Ed Morgan made a point of meeting Faith at the door as she entered the grocery store. “Sorry,” he said, not looking the least bit regretful. “I don’t have anything you need.”
Faith stopped, and gave him a cool look. “You don’t know what I need,” she pointed out.
“Doesn’t matter.” He folded his arms and smirked at her. “Guess you’ll have to shop somewhere else.”
Faith controlled her temper. She detected the fine hand of Gray Rouillard in this, and getting into an argument with Mr. Morgan wouldn’t accomplish anything except possibly getting her arrested for causing a public disturbance, which would suit Gray just fine.
He had kept his word about making it difficult for her to live in the parish. Not ten minutes earlier, the attendant at the service station where she stopped had gleefully told her that they were out of gas, and she’d have to go elsewhere. At the time, the man at the next pump had been filling his car.
If Gray thought this would send her packing, he had seriously underestimated his opponent. She could sue these people for refusing service, but that wouldn’t make her very popular in town. She intended to live here, so she discarded that option. Besides, the real battle was between her and Gray; everyone else was secondary.
She shrugged as she turned to leave. “Fine. If you can do without my money, I can do without your groceries.”
“All the other stores in town are in the same predicament,” he called after her, gloating. “Fresh out of whatever it is you want.”
Faith contemplated giving him the finger, but resisted the urge; he might take it as an invitation. She walked calmly back to her car. Obviously she’d have to do her shopping and buy her gasoline somewhere else, but it was only an inconvenience, not an insurmountable problem.
Inconvenient in the short term, that is; long term, she would have to do something about it. And in the very short term, she was mad as hell.
There was a pay phone on the corner. Faith stalked past her car and down to the open kiosk. This one had a phone book in it, swinging from a stiff metal cord. It would be just like the Rouillards to have an unlisted number, she silently fumed as she opened the thin little book and flipped through the pages until she reached the Rs. But no, there it was. She dug a quarter out of her purse and fed it into the slot, then punched in the number.
A woman’s voice answered on the second ring. “Rouillard residence.”
“Gray Rouillard, please,” Faith said in her most businesslike tone.
“May I say who is calling?”
“Mrs. Hardy,” she replied.
“Just a moment.”
No more than ten seconds later, the line clicked and Gray’s velvety dark voice purred, “Is this the Mrs. Hardy?”
She could hear the mocking amusement in his voice, and her hand clenched around the receiver so hard, it was a wonder the plastic didn’t crack. “It is.”
“Well, well. I’ll bet you didn’t think you’d be asking for favors so soon, did you, sweetheart? What can I do for you today?” He didn’t even try to disguise the satisfaction in his tone.
“Not a damn thing,” she said coldly. “I just wanted you to know your childish little tricks won’t work. I’ll have my groceries shipped in from Dallas before I’ll give you the satisfaction of seeing me leave!” She slammed down the receiver before he could reply, and marched to her car. She hadn’t really accomplished anything, other than blowing off some steam and letting him know that she realized who was behind this latest development, and that it wasn’t going to work. It was satisfying anyway.
* * *
At Rouillard House, Gray chuckled as he sat back in his chair. He’d been right about her redheaded temper. He’d have liked to see her just now, with those green eyes snapping fire. Maybe his maneuver had made her dig in her heels rather than prompting her to go to a friendlier locale, but one thing for certain, it had gotten a reaction! Then his eyes sharpened. Dallas, huh? Maybe he should do some checking there.
Faith allowed herself to stew for a minute, then put her anger aside as a waste of energy. She refused to let this town, and Gray Rouillard, get the best of her. She would change their opinions of her if it took twenty years! The key to changing their minds, she realized, was proving that Guy Rouillard hadn’t run off with her mother. For whatever reason he had left, it couldn’t be blamed on her family. Taking that into consideration, she had far more reason to hold a grudge than did the Rouillards or anyone else in the parish.
Knowing that Guy hadn’t been with Renee and proving it, however, were two different things. Perhaps if she could get Renee to talk to Gray, he would at least be curious enough to start searching for his father. Maybe he already had, and Mrs. DuBois at the library simply didn’t know the result of the search. If Guy was alive, though, there would be a traceable paper record somewhere.
She drove to New Roads, where she filled up the car and bought the few groceries she had needed. So much for Gray’s effort to starve her out, she thought with satisfaction when she returned home and carried in the bag. She hadn’t even had to go that much farther afield.
After she had put up the groceries, she went into her office and called her grandmother Armstead in Jackson. As before, Renee answered the phone.
“Mama, this is Faith.”
“Faith! Hi, honey,” Renee said in her lazy, sultry voice. “How’re you doin’, baby? I didn’t expect to hear from you again so soon.”
