On the Fly (Crimson Romance) (14 page)

“Actually, I don’t know what Giselle does. I met her a few days ago at Von’s Grocery Store, needed a date for tonight, and there ya go. Thought it might take some heat off us if I was out with someone else. So much for that. And you don’t get to be mad after the way you kissed me in front of the guys. Damn near gave me a heart attack.”

His grin was infectious even though she tried to resist. “You deserved it. Besides, I’m
Giselle
tonight, right? I don’t even know why I’m here. I — ”

A rough finger lifted her chin, and his lips touched hers.
Oh, yeah. That’s why.
The soft, insistent kiss deepened. He set his drink down and cupped the side of her face in his palm. Jacey angled around and leaned into him, sliding her hand up over his chest then down his side. She felt like a teenager at a make-out party, and really, it wasn’t far off. When she found herself three seconds from undressing him in the middle of the pool, she sat back, and sanity returned. He felt inexplicably right, but so had Alex …

Carter swayed forward, touched his forehead to hers, and held onto her hand before she could pull away. Her laugh sounded nervous, so she slid her fingertips over the contours of his cheek and jaw in reassurance. Whether it was for him or her, she didn’t entirely know. “I don’t get it. I don’t seem like your type.”

“What’s my type?”

“Women with names like Giselle or Candi with an ‘i.’ Someone who could wear this dress better than I can.”

“First, I would be offended, but I actually did date a Candi with an ‘i.’ Second, no one could wear that dress better than you. And third, I’m attracted
because
you’re different. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“How many women have heard that?”

“You’re it.”

“Why am I no longer sure it was a compliment?”

Carter’s normally heart-stopping grin looked a little silly combined with the black paint around his eyes. “It is. Trust me.”

Those words again. Every time she’d heard them in the past, they usually came after a lie. But liars had a certain look that Carter lacked — innocuous, innocent, manipulative. Whatever Carter felt, he showed, whether he wanted to or not. It reassured her. He may have been a player in the past, but she didn’t get that from him. Then again, her radar had been wrong before.

“While we’re on the subject, I don’t seem like your type, either.” Carter took a sip of beer.

“Oh, yeah? And what’s my type?”

“A guy who makes his living fixing bodies instead of breaking them. Someone more comfortable in a lab or library than a hockey rink. Doctor, lawyer, astrophysicist.”

Jacey tossed her head back and laughed, this one genuine. “I have dated those guys.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “God complex, lying ass, walking yawn.”

“Lying ass.” The lines of his face softened, and he leaned back to meet her eyes. “The lawyer hurt you.”

Damn
.

She looked down, focused on how the cherry red of her toenail polish shone under the water and club lights. There was a rule against talking about exes on first dates, right? Except this didn’t feel like a first date. She felt comfortable with Carter. Probably not a good thing.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have … ”

“His name is Alex. We fell in love in college. Most lawyers debrief in a courthouse. He chose our apartment.”

When Carter didn’t say anything, she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. His expression didn’t give much away, but she’d seen that look before. He got it just prior to knocking someone out on the ice. For some reason, that made her smile — just a little. “That was a year ago. I haven’t really dated since.”

“I’ve never cheated on anyone. I may have been in some open relationships, but I’ve always been honest.”

Open relationships sounded like code for weekend flings and one-night stands, but he appeared sincere. Despite the nagging little voice in her head, she felt like a balloon was inflating in her chest, and it took a minute to classify the emotion. Hope. It’d been so long, she’d forgotten. He picked up her hand and slid his thumb over the back of it. The connection grounded her, and she tightened her grip. “You don’t seem anything like him.”

His lips parted, but whatever he might have said got lost in a sudden burst of catcalls from the dance floor. A woman in a black leather body suit grinded back into a man wearing a pimped-out mafia costume. Something about the woman’s long hair seemed familiar. That Marilyn Monroe shade … but past her shoulders. The man’s fedora fell off, revealing strawberry-blond spikes, and Jacey froze. “Oh. My. God.” She dipped her head and leaned so Carter blocked her from view.

He quirked a brow and glanced over his shoulder. “What? Who? You realize you’re wearing a mask and a black wig. No one is gonna recognize you.”

“Madden is over there … with Linden East.”

