Page 14

T he room was dark. The sheets were blue. Their skin was damp and bare. She clung to him. Afraid she’d see all the dark and treacherous ridges of his desire, he touched her gently, feathering his hands in and out of her curves.

She rained kisses over him as she braced her hands on either side of him. “It’s your turn to tell me.”

“What?” Indulgent, he blindly traced the raised surface of a mole on her navel.

“How you like to be touched.”

He chuckled, then stopped swiftly when she closed her mouth over his nipple. It tautened and grew pebbly. The skin at the small of his back drew up tight and goose bumps took over. She would drive him over the edge.

He rolled over her, pinning her to the sheet. Taking her hand, he moved it between them.

Her gaze didn’t stray from his in the dark as he showed her how to stroke him. How to drive him over the edge—a firm-handed hold, a deep-seated stroke, slow to start, then quickening.

She kissed him as he let her take control, curling his hand into the sheet. He breathed hot against her mouth.

“More,” she told him.

Something like a growl leaped from his throat as he took her wrist. Taking her hand away, he turned it up against the pillow over her head. “Not yet.” He thought about his wallet on the pool deck. Out in the cold. “Damn it.”

She pointed to the nightstand. “Top drawer.”

Turning her loose for a second, he pulled out the drawer. Relief whistled out of him. “Were you a Boy Scout, Pearl? Because you prepare like one.” He tore the corner off the wrapper with his teeth.

She snatched it from him, then shoved his hands away when he tried to fight her for it. “Lay still, hard-ass,” she said none-too-gently.

Not only did he obey. He laughed deeply and fully. Then choked when she took her time rolling the condom into place, drawing out his needs. Her eyes glowed at him in the dark, watchful.

“I’m not sorry you’re not a hero,” she told him. “Or a prince.”

“That’s good,” he said helplessly. He tugged her back to him when she was done. Then he flipped their positions, so she was beneath him. He turned her knee outward with his. “Because I’d hate to disappoint you, like all those other bastards.”

He slid home. Her nails dug into the bed of his shoulder blades. They scraped as he took her through the first glide.

It wasn’t soft. When she bit her lip, he wondered if he should be.

She has silk sheets, you meatball , he thought. Of course she wants it soft.

She sighed, tracing the line of his vertebrae with her fingertips. “Then don’t stop.”

He lost himself and didn’t look back.

She was perfect. The way she held on. The way she met him stroke for stroke. The way she pressed her heels to the bed and said his name. He forgot why they shouldn’t be together as she pulsed around him and her fingers found his, clinging.

Raising them above both their heads, he wove them together like a basket. He took her mouth as he tripped toward the edge and flung himself over like a man on fire.

He fell hard, tumbled end over end and face-planted.

Had that coming , he thought. The landing wasn’t any softer or safer than their lovemaking. He lay panting, wreathed in sweat, tuning in slowly to the brush of her fingers through his hair.

“Noah?” she said, muted.

“Hmm?” he managed.

“Are you all right?”

He opened his eyes, saw the afterglow shining off her so brightly it made his eyes water.

She was so beautiful it made his eyes hurt.

He swallowed, still unable to catch his breath. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re shaking a little.”

He took stock and felt the fine tremors in his joints. “I’ll be all right. Just give me...”

He trailed off because she was caressing his face in soft, loving strokes that made him still.

Her eyes were all too blue in the dark.

His heart stuttered, banged, fired and drummed. And it hit him.

He’d never loved a woman. Naturally, it took him a minute.

It hit him like a Sherman tank going max speed, artillery firing.

He released her hands, sliding his away. Careful not to hurt her, he pulled out of the nest of her thighs before rolling to his back beside her.

She turned onto her side, skimming a kiss across the ridge of his shoulder. Laying her hand on his chest, she placed her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. “Stay.”

It wasn’t a question. Still, the answer was there before he could make himself think. “Yeah,” he said.

“Your heart’s still racing. Are you sure you’re all right?”

He gathered her hand from its warm spot on his chest and pulled it away, up to his mouth. He kissed her knuckles to distract the both of them from what was happening inside him. “Pearl?”

“Yes?”

“Go to sleep.”

She gave a little sigh. Her fingers played lightly through his beard until she dozed off and he lay awake—wide the hell awake—trying to fathom how far and fast he’d fallen.

Laura bolted upright in bed, alarmed at the sight of sunlight peeping at her from between the curtains and the sound of knocking from far away. “Oh, no,” she said to Sebastian, who peered sleepily at her over his mustache of orange fur.

She slid out of bed, groping for the robe over the back of the purple wingback chair in the corner. She fumbled it on, tied the belt, then combed her fingers through her hair.

Scenting coffee like a bloodhound, she spotted the mug, still steaming, on the nightstand next to the framed portrait of her mother. There was a small scrap of paper next to it with Noah’s handwriting.

L.,

Fulton called. I have to run. We’ll talk later.

Made you something. It’s in the oven.

N.

The knock clattered again, louder this time, followed by Joshua’s voice. Laura stuffed her feet into her slippers and padded quickly from the bedroom to the entry corridor.

When she snatched open the door, Joshua looked immensely relieved. “Ah, jeez, Laura. You had me worried.”

“I’m fine,” she blurted. “Sorry. I slept through my alarm.”

Joshua gave her a puzzled once-over. “You never sleep in.”

“I know,” she said, frazzled. “I was up late and must have crashed hard.”

“Noah spent the night here.”

She shook her head automatically. “I don’t know what—”

“Come on, ace.” Joshua rolled his eyes. “I saw him head out just a few minutes ago.”

“Oh.” She cleared her throat and reached for it awkwardly. “It’s not what it looks like.”

His brows came together. “Why not? Haven’t you two been together for six months?”

“I...” She caught back up and nodded, clutching the lapels of her robe together over her collarbone. “Yes. Yes, we have.”

He lifted his hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. You say he makes you happy. I believe you.”

“You took him running,” she recalled.

Caught, he lifted both shoulders in a sheepish shrug. “Adam’s idea.”

“Oh, give me a break, Josh,” she snapped. “I heard you were the pace car. I also heard you took him up the advanced hiking trail. Even Adam thought his legs were going to fall off.”

Joshua pursed his lips. “It’s not my fault I’m in better shape than everybody else.”

She gave a half laugh. “If you’d believed me when I told you he makes me happy, would you have put Noah through his paces?”

“He kept up just fine.”

He didn’t sound pleased about the fact. “You like him.”

“Maybe,” Joshua said. “And he said something that scared the hell out of me.”

“What?” she asked.

Joshua took a breath, rolled his shoulders back as if trying to dislodge tension and said, “He said he was here to keep you safe. He said you could be the next target of whoever killed Allison.”

She shook her head. “Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

“That’s what she thought, too,” Joshua said. “I may be your brother, but I like that he’s staying the night with you. I like that you have someone watching over you when Adam and I can’t. Until the police find out who killed Allison, I’m willing to look the other way when Noah’s around. Bonus points that he looks like he could scare off a grizzly.”

She smiled. It wobbled around the edges. “You don’t have to worry about me so much.”

“That’s the thing,” he drawled. “As long as Steele’s around, I worry less. Where’d he go, anyway?”

“Sedona,” she said. “He had something to do there.”

Joshua lifted his chin. “Right. Valentine’s Day’s tomorrow.”

“Valentine’s...” She shrieked and ran back into the house, leaving the door open for him. In the bedroom, she dressed quickly, did her hair and applied makeup faster than she ever had before.

How could she sleep in the day before the wedding?

She snatched the coffee off the nightstand and downed half of it as she eyed the cat still curled up at the foot of the bed. Normally, Sebastian woke her if she even thought about sleeping past her alarm. He required a prompt meal at the break of every day.

As she ventured into the kitchen, where she found Joshua pouring coffee from the pot into a mug of his own, she peered into the cat food bowl. The remnants of a feast were scattered across the bottom of the porcelain dish.

Noah had fed her cat? Stunned, she took the bowl to the sink to rinse it. Then she remembered the note. Turning to the oven, she pulled open the door.

One of her china plates sat in the center of the upper rack. She pulled it out and found a still-warm western omelet.

Joshua peered over her shoulder as she set it on the range. “That looks incredible.”

“It smells incredible,” she said in wonder.

Joshua was quiet for a moment. “You used to make us breakfast—Adam and me. After Mom died.”

“Yes.” She remembered.

Regret tinged his voice. “Nobody’s ever made breakfast for you in return, have they?”

She didn’t reply. The note had said Noah had had to run. But he’d made her coffee, fed Sebastian and thrown together a whole omelet?

The walls of her heart gave a mighty shake.

A fork clattered onto the range next to the plate. She turned to see Joshua grin. “Eat your heart out, ace.”

The morning meeting wasn’t quick, but it was concise. Laura let Adam lead, still reeling from her naughty night with Noah.

Alexis lingered after Adam called the meeting to an end and the other members of staff bustled out to prepare for the next day’s event. “I did what you asked,” she told Laura. “I called the number you tracked down. It was CJ Knight’s cell phone.”

“Did he answer?” Laura asked hopefully.

“I left a message.” She took her phone from the pocket of her blazer. “He texted me a reply.”

Laura tilted her head to read the phone’s display.

Ms. Reed, I apologize for leaving Mariposa on short notice. Yes, I will keep my reservation for 2/16.

“He’s coming,” Laura said to Adam.

