Virgin in Disguise Page 12

  They fit together perfectly.

  He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. Laying her in the center, he stretched out beside her. He slipped his hand beneath the hem of her T-shirt and traced idle patterns across her belly, tickling her navel with his little finger.

  Every breath she took trembled. He brushed a soft kiss across her cheek and whispered, “I’ll admit I was glad the nose ring was fake.”

  Trailing kisses, he eased down her length until he was level with her belly. He laid a kiss next to her un-pierced navel. “But I am disappointed this wasn’t real.” He kissed her again, dipping his tongue in, tasting her.

  Her breath left on a shuddering sigh.

  He liked having that effect on her and didn’t try to hide his satisfied smile.

  She weaved her fingers through his hair and tugged, drawing him back so she could kiss him. He let her have her way, enjoying her fumbling as she pulled his shirt free of his jeans.

  Each touch, each taste, each sigh, fed the next. He lost track of who led, who followed. All that mattered was the pleasure, the satisfaction of connecting with this woman on the most elemental level.

  When the last of their clothes fell to the floor, he stroked her naked length, aching at her beauty.

  She pulled him close and kissed him with a desperate hunger that matched his.

  The scent of vanilla and heat and desire wrapped around them. He rolled, pulling her with him. She slid over his chest, leaving trails of electricity in her wake.

  Her leg brushed across his hip and she straddled him. So close. He held his breath, watching her, waiting for her next move.

  She closed her eyes and traced her fingers from his collarbone to his hips and back. Each caress, a sweet torture. She was killing him with her touch.

  His pulse kept time with his breath. He mimicked her motions, trailing caresses over her back. Shivers chased after his hands.

  He pulled her close, starved for another kiss. As their lips met and tongues danced, he held her and rolled again.

  With their positions reversed, he pushed into her, going slow, savoring every millimeter. They’d been working toward this for so long, now that he was finally inside her, he was going to make it last forever. Or at least until he was all the way home.

  Holy heaven, she was tight. He pushed a little deeper and her muscles clenched around him, nearly sending him over the edge. Not yet, not yet. A little deeper, and a barrier released. He settled all the way in and held still, feeling her pulse surround him, savoring the sensations as they rolled over his skin.

  He began to pull out and repeat the whole sweet process again. The going was much easier. He froze in place. She still tensed, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He reared back to look her in the face. The position pushed him deeper inside her, and she winced.

  Sweet God, no. He searched her face, hoping to see the denial to the question he had to ask. “You’re a virgin?”

  A convulsive swallow was her only answer.

  One more thing he should have known about her, but hadn’t. How many other secrets did she have, and how had he gotten caught in her trap?

  He understood, then, so many things, and none of them changed the single fact crashing around in his brain. He was her first. She’d been a virgin.

  “Oh, Elf. You should have told me.”

  “Would it have made any difference?”

  His throat ached at the fear he heard in her small voice.

  Her first time.

  “Not with the outcome. Just with how we got there.”

  “I didn’t think you’d be able to tell. I’m sorry.”

  He brushed her hair back with a hand that trembled. “I’m not. I just wish…”

  “I’m sorry. If you tell me what you like…” Her voice trailed off.

  He chuckled, and her eyes widened as he moved deep inside her.

  Did she really think he’d reject her? Or that he’d be disappointed?

  Fear of his own built. What if he screwed up? Disappointed her? The responsibility of initiating her nearly paralyzed him. He had to do this right. She needed to enjoy this or it would shadow her experience with every future partner.

  Screw that. There weren’t going to be any other partners. Not for her, not for him.

  He needed her to enjoy this for herself. For the two of them.

  For the future he wanted with her.

  “There will be plenty of time for you to learn what I like. Right now, we’re going to focus on what you like.” He began to pull out, and she wrapped her legs around him, keeping him in place, pulling him back. Her eyes glazed over as the sensations took control.

  “Guess that works.” He shifted, and her breath caught. “And that.”

  He kissed her, and her muscles tightened around him. Or maybe he grew harder. He couldn’t distinguish anymore which was which. He just knew he had to move or he was going to die. “I’m sorry, Elf. It’s the basics this time. Or I might not live to give you a second time.”

  “You lead. I’ll follow.”

  He tried to keep the pace slow, give her time to adapt, but instinct drove him, and she did follow him. All too soon, he reached the limit of his control. His body pulsed with release.

  As he collapsed, he pulled her close, sheltering her in his arms. “Next time will be better, Elf. I promise.”

  And what of the promise he’d made to himself? Would he ever know the real woman beneath all the disguises?

  Chapter 10

  Angel tried to pull away from Cabrini, but he rolled onto his back, pulling her with him and winding the sheets around them, binding them together. Her heart, lodged in her throat, still pounded in the aftermath of making love.

  He tightened his hold, sweeping one hand down the length of her back. “Stay, just for a bit.” He kissed her forehead. “We need to talk.”

  “Good idea. We need to get a strategy figured out for tomorrow. First thi—” Her words ended in a squeak as he rolled again, this time ending back on top of her.

  “Uh-uh. Tomorrow can wait. We need to talk about what just happened.”

