Falling Into You (11 page)

For long moments afterward they held each
other tight, Rebecca’s face buried against Vince’s neck as their ragged pants
filled the air.

At length Vince lifted his head and smiled
down at her. “Wow. That was…something.”

“Mmmm,” Rebecca purred, idly stroking his
firm, delectable butt. “How long did you say this hayride is?”

“One hour. It’s only been thirty minutes.”
His eyes glinted wickedly. “Are you ready for round two?”

“More than ready.”

As he rolled over and pulled her on top of
him, she quickly straddled his hips, prepared to show him
just
how ready she was.

Two days later, Rebecca was walking on air as
she boarded the elevator at her apartment building. Since meeting Vince last
week, she’d had the most amazing sex of her life, not to mention some
incredibly romantic interludes.

After their steamy hayride on Sunday, Vince
had taken her to dinner at a cozy little restaurant with waterfront views of
the Inner Harbor. Afterward they’d strolled along the pier holding hands and
talking as if they’d known each other for years instead of a few days. After
another explosive night of lovemaking, they’d risen early and strolled to
Lexington Market, where they’d shopped for fresh fruit like an old, blissfully
married couple.

On the way back to Rebecca’s apartment,
they’d cut through a park and stumbled upon a fresh pile of autumn leaves that
had their names written all over it. Setting aside their purchases, they’d soon
found themselves grabbing fistfuls of leaves and tossing them at each other
like frolicking children.
 

At one point, Vince had stood beside the
scattered pile of leaves and said, “Fall into me. I’ll catch you.”

Rebecca had hesitated only a moment before
allowing herself to fall backward, into his waiting arms.

And now, as she absently watched the
electronic panel above the elevator doors, she knew she wasn’t just playing a
game anymore.

She was falling in love with Vince.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and
she was joined by a middle-aged black man she recognized as the night security
guard, Larry Jackson, whom she’d met the day she moved into the building. He’d
struck up a friendly conversation with her, volunteering that he received a
discount on his rent because the building manager liked the idea of security
personnel living on the premises.

After they exchanged warm greetings, Larry
smiled easily at Rebecca. “How are you enjoying your new apartment?”

“I love it.”
The company isn’t too bad either
.

As if reading her mind, Larry grinned. “I see
McCall wasted no time welcoming you to the neighborhood.”

Rebecca gave him a blank look. “McCall?”

He nodded. “Vince McCall. I saw the two of
you returning from the market yesterday.”

“Oh, you mean Vince Gray?”

Larry frowned. “Gray? Don’t know anyone by
that name. The fella you were with is Vince McCall.”

The blood was roaring in Rebecca’s ears.
Maybe that’s why she hadn’t heard right. “You must be mistaken.”

“I don’t think so. He’s lived here for some
time now, though he mostly keeps to himself. I guess it’s understandable why he
keeps such a low-profile, being a cop and all.”

“A
cop
?”

“Why, yes.” Larry stared at her for a moment,
then scratched his whiskered chin, looking sheepish. “I guess you didn’t know.
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth. If McCall didn’t tell you
himself what he does for a living, I imagine he had a good reason.”
 

Just then the elevator doors slid open, and
the security guard seemed relieved to part company with Rebecca, who made her
way out of the building and to the parking lot as if in a trance.

He’s
a cop
, her mind echoed in
shock.
A cop
.
And he lied about it. Why?

A barrage of questions raced through her
mind. Men lied all the time about their professions, usually to impress women.
Maybe Vince thought she’d find him more attractive as a wealthy investment
broker than a lowly police officer. But that explanation made no sense
whatsoever. Vince was a sexy, virile man who could have any woman he wanted,
regardless of how much money he had in the bank. He didn’t need to resort to
telling fibs to get a woman into bed. She knew it, and no doubt
he
did too.
 

So why had he lied to her?

And if he’d lied about his profession, what
else had he been untruthful about?

If the security guard was right, Vince had
also lied about living in the same building. He’d left her apartment early in
the morning, then snuck to his own place—which could very well be right
down the hall from her.

Why?

Because
he played you for a fool
, an
inner voice mocked.

Vince had seen something he liked and had
gone after it. But his pursuit of her had been nothing more than a game to him,
a challenge to see how quickly and easily he could get her on her back. And
she’d put up very little resistance, not only falling into bed with him, but
then falling in love with him.

Rebecca groaned as she headed uptown toward
The Sultan’s, where she was scheduled to work that evening.

How could she have been such a damn fool? How
could she have allowed herself to fall so hard and fast for a perfect stranger?
While she’d shared personal details about herself—her career aspirations,
the tragic loss of her parents, her hopes and dreams for her younger
brother—everything Vince told her about himself had probably been a lie.
Was he really from Chicago? Had he, too, lost his parents?

Was he, God forbid, married?

How could she trust a man willing to build
their relationship on lies?
 

She couldn’t.

When Rebecca arrived at the club twenty
minutes later, Stacey took one look at her and said, “Uh-oh. Must be a man.”

Rebecca ignored her and went about getting
ready for her shift. Over the next two hours, she was so busy serving customers
that she almost forgot about Vince—that is, until he showed up.
Ironically, he was seated at the same table in the corner he’d occupied on
Halloween night, where it all began.

Rebecca considered asking Stacey or one of
the other waitresses to take his order, but she knew that would be the coward’s
way out. Her only hope of getting over him was to look him straight in the eye
and tell him she never wanted to see him again.

