Still, as much as I loved and trusted Fletcher, Deirdre was starting to wear me down with her bawdy persona and relentless good cheer, and I was beginning to doubt my own instincts about her, along with my general sanity.
Or maybe that was Deirdre’s real plan. Drive me crazy so my friends would ship me off to some funny farm and she could have Finn all to herself. It was an admittedly absurd thought, but I was grasping at straws here. Yeah, my imagination and paranoia were definitely working overtime these days—
“What are you thinking about?” a deep voice rumbled.
I glanced over at Owen, who was snuggled in bed next to me, then focused on my phone again. I was spending the night at his house, and we were in his bedroom, watching a superhero movie on TV. Well, he was watching it. Along with concocting outlandish theories about Deirdre, I was reading an email from Silvio that told me all about Santos, the bank robber.
Rodrigo Santos was his real name, and the giant had a rap sheet a mile long for burglary, armed robbery, and assault that dated back to his teens. But there were no recent arrests, which meant that he had kept his nose clean—or had gotten better at not getting caught—now that he was in his mid-thirties. Rumor had it that the giant had worked his way up from a run-of-the-mill robber who knocked over convenience stores and gas stations to a highly regarded thief who specialized in getting into places that were supposed to be impenetrable. Museums, jewelry stores, bank vaults, Fletcher’s house.
The more I read about Santos, the more worry ate away at my stomach. Because the bank robbery had been a simple stickup job, not something that would require Santos’s special brand of expertise. But he’d been there all the same, shooting up the cocktail party. Why? What was the point? Did he have some grudge against Stuart Mosley or someone else at the bank? Had he just wanted to ruin the party? Or had he been in need of a potential payday? I had no way of knowing, and it bothered me.
Despite all of Silvio’s intel, nobody in Ashland had seen hide or hair of Santos since the bank robbery. Either he had skipped town or he was holed up somewhere, plotting some other job or his revenge against me. Or both. I was betting on both.
“Gin?” Owen asked again, nudging me with his shoulder. “I know you aren’t watching the movie, but are you even listening to me?”
I sighed and put my phone on the nightstand. “Sorry. I was reading through some info about Rodrigo Santos.”
“And?”
“And it’s all good, solid intel, except for the fact that no one knows where he is. I can’t question the guy if I can’t find him.”
“You’ll find him. It’ll just take a little time.”
I sighed again. “I know, and I’m sorry that I’m such lousy company. I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“What shoe?”
“Deirdre. It’s been more than a week now since she told Finn who she really is, and nothing’s happened yet.”
Owen turned on his side to face me and propped his elbow up on a pillow. “Well, maybe that’s because there is a possibility you haven’t considered.”
“And what would that be?”
He shrugged. “Maybe Deirdre is actually telling the truth about wanting to be back in Finn’s life. The two of them have certainly spent enough time together these last several days. She seems like she’s making a genuine effort to get to know him.” His face was blank, and his voice was carefully neutral, but his hand clenched into a fist.
I grinned. “You still want to punch Finn in the face for calling you a hypocrite, don’t you?”
A guilty flush crept up the side of his neck. “Yeah. A little.”
I arched my eyebrows at him.
Owen’s flush grew a little brighter. “Okay, so I still want to punch him in the face a whole lot. Is that wrong of me?”
“Nah. I’ve wanted to punch Finn in the face plenty of times. He can be quite aggravating when he wants to be. But his true superpower is being aggravating when he’s not even trying.”
Owen laughed, but then his face creased into a deep wince. “What really bothers me is that he was right. I was a hypocrite, telling him to trust you now when I didn’t do that with Salina. I’m sorry, Gin.”
I threaded my fingers through his. “You don’t have to keep apologizing for that.”
His features softened. “I know, but I wanted you to hear it again anyway.”
“Well, apology accepted, again.” I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his nose. “Let’s finish watching the movie. The big fight scene is coming up, and you know how much I love those.”