  As a topic of conversation, “what just happened” resided at the very bottom of her list. “Is that really necessary?”

  “You don’t think so?”

  “I thought guys don’t normally like the touchy-feely stuff afterwards.”

  “Very few of our interactions can be called normal.” He brushed the hair off her forehead with a gentle hand. “Why, Elf? You’ve waited so long. Why now? Why me?”

  She shrugged and avoided looking him in the eyes. “It seemed like as good a time as any.”

  All signs of warmth and tenderness left his face. He rolled off her and out of the bed. Three steps away, he stopped. The soft room light cast a golden sheen across his back.

  She sat up, pulling the sheets around her in a cocoon. When he pivoted slowly to face her, her stomach clenched.

  Worry merged with an uneasy awareness. She’d been right—there would be no getting him out of her system.

  He stood in front of her in all his naked glory. All of it. Every square inch. Naked.

  He had a beautiful body. She tried to be casual, to keep from revealing just how much of an effect he had on her. Denying it altogether would be much easier, if he’d put some clothes on.

  Instead, he seemed determined to stand in the middle of the room, buck naked and talking. A moment of relief came as he scooped their clothes from the floor and sorted his from hers. The buzz of his words began to take shape and meaning as he jerked on his boxers and jeans.

  Her tank top and skirt landed on the bed next to her. She made no move to pick them up. “Whoa. Rewind, Cabrini. What are you talking about?”

  He shook his head and slumped into the room’s only chair. “We skipped a couple important topics of conversation, things we should have covered before…”

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, steepling his hands in front of his mouth. “I’m in good
health, meaning no STDs. I’m guessing the same holds true for you. Nonetheless, that’s no excuse not to practice safe sex. Which we didn’t.”

  Understanding began to spread like an unwelcome dawn.

  “Is there any chance you’re on the Pill?”

  “No.” She shot off the bed as his full meaning registered. Safe sex. Birth control. No protection. Under cover of her bedsheet toga, her hand stole to her stomach.

  “I really screwed up.” He leaned back again and crossed his arms.

  “You weren’t exactly acting alone, Cabrini.”

  “True, but that doesn’t excuse my carelessness. I should have known better.”

  “Don’t get your boxers in a bunch just yet.” She dug her fingers through her hair. “We’re okay. I think. I need a calendar.” She glanced at him and he shook his head.

  “It’ll be okay,” she muttered as she grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom. The litany became a prayer as she showered.

  Coherent thought skittered into dismay every time she tried to focus. She’d trailed Cabrini for weeks but had only started to get to know the man behind the rough exterior.

  His questions rang in her ears. Why now? Why me? She didn’t have any good answers. Only questions of her own.

  Why had she said yes after knowing the man for barely two days. She was too practical to confuse their nascent partnership with affection. And she certainly couldn’t think it was the beginnings of love.

  Since her father’s murder, she’d cultivated a protective shell around her heart. It had been her protection from suffering her mother’s fate. How had Cabrini worked his way through her defenses?

  How could she have left herself so vulnerable when the one thing she knew for sure was that he would leave and, like her mother, she’d be alone.

  If it turned out she’d gotten pregnant… I’ll always have a part of him.

  The echo of that idea drove her from the bathroom.

  Cabrini still sat at the table. “Elf, whichever way it works, we’ll be okay.”

  Okay? By what definition?

  He pushed a piece of paper toward her. He’d sketched out a calendar of June and July.

  She counted days and looked at him. “No worries. We’re safe.” And the disappointment hurt more than she’d ever admit.

  The next morning, they went shopping for Frank’s disguise at the first suburban mall on the road into the Twin Cities metro area. Dress shirts, polo shirts, a blazer, pants and shoes. The total the sales clerk announced had Elf sucking in a breath.

  “Chill out.” He shouldered her out of the way. “My clothes, my cash.”

  “Fine by me.” She turned away and made a call on her cell phone to someone she addressed as “Grampa Fred.” The list of what he didn’t know about her kept growing.

  As they drove through the outer suburbs, she made another call. “Hi, Corie. I’m going to be stopping in for a little while and need a favor.”

  Frank listened to her side of the conversation until, plans evidently in place, she pocketed the phone.

  “Care to fill me in on the details?” he asked.

  “We’re stopping by my mother’s. I need to pick up some things.”

  “That’s all?”

  Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, turning her knuckles white. “That’s all that concerns you.”

  “I’m concerned someone could be waiting for us.”

  “According to the neighborhood watchdog, all’s quiet on the home front.”

  He let that sit until she backed into the empty two-car garage of a house on a quiet street. “Will I get to meet your mother?”

  “I’m not sure that’s wise.”

  “Why not?”

  “Meeting new people is hard for her. She’s had enough stress these past couple days. I’d rather not add to it.”

  “So, what? I stay in the garage?”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you, Cabrini. You can come down to the basement. We can pull a few more accessories for you from my supply. As long as you stay downstairs, you’re more than welcome in my mother’s home.”

  He chuckled. “Mothers often try to keep me in the basement. I think it’s some fear that I’m not housebroken.”

