Guilty Pleasures (48 page)

“Smoke.”

She ignored his question. “You need to go down to the front desk and arrange for a rental car.”

“It's already t-taken care of. We can p-pick it up from the rental office in the morning.”

“Good.” She continued to smoke.

Stan shook his head and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. It was almost ninety degrees, and Lenora had the air-conditioning on low. He was sweating like a bull.

He turned on the water and went over his plan.

*   *   *

A few minutes of peace, Lenora thought as she listened to the water run. She stubbed out her cigarette and stretched across the bed, tossing an arm across her eyes.

Just as she was beginning to relax, her cell phone rang. She jumped up, snatching it off the nightstand. She checked the incoming number.

“Yes.”

“I've made contact.”

Lenora breathed a sigh. “Good. Just do what you do best, and I'll meet you where we planned.”

“You'll have my money, right
”

“Didn't I say that I would
Have I ever gone back on my word
”

“Just checking.”

Lenora chuckled. “You are much too paranoid. Everything will be fine. I have them by the short hairs.”

“I never would have believed it of Eva.”

“Nothing in this life surprises me. You and I are perfect examples of what's possible.”

The water in the bathroom shut off. “Gotta go. Keep your eyes open, and let me know the minute anything looks funny.”

“I will.” Traci hung up the phone. She stood in the walkway for a moment, thinking. What Lenora offered would set her financially straight for quite some time. But she was small potatoes compared to Xavier Suarez. She smiled.

 

28

The swim had helped to clear her head, although it did nothing for her hairdo. In the poolside dressing room, Eva wrapped a towel around her damp hair and one around her body. Absently she looked down at her stomach. Flat as a board. But that wouldn't last much longer. In a few months, it would grow round, her back would ache, her breasts would swell, and her nose would probably get wide.

She wouldn't be the sexy, