Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance)

by Mellie E. Miller

  The sound of the coffeemaker turning off got her attention, so she stormed back to the kitchen, trying to control her temper. Pouring a cup of the aromatic brew, she took it back into the living room, so she could stretch out on the sofa.

  Sniffing the air, Damiano watched her get comfortable before asking, “Did you bring me any coffee?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “But I always have coffee in the morning,” he said, whining.

  “When you can be civil, I’ll bring you some coffee. If you can’t be civil, get it yourself. I don’t cater to spoiled brats. Or cats.”

  She might as well have slapped him from the look he gave her. Stomping into the bedroom, he slammed the door. “Well,” she murmured under her breath. “Great big pussycat has his tail in a knot this morning.”

  “I’m not a pussycat and my tail is not in a knot,” he shouted through the door. “But I have very good hearing.”

  “Then hear this, pussycat,” she shouted back. “You can either get over your damn self, or you’re in time-out. I will not put up with this.”

  After her third cup of coffee and a couple croissants, the bedroom door opened and Damiano stepped back into the room. She ignored him.

  “Karianna,” she heard, in a gentle, apologetic tone. “I’m sorry, Karianna. The rain and the darkness, they put me in a bad mood.”

  “Did you have to take it out on me?” she asked tersely.

  “No, cara. That was wrong. The rain is not your fault, and it is good for the growing things outside. Even if I don’t like it, it is necessary.”

  “I’m sorry you’ve had a bad morning, lover.”

  “It is alright, now?” he asked, so very much like a little boy who was sent to his room until he could behave.

  “Yes, come over and sit down,” she answered, patting the sofa with her hand.

  Damiano padded quietly over to where she sat, looked down at her with big, questioning eyes and asked, “May I have some coffee now, carissima?”

  She couldn’t help it. She laughed until her sides hurt, tears streaming down her face. When she finally got it all back together, she shook her head at her mate, still standing in front of her and very confused. “Yes, lover, but I’ll have to make some more. Would you like a croissant while you wait?”

  “Per favore, mia amore.”

  With the drapes closed, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand, Damiano was back to being the kind, considerate person Karianna was used to. She dozed on and off, her head resting on his lap as he read the news.

  This was what she’d always loved about the rain. It gave her the excuse to stay in and relax from her normally hectic life. The soft patter of the raindrops on the roof lulled her to sleep in the soft lighting, her mate’s scent comforting her. When she opened her eyes nearly an hour later, Damiano’s paper was on the floor, his coffee cold on the end table. Slouched down in the corner of the sofa, he had drifted off to sleep. Rather than wake him, she shifted to get more comfortable and rejoined him in slumber.

  What woke her up was being pitched into the floor. Casting her eyes around to find the source of her discomfort, she found Damiano in leopard form. Ears back, fangs bared, he was ready to spring at anything coming through the door.

  Suddenly, she noticed an odd odor in the rain-dampened air. Sort of a musty, wet dog smell, it was no wonder her sleeping leopard should wake up ready to fight. As she tried to decide how to deal with the situation, the odor changed. Along with the wet dog, there was now wet something else, and it was all getting stronger.

  “Damiano, calm down, honey. Wait and see who it is before you do anything rash.” A soft growl of acknowledgment was all she heard.

  Just a few seconds later, the doorbell sounded. Not knowing what else to do, Karianna eased over to the door, took hold of the latch, and stepped behind the door as it opened inward. The smell of wet animal rushed in, making her eyes water, as Damiano snarled, then growled a greeting.

  Straggling in from the weather were two leopards and a wolf, otherwise known as Marco, Paolo, and Nagi. They all touched noses with Dam, who reached out a huge paw and swatted the wolf on the nose.

  “Excuse me,” Karianna interjected. “Marco, take your wet friends into the bathroom, before you completely soak the carpet. I’ll send for some bath robes.” They all looked at her as if she’d gone completely mad. “Go! Now!” she added, pointing emphatically toward the bathroom door. Talk about sulky cats.