Schooling her features into an impassive
mask, she made her way over to the table.

Vince looked up from the menu with that sexy,
irreverent smile that had seduced her from the very first moment they met. Even
now, knowing that he’d betrayed her trust, she wasn’t entirely immune to the
potency of that smile.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said huskily. “What time
do you get off tonight?”

Ignoring the question, she said sweetly,
“Would you like to hear today’s specials? Or should I just make a
recommendation? You might enjoy the swordfish—it’s very popular with all
the cops who come here.”

Vince’s smile instantly disappeared,
and regret filled his dark eyes. “Rebecca—”

“Yeah, that’s
my
real name,” she said coldly. “What about yours?”

He reached for her arm, but she snatched
herself away. “Sweetheart—” he tried again.

“I’m not your
sweetheart
,” Rebecca hissed in a voice that vibrated with fury
above the pulsing music. “From now on, you’re nothing more to me than a
customer. If you’re not interested in ordering anything, please stop wasting my
time.”

Vince stared at her for a moment, a muscle
clenching in his jaw. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Fine.” Rebecca spun on her heel and started
toward the kitchen, tears burning her eyes and blurring everything around
her—the flashing strobe lights, the writhing dancers onstage, the flurry
of passing waitresses balancing drink trays.

Knowing she couldn’t face her coworkers or
other customers in her current condition, Rebecca made a quick detour and
headed to the employee restroom.

She’d never been more relieved to find the
bathroom empty. She hurried into the nearest stall and slammed the door shut
behind her, then leaned against it and closed her eyes as the tears fell, fast
and bitter.
 

She should have known that Vince Gray—or
whatever he called himself—was too good to be true.
  

When she emerged from the bathroom fifteen
minutes later, she saw no signs of Vince. She didn’t know whether to be
relieved or disappointed that he’d given up so easily and left.

On her way down the hall toward the kitchen,
she was detained by Bruno. “There’s someone waiting to see you in the Platinum
Suite,” he said quietly.

Rebecca’s heart lurched. This was how it had
all started. If Vince hadn’t summoned her to the Platinum Suite in the first
place, they would have remained strangers.

And
your heart would still be in one piece
.

“Rebecca?”

She took a step back from Bruno, shaking her
head emphatically. “I have customers waiting on me.”

“I’ve already asked Stacey to cover your
tables.”

“That won’t be necessary. I—”

“I think you should hear what he has to say, Rebecca.
He really seems like he needs to unburden himself.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“I think it is.” Bruno’s smile was gentle.
“Go hear him out. After that, if you still want nothing to do with him, I’ll
have him thrown out on his ass.”

Rebecca hesitated, imagining herself doing
the honors. “Promise?”

Bruno grinned. “Something tells me I’d enjoy
throwing him out almost as much as you would.”

“Don’t count on it,” Rebecca muttered as she
walked away.

When she reached the Platinum Suite on the
second floor, Vince stood in front of the large glass aquarium, his hands
thrust casually into his pockets. She couldn’t help the way her breath caught
in her throat at the sight of him there, in that spot.

It was like déjà vu.
    

He turned slowly as she stepped into the room
and stood near the door, letting him know he didn’t have much time.

“Thank you for coming, Rebecca.” His husky
voice caressed her name, and she hated the way her body reacted.

She folded her arms across her chest to hide
her distended nipples. “You should know that Bruno plans to throw you out of
his establishment the moment we’re done here.”

Vince gave a humorless chuckle. “Can’t say
I’d blame him, not if he finds out what I’m about to tell you.”

Rebecca felt a sliver of unease.

“What’s going on, Vince?” She paused, her
eyes narrowed suspiciously on his handsome face. “Is that even your real name?”

“Yes, it is,” he said quietly. “My name is Vince
McCall, and I’m a detective with the Baltimore Police Department.”

“Why did you lie about that?”

He hesitated, his gaze flicking past her to
the open doorway. “Would you mind if we closed the door?”

She started to say yes, then changed her
mind, deciding he couldn’t pose
too
much of a threat to her, being a member of Baltimore’s finest.

She turned and closed the door, but remained
right where she was. The look in her eyes dared him to come anywhere near her.

His mouth twitched wryly. “I guess I brought
that upon myself.”

“Damn right you did.”

He hesitated, then turned and crossed to the
plush white sectional that dominated the seating area. He sat down and leaned
forward, bracing his elbows on his muscled thighs as he began speaking. “The
reason I didn’t tell you my real name is because I’m working undercover. Or at
least I was until four o’clock this afternoon.”

Rebecca frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“For the past two months, Bruno Rossi has
been under investigation by the BPD and FBI. He is—
was
—suspected of money laundering. I’ve been working
undercover as an investment broker to gather incriminating evidence on him.”

Rebecca felt lightheaded. “And have you?” she
whispered.

Vince gave her a grim smile of apology. “I’m
not at liberty to discuss the specifics of the case. However, I can tell you
that as of today, the government has dropped the investigation, and no charges
will be brought against Bruno, now or in the future.”

“What happened?”

“Rebecca—”

“I think you owe me at least that much, don’t
you think?” Of course he didn’t, but she wasn’t above pulling the guilt card.

Vince knew it, too. “This is what I’ll tell
you,” he said evenly. “The order to cease and desist came from the top of the
food chain, both within the BPD and FBI. I was called into my boss’s office
this afternoon and given the official rundown, then reassigned a new case and
sent on my merry way. End of story.”