“I’m fine, Mama. I’ve moved back to Prescott.”
There was a moment of silence on the line. “Why’d you do that? From what Jodie told me, them folks didn’t treat you right.”
“It was home,” Faith said simply, knowing Renee wouldn’t understand. “But that isn’t why I called. Mama, everyone here still thinks you ran off with Guy Rouillard.”
“Well, I told you that isn’t so, didn’t I? It’s no skin off my nose what they think.”
“It’s causing me a little bit of trouble, though. Mama, if I can get Gray Rouillard to call you, would you talk to him and tell him that you didn’t run away with his father?”
Renee gave an uneasy laugh. “Gray wouldn’t believe a word I said. Guy was easy to get along with, but Gray . . . No, I don’t want to talk to him.”
“Please, Mama. If he doesn’t believe you, that’s up to him, but—”
“I said no,” Renee interrupted sharply. “I’m not going to talk to him, and you’re just wastin’ your breath. I don’t give a shit what those bastards in Prescott think.” She slammed down the receiver, and Faith winced at the crash in her ear.
She hung up the phone, frowning in thought. For whatever reason, Renee was nervous about talking to Gray, and that meant Faith didn’t have much chance of changing her mind. Renee had never been one to go out of her way for anyone, even in a matter as simple as a telephone call.
Well, if Renee wouldn’t talk to Gray, then Faith had to find some other way to convince him, and the best way to do that was find out what had really happened to Guy.
How did you go about finding out if someone who had disappeared twelve years ago was alive or dead? Faith wondered. She wasn’t a detective, didn’t know the procedures to follow to gain access to the records that would normally be examined if you were looking for someone. The thing to do, she supposed, was to hire a real private detective, one who would know those things. It would be expensive, though, and she didn’t have much extra money after spending her ready cash on the house.
Where to find a detective? There wasn’t any such animal in Prescott, but she supposed they could be found in any moderate-sized town; Baton Rouge was a city of almost a quarter million people, but it was also a little too close to Gray’s sphere of influence. New Orleans would probably be safer. Maybe she was being paranoid about Gray’s power, but she would rather be paranoid than caught unawares. A man who would try to stop a woman from buying groceries was diabolical! Her mouth quirked at the thought, and she allowed herself a tiny smile. On a more serious note, she had a healthy respect for the lengths to which he would go to follow through on his promises, and his warnings.
She would find a good detective and hire him to search credit card and bank records, things like that. If Guy was alive, surely he would have used some of his vast financial assets to support himself; she couldn’t see him washing dishes at minimum wage. Perhaps it would be possible to find out if he had filed an income tax return. Surely any decent detective would be able to do that in a short amount of time, maybe a week, so the cost should be manageable.
What if the detective did find a paper trail? If Guy had used a credit card, Gray would have known about it, seen the charge on the monthly statement. Had Gray known where his father was all these years, and not said anything? The possibility was intriguing . . . and infuriating. If Gray had found Guy, wouldn’t he have contacted him? And if he had done that, then he would know that Guy hadn’t left with Renee. It followed, then, that for whatever reason, Gray had never tried to find his father, otherwise he would know there was no reason for this vendetta against her.
She couldn’t forget what she considered the most likely scenario: Guy was dead. She could see him leaving, though divorce would have been a more logical step, but she couldn’t see him never contacting his kids again, or walking away from the Rouillard money. That just wasn’t human nature. She had to give the private detective a chance to find Guy, but she didn’t think he’d succeed. After that, she would start asking questions around town; she didn’t know what she could discover, but the answer to the puzzle was there, if she could just figure out how to put the pieces together. Someone had to know what had happened that night. The truth was there, waiting for someone to find it.
She pulled out a sheet of paper, paused for a moment, and unwillingly wrote her mother’s name at the top. It was asking too much of coincidence for Renee to have left the same night Guy had disappeared and not know anything about it. Maybe they really had run away together, and something had happened to Guy afterward, something that Renee didn’t want known. Though the only circumstances under which Faith could imagine Renee stirring herself to violence would be to protect herself, she had to put Renee’s name at the top of the list.
Beside Renee’s name, because he had the motive, she wrote “Gray” in block letters. She looked at the two names. One of them, possibly both of them, knew what had happened to Guy. She would bet her socks on it. Nausea roiled in her stomach. Between murder suspects, which did she choose as the most likely: her mother, or the man she had always loved?
