Dancing with Deception (13 page)

“Go ahead.” His voice was wary but also curious.

Rebecca thought for a moment about where to start. The unease turned quickly into dread, however and she knew she needed to wait. Courage deserted her and she could have wept. She was tired of feeling afraid and uncertain. She just wasn’t ready to lose Gideon yet, or his family.

And that would surely be the outcome if she told him that she herself had painted
The Dance
. She was innocent, but would he see it that way? Would any of them?

“Now that I think about it, I’d rather wait for your family to be there.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a long story and I don’t want to tell it more than once.”
And I just need a little more time with you—with your family.

“All right. Tonight.”

“Okay.”

Silence ensued again except for the gentle lapping of the water against the boat. A bird would squawk every now and then. She thought Gideon may have fallen asleep. She wished she could turn everything off the way he seemed to do. But her thoughts continued to race causing her fingers to twitch and her toes to tap to the rhythm of the water thunking against the boat. She looked at him again and saw his lips curve.

“Don’t you know how to relax?”

“I guess I don’t.”

“Close your eyes,” he ordered. “Block out everything except for the sounds. Turn your brain off and just pay attention to them.”

She did, and again she heard the water lightly beating the side of the boat. She listened to it and heard the steady rhythm. It was a lazy sound that lulled her. A bird interrupted, breaking her concentration, but soon she could only hear the water. And Gideon breathing. She concentrated on his deep, even breaths. Surely he was asleep now, she thought. She could never be that relaxed and still be awake.

She opened her eyes because she was sure she would fall asleep otherwise. She watched the clouds float, puffy white against brilliant blue. Gideon was warm at her side and his total relaxation calmed her.

“That one looks like Zoey,” she murmured.

“Yeah, with three legs.”

She hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud. Hadn’t even realized she was making shapes out of the clouds. She’d done that a lot as a little girl, she remembered. She remembered seeing castles in the sky and wishing she could live in one. Embarrassment kept her silent.

“That one looks like an ice cream cone.”

Her eyes darted from cloud to cloud until she spotted the one that looked like an ice cream cone. She smiled. “What flavor?”

Gideon shifted on the bench. “Strawberry.”

“I like vanilla.”

“Girl ice cream.”

She laughed. “Maybe, but its good. Strawberry’s good, too.”

They played the game for a while spotting shapes anywhere from food to people. Gideon insisted one of the puffy thunderheads looked identical to Colin. Rebecca laughed because when she had first seen it, she thought it looked like an elf.

“That looks nothing like your brother.”

“Sure it does. It has that big mouth and ears that stick out to far.” Gideon shrugged then grunted when Rebecca’s elbow jabbed him in the ribs.

“Be nice.”

“I thought I was.” His tone was dry and forced Rebecca to smile again. She liked this side of Gideon. She had wondered why he was so uptight when his brother was mellow but the more she was around him, the less intense he was.
Extenuating circumstances
, she thought with an inward smile. He had every right to his anger when his life had been turned upside down because of her. The thought caused the laughter to die out of her. She’d tried to avoid thinking like this, but she couldn’t manage it for long.

“What’s wrong?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “If I hadn’t jumped on your boat last week, what would you be doing right now?”

He didn’t look angry, she mused. He contemplated his answer then shrugged. “Probably just about the same thing. Life’s slow on Avery.”

“Slower when I’m not around to mess everything up.”

“True,” he answered casually. She lowered her head and tried to squash the guilt. He only laughed. “A little speed doesn’t hurt anything, Rebecca. Stop feeling guilty.”

“I can’t,” she breathed. “I wish I would have just run the other way.”

“Something wrong with Avery?”

His brisk tone snapped her out of her mood. That he would be so nice to her after all she’d done both soothed and baffled her. “No, I really like it.”

“Good.” Gideon rose and reached into a cooler he’d brought along. He pulled out two cans of soda and handed Rebecca one. “Where’re your parents?”

The question took her by surprise only because he hadn’t asked her any personal questions like that before. “Well, my mother’s on a cruise.”

“And you’re father?”

“I don’t know.”

“He really left the painting with you and took off?” He sounded disbelieving.

Rebecca stiffened against his tone but met his gaze without wavering. “Yes. I have no idea where he is, or if he’ll even be back.”

“Sounds like a winner.”

“He can’t help it,” she snapped. She regretted it immediately though. “Sorry.”

“Why can’t he help putting his daughter’s life in danger? I’d love to hear this.” He finished off his drink, crushing the can with long, strong fingers; then put it in a compartment that held a small trash can.

“I just meant the leaving part. I’m sure he didn’t know he was putting me in danger.” Even to her own ears, the statement rang false.

“Rebecca. That was a shitty thing for him to do.”

She nodded, fighting against the burn of unwanted tears. Would she ever stop the water works
?
She hadn’t cried this much since she was a baby. He said her name again and she warmed at the concern she heard in his voice.

“Let’s just change the subject, okay?”

He watched her for a minute—trying to gage her emotions, she knew. Most guys were uncomfortable with a woman crying. But, she remembered, he had held her while she’d sobbed out her terror a few days ago. Then he’d kissed her more thoroughly than she’d ever been kissed before. Her pulse still raced when she remembered the feel of his hard body against hers.

“What do you want to talk about?”

She didn’t want to talk, she realized. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. Did she dare try to initiate something? He hadn’t tried to touch her or kiss her since that time in the bathroom. What if he didn’t want to again? She saw his body tense and his gaze also drop to her mouth. A new kind of panic shot through her and she groped for a topic to throw out there.

