A breeze fluttered the sheer wisp of bed curtains through the opened doorway. Alone, Ava stretched deliciously against the soft, white sheets.
Marco had to leave town and would return in two days. Freedom danced through her body and giddiness forced a smile from her lips. Two days to do whatever she wanted. Delicious freedom.
Marco had diminished her clientele over the years to two. For some reason she’d refused to give them all up despite the fact Marco paid the most. She held onto those last two clients for simple rebellion. Independence. It was her secret weapon. But she’d cleared her schedule for the next two days. She wanted no distractions, no responsibilities.
Just freedom. Exhilaration. Her own little paradise.
Afternoon faded into a sweep of dusky colors across the sky and she turned onto her side, gazing out the window at the picturesque scene of the desert at dusk. Nothing stirred her blood quite as much as the West Texas landscape. Red jagged peaks speared into the brilliant blue skyline leaving her speechless. Its rugged beauty reminding her of the man named Stone.
Desert magic wrapped its sultry fingers around her and dampened her skin. She sighed and closed her eyes. An image of the mysterious cowboy reappeared and with it a tingle of sensation traveled the length of her body. She shivered despite the desert heat.
A noise clattered from outside the archway leading to the courtyard. Ava bolted upright. Her ears strained to detect any sound. The courtyard fountain’s trickle whispered through the door. Sliding through the sheer panels of fabric, Ava slipped on her slippers and clasped her housecoat to her chest before sliding it over her sleeveless camisole.
She crept out the adobe archway, the gurgle of the fountain greeting her. Brilliant roses climbed the walls, a splash of color in an otherwise neutral surrounding. Her heart pounded in an increasing rhythm as awareness doused her in cold chills. Someone was watching her.
“Who’s there?” She searched the shadowed alcoves, but nothing moved. Unease infused her with uncertainty. “Answer me, who’s there?”
Ava hovered close to the door, and then he separated himself from the shadows. Long, tall and wrapped in mystery. “Mr. Stone. Do you add spying to your list of vices?”
“Perhaps.”
Curiosity drew her closer until his features below the wide brim of his hat came into focus. “Why are you here?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.”
His deep tone flooded her every sense and chased all reason away. Whatever his purpose, she no longer cared. All that mattered was that he was here, and something they could not name drew them together. “I am glad you came.”
“Are you?”
“Si.”
He circled her in slow strides, his gaze never wavering. A sense of being stalked entered her. He smiled, a soft lift of the corner of his mouth. Dangerous. “You knew I would come. It’s the reason you sent him away.”
Ava lifted her chin. “Perhaps.”
He stopped midstride. “I like it when you say that word,” he whispered.
Stunned silence followed his statement. Confusion furrowed her brows. Surely, he couldn’t have known Marco said the exact opposite of those very words. “Call me Gabriel.”
“Gabriel,” she said, testing his name. It slid across her tongue as if it’d always belonged there.
“Yes, I heard him say he doesn’t like it when you say that.”
Surprise lifted her brows. “H-how?”
He crossed the courtyard in two strides until he stood directly before her. Nose to nose. Chest to chest. And yet, their bodies did not touch.
“I refuse to take another case where I don’t know every detail.”
“You refused to take on the case, if I remember correctly.”
He studied her. His eyes scanned her features then down her neck and hovered over her body. Her nipples tightened in response to his attention. “I may have changed my mind.”
“Why?”
He circled her once again, his eyes straying to every inch of her flesh as an erotic thrill shot through her. So close and yet still so far.
“You failed to mention you were his lover.”
“It was irrelevant.”
He paused just behind her and his breath whispered across her bare shoulder. “It was very relevant, Sin.”
She turned to stare at him over one shoulder. “Why?”
“Because it puts my client — you — in the line of fire.”
Ava stiffened. “If you’re worried I won’t pay you, then let me do so now.”
The click of her slippers on the red terracotta tile as she walked away split the silence. He seized her wrist and pulled her around. A strand of dark hair fell from its restraints across her shoulder like another caress. Only it lacked his heat while his palm burned a brand across her flesh. “I am not interested in the money.”
Her gaze collided with heated green orbs. “Then what do you want?”
Sheer sparks ebbed from his touch through her arm. Her heart hammered against her chest. The atmosphere between them seemed to come alive and breathe. An ebb and flow of power neither could deny.
“Is there double meaning to your question, mi princesa?”
She smiled. “I am no princess. Just a courtesan. There is always double meaning in everything I say, Mr. Stone. The question is how will you answer me?”
“What do you prefer, truth or fantasy?”
“There is always room for fantasy. What do you enjoy more?”
“Normally I enjoy truth.” He took a deep breath. His hand still clasped her wrist gently and he twined their fingers together, easing her hand to his mouth in a slow, sensual ascent. A thrill fluttered in her stomach. His nearness ceased every breath as she experienced pure pleasure at his touch.
“And what do you prefer tonight?”
His mouth lingered over the back of her hand. Warm breath tickled her skin as he placed the slightest kiss on her knuckles. “Tonight, I prefer fantasy as well as Sin.”