Whispered Lies

He went rock hard and whispered, “If you want to eat any of that food, you’d better stop teasing me.”

A wicked gleam twinkled in her eyes.

Seeing her feminine confidence return warmed him. Her ex-husband had to be some kind of idiot to have gone looking for something more than this woman. He should have his head spun around to face backward just for undermining her femininity.

If the bastard ever got close to her again, he’d get more than his body rearranged.

“I am hungry,” she finally admitted after eating the strawberry and licking her fingers.

If she didn’t stop licking things with that tongue, he’d run out of condoms tonight. He’d only brought his standard four.

Wasn’t as if he’d expected to use them on this trip.

She laughed and pulled out of his arms. “Let’s eat or I will be…what do you say? Cranky?”

“That’s for sure.” He couldn’t believe the change from timid to relaxed. Men just never realized how easily their words and actions could break a woman’s spirit or power up her confidence. Gabrielle was brilliant, heir to a fortune, and had protected herself alone for the past decade.

But what had she been doing during that time to know so much about the Anguis? Where was she getting her information?

“Here’s yours. I’ll take a water if you don’t mind.” She handed him a plate loaded with carved beef that would probably melt in his mouth, a potato soufflé, green vegetables with almonds, bread, and a radish shaped into a flower.

He grabbed a cola and bottle of water from the minifridge, then sauntered over to the sofa. She bounced around the serving table, clearly delighted, as if she never dined so well. She pranced over to the sofa with a plate piled just as high as his and plopped down with the one-person buffet in her lap.

Then ate without hesitation.

When Gabrielle paused, she licked her fingers again. She lifted her head, eyes bright as those of an elf on a mischievous mission. Dimples winked when she smiled, and she covered her mouth shyly with one hand, hiding cheeks round with food.

But that she hadn’t been the least bit concerned over devouring a full plate in front of him tugged on his heart.

What was he going to do about Gabrielle?

He couldn’t keep her with him, but neither could he let Joe and Tee send her to Interpol. If he went against BAD, he would have no refuge left in this world because he would be hunted as a threat to the organization.

Hard decisions were as much a part of his life as breathing. He’d make this one when the time came.

AN INSISTENT BUZZ interrupted his sleep.

Vestavia came awake, instantly assessing his surroundings as he always did even in his Miami penthouse, as he was now. He read the caller ID, then lifted the phone receiver to stop the noise before it woke Josie.

“What’s going on?” He cradled the phone against his ear with one hand and used the fingers on his other to toy with Josie’s hair. She slept like an angel beside him. His contact at the École d’Ascension wouldn’t have called unless he had an emergency.

“We’ve had a small glitch here, Fra Vestavia,” his contact warned.

“As in?” Vestavia asked quietly. Josie snuggled close and burrowed into the pillow. His gaze strayed to the solid-gold pocket watch that rested on a rectangular onyx pedestal on the nightstand. A birthday gift from Josie. She’d found the antique treasure in Switzerland last year.

“Our computer systems have crashed,” his contact at the school continued. “No one on our IT staff has been able to resolve the problem so we brought in outside help.”

“Who?” Vestavia ignored Josie for a moment and stared out the window where stars winked in the black sky over the ocean.

“That’s the good news. It’s an alumni we’ve been in communication with for over a year about a custom program she’s written that will upgrade all of our systems without needing so many fingers involved.”

“So she’s cleared to visit the school?”

“Absolutely. I’ve personally reviewed her records. She was a quiet little geek of a prominent family. Actually she was one of the D-ange-ruese line, but her mother’s death was suspect so you struck her name from consideration. Her father is a respected member of the French government and rumored to be our next prime minister.”

“I’m not crazy about it,” Vestavia grumbled. His man inside the École d’Ascension was completely trustworthy, and the school had been a favorite Fratelli hunting ground for many generations due to its security and exclusivity, but this broke protocol. “Keep an eye on her and inform me immediately about anything unusual.”

“Of course.”

“What is the status of the three students?” Vestavia asked, swinging the conversation back to his utmost concern.

“Everything is in order. They are all listed as off campus with permission, except for the last one.”

“As soon as the last teenager is picked up, you’ll receive word to adjust her records to reflect a voluntary leave.”

“I had a call from one parent this week.”

Josie stirred awake and moved over to stroke Vestavia’s hard cock. He tensed, then managed to answer, “Which one?”

“Someone on staff at the Fuentes estate checked to see that Amelia’s leave was approved by the school. I assured them it was, that she’s an exceptional student, and that Amelia indicated when she left that she’d be visiting a friend in Germany. They accepted that without question.”

“The next girl will be the last one, and everything must be in place by this Thursday,” Vestavia emphasized. “The U.S. economy and infrastructure will be put to a real test by next Tuesday for the presidential elections. We’ll see if this country is the superpower it contends.” He hung up as Josie’s skilled hands pushed any lingering stress from his body. With the success of this next test, he’d have the North American Fras agreeing to anything he suggested.

But he still had to find the mole and Mirage. An informant could be anyone close to a Fra, which included women.

Josie was the most capable woman he’d known in the order. He sucked in his breath when her lips closed around him and hoped like hell she wasn’t the leak.

NINETEEN

GABRIELLE SAT CROSS-LEGGED on the bed with her laptop propped on a pillow in her lap. “Do you want to see the files again before I delete them?” she called softly toward the half-open bathroom door between her and Carlos. The bedroom door to the living area was closed and music played in the other room, but they were both careful about saying anything loud enough for the listening device to intercept.

The door opened and he walked into the bedroom buttoning his cuffs.

Correction. He swaggered, dressed in a black cotton business shirt and black pants, looking sexy, deadly, and every bit the man who had used two more condoms last night.

The man she intended to escape.

She played a dangerous game with her sanity every time she touched him, knowing she’d have to walk away. But if that was the price to pay for this stolen time with Carlos, so be it. Didn’t she deserve a little happiness, no matter how temporary? She’d take what he’d give her now over nothing.

Gabrielle quaffed the longing she’d suffered all night, the burning desire to stay with him. Her verbal deal with Joe was as flimsy as the air it had been written on. Smart advice would be to prepare herself for the inevitable and start visualizing walking away from Carlos, disappearing without a word once she’d gained his trust.

“Why? You worried about leaving the files on your laptop?” He tucked his shirttail in his pants and finished buckling his belt. When he lifted his gaze to hers, he smiled.

How could she walk away from him? “Yes, Gotthard set up access for me at a data-vault facility where I can upload and download files from the school or my laptop. I want to send them there before I close this.”