We both turned toward the TV again. I tried to watch the movie, really I did, but I kept glancing at my phone. All that info on Santos was right there. Maybe if I read through it just one more time, I could find a clue that Silvio had missed—
A pillow loomed up and plopped against my face before falling into my lap.
I looked at the pillow, then over at Owen, who was watching the TV and cheerily whistling along with the theme music.
“Did you just throw a pillow at me?”
“Oh, no,” he said, still staring at the TV. “I’m just sitting here, all innocent-like, watching the movie.”
My eyes narrowed. “Oh, Grayson. It is so on.”
We stared at each other, then sprang off the bed at the same time. In an instant, we were grabbing pillows and hurling them across the bed at each other, both of us shrieking, ducking, and laughing the whole time. I quickly ran out of pillows, so I hopped up onto the bed and charged over to Owen’s side, hoping to take him by surprise. He caught me around the waist, spun me around, and lowered me back down onto the bed.
Owen loomed over me, his laughter fading, even as his violet eyes sparked and flashed with an intense heat. “Pillow fights are fun,” he said. “But you know what’s even better?”
“What?”
He gave me a wicked grin, then leaned down and kissed the side of my neck. “This.” He kissed the other side of my neck. “And this.” He grinned again. “And especially this.”
He lowered his lips to mine.
I opened my mouth, my tongue darting out to meet his. We kissed hard and deep, our tongues crashing together again and again the way the pillows had moments ago. Heat roared through my body, sweeping away everything else but this moment. All I thought about was how warm and strong Owen’s body was pressed against my own, how his rich, metallic scent invaded my lungs, how he still tasted of the chocolate cheesecake we’d had for dessert.
We kissed and kissed, our hands eagerly roaming over each other like a couple of teenagers getting hot ’n’ heavy. Owen drew back, his violet eyes even brighter than before. He grinned at me again and lowered his mouth to mine . . .
Just in time for me to bop him in the head with a pillow I’d sneakily grabbed while he’d been distracted.
Owen blinked in surprise.
I grinned. “I’d say that makes us even now, wouldn’t you?”
He growled, threw himself onto the bed, and plastered his body on top of mine, kissing and kissing me until my laughter faded into soft moans of pleasure. We rolled back and forth on the bed, stroking, caressing, and yanking off each other’s clothes until we were both naked. I shivered as Owen trailed his tongue down my chest, then started teasing my nipples with his teeth. He groaned as I took him in my hand, skimming my fingers over his thick, hard length. Soon we were moving together harder and faster, each kiss, touch, and caress bringing exquisite pleasure.
All too soon, we were ready to come together, and Owen reached out for the drawer on the nightstand where he kept a box of condoms. I took my little white pills, but we always used extra protection. He reached . . . and reached . . .
And fell off the side of the bed.
I froze, my eyes wide. A second later, a low groan sounded. I leaned over the side of the bed.
Owen lay on his back, pillows haphazardly sticking out from under his shoulder, ass, and leg. “Ouch.”
“Well,” I drawled, “at least
the pillows broke your fall. Sexy, Grayson. Dead sexy.”
“Hey, now. Don’t mock a man when he’s down,” he grumbled.
I snickered. Owen gave me a mock glower, which only made me snicker again. But I took pity on him, grabbed a condom out of the drawer, and got down on the floor with him. “Poor baby,” I crooned, unrolling the condom and covering him with it. “Want me to see if I can kiss it and make it better?”
Owen drew me down on top of him and started kissing my neck even as his hand drifted lower and lower, his fingers rubbing slow circles as they dipped between my thighs. “How about I do the kissing?” he murmured.
I drew in a ragged gasp. “Okay.”
Owen grinned, flipped me over onto my back, and put his mouth where his fingers had been. His tongue darted in and out as he kissed and licked and sucked all my sensitive areas. My fingers twisted in the pillows, and I moaned and rocked forward, riding the hot, electric waves of pleasure cascading through me.
Just when I was about to climax, Owen wrapped my legs around his waist and plunged into me with one long, smooth stroke. I drew him down on top of me, both of us kissing, moaning, and moving hard and fast until we came together.