Stricken, Faith stared bitterly at the paper. Self-knowledge was seldom sweet. She must be the biggest fool alive, for no matter how Gray had wrecked her life or tried to make things impossible for her, no matter that she thought he might be involved in his father’s death, she couldn’t run from, destroy, or even ignore that bone-deep, compelling attraction to him, like metal shavings to a magnet. Just the sight of him made her go weak inside, and when he touched her she felt the electricity of it in every cell of her body. He had never touched her except in anger; what would it be like if he came to her as a lover, with pleasure his intention? She couldn’t imagine it. Her blood would boil, her heart stop.
What would she do if she found that Gray had indeed killed his father, or had him killed? The thought caused a sharp pain in her chest, and she barely stifled a moan. She would have to do the same thing she would do if it were anyone else. She couldn’t live with herself otherwise. And she would grieve for the rest of her life.
There were other suspects, though less likely. She listed them under the two top names. Noelle. Amos. Perhaps Monica. Thinking laterally, the list widened to the other men Renee had slipped around and slept with, as well as Guy’s other women. For two people infatuated with each other, they had been remarkably unfaithful. Ed Morgan had to go on that list, and Faith wrote his name down with pleasure. She racked her brain, trying to think of more names, but twelve years was a long time and most of the men had been eminently forgettable. Maybe town gossip could supply them, as well as some of Guy’s conquests. From his reputation, he had cut quite a swath through southeastern Louisiana. Probably she could list quite a few of Prescott’s society ladies, which would also make their husbands legitimate candidates for the list. Wryly she tossed down the pen. The way this list was going, she might as well take a phone book and start at the A’s.
* * *
“You don’t look like a private detective.”
Francis P. Pleasant looked like a prosperous, conservative businessman. There were no ashtrays in his office; it was neat, and his light gray suit fit well. He had sad, dark eyes, but the expression in them lightened and warmed as he smiled at her. “Did you think I would have a bottle of bourbon on my desktop, and a cigarette with an inch-long ash dangling from my mouth?”
“Something like that.” She returned his smile. “Or that you’d be wearing a Hawaiian shirt.”
He laughed aloud at that. “Not my style. My wife always picked out my clothes—” He stopped, and the sadness returned to his eyes as he glanced at a photograph on his desk.
Faith followed his gaze. The frame was set at an angle to her, but she could still see that it was a picture of a pretty middle-aged woman, her expression so cheerful that it invited smiles. She must have died, for that sadness to be in his eyes. “Is that your wife?” she asked gently.
He managed another smile, but it was strained. “Yes, it is. I lost her a few months ago.”
“I’m so sorry.” She had just met him, but her sympathy was genuine.
“It was a sudden illness,” he said, his voice a little jerky. “I have a bad heart; we both thought I would be the first to go. We were prepared for that. We were saving as much money as we could, for the time when I wouldn’t be able to work. Then she got sick, just a cold, we thought, but forty-eight hours later she was dead from viral pneumonia. By the time she realized she was really sick, that it wasn’t just a cold, it was too late.”
Tears swam in his eyes, and Faith reached across the desk to put her hand on his. He turned his hand to squeeze her fingers, then blinked in bewilderment.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, blushing. He took out his handkerchief and blotted his eyes. “I don’t know what came over me. You’re a client, we’ve just met, and here I am crying on your shoulder.”
“I’ve lost people I loved, too,” she said, thinking of Scottie and Kyle. “Sometimes it helps to talk about it.”
“Yes, it does, but that was still inappropriate of me. My only excuse is that there’s something very warm about you, my dear.” He realized that he had added an endearment, and blushed again. “Well! Perhaps I’d better ask what has brought you here.”
“A man disappeared twelve years ago,” she said. “I’d like you to find out if he’s still alive.”
He picked up a pen and rapidly scrawled something on a legal pad. “Your father? An old boyfriend?”
“Nothing like that. He was my mother’s lover.”
Mr. Pleasant glanced up at her, but didn’t appear startled. Probably in his business he had received requests far more bizarre than hers. Thinking that he would have a better chance of finding something if he knew all the details and circumstances, rather than just the bare facts of Guy’s name, age, and description, she related everything that had happened twelve years ago, and why she wanted to find out if Guy was still alive.
“I have to tell you,” she said, “I think he’s dead. Maybe my imagination is running away with me, but I think someone killed him.”
Mr. Pleasant carefully placed the pen on the legal pad, positioning it between the blue lines. “You do realize, Mrs. Hardy, that, considering what you’ve told me, your mother is likely involved. For her to have left the same night. . . well, you understand how that looks.”
“Yes, I understand. I can’t think, though, that she would have killed him herself. My mother,” Faith said with a faint smile, “would never kill the goose that laid the golden egg.”
“But you do think that she knows what happened.”
Faith nodded. “I’ve tried to get her to talk about it, but she won’t.”
“I assume there’s no evidence to bring to the attention of the sheriff?”
“None. I don’t want you to find out if Guy was murdered, Mr. Pleasant, I just want you to find out, if you can, whether or not he’s alive. There is a remote possibility that he simply walked away from everything.”
“Very remote,” he said dryly. “Though I have to admit that stranger things have happened. If there’s a paper trail, though, I’ll find it. If he had been running from the law, he would have changed his name, but there was no reason for him to disguise his identity. It should be fairly easy to find out if he’s ever surfaced.”
“Thank you, Mr. Pleasant.” She took out a business card and gave it to him. “Here’s my number. Call me when you know something.”
She left his office feeling pleased with her selection. She had contacted him first by phone, discussed his fee, and made an appointment. Then she had checked his references, and been well satisfied with the answers. Mr. Pleasant had been highly recommended by her business contacts, described as both honest and competent, the kind of person one instinctively trusted. If Guy was alive, Mr. Pleasant would find him.
She glanced at her watch. She had left Prescott early that morning and driven down to New Orleans for her appointment with Mr. Pleasant, which hadn’t taken as long as she had anticipated. Margot was in town, and Faith had made a lunch date with her at the Court of Two Sisters. She had plenty of time to get there, so she drove back to her hotel and left the car, then set out on foot to do some window-shopping along the way.
It was steaming hot as she walked along the narrow streets of the French Quarter, and she crossed over to the shady side. She visited New Orleans frequently, because of the agency office here, but she had never really taken the time to explore this old district. Horse-drawn carriages moved slowly through the streets, with the driver and guide pointing out attractions to the tourists in the carriage. Most people, though, depended on their own feet to take them through the Quarter. Later, the main attraction would be the bars and clubs; this early in the day, shopping was the goal, and the myriad of boutiques, antiques shops, and specialty stores gave plenty of choice and opportunity to people who wanted to spend their money.
She went into a lingerie shop and bought a peach silk nightgown that looked like something one of the Hollywood movie queens would have worn back in the forties and fifties. After wearing almost nothing but hand-me-downs for the first fourteen years of her life, she felt sinfully self-indulgent about new clothes now. She could never bring herself to go on shopping binges now that she had a bit of cash, but every so often she allowed herself a luxury purchase: lace underwear, a sumptuous nightgown, a really good pair of shoes. Those small indulgences made her feel as if the bad times were truly in the past.
When she reached the restaurant, Margot was waiting for her inside. The tall blonde jumped up and hugged her enthusiastically, though it had been only a little over a week since Faith had left Dallas. “It’s so good to see you! Well, are you settling down okay in your little burg? I don’t think I’ll ever settle down again! My first business trip, and it’s to New Orleans. Isn’t this a great place? I hope you don’t mind sitting in the courtyard rather than inside. I know it’s hot, but how often do you get to eat lunch in a courtyard in New Orleans?”
Faith smiled at the barrage of words. Yes, Margot was definitely excited by her new job. “Well, let’s see. I’m twenty-six, and this is the first time I’ve eaten lunch or anything else in a courtyard, so I’d say it doesn’t happen too often.”
“Honey, I can give you ten years, so it’s even rarer than you think, and I intend to enjoy every minute.” They took their seats at one of the tables in the courtyard. Actually, it wasn’t uncomfortably hot; there were umbrellas, and trees to give shade. Margot eyed the bag in Faith’s hand. “I see you’ve been shopping. What did you buy?”
“A nightgown. I would show it to you, but I don’t want to drag it out here in the middle of the restaurant.”
Margot’s eyes twinkled. “That kind of nightgown, huh?”
“Let’s just say it isn’t a Mother Hubbard,” Faith replied delicately, and they laughed. A smiling waiter poured water for them, the light tinkle of the ice cubes making her suddenly aware of her thirst, and how hot she had become on the walk to the restaurant. She glanced around at the other diners as she sipped the cold water, and looked straight at Gray Rouillard.
Her heart gave that immediate, betraying little jump. He was sitting, with another man whose back was to her, two tables over from her and Margot. His dark eyes gleamed as he lifted his glass of wine to her in a silent toast. She lifted the water glass in a return salute, inclining her head in a mock gracious nod.
“Do you know someone here?” Margot asked, turning in her seat. Gray smiled at her. Margot smiled in return, a rather weak effort, then turned back to Faith with a poleaxed expression on her face. “Holy cow,” she said in a dazed voice.