“That’s good,” he said with a nod. “Thank you, Alexis.”

“Yes,” Laura chimed in. And because she was so sick of withholding information from Alexis, Laura added, “Mr. Knight may have information.”

“What kind of information?” Alexis asked, narrowing her eyes.

Adam cleared his throat, warning Laura to tread lightly.

“About Allison,” Laura answered.

Alexis assessed them both. “You think he had something to do with what happened to her?”

“No,” Laura said quickly. “But he departed Mariposa the next day. Police couldn’t question him. It’s possible he saw something or heard something that could lead police to the person responsible.”

“That makes sense,” Alexis allowed after a moment’s contemplation.

“If you could avoid mentioning this to him when he arrives, that would be great,” Adam added. “We need to let the police handle their investigation.”

“Right,” Alexis said.

Laura walked with her to the door of the conference room. “You’ll see that the other concierges have their assignments as the wedding party filters in today?”

“I will,” Alexis replied.

“I appreciate it,” Laura told her.

“That was clever of you,” Adam noted after Alexis had departed. “You didn’t lead her to believe the police are considering Knight as a suspect.”

“I want this to be over,” she blurted. “I hate hiding things from the people I care about. Alexis. Josh. Tallulah.”

“This was your idea, Lou.”

“I know,” she said with a wince. “I didn’t think it through.”

“You were thinking about Allison,” he discerned.

She nodded, silently knitting her arms over her stomach. It twisted with guilt.

Adam changed the subject quickly. “I just got a call from a friend of mine, Max Powell.”

“Yes,” she said, remembering. “The celebrity chef. You went to college together.”

“Your attention to detail is one of your many strengths,” he said fondly. “Max is taking a break from his TV show’s filming schedule and wants to spend a few weeks at Mariposa.”

“Let me know the date of his arrival,” she replied. “I’ll make sure he receives the best treatment.”

“Thank you.” A smile climbed over the planes of his face. It was a relief for her to see it and the light in his eyes. “The bride and groom check in at eleven?”

“Yes,” she said. “Alexis and I will escort them to their bungalows. From there, she’ll take them to their first spa treatment, and I’ll check in with the parents and wedding party at Annabeth. They’re surprising the happy couple with a prewedding margarita lunch. I’ve enlisted Valerie and her bar staff to help the kitchen staff with the drink rotation. I expect the celebration will go on for some time. I also expect every member of the wedding party to be tipsy when the minister arrives for the rehearsal on the golf course at five.”

Adam thought about it. “Talk to the transportation staff. See if they can’t have shuttles ready to drive them there. We don’t want tequila behind the wheel of the golf carts.”

“Good idea,” she said.

“How’s it going with Steele?”

Her smile froze. Joshua knew Noah had spent the night with her. How long would it take for Adam to find out? “It’s going.”

“When’s he coming back from Sedona?”

“I’m unsure,” she realized. “He didn’t say, exactly.”

“He may be keeping his distance.”

“Why?”

He paused, planting his hand on the jamb. “Valentine’s Day comes with certain expectations.”

She lowered her chin. “Are you speaking from experience?”

He evaded the question. “Let me know of any problems between arrival and luncheon. I’m crunching numbers again with the father of the bride.”

“Have fun with that,” she muttered.

She felt like she was walking on eggshells for the rest of the day. Weddings and talk of murder mixed like oil and water. She felt she and Alexis handled the wedding party’s questions about the investigation well, though.

Laura spotted Fulton lurking around the bungalows before the intendeds’ surprise luncheon. His badge and gun were in full view. She wrung her hands and wondered what he was up to and if Noah had returned to Mariposa with him.

Thinking about Noah was doing her no favors. Vivid, distracting memories of the night before followed her everywhere. The things he had done to her...the things she had done to him... The heat in her cheeks refused to leave.

Her body carried its own memories, its own markers. She couldn’t cross her legs without the tender ache of coupling causing her nerve endings to remember. She’d worn a high-necked blouse to ensure that the marks from Noah’s beard on her neck and chest were tucked away from prying eyes.

Wishing he were feeling the aches as he went about his day, she hoped it was distracting him from his work as much as it was distracting her, if not more. And she wondered if she’d left any guilty marks on him to remind him of their exploits.

By the luncheon, her thoughts turned to speculation. Had he really had to return to Sedona—or was he just avoiding her? She had no missed calls from him, no texts. Just the note he’d left with Sebastian and the empty omelet plate at home.

Was Adam right? Was Noah steering clear of Mariposa because he was allergic to Valentine’s Day? Would she even see him tomorrow? She’d thought about calling him again to tell him what she’d learned about CJ Knight. To ask if he knew what Fulton was up to, but her doubts had given her other ideas.

“You look ready to tear the heads off those shrimp.”