“That reporter?”

“
That
reporter. The one that started it all. I’m gonna kill him.”

“Whoa, whoa. You can’t be you right now, remember? The guys think you’re Giselle, and they’re still over there. And if Ms. East sees you with me, you can bet we’ll grace the front page of tomorrow’s
Las Vegas Sun
Entertainment section.”

She exhaled through her teeth and balled her hands. “I can’t believe he’d do that.” Her own words sunk in, and her shoulders drooped. “Yes I can. He’s Madden. But … I don’t think he’ll say anything. I mean, he’s the one who coached me how to talk to reporters.”

“And that worked out so well.”

“God. If he … ”

Something buzzed at Carter’s hip, and he fished his phone out of his pocket. She could barely hear the techno ringtone over the blaring club pop music.

“Hello?” He pressed the phone to one ear then held his hand over the other ear. “Scotty? Where are … ” His lips flattened into an unhappy line as he listened. “Fine. I’ll be there.” He snapped the cell closed, cocked his arm to throw it into the pool then growled and shoved it back in his pocket.

“Scotty? As in Kevin Scott, left wing?”

“As in. He … ” The internal,
how much do I tell the boss
debate played out on his face.

“Come on, Carter. I need to know. Depending on how bad it is, I might not have to tell Nealy, but
I
need to know. Is it going to be in the police blotter tomorrow? If it is, I’d like to start thinking up the official press statement now.”

“They didn’t take him in, but they escorted him out of the Double Down Saloon for drunk and disorderly conduct. Sounded like if he doesn’t get a ride he’ll need a lawyer.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “This night just keeps getting better.”

“I know. I’m sorry. But I really have to go.”

“Hey, you’re not leaving me here.”

“Another player called me for help. I can’t bring the boss with me.”

“You won’t. You’ll bring the mute Giselle.” Jacey smoothed the wig then zipped her lips.

Carter hesitated. He bit his lower lip, assessed her as if they were in a face-off. Finally, the grin broke through, and she knew she’d won. He stood on the plush island with his shoes in one hand and held the other out to her. “You know, Giselle, this night is not going at all how I’d planned. Let’s roll.”

Jacey accepted his help up. They hopped off the island into knee-deep water and waded to the side. She put her boots back on and shuddered at the feel. Moisture plus leather equaled one very uncomfortable experience. She could feel her skin pruning and wished more than anything that she could go barefoot. But Las Vegas wasn’t exactly known for its clean streets.

Once she laced up, Carter took her hand again and touched his lips to her ear. “Stay close to me.”

Like he’d have to twist her arm for that. He led her into the crowd, and she had to do some creative contorting and turning to squeeze between enthusiastic partygoers. It was like human Jenga. She kept trying to extricate herself without knocking any other people over. If only the rest of them cared as much. They pushed and shoved without a thought in the dancing madness, and one particularly hard bump sent her flying. Carter pivoted in time to catch her, but there was a good chance the room got a glimpse of her black satin, bikini underwear.

Jacey straightened, spitting mad, and faced her accidental assailant … her brother. Madden held up his hands in surrender and tried to apologize over the loud music. Her heart froze. He cocked his head and squinted in the strobe lights. She held her breath. Recognition flickered in his eyes, and he looked to Carter then back to her. When Linden East appeared at his side, any remaining blood in Jacey’s face drained away, and she was more grateful than ever for the mask and wig.

East sized her up with no hint of identification then shot Carter a dirty look. Jacey both loved and hated the reporter in that moment. Sure, East dismissed her as a skank — thank God — but she also gave Carter the stink eye for presumably cheating. Of course, East was probably just upset about losing a lead, but gift horses and all that.

Madden shouted another apology then steered the reporter toward the pool area. Jacey’s hands shook as she straightened her dress. Carter dipped his head and held her gaze for a moment. He mouthed,
You okay?
When she nodded, he took her hand then guided her back into the crowd. Writhing bodies swallowed them up once more, and she held on like a vise so they wouldn’t get separated in the tide of humanity. A few minutes passed before her heart stopped trying to pound through her chest.