Faith understood perfectly. The flamboyance of New Orleans suited Gray. He was wearing a lightweight, Italian-cut suit, and a pale blue shirt that flattered the olive tones of his skin. His thick black hair was brushed back from his face and secured with a bronze clasp at the nape of his neck. The tiny diamond stud glittered in his left earlobe. With the breadth of his linebacker’s shoulders and the feline grace with which he lounged at the small table, he drew the eye of every woman in the courtyard. He wasn’t pretty-boy handsome; his French ancestors had bequeathed him a thin, high-bridged Gallic nose, slightly too long, and a heavy beard that left him with a five-o’clock shadow even at lunchtime. His jaw looked as solid as a rock. No, there was nothing pretty about Gray. What he was, was striking, and dangerously exciting, with his bold, dark eyes and the lazy, sensual curve of his mouth. He looked like a man who was adventurous and confident, both in bed and out.
“Who is he?” Margot breathed. “And do you know him, or are you flirting with a stranger?”
“I’m not flirting,” Faith said, startled, and deliberately turned her gaze to the other side of the courtyard, away from Gray.
Margot laughed. “Honey, that little toast you gave him said, ’Come and get me, big boy, if you think you’re man enough.’ Do you think a pirate like that is going to ignore the challenge?”
Faith’s eyes widened. “It did not! He raised his wineglass to me, so I did the same with my water glass. Why would he think anything about it when he started it?”
“Have you looked in the mirror lately?” Margot asked, sneaking another look over her shoulder at Gray, and a smile spread across her face.
Faith made a dismissive gesture. “That has nothing to do with it. He wouldn’t—”
“He is,” Margot said with satisfaction, and Faith couldn’t control a little jump as she looked around and saw Gray almost upon them.
“Ladies,” he drawled, lifting Faith’s hand from the table and bowing over it with an Old World gesture that seemed entirely natural to him. Her startled eyes met his, and she saw deviltry, as well as something hot and dangerous, in those dark depths before he shielded them as he touched his lips to her fingers. His lips were soft and warm, very warm. Her heart banged painfully against her ribs and she tried to withdraw her hand, but his grip tightened and she felt the tip of his tongue probe delicately into the sensitive hollow between her last two fingers. Startled, she jumped again, and his awareness of that betraying little movement was in his eyes as he straightened and finally released her hand.
He turned to Margot, bending low over the hand she had extended with a dazed expression, but Faith noticed that he didn’t kiss Margot’s fingers. It didn’t matter. Margot couldn’t have looked more bedazzled if he had presented her with diamonds. Wondering if that same weak, yielding expression was on her face, Faith quickly looked down to disguise it, though of course it was too late. Gray was too experienced to miss any of the nuances. Her fingers tingled, and the skin between her fingers throbbed where his tongue had touched. The tiny damp spot felt both hot and cold, and she clenched her hand to dispel the sensation. Her face was burning. His action had been a subtle parody of sex, a mock penetration that her body recognized, and responded to with a pooling of heat in her lower body, a growing moistness. She could feel her nipples tighten and thrust against the lace of her bra. Damn him!
“Gray Rouillard,” he was murmuring to Margot. “Faith and I are old acquaintances.”
At least he hadn’t lied and said they were friends, Faith thought, watching tautly as Margot introduced herself, and, to her horror, asked Gray to join them. Too late, she gave Margot a warning nudge with her foot.
“Thank you,” Gray said, smiling down at Margot with such charm that she didn’t react at all to Faith’s kick. “But I’m here on business, and I have to get back to my own table. I just wanted to come over and speak to Faith for a moment. Have you known each other long?”
“Four years,” Margot replied, and proudly added, “I’m her district manager.”
Faith nudged her ankle again, harder this time, and when Margot gave her a surprised look, she glared a warning.
“Really,” Gray said, sounding interested. His gaze was sharper. “What business are you in?”
Finally having gotten the message, Margot gave Faith a swift, questioning glance.
“Nothing on your scale,” Faith said, smiling at him so coolly that he shrugged, realizing he wasn’t going to gain any more information.
She exhaled with relief, but tensed again when he squatted by the table, a gracefully masculine action that brought his face more on a level with hers. It was more difficult to hide her expression now than when he had been standing. This close, she could see the bottomless black pupils of his eyes, the glitter in them as he looked at her. “I wish I’d known you were coming to New Orleans, sweetheart. We could have driven down together.”
If he thought she would dissemble in front of Margot, he had sadly mistaken her. If he thought his charm had turned her brain into mush, he was wrong there, too. How she would like to rub his nose in the fact that she was a successful businesswoman, but the past week had made her wary of giving him any information about herself. Respectability wouldn’t make any difference to either him or the town of Prescott; until—and if—she could prove that her mother hadn’t run away with his father, nothing would change his attitude. Lifting her chin, a sure sign of temper, she said, “I’d rather have walked all the way than get in a car with you.”