“What happened to Jess?” Damn it– was that breathless sound actually her voice?

“What?” If possible, his body tensed even more.

“Jess,” Rebecca prodded. “When we spend time together, I always get the feeling that something bad happened to her.”

His lips thinned into a grim line
. He
turned away to stare out at the water. She knew he wasn’t turning away from her, however. She sensed his struggle and her heart went out to him—and to Jess. More than anything she needed to know about Jess.

“It’s her story to tell,” he finally said. He looked at her with eyes full of helplessness and sorrow. “And I want to know if she tells you. Suffice it to say that she was hurt.”

“But she’s okay now?” She understood privacy and wasn’t offended that he wouldn’t tell her. But she did want to know if Jess was all right. She seemed fine most o
f the time. But Rebecca also kne
w all too well that a person could hide behind an outer wall so well that no one would ever try to look beyond its thick surface.

“She will be.”

It wasn’t the answer she wanted. It only added to her curiosity and her concern.

“So, where did your mother take a cruise to?”

“I don’t know.” The answer was so empty, it hurt Rebecca. They were never close. There were times that Rebecca didn’t even think of Lilah as her mother. Sometimes she just seemed like the ever absent roommate.

As a little girl, Rebecca would watch her mother put on her makeup or dress herself up for a date. She would stare in wonder at the beautiful woman she lived with. Lilah had a classic ivory complexion without a blemish or wrinkle. Later, when Rebecca became conscious of fashion, she realized Lilah had ruined her perfect complexion by caking on makeup like it was going out of style. She had also bleached her mink brown hair into a horrible blond color that never turned the platinum shade she desired.

“You ever take a cruise?”

He was changing the subject, she realized and smiled again. “Not yet.”

“Where would you go?”

She thought for a moment. “Everywhere. That’s why I haven’t taken one yet. None of them go everywhere.”

They were cast in shadows when a cloud scooted in front of the sun. The wind whipped a little, blowing black strands of hair in front of Rebecca’s face. Before she could swipe them away, Gideon lifted his hand to oblige. His fingers left a trail of fire as he slid them across her cheek to tuck the silken strands behind her ear.

He lingered at the base of her ear causing her to shiver.

“Cold?” His voice was a murmur.

She shook her head slowly. She saw the intent on his face and braced herself for his kiss. She wasn’t prepared however. The hand on her throat curled around the nape of her neck, sending delicious tingles down her spine. His mouth swooped down on hers in a hungry assault.

She’d had it both ways, she thought as his tongue ravished her mouth. Their first kiss had been quick and hard, their second slow and silky and she honestly couldn’t decide between the two which she liked more. Right now though, she wanted the bite.

She curled her arms up around his shoulders, gripped, and held on while he plundered. She tasted the coke he’d been drinking before and something else; something dark and intoxicating. She heard him grown and felt the vibration in his chest.

The pace was fast. Her heart raced as she struggled to keep up. The wind whipped again, wrapping her hair around the side of his head. She was barely aware of him pressing her back into the cushioned seat so that he was lying on top of her.

No longer passive, she arched against him and felt his hardness. His hands were moving achingly slow compared to the speed of his lips pressing against hers over and over again. He trailed wet kisses down her face to the side of her neck and bit lightly. Heat gushed through her like a geyser that had nowhere to pour out. His tongue laved over where his teeth had just sunk causing her to writhe beneath him.

He continued to brand her with his mouth and hands while she did the same to him. Her hands moved up his back and she reveled in the feel of hard muscle under her palms. It wasn’t enough. She pulled the hem of his shirt up and encountered hot skin. She thought she moaned but his mouth covered hers in another searing kiss.

His big hands cupped her breasts, holding her while his thumbs teased her nipples into straining peaks. She wrapped her slender legs around him, pressing center to center while sensations slammed her like a tidal wave.

His hands slid up her stomach, under her shirt. Lost in him and in the delicious whirlwind, she pressed her mouth to Gideon’s neck. She tasted his salty flesh and couldn’t get enough. He said something low and harsh, and then he was tugging at the snap to her shorts.

At first, the distant sound of a motor didn’t connect in the foggy mist that was her mind. All she could hear above her own heart hammering was the sounds of their breathing. Then, little by little the sound of the motor became louder.

“Gideon.” He hadn’t heard. Rebecca curled her hand around his shoulder and pushed. “Someone’s coming.”

“Don’t care.”

“Gideon!”

On a groan, Gideon pulled slightly away but didn’t release his hold on her. Their eyes met. His were so dark that she couldn’t tell where his pupils began. He looked up to see who was approaching. From beneath him, she saw his mouth pull into a grim line.

“I’m going to kill him,” he growled. His forehead dropped to hers as he heaved a sigh of frustration. “
Please
tell me you want to finish this later.”

She nodded and he kissed her again before rising. She sat up, pulling her shirt down as she rose. She saw the boat approaching but couldn’t see the driver yet. Gideon was getting another can of soda out of the ice chest. Inspired, Rebecca picked up her unfinished can and drank deeply to cool the fires he had just lit.

She recognized Colin as he got closer. She wanted to smile at the murderous glare Gideon was giving him but decided against it, biting the inside of her cheek to keep it at bay.

“This had better be damn good,” he muttered.

Colin cut the engine on his boat when he pulled up beside Gideon’s and grinned. “I apologize if I was interrupting anything.”

Rebecca hoped her face didn’t look as hot as it felt.

Gideon growled. “What do you want, asshole?”

“Dad’s pal called back with the info on Jefferson.”