They stumbled on to Reese, Cole, Collier and their dates. Carter yelled an explanation, and Jacey kept her head down. She just wanted to make it outside before she fainted. She could feel her pulse in her cheeks, and the tremors had to be noticeable. It was all she could do to wave back when the guys said goodnight. As soon as she made it through the front door, she took a deep breath and bent over until things stopped spinning. Could it get any worse?

Monday, October 31st: End of the Night

Jacey leaned against the taxi window, legs crossed. She tried to make herself as small as possible to accommodate the two extra-large hockey players beside her. Carter took the middle seat to shield her from the one-hundred-proof Kevin Scott. On a good day, the six-foot, four-inch left wing could charm with the best of them, but tonight his auburn hair looked like crazy porcupine quills, and the dark circles under his eyes weren’t from costume paint. The Eau de Bourbon cologne didn’t help. Shortly after Carter had angled him into the cab, Kevin’s head lolled back, his eyes closed, and the snoring began. At least the cab driver’s loud, Simply Sinatra radio station drowned most of it out.

“You really know how to show a girl a good time, Phlynn.”

“
Now
you call me Phlynn? We are so moving in the wrong direction.”

“I kind of want to kill Scotty. Is that a normal, ownerly feeling?”

Kevin’s head dropped onto Carter’s shoulder, eliciting a disgusted wince from the captain. Carter pushed him back against the door. “Oh, he’ll pay for interrupting our date. There’s an afternoon practice tomorrow. He sleeps through it, Nealy skins him alive. He shows up like this, he’ll wish he was so lucky.”

Even though she’d already sort of known, it was different to hear him say it. “Date?”

He stared at her a minute, his expression unreadable. For a brief second, she thought he’d take it back, say he misspoke. The hope in her voice was embarrassing enough to make her consider tucking and rolling right out into the street. Then his smile flickered back. “I know these aren’t the most romantic circumstances right now, but the night started off pretty well.”

Heat crept up into her face as the first hot kiss replayed in her mind. He’d caught her mid accusation, and once the shock wore off, her Id came out to play and shoved Super Ego Jacey in the closet. She couldn’t remember ever letting go like that. Her pulse sped up at the memory.

Carter curled his fingers into hers and kissed each knuckle slowly. His lips felt warm and smooth as silk against her skin. She shot a nervous glance at Kevin, but he was dead to the world. And Carter didn’t seem to care one way or the other. He turned her hand over and kissed the pulse point at her wrist. “Night’s not over yet.”

She hip-checked Super Ego Jacey back in the closet and threw away the key.
I am so gonna regret this.

• • •

After they dropped Scotty off at his house, only the cabbie’s occasional, rear-view-mirror glances kept Carter a gentleman. Jacey looked like a sexy super villain in the glowing horns and that dress. The glittering black flame hemline kept inching up her legs. The black wig looked hot, but he wanted to take it off and run his fingers through her soft curls while he kissed the responsible out of her. Arms folded under her chest, he could see her mentally wrestling with something. He’d bet anything its name was Madden.

“You trust him, right?”

“Who?”

“The brother you still picture with braces and acne.”

“I don’t … okay, maybe I do. It’s just … ”

“Diamond Cove. Here we are!” The cabbie turned the music down and slowed the car to a stop in front of their neighborhood gates. Carter handed over the fare and tip then helped Jacey out. She’d been relaxed around him all night, and he couldn’t get over it. The no-nonsense woman who’d turned his life upside down step by step actually had a soft side.

He key-fobbed them in and offered his arm. She took it without reservation, and as they fell into step, he felt something hit the back of his leg. Her devil tail. For a minute, he stared transfixed as it swayed from her backside. A sharp poke to his stomach snapped his head back around.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to leer at a lady with a pitchfork?”

“Ahh, let me think. ‘Wear a helmet. Homework before hockey. Stop picking on Shane; he’s smaller than you.’ Nope, must have missed that one. And I was not leering. I was admiring.”

“Uh huh. Shane?”

“Reese. We grew up together. Closest thing to a brother I’ve had.”

“You’re lucky.”

“What did Madden do? I mean, aside from sleep with the enemy. You were about to say.” Carter directed his gaze to the sidewalk lit by the fancy streetlamps. He didn’t want to put more pressure on her by staring. She didn’t pull away, but he could feel her tense up.