could be French. Her tummy jumped around and she took a big breath.

  Glass clinked inside the room. She tapped one of the doors and it swung a little wider open.

  A big room with more of the red carpet. Heavy gold drapes were closed over windows on the far side, small couches stood in two groups separated by a long table holding lots of bottles and glasses—and some plates of food. Some of the glasses had been used and the food had been picked over.

  The place was empty.

  This was the real story of her life. She was too late; the party was over.

  Caroline trailed past the table. A
glass of wine would be nice, maybe two glasses, or more. She crossed one arm over her middle and lifted an open bottle to look at the label. Not that the label mattered—white wine, she liked that best.

  “Hey, where did you come from?” a man said. “Let me pour some of that for you.”

  Startled, Caroline saw him come into the room and shut the doors behind him. The thud in her chest felt like a punch. All the air rushed out.

  He was fantastic. Flamboyant with smooth, foreign flare.

  “I didn’t hear anyone arrive,” he said, smiling at her.

  She panicked and put the bottle down. “I’m in the wrong place,” she said. “Excuse me.”

  “No, no.” He stepped in her path when she started toward the exit. “If you’re on the cruise, you’re in the right place. People have been stopping by all evening. You just happened to catch a lull. A rather long lull. Welcome. Giving a party all on your own isn’t much fun. I think I’ve lost everyone. It’s hard to compete with everything out there.” He indicated the streets.

  He could, Caroline decided, compete with anything in her book.

  “Do you like wine?” He picked up the bottle she had been looking at. “Or champagne, perhaps? This is supposed to be a celebration. What’s a celebration without champagne?”

  It wasn’t easy to keep looking at his face, his very blue eyes. When you’d spent your life in a nothing town in the Idaho mountains, confrontations with men like this didn’t happen.

  “Champagne?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “Thanks.”

  He took a bottle from an ice bucket, unwound gold foil from its top and pried off the wire. One very strong thumb sent the cork toward the ceiling and they both laughed.

  Perfect teeth. Perfect tan. And he looked Scandinavian, like one of those Nordic downhill skiers, only bigger. Big, muscular shoulders and chest. His brown silk shirt lay against those muscles, showing them off all the way over a hard six-pack.

  Exotic. That was the second time tonight she had thought that word was the right one. His face was exotic, and his hair, long and blond, shining past his shoulders, sent shivers through Caroline. When he bent a little to pour the champagne into two glasses, his hair slipped forward, shadowing his features. Her knees weakened.

  “I’m John,” he said. “What’s your name?”

  She took the glass he pressed into her hand. “Caroline,” she said. His fingers remained, touching hers, for lovely seconds. He was so sexy.

  “Joan told me to come up,” she said in a rush. “She’ll be along soon. I’m traveling as a single so I got paired up in a cabin with her. We’re sharing a room here, too. I was nervous about it at first—being with a complete stranger—but she’s really nice.”

  “Ah, yes,” he said, “Joan. Very nice. Great dancer.”

  “And she’s beautiful. You already know her, then?”

  “From a cruise last year. Great opportunity to do a lot of dancing, if that’s what you like. No shortage of partners. Let’s sit down.”

  Staring at him, Caroline sat on one of the couches, and he dropped down beside her. She couldn’t avoid his eyes, or his mouth or the dimple that dug in beside his mouth when he smiled.

  He touched his glass to hers and drank deeply. Caroline followed suit. The cold champagne slid over her tongue and bubbled faintly in her throat. Almost immediately, the flood of warmth, the heady happiness, rushed in. “Good,” she said.

  “The best,” he said, smiling again and ducking his head so that his hair slid to almost completely hide his face. “Why are you traveling alone?”

  She hadn’t expected the question. “I’ve never been anywhere much before,” she told him. “I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time, and I don’t have anyone to do it with so I decided to come anyway.” She wouldn’t tell him it was her plan to keep on going until she found someone to be with, someone who wanted to have fun and thought she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

  “Do you like dancing?” John asked.

  Caroline sighed. She felt warm all over. “I love dancing more than anything else.” She would not tell him most of her partners had been imaginary.

  He held out his free hand. “Let me have it then.”

  She frowned. “What?”

  He laughed. “Your dance card. I want to fill it up for the whole cruise.”

  Finishing her glass of champagne to hide the thrill of anticipation that made her flush, Caroline turned her face away.

  “Did I say something wrong already?” he asked softly.

  She shook her head. “You’re nice is all.”

  “So are you. Let’s have a little more champagne.”

  He took her glass to the table and came back with refills. Every step he took was smooth, sure. Of course he was a dancer.