  Once the three of them were out of the way, Damiano changed, tipped his head sideways, and stared at her.

  “What, Dam?” she asked, exasperated.

  “How did you know it was Marco? It could have been anybody.”

  “If it hadn’t been friends, there would have been quite a fight, not just a playful jab with a paw.” She called the concierge and asked for robes, and extra towels.

  The other three, changed, were mumbling about being wet and cold, so Damiano went back to check on them. As soon as the maid came with dry towels and robes, Karianna passed them through the bathroom door. And then she put on some coffee and made sandwiches to have ready once they were all showered and dressed. Having already dealt with one snarling, snarky cat this morning, she hoped to keep tempers from getting out of hand.

  She chose one end of the sofa, so the others could have a little room. All now clean, smelling of Dam’s shower gel, and covered up in fluffy bath robes, it couldn’t be said that they were happy, but they weren’t trying to rip out each other’s throats. The hot coffee and roast beef were helping, too.

  “To what do we owe this pleasure?” she asked. “Anything you can tell me? And what have you done with Dante?” Narrowing her eyes and raising an eyebrow at the dark chuckles, she reiterated her question. “Where is Dante?”

  “He is watching the back entrance, Signora,” Marco said, eyes looking at the floor.

  “In what form?”

  “He is a panther. But it’s alright, he’s hidden from view.”

  “So you all changed to catch Nagi, and then you two came up to get warm and dry, leaving Dante out in the cold rain. Is that right?”

  “Yes, Signora. But he’ll be fine.”

  “So would you, all three of you. And unless you want to join him in the wet and the cold, you will bring him up so he can get warm and dry, also.”

  “Damiano,” Paolo began in defense of Marco’s position.

  “No, go out and get him. You heard the lady, and trust me, you don’t want to cross her today. I think it’s the weather.”

  Once Dante had joined them, sandwich devoured and coffee in hand, they got down to business. “Nagi brings me more information about my competitors, and some things we need to watch for. You three”—he indicated the cats of the group—“will pull your perimeter in by another ten meters tonight. We’ll only be here another two nights, but why take the chance?”

  “Will you be going out later?” Marco asked.

  “Just down to dinner here at the resort. The weather’s too bad to do anything else.” They all grumbled their agreement.

  “One of us will come down while you dine. What time do you expect to leave?”

  Consulting Karianna, and turning it over in his mind for a minute, he finally answered, “We haven’t really eaten much today, so probably a little earlier than usual. Say around 1900 hours? It’ll just be getting dark then, so if you want to change, you’ll have cover.”

  Nagi stood up to leave. “Sorry to bring you trouble, Dam, but I thought you should know. I’ll be glad when this whole thing goes down.”

  “Won’t we all,” Damiano replied. “You should come visit sometime, after things tame down. We’ll arrange to grill or something.”

  “You? Grill?” she asked incredulously.

  “You’re so funny, cara. No, I’ll hire a chef, of course.”

  Karianna just shook her head and raised an eyebrow at Nagi.

  “Maybe I will,” he replied to Damiano’s suggestion, “if your mate can stand having a wol
f around.”

  “You wouldn’t mind, would you, cara?” he asked.

  “I put up with you, don’t I?” she countered, smiling sweetly.

  “Damiano, Damiano,” Nagi laughed. “I told you she was your match.”

  “I’ll take care of her later. Nothing like an alpha for keeping things lively. Go with the wind, my friend.”

  “Good hunting, leopard. Keep your head down.”

  Soon all four of them had gone. “Nothing like an alpha?” Karianna asked. “What does that mean?”

  “I’m an alpha male, firstborn son. We tend to be just a little more dominant than the others of the family. You are the firstborn in your family, too.”

  “Actually, I’m an only child,” Karianna added.

  “I know, which makes you even more dominant than you would have been otherwise.”

  “And that means I’m an alpha female?” she asked, brows furrowed in thought.