Margot made a choking sound, but Faith didn’t spare a look for her; she kept her gaze locked with Gray’s, the battle visually joined. He grinned with a buccaneer’s reckless enjoyment of a fight.
“But we could have had a lot of fun, and shared . . . expenses.”
“I’m sorry you’re having money problems,” she said sweetly. “Perhaps your business associate will put you up if you can’t afford your own hotel room.”
“I don’t have to worry about hotel expenses.” The grin broadened. “I own the hotel.”
Damn, she thought. She’d have to find out which one he owned, and make sure she didn’t book any tour groups into it.
“Why don’t we have dinner together tonight?” he suggested. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“I can’t imagine what. Thank you, but no.” She was driving back to Prescott this afternoon, but she would much rather he think she was refusing the invitation purely because she didn’t want his company.
“It would be to your advantage,” he said, and the dangerous look was back in his eyes.
“I doubt that anything a Rouillard suggested would be to my advantage.”
“You haven’t listened to my . . . suggestions yet.”
“I don’t intend to, either. Go back to your table and leave me alone.”
“I’d planned on doing the first.” He stood and trailed a long forefinger down her cheek. “There’s no way in hell I’ll do the last.” He nodded to Margot and strolled back to his own table.
Margot blinked, her eyes owlish. “Shouldn’t I check him for wounds? You really had the knife out for him. What on earth has that dark-eyed piece of work done to make you so mad at him?”
Faith took refuge in her water glass again, sipping from it until she had her expression under control. When she lowered it, she said, “It goes back a long way. He’s a Hatfield and I’m a McCoy.”
“A family feud? C’mon.”
“He’s trying to run me out of Prescott,” Faith said baldly. “If he found out about the travel agency, it’s possible he could cause trouble by ruining some of the tours we arrange. That would hurt our reputation, and we’d lose money. You heard him: He owns a hotel here. Not only is he filthy rich, so he has the money to bribe people to do what he wants, but he has contacts in the business. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
“Wow. This sounds serious. What started this feud, and has there ever been actual bloodshed?”
“I don’t know.” Faith fiddled with her silverware, not wanting to mention her suspicion that Guy had been killed. “My mother used to be his father’s mistress. Needless to say, his family hates anyone with the name of Devlin.” That would do for an explanation; she couldn’t go into the full tale, couldn’t trot out her memories of that night even for a sympathetic audience.
“What did you say is the name of this town?” Margot demanded. “Prescott? Are you sure it isn’t Peyton Place?”
They both laughed, and the waiter approached then to ask their preference for lunch. They both chose the buffet, and went inside to make their selections. Faith was acutely aware of a dark gaze following her every move, and wished Margot hadn’t been so set on eating in the courtyard. She would much rather have been shielded from his view. Who could have guessed that he would be in New Orleans today, though, or that in a city of this size they would immediately run into each other? True, the Court of Two Sisters was a popular restaurant, but New Orleans was larded with popular restaurants.
Gray and his business associate left the restaurant not long after Faith and Margot returned to the table with their loaded plates. He paused beside Faith. “I do want to talk to you,” he said. “Come to my suite tonight at six. I’m at the Beauville Courtyard.”
She hid her dismay. The Beauville was a lovely, mid-size hotel with a great atmosphere, built around an open courtyard. She had booked tour groups and vacationers in there many times. If Gray owned it, she would have to find another lovely, mid-size hotel with a great atmosphere, because she didn’t dare use his again. In answer to his command, for that was what it was, she shook her head. “No. I won’t be there.”
His eyes gleamed. “Then take your chances,” he said, and walked away.
“Take your chances?” Margot echoed indignantly, staring at his broad back. “What the hell did he mean by that? Was he threatening you?”
“Probably,” Faith said, lifting a bite of pasta salad to her mouth. She closed her eyes in delight. “Mmmm, taste this. It’s wonderful.”
“Are you out of your mind? How can you eat when Mr. Macho just threatened to . . . do something, I guess.” Frustrated, Margot picked up her fork and tasted the pasta salad. She paused. “This is good. You’re right, worrying about him can wait until after we eat.”
Faith chuckled. “I’m used to his threats.”
“Does he ever carry through with them?”
“Always. One thing about Gray, he means what he says, and he isn’t shy about throwing his weight around.”
Margot’s fork clattered to the table. “Then what are you going to do?”
“Nothing. After all, he didn’t actually threaten anything specific.”
“That means you have to be on your guard against everything.”
“I am anyway, where he’s concerned.” Pain pierced her at her own words, and she looked down at her plate to hide it. How wonderful it would be to feel safe and relaxed with Gray, to feel she could trust that all his ruthless determination, his vital intensity, would be used in defense of her rather than against her. Did Noelle and Monica know how lucky they were, to have someone like him standing ready to go to battle on their behalf? She loved him, but he was her enemy. She could never let herself forget that, not let wishful thinking cloud her common sense.
Deliberately she steered the conversation into safer waters, namely the few problems that had developed with her in Prescott rather than on the scene in Dallas. She was relieved that the problems were few, and relatively minor. Some difficulties had been expected, but Margot was a good business manager and got on well with the travel agents in the other offices. The only real difference was that now Margot was the one traveling around, instead of Faith, though there would be times when Faith’s presence was required. For the most part, everything had worked out. They decided that, since Faith was so close to Baton Rouge and New Orleans anyway, she would continue overseeing those offices, because it would be foolish for Margot to fly or drive all that way. Margot was a little disappointed, because she was entranced with New Orleans, but she was also extremely practical, and the change was her suggestion. There would be times when it wouldn’t be convenient for Faith to get to either city, so she would content herself with the occasional visit.
After lunch, they parted company outside the restaurant, for Margot’s hotel was in the opposite direction from where Faith had left her car. It was even hotter now than it had been before, the mugginess making the air feel thick, hard to breathe. The smell of the river was stronger, and black clouds were looming on the horizon, promising a spring thunderstorm that would temporarily relieve the heat, then turn the streets into a steam bath. Faith speeded up her steps, wanting to be on her way home before the storm broke.
As she drew even with a recessed doorway that led into a darkened, deserted shop, a strong hand seized her arm from behind and dragged her into the doorway. Mugged! she thought, and anger flashed through her, red-hot and reckless. She had struggled too hard for what she had to give it up without protest, the way the police advised. Instead she jabbed her elbow backward, slamming it into a hard belly and eliciting a very satisfactory grunt from her assailant. She turned, her fist drawn back, and belatedly opened her mouth to yell for help. She had a blurred impression of height and wide shoulders, then she was jerked hard against him and her voice was muffled against an expensive, oatmeal-colored Italian suit.
“God Almighty,” Gray said, amusement rich in his deep voice. “You little redheaded wildcat, if you’re as wild as this in bed, it must be a hell of a ride.”
Shock at his comment mingled with relief at his identity, and neither diluted her anger. Breathing hard, she shoved at his chest, freeing herself. “Damn you! I thought I was being mugged!”
His eyebrows drew together. “And you started slinging that sharp little elbow?” he asked in disbelief, rubbing his stomach. “What if I had been a mugger, and had a knife or a gun? Don’t you know you’re supposed to give up your purse rather than chance getting hurt?”
“Like hell,” she snapped, pushing her hair out of her face.
His face cleared, and he laughed. “No, I guess you wouldn’t.” He reached out and tucked a fiery strand behind her ear. “Attack first and think about it later, hm?”
She jerked her head away from his touch. “Why did you grab me like that?”
“I’ve been following you since you left the restaurant, and thought this would be as good a place as any for our little chat. You really should pay more attention to who’s behind you.”
“Skip the lecture, if you don’t mind.” She glanced at the sky. “I want to get to my car before that storm gets here.”
“We can go to my hotel—or yours—if you don’t want to talk here.”
“No. I’m not going anywhere with you.” Especially to a hotel room. He kept making those sexually loaded remarks, alarming her. She didn’t trust his motives, and she didn’t trust herself to resist him. All in all, it was best to stay as far away from him as she could.
“Then here it is.” Gray looked down at her, standing so close to her in the narrow space of the doorway that her breasts were almost brushing his suit. When he had jerked her against him to muffle her scream, he had felt them, firm and round and luscious. He wanted to see them, wanted to touch them, taste them. He was so physically aware of her that he felt as if he were standing in the middle of an electrical field, with the air snapping and sizzling around them, sparks flying. Fighting with her was more exhilarating than making love to other women. Maybe as a young girl she had been as shy as a fawn, but she had grown into a woman who wasn’t afraid of anger, hers or anyone else’s.
“I’ll buy the house from you,” he said abruptly, reminding himself why he had wanted to talk to her. “I’ll give you double what you paid for it.”
Her green eyes narrowed, making them look even more catlike. “That isn’t a good business decision,” she said, her tone light, but with temper still seething just below the surface.
He shrugged. “I can afford it. Can you afford to turn it down?”
“Yes,” she said, and smiled.