Funny thing, though.
We never did finish watching that movie.
16
I managed to hang on to my good mood right up to when Deirdre and Finn strolled into the Pork Pit arm in arm at one o’clock the next afternoon.
“Right on schedule,” Bria muttered.
“At least she’s punctual,” Silvio added.
Bria glared at the vamp, who shrugged and went back to his tablet.
Silvio had been at his usual seat at the counter since this morning, but Bria had only shown up five minutes ago to meet the pair for lunch. She watched Finn escort his mother over to their booth in the corner and help her sit down.
“He never does that for me,” she said.
I threw a dish towel over my shoulder and waggled my eyebrows at her. “Jealousy does not become you, my dear.”
Bria snorted. “Jealous? I’m not jealous. I’m just sick of her. Even when Finn and I are alone together, she’s all he wants to talk about. I swear, if I hear one more story about how adorable he was spitting up as a baby, I’m going to throw up myself, all over the two of them. We’ll see how adorable they think that is.”
Her blue eyes glimmered with dark anticipation. The more Deirdre came around, the snarkier Bria got. I kind of liked this sassier side of my sister. Or maybe I just wanted someone around who thought Deirdre was as insufferable as I did.
Bria sighed and grabbed the blackberry lemonade she’d been sipping. “Well, let’s go see what Mama Dee is up to today.”
“Mama Dee?”
“Yeah. That’s what she wants me to call her.”
Silvio snickered. Bria shot him a glare, and the vamp coughed, as if trying to clear the laughter out of his throat.
I snickered too. “I don’t know whether to weep for you or fall down on the floor and start laughing hysterically.”
Bria made a face. “I know, right? I want to stab myself in the eye with a toothpick every time I say it. But Finn keeps saying how great it is that Mama Dee and I are getting along so well.”
“Oh, Bria! There you are!” Deirdre waved her hand. “Come join us, honey!”
Bria eyed the trash can beside the cash register like she was going to need it. After a moment, she sighed again, longer and deeper. “The things we do for love,” she muttered.
She plastered a bright smile on her face, spun around on her stool, and marched over to their booth. Deirdre leaned across the table and made a couple of loud smacking noises as she air-kissed both of Bria’s cheeks. Bria returned the gesture, although her smile slipped just a bit, and she started eyeing the metal napkin holder like she wanted to brain the other woman with it. I wouldn’t be averse to that. Not at all.
“And where is Miss Gin at?” Deirdre exclaimed, her voice even louder than before. “Gin, honey! There you are! Come say hello!”
Then it was my turn to screw on a smile, which I only accomplished by grinding my teeth. That familiar ache in my face started almost immediately and shot up into my temples. Bria was right. The things we did for love.
“Oh, yes,” Silvio said in a low, amused voice. “Do go say hello to Mama Dee, Gin.”
I turned my smile to him and added a bit more teeth to my expression. “Keep in mind that I’m still an assassin. One who can make people disappear quite easily. Especially certain cheeky vampire assistants who enjoy mercilessly mocking their bosses.”
He gave me an innocent smile in return. “And do say hello to Mama Dee for me too, while you’re at it.”
“You’re a dead man, Silvio.”
He chuckled and went back to his tablet.
I made sure my smile was locked in place before heading over to the corner booth. “Hey, y’all. What can I get you today?”
Deirdre ordered her usual grilled cheese and sweet iced tea. Finn and Bria both opted for fried chicken salads topped with honey-mustard dressing.
I started to turn away, but Deirdre grabbed my arm. Even though she wasn’t actively using her power, invisible waves of her Ice magic still rippled off her fingers. The cold, frigid sensation soaked through the fabric of my long-sleeved T-shirt and chilled my skin underneath. But I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that a simple touch of her hand was enough to make me hiss with pain, so I ground my teeth even tighter and kept my blank smile fixed on my face.