  He would do other things well, too. Like kiss.

  “Did you rent this room?” she asked him and giggled. “It’s perfect for parties. All it needs is a dance floor.”

  “This is my suite,” he said. “There are two bedrooms, a small kitchen and several bathrooms. Needing space has always been a problem for me. I don’t like feeling hemmed in. That’s why I insist on the penthouse suite when I cruise.”

  She drank some more, considering what he was saying. He had to have money. “Must be expensive,” she said, then felt silly. Sophisticated women didn’t say things like that, or she thought they didn’t without really knowing. “Are you a wanderer, too? I can imagine you liking to be in new places all the time.” That sounded better.

  “Sometimes. More lately than… Well, yes, I guess I am like that.”

  “Than what?” she said.

  John touched her cheek and she stopped breathing. “I can’t imagine a woman who looks like you being alone. Doesn’t seem right.” He shook his head. “You’ve put me too much at ease. I’m running off at the mouth. I almost said I didn’t want to travel so much when I was married, but that’s in the past.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. Her head felt a bit muzzy, but in a good way.

  “So am I. Or I was. You get over things. Are you married?”

  “No!” The shock in her tone embarrassed her. “I mean, I wouldn’t be here if I was. I’ve never been married.” She had looked after her mother until she died a year ago. The death had not upset Caroline too much. Mother ruled with a heavy hand and that, together with never having enough money, had beaten Caroline into her shell.

  She almost laughed aloud. Not enough money? Her mother had lived as if there wasn’t any and died nicely off, which meant that Caroline finally had a cushion to work with.

  John studied her with his head on one side. “What about your family?”

  “I don’t have one now my mother’s dead.” She shrugged. “I don’t want sympathy because I’m fine with that. I’m ready to move on.”

  “Good,” he said. “Looking at you, I’d say you’re going to find it easy to move on and get what you want. You’re going to be fighting off the people who want to be with you.”

  “Looking at me? What does that mean?”

  “I think you know—you’re gorgeous.” He stood and offered her his hand. When she took it, he pulled her up. “Let me show you the rest of this place. It’s quite something in a Victorian kind of way.”

  The solid beat of her heart seemed faster than usual. Her heel caught again and her foot clicked sideways. “It’s the rug,” she said, frowning. She wasn’t sure she sounded completely sober. Better lay off the champagne.

  “Take off your shoes,” he said, looking concerned. “I don’t want you twisting your ankles before I even get you on a dance floor.”

  She smiled and did as he suggested.

  “You should wear a lot of green. It’s good with your hair and eyes.”

  The years when she should have learned to take compliments had sped away, but it wasn’t too late to start. “Thank you.”

  The kitchen was galley-style and functional. Caroline noted a floral arrangemen
t on the counter. “Flowers in the kitchen,” she said. “Nice.”

  There were flowers all over the suite, expensive arrangements with rich, subtle scents. Flowers stood on a short column just inside the bedroom door and there were more on a table in the window.

  Caroline’s feet sank into white carpet here, and on the bed, a white-covered duvet had been folded down from white sheets and mounds of pillows.

  Draped across the bed, a terry bathrobe gave her the feeling she was in a forbidden place, an intimate place. It wasn’t just a feeling that she was there with the most interesting man she had ever met.

  He turned away from her and she started when he shut the door.

  With his head cocked, he watched her and she couldn’t form a word. She finished the second glass of champagne and looked into the empty glass.

  “There’s more over there,” he said, nodding to a cabinet with a loaded tray on top. “I’m still thirsty. How about you?”

  Once more he took the glass, opened a fresh bottle and poured. He set the glass down a moment and stood with his back to her.

  Her legs locked. He was unbuttoning his shirt. Unbuttoning and stripping it off. She was faced first with his broad, tanned shoulders, and when he turned to bring her a fresh drink, the low light in the room sent a delineating sheen across his chest.

  He gave her an apologetic little smile. “Even with air-conditioning it’s too humid for me in this city. I get so hot.” His eyes flickered to hers again. “How about watching a movie? We could see what’s on.”

  Leaving was the only thing that made sense. This was much more than she was ready for—not that she was a wilting virgin, but she was not experienced and she certainly shouldn’t be responding like this to a man who obviously expected her to spend the night with him.

  “You okay?” he said, screwing up his eyes. “What is it?”

  A steady hum set up in her head. “Nothing.”

  “You’re pale.”

  “I’m—” Her mouth was so dry she had to keep swallowing. “I’m fine. I should go… It’s time…”