Sex, Lies and Valentines

Gabriel’s spine turned to steel and he gritted his teeth so hard, he was surprised he didn’t bust one.

He hadn’t fooled her for one damned second, had he?

Turning slowly, he noted the triumphant look in her big blue eyes, the slight mocking tilt of those glossy lips. And realized that instead of fooling her, he’d played right into her hands.

“I missed you,” she said, pressing her body suggestively against his side as she reached up one red-nailed finger to give his chin a chiding tap. She was playing her role to the hilt. “You’re a bad boy, running off without me like that.”

“Maybe you can spank me later,” he suggested dryly.

Amusement broke through her cover for just a second, making her eyes gleam and her lips twitch. But she reeled it in, her eyes taking on that hard edge of a professional. Professional what, he wasn’t sure. FBI agent?

He realized she was playing this for Caleb’s benefit. But what he wasn’t sure of was whether she realized the sheriff she was acting for was yet another of those bad Black boys.

“Did you miss me?” she purred, sliding her hand down his chest with the hint of fingernails. The light scraping, along with the temptation of her touch, put all his senses on full alert. Damn, she was good.

Good enough that Gabriel was having trouble resisting the temptation of her body as it curved into his. She fit perfectly against him, her heels bringing her mouth within kissing distance of his. Her eyes, still tarted up with smudged liner and a heavy coating of mascara, warned him to keep his distance even as her breast warmed his chest.

“You going to introduce your friend?” Caleb prodded, his words just this side of a laugh. Gabriel glanced over to see his brother’s eyes glinting with that evil older-brother glee. Maybe he hadn’t missed family quite as much as he’d initially thought.

Gabriel gritted his teeth, not sure who he was more annoyed with. Danita for acting all sexy to try and force his hand, pushing him to cement her role as his companion publically. Or Caleb for enjoying this so much.

From the look on Blondie’s face, a mix of triumph and absolute confidence that she had his number, she figured she’d won this round.

Which meant she thought he’d lost.

And that wasn’t going to happen.

As much to shake her confidence that she was calling the shots as to throw his brother off track, Gabriel pulled Danita against him. Her eyes rounded, tossing all the angry barbs his way he knew she was dying to say but couldn’t.

He hadn’t planned to go any further. But once her curvy body was hot against his, he couldn’t resist. Their eyes locked on each other, Gabriel lowered his mouth to hers. Just a soft brush of the lips. Once, then twice.

If she’d stayed angry—all the way irritated—he’d have let it go at that. But he saw something deeper in those big blue eyes. Heated desire, mixed with just enough curiosity to push all his buttons.

He couldn’t resist.

He forgot this was a game of one-upmanship. He forgot she was trying to con his family. He even forgot that his brother was standing there.

All he could think about was Danita. His tongue along the soft cushion of her bottom lip, sipping at the sweet flesh like she was the answer to all his dreams.

The desire in her blue eyes flared.

But she was still playing the game. He could feel it in the way she held her body, the provocative angle that gave the impression that she was curled into him, while in reality she was holding him back. Pushing him away.

He slid one finger along her jaw, down the sweet softness of her throat. And took pleasure in the shudder she couldn’t hold back.

Needing more, needing desperately to push her for more, he took the kiss deeper. His mouth slid along hers, coaxing and tempting. After a brief hesitation, her lips softened, her tongue tangled.

Drowning, was all Gabriel could think. He was drowning in her. That thought terrified him. Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled back. And watched her blue eyes blink the passion away in one sweep of those thick lashes.

In an instant, she went from hot to cold. From passionate to calculating.

God, what a woman.

Unable to stop his grin from spreading, Gabriel wrapped one arm around her shoulder to keep her close and turned so they faced his brother.

Caleb was watching, one brow arched and a look of amused patience on his face. Gabriel knew what Danita expected of him. He thought of that clever FBI trap Hunter had outlined. He had a pretty good idea of what his family was up to and just what they were risking here.

He quickly calculated the risk of running a con with the odds this high. With so much at risk.

Then, Blondie’s body warm and soft against his side, he figured what the hell.

“This is Danita,” Gabriel introduced. “She’s my fiancée.”

4

“WHAT THE HELL WERE you thinking?” Danita ranted, pacing the frustratingly short space between the window and the bathroom.

She’d been bitching the same tune for the past half hour. Ever since they left his brother in town. A brother who had a gorgeous smile, a body to rival Gabriel’s for hunky-man-of-the-month, and a look of suspicion so strong in his eyes, she was surprised he hadn’t tried to fingerprint her then and there.

But so far, none of her bitching had resulted in anything other than a shrug out of Gabriel.

“I’m serious,” she insisted. “Why would you tell your brother something like that? Do you not care what’s at stake here?”