Bria winced in sympathy, though, since she could also feel Deirdre’s magic. Like me, she avoided touching the other Ice elemental as much as possible. Bria had warned Finn about his mother’s Ice power, about how she was much stronger than she was letting on, but he’d ignored my sister the same way he ignored me.
“Oh, Gin, I’m so glad I ran into you today,” Deirdre chirped.
I shifted on my feet so that her hand fell away from my arm, which had already gone numb from her touch. “You’re glad that you ran into me in my own restaurant?”
Bria snickered. Finn looked at her, and she covered her laughter by gulping down more lemonade.
Deirdre ignored my sarcasm. “I wanted to remind you that tomorrow night is the opening of that little jewelry exhibit I put together to benefit my charity foundation. Of course, you and Owen are invited. And on the VIP list.” She winked at me.
“Of course.” I ground out the words through my fake smile. “We wouldn’t dream of missing it, especially since this is only the third time you’ve invited us now.” Finn frowned at me, but I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “Let me go put your order in. I’ll be back with your food in a jiffy.”
“Thanks, Gin, honey.” Deirdre winked at me again. “You’re a real peach.”
I turned, stalked back over to the counter, and handed the order ticket to Sophia. The Goth dwarf gave me a mulish look, not liking Deirdre any more than I did, but she fixed their food in silence. I handed the plates off to Catalina to take over to the booth while I wiped down the counter, even though I’d just finished doing the same thing when Bria had first come in.
“Chicken,” Silvio teased, realizing that I was avoiding going back over to the booth.
“I’m not chicken,” I muttered. “Just trying to keep my homicidal rage in check. And the best way to do that is by staying as far away as possible from Mama Dee.”
“If you really want to stay away from Mama Dee, then maybe you should take a break and actually keep your appointment today,” he replied in a chiding tone.
“What appointment?”
“That meeting you have scheduled with Mallory Parker this afternoon. The one you were supposed to have the day after the bank’s cocktail party. The one I’ve rescheduled three times so far.” He turned his tablet around so I could see it. “See? I have it right here on today’s agenda.”
I opened my mouth to tell him to cancel again, that I was staying put so I could keep an eye on Deirdre, bu
t Silvio beat me to the punch.
“You should really go see Mallory,” he said. “She’s been calling every day, wondering when you’re going to show up, and she said she had something special to give you.”
I frowned, wondering what that could possibly be. But then I remembered the dwarf’s odd words at the party and how she’d told me that I’d better go check on Finn. Jo-Jo and Sophia hadn’t known anything about Deirdre, but Mallory was older than both of them. Oh, I doubted that Mallory knew anything about Fletcher and Deirdre’s relationship, but she might know something about Deirdre herself or maybe even the Shaw family. It was worth a trip to find out.
Deirdre busted out laughing at some joke Finn had made, her hearty chuckles bouncing from one side of the restaurant to the other. The happy sound sliced through my last nerve like cheese on a grater. Bria wasn’t the only one who was sick and tired of Mama Dee. Maybe Silvio was right. Maybe I should leave before I broke my promise to Finn to play nice.
“All right,” I said. “Appointment it is. Thanks for reminding me.”
Silvio blinked. “You’re actually going? Just like that? Without me having to nag you?”
“When do you ever have to nag me about anything?”
“When don’t I have to nag you?” he muttered.
“What was that, oh assistant of mine?”
He plastered a big, fake smile on his face. “Nothing, boss. Nothing at all.”
“Uh-huh.”
Silvio promised to call if Deirdre did or said anything interesting. With his vampiric hearing, he could stay put on his stool at the counter and listen to every word she said over in the corner booth.
I left Sophia and Catalina in charge for the rest of the day, hung my apron on a hook, grabbed my car keys, and headed for the front door.
I’d hoped to leave before anyone realized what I was doing, but Deirdre’s eyes were just as sharp as mine.
“Oh, Gin, honey!” she called out, flapping her hand at me again.
I plastered another smile on my face and veered in that direction.
“Where are you off to?” Finn asked.
“Just taking a break and meeting Owen for coffee,” I lied.