  “Yes, cara. And it takes a strong alpha male to dominate an only child alpha female, cara. Which is probably why you initiated the bonding in the first place. Mates of any were-species are hard to find these days. Alpha female leopards are pretty rare. For an alpha male, it’s not as important. It’s just not as satisfying to bond with a lesser female, so most times, there is only mating, no bonding. But for an alpha female? To pair bond, you have to find a strong alpha, or it just can’t happen.”

  “What were the chances we would meet, especially all the way out here?”

  “Too slim to calculate. I sure wouldn’t have put any money on it.”

  They left for dinner just before seven that evening. Karianna wore a floor-length gown in smoke gray, a sprinkling of rhinestones following her curves. With the rain still coming down, she topped it with a black hooded cloak until they could reach the dining room.

  Damiano was once again in black, with a long black topcoat to keep out the rain. Sharing his umbrella, they still got a few drops here and there. Once inside the center, the concierge took their wraps and gave Damiano the ticket to reclaim them.

  “You see, cara? This is why I hate the rain. Look at my trousers. And my shoes! Such a mess.”

  “You’ll survive, lover. It’s only water.”

  “It is not only water. It has grass clippings, and dirt, and every sort of thing in it, from the sidewalk.”

  “Damiano, are you going to start again, or can we have a nice peaceful meal?”

  Pausing for a moment, he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “No, we will have a wonderful meal and amuse ourselves dancing later. We only have to make it back to our suite tonight. And maybe the rain will stop.”

  As they were shown to their table, Karianna caught a glimpse of Marco in the back of the restaurant. Nodding to Damiano, he melted into the shadows. “Are we really in danger, Dam?” she asked.

  “Maybe a little more than before, but don’t worry. Marco will watch out for us.”

  Karianna’s dinner was a delightful roast chicken breast, sliced, with a smoky, roast chili sauce over it. With asparagus, brown rice pilaf, and side salad, she had trouble choosing where to start.

  Damiano’s mood dictated his meal. He chose a large steak, rare, with a baked potato. “The weather has put me in a mood today. I need to feel I’ve killed something for dinner.”

  “As long as you enjoy it, lover. Just use your knife and fork.”

  He glowered at her. “I wasn’t going to change to eat.”

  They lingered over wine after dinner, until Karianna excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. “I’ll be right back,” she assured her mate.

  She nodded to Marco on her way. After using the facilities, she cleaned her hands with the lightly scented sanitizing hand rinse, and then checked her hair and makeup before going to rejoin her husband.

  The door opened with a rush of air from the restaurant, and as she stepped out, she nearly ran into a gentleman coming from the men’s room. As always, there was barely room to pass in the short corridor. But as she turned to push by him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward an exit door at the end of the hallway.

  Without thinking, she responded with one of the self-defense moves she’d been taught. An arm bar and quick takedown put the man on the floor, facedown. The startled shout, followed by the loud thump as he hit the ground, got everyone’s attention.

  Marco appeared almost instantly. After one look in his eyes, Karianna dashed back to the ladies’ room to throw up. The seriousness of what had happened hit her hard, after the fact. Her face was pale, she noted, as she cleaned it with a damp towel. Trembling, she felt hot tears beginning to fall onto her cheeks.

  “Where is my wife?” she heard outside the door. “If he has hurt my wife, I’ll tear his throat out.”

  Dabbing at the tears, she hurried out to the scene she had left so abruptly. Paolo and Marco each had Damiano by an arm, while a security officer tried unsuccessfully to calm him. Damiano was intent on reaching the man who’d attacked her, who was handcuffed and held flat against the wall.

  “Where is she?” he demanded. His scent was the frightening, overpowering scent of an angry, hunting cat.

  “I’m here, honey. I had to be sick, so I went into the ladies’ room.” Rushing to reach him, she threw herself into his arms. His eyes asked the question and she answered, “No, I’m fine. Just shaken a bit. I was so scared…”

  “And who are you, madam?” a security officer asked, obviously not up to speed yet on who he was dealing with.