Laura glanced up from where she’d been hovering next to the buffet. Alexis had finished her to-do list in time to witness the end of the luncheon. Laura stepped away from the shrimp bowl. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Alexis said, turning to angle herself toward the festivities. “I just thought you’d like to know your face says, ‘Approach me and die.’”

Laura smiled a bit. “I’m in a weird headspace today,” she admitted.

“Want to talk about it?” Alexis asked.

Did she ever. She wished she could confide everything to Alexis—the whole confusing fake relationship that didn’t feel fake but might still be. She felt terrible for making her friend believe that she and Noah were actually... Wait, but weren’t they? What did last night mean? Would Allison approve? Or would she hate what Laura was doing with the brother she’d adored?

Laura tried to think about what to say exactly. Something—anything—to make sense of her actions and his. “Noah spent the night last night.”

Alexis arched a brow. “Did he?”

“Mmm.”

She frowned. “Haven’t you two done that before?”

Laura wanted to curse. “Yes.” Fighting for an explanation, she continued. “But last night... Last night was...”

“Oh,” Alexis said significantly. “What you’re trying to say is last night, you and Noah had the night.”

“Precisely,” Laura replied.

“All right.” Alexis grinned. “Now that you mention it, I do detect a strong afterglow.”

“I’m... glowing ?”

“Like a menorah.”

Laura snorted a laugh and covered her mouth as Alexis folded her lips around a muted chuckle. It took them both a moment to contain themselves.

Laura sighed. “Allison lived for conversations like this.”

“She did,” Alexis said reminiscently. “She’d say these are the talks that keep us young.”

Laura sobered. “Taco Tuesdays won’t be the same.”

“No,” Alexis granted. “She would want us to keep doing it, though.”

“Then we will,” Laura determined. “After the memorial.”

“When is the memorial? Have you spoken with her family?”

“A little.” Every time she’d brought it up with Noah, he’d shut her out. She wasn’t looking forward to having the same conversation again. “The coroner’s office hasn’t released her, so I don’t think they’ve put burial plans into motion yet.”

“Adam’s coming,” Alexis said swiftly. “And...good Lord. What is it with you Coltons and your collective wrath today?”

Laura glanced up and found Adam pushing toward her on fast-moving legs. His face wasn’t friendly. Her stomach knotted.

“May we speak in private?” he asked.

“Of course,” Laura said. She nodded to Alexis, who moved off to give them a moment to themselves.

Adam’s eyelid twitched. “Josh tells me Steele was at your place this morning.”

“He was,” Laura replied.

“Alone. With you.”

“Yes, Adam,” she said, feeling weary.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” she began.

“Jesus, Laura.” He pressed his fingers into his eyes before remembering himself. He glanced around and lowered his voice. “Are you buying into your own cover story? Is this all some fantasy you had to indulge?”

“No,” she said, offended. “Of course not.”

“He’s not a rock star,” he told her. “He’s a cop.”

“I know that!”

“And he’s not actually in love with you!”

Ouch , she thought. Shaking off the strange pulse of hurt, she straightened her posture. “I know.”

“Every bit of this with him is pretend,” he went on, undeterred. “And you’re setting yourself up to get hurt all over again.”

“Stop it, Adam.”

“I’m not going to let you get hurt again!”

“Please,” she begged, eyes brimming with a sudden wave of hot tears. “I said stop.”

He saw the tears and his expression darkened. “I’m not a violent man, Laura. You know this. But if he’s making you do this, I swear—”

“It was me,” she said. “I was the one who told him to stay. He didn’t make me do anything. I wanted him.”

His jaw loosened.

She shook her head. “Don’t act so shocked. I’m a grown woman. I choose who I go to bed with, just like Josh. I’m responsible for my own actions, just like you. If I get hurt, then that’s my problem. Not yours.”

“I have to watch,” he said from the pit of his stomach. “I have to watch you pick up the pieces and move on. And it guts me every time.”

She touched his arm. “It’s going to be okay. I...I know what I’m doing.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

She wasn’t, but she nodded. “I do.”

He shook his head in disagreement. “You’re always so careful. You’re not considering the consequences from every angle.”

“Maybe not.” She could grant him that. “But ask me if I have any regrets.”

“I think it’s a little early for that,” he considered.

“Do not talk to Noah about this,” she said, knowing him. “I don’t need you chasing him off like a coyote before—”

“Before what?” he challenged. “Before he shows you what kind of man he really is?”

“Don’t pretend to know who he really is,” she advised.

“Fine,” he returned. “Then you shouldn’t either.” He turned and left her with the shrimp.

She looked around the tables, making sure no one had caught wind of the argument. She caught Alexis’s sympathetic gaze from across the room and tried to erect a reassuring smile.

It slipped as she glanced toward the exit and saw Noah standing just outside the doors of the restaurant.