  She ignored his little joke. Shoving the suitcase they’d picked up into his hands, she hefted a duffel bag out of the car trunk and led the way downstairs.

  They entered a large room, probably intended to be the family’s rec room, currently housing a home office. Shelves lined one wall, holding an amazing array of wig forms, hats, glasses and other props. Several rolling racks, each covered with a large dust sheet, lined another wall.

  A small vanity butted against a large makeup mirror suitable for any backstage dressing room. The lights flickered to life at the touch of a switch, and she pointed to the chair.

  “Let’s see what we can do about your eyes.”

  He sat, and she pulled a drawer open. “Have you ever worn contacts?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then this shouldn’t be too difficult. Try these.” She handed him a pair of disposable colored lenses.

  It took a couple of tries, but he finally had the lenses in and could keep his eyes open.

  Elf nodded in approval. “Good. Put these on.” She handed him a pair of steel wire-rimmed glasses. “For the professorial look.”

  He slipped them on and studied his new image reflected in the makeup mirror. Neatly trimmed hair and beard, brown eyes, glasses—a stranger stared back at him. “I had my doubts, but you do know your stuff.”

  She handed him some of his new clothes, the tags removed. Pointing to a door, she said, “You can change in there.”

  The room she’d indicated was actually a bathroom. As he peeled his borrowed T-shirt over his head, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He cracked the door open just enough to peek out. A woman came into view.

  “Angela?” her soft voice barely reached him.

  “Mom?” Surprise colored Elf’s voice. “What are you doing down here?”

  “We only have a few minutes.” Maryam Donovan glanced up stairs. “She’ll be back soon.”

  “Corie? Of course she’ll be back. She just ran an errand for me.”

  “I can’t talk to you with her around. Not really, not about what matters.”

  “Mom, I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

  “I’m much better now. You need to talk to Dr. Brenna. She can explain it all to you, but there’s no time for that now.”

  A frown creased Elf’s forehead. Her mother reached up to smooth away the lines.

  “Everything will be all right. You’ll see. I remembered, sweetie. I finally remember…so much. Nothing is what it seems. That’s why it didn’t make sense. You have to be careful.”

  “I will. You know I always am.”

  “I hired someone. He’s going to help you find the truth.”

  “What do you mean, Mom? Who’ve you hired?”

  Frank tensed, waiting for Maryam to mention The Diamond Group. How would Elf react?

  “He’ll help you sort everything out.”

  Overhead, a door closed, and footsteps moved from the kitchen to the living room and back.

  Maryam pressed something into her daughter’s hand. “This will explain everything. Just remember, he loved us.”

  Footsteps sounded on the stairs. “Maryam?” another woman’s voice called down.

  The new arrival came down the stairs. “What are you doing down here?” She looked from mother to daughter. “I’m sorry, Angela. I thought Maryam was napping, and took a little extra time to get the car washed at the gas station.”

  Frank watched, fascinated as Maryam seemed to shrink into herself.

  Elf turned to face the newcomer. “It’s okay, Corie. We were having a nice talk, weren’t we, Mom?”

  She didn’t respond. From all appearances, she seemed to have lost herself in some other world. She looked around the basement room as though she’d never seen it
before.

  Elf slipped her arm around her mother’s shoulders and turned her toward the stairs. “Why don’t you go back to the living room. I have to leave in a little bit, but I’ll come say goodbye. Okay?”

  Maryam nodded and started up the stairs, pausing on each riser, seeming to gather her strength for the next one.

  Corie waited until footsteps crossed the floor overhead before turning to Elf. “She’s never done that before. She’s always stayed upstairs.”

  “It’s all right. She heard me come in and followed me down.”

  “Did she seem…different?”

  “What do you mean?” Elf disappeared from Frank’s limited range of vision. He could hear the rasp of suitcase zippers.

  “I’m not sure. Since she started seeing Dr. Brenna, sometimes she doesn’t seem like herself.”

  “She hasn’t been herself in nearly twenty years.” He heard the anger and sadness in Elf’s voice. “We need to be patient while the new meds take effect.”

  “Maybe. I still think you should get a second opinion.” Corie shrugged. “Your mom’s car is ready to go. When will you be back?”

  “I don’t know. This case is a bit more complex than I anticipated.”

  “Anything I can help with?”

  “Just…if anyone calls or comes looking for me, you haven’t seen me.”

  Corie looked around the room. “Including Mr. Dexter?”

  Frank ducked out of sight as she turned in his direction.

  “Anyone.”

  “I better check on your mom.” Corie headed up the stairs.

  “Thanks. I’ll be up in a bit.”

  He waited for Corie’s footsteps to cross the main floor before he left his hiding place.

  “Let’s get our things in the car.” Elf handed him the suitcase and picked up a smaller carry-on bag. She led the way, waving him into the garage when she was sure the coast was clear.

  The trunk of a silver Lexus popped open. He looked from the car to her, and she tossed him a set of keys. She went to say goodbye to her mother while he loaded their supplies in the trunk.

  Could her single income really stretch far enough to afford a new luxury car and live-in companion for her mother? She had to be carrying a pretty heavy debt load.