  Pivoting, she pulled herself up to full height, looked him square in the eye and replied, “I am Signora Damiano Leone. And that man just attacked me outside the ladies’ room.” Seeing her finger pointed at him, he began to deny any such thing.

  Pushing her aside, Damiano once again tried to reach the man, only to have Marco and Paolo intervene. “No, Signor Leone. Let them handle it. Signora is fine.”

  “Just let me hit him one time,” Damiano growled. “Just once.”

  Stepping between her husband and his two men, she placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Honey, let’s just finish with the paperwork and then go back to the suite. Please?”

  Searching her face with gray eyes nearly black with concern, he relented. “Where can we go to give statements?”

  “Signor Leone?” the officer asked nervously, beads of perspiration on his brow. “If you and your wife will follow me to the security office, it should take only a few moments.”

  A few moments was more like half an hour, but they were finally finished. Asked if they planned to stay and complete their vacation, Damiano told them he would think it over and tell them the next morning. The rain had finally stopped, so his mood lightened on their way back. His nose twitched at all the subtle smells from the rain-drenched gardens.

  “Cara mia,” he said, slipping the cloak from her shoulders in the suite. “I am so sorry. Are you sure you’re alright? Let me look at you.” His eyes covered every bit of her, searching for any injuries she might not have noticed in the midst of the confusion.

  Finally assured, his arms drew her close and wrapped around her. He breathed in deeply, as if imprinting her scent on his brain, as he nuzzled her hair.

  Raising her face to his, she felt the concern in those stormy gray eyes before his lips touched hers, tenderly, warmly. Suddenly, that wasn’t enough. Her arms reached around his neck as she pressed her body into his, her kisses becoming more forceful and desperate. “Take me, lover,” she whispered. “I need you tonight.”

  Strong arms crushed her to him, as his mouth bruised her lips in the passionate kiss that followed. Roughly, he undressed her, as they littered the living room with hastily cast-off clothing. Both of them now naked, one of his hands seized her hair, and the other, in the small of her back, held her tightly as he dropped one knee to the floor.

  Karianna gasped at the sudden movement, feeling the deep, soft carpet against her back. Looking into his eyes, she saw a leopard looking back at her, just for a moment. Their
lovemaking hit all the extremes that night, from hungry and desperate to gentle and tender, and then back to two alphas fighting for dominance.

  Later, lying in the floor, Damiano’s fingers and mouth still teased her senses, though she was too tired to respond. The scent of mating were-cat was in the air, musky, with smoky overtones hinting of heady amber and sandalwood.

  “Kiss me, lover, and then let’s go to sleep. I’m so tired after this evening.”

  “You must be, cara. You don’t even protest.” He kissed her deeply and thoroughly before settling next to her, one arm under her neck, the other comfortably around her waist. She was too exhausted even to dream.

  Chapter 28

  “But, Dam, I don’t understand why we need to go home. We were going to be here for only two more days, and we never did get to do our sightseeing, because of the rain,” Karianna complained.

  “I need to make sure you are safe, cara,” Damiano explained again. “I can do that better at home.”

  “Surely nothing else will happen now,” she countered. “And with your crew here, we should be fine.”

  Damiano was quiet for a moment, thinking. Shaking his head, he looked back into Karianna’s eyes, searching. “I am sorry our trip has been spoiled, cara. But you have persuaded me. We will stay one more day before leaving. That way we can see some of the interesting things I wanted to show you, but I will feel better. One more day should be fine. Two, I’m not sure.”

  Throwing her arms around his neck she hugged him tightly, saying, “Thank you, lover. I can forfeit one day, if I have one more to spend with you here.”

  Damiano called the front desk and updated their plans. “No, I have no complaints about the resort and we’ll return at another time—we will stay for one more night.—yes, thank you.” Finishing the call, he turned to Karianna with a big smile.

  “So, cara, how do you feel about champagne?”

  “Champagne? It’s wonderful. Why?”

  “As an apology for our inconvenience, we will have a complimentary champagne brunch this morning, since we are extending our stay for one more night.”

  “Really? How nice!”