The satisfaction in that smile almost made him laugh again. So she had made something of herself, had she? More than had been obvious at first; if she had a district manager, then obviously she had other employees, in several locations. He felt unwilling pride at what she had accomplished swell in his chest. He knew in intimate detail how little she had possessed when he’d had the Devlins thrown out, because he had watched her frantically picking her things up out of the dirt. Most people had a backup system of friends and relatives, pooled resources; Faith had had nothing, making her accomplishments all the more remarkable. If she’d had his assets, Gray thought, she might own the whole state by now. It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of a woman with that kind of grit.
Lust coiled and tightened in his guts. He’d never been attracted to weak, helpless women who needed protecting; he had enough of that with his family. There was nothing weak about Faith.
He studied her face, seeing both the resemblance to Renee and the differences. Her mouth was wider, more mobile, her lips red and lush and as velvety as rose petals. Her skin was perfect, with a porcelain texture that would show the imprint of a touch, a kiss. He thought of marking her with his mouth, kissing his way down her body until he reached the soft folds between her legs, folds that protected places even more tender. The image brought him to full, painful erection. Standing this close to her, he could smell the sweet, delicious scent of her skin, and he wondered if that sweetness would be more intense between her legs. He had always loved the way women smelled, but Faith’s scent was so enticing that every muscle in his body tightened with need, making it difficult for him to think of anything else.
He knew he shouldn’t do it, even as he reached for her. The last thing he wanted was to follow his father’s example; he still couldn’t think of his father’s leaving without feeling the hurt and anger, the betrayal, as fresh as if it had just happened. He didn’t want to hurt Noelle and Monica, didn’t want to revive that old scandal.
There were a hundred reasons, all of them good, why he shouldn’t want Faith Devlin in his arms, but in that instant none of them mattered a rat’s ass. His hands closed on her waist, and the feel of her, warm and soft, so vibrant that his palms tingled where he touched her, went to his head like a potent wine. He saw her eyes widen, the black pupils expanding until only a thin rim of green remained. Her hands lifted and flattened against his chest, the placement covering his own nipples, and a shiver of response rippled his skin. Inexorably, his gaze fastened on her mouth, he drew her closer until her slim body rested against him. He felt her legs tangle with his, her firm breasts push against his stomach, saw those soft, full lips part as she drew in a startled breath. Then he lifted her on tiptoe and bent his head, and fed that particular hunger.
Her lips felt like rose petals, too, soft and velvety. He slanted his head and increased the pressure of his mouth, forcing them to open, a flower blooming at his command. Blood thundered through his veins and he pulled her tighter, sliding his arms around her and holding her welded to his body, letting her feel the swollen ridge of his erection against the softness of her belly. He felt her shudder, felt the convulsive movement of her hips, arching into him, and fierce male triumph flooded him. Her arms slid upward over his shoulders, to twine around his neck, and her teeth parted to allow him deeper access. A low growl sounded deep in his throat, and he took it, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Her taste was sweet and hot, flavored with the strong coffee she had drunk with her dessert. Her tongue curled around his in heated welcome, then she sucked daintily, holding him within her mouth.
He drove her backward, forcing her against the locked and boarded door. Dimly he could hear the voices of the people passing on the sidewalk behind them, hear the sullen rumble of thunder, but they meant nothing. She was live fire in his arms, not struggling against his kiss, not just accepting it, but responding wildly to his touch. Her lips trembled and clung and caressed. He wanted more, wanted everything. Deliberately he cupped her buttocks and lifted her, drawing her hips inward so that his erection was nestled in the soft notch of her legs. He rubbed her back and forth against him, groaning aloud at the exquisite pressure.
Rain pattered on the street, signaling the arrival of the storm, and there was a scurry of movement as people darted for cover. A clap of thunder made him lift his head and look around, a little irritated by this intrusion into the sensual haze that clouded his mind.
Whether it was the thunder or his own reaction to it that broke the spell on Faith, she suddenly stiffened in his arms and began shoving against him. He caught a glimpse of her furious face and quickly set her on her feet, releasing her and stepping back before she began screaming bloody murder.
She wriggled past him, onto the sidewalk, where the rain immediately soaked her, and turned to face him. Her eyes were yellowish with turbulence. “Don’t touch me again,” she said, her voice rough and low. Then she turned and began walking as fast as she could, her head lowered against the rain that swept down the narrow street like a gray curtain. He started after her, intending to drag her to shelter, but forced himself to stop and step back into the doorway. She would fight him like a wildcat if he went after her now. He watched her until she turned the corner two blocks down, and disappeared from sight. She was almost running by then . . . escaping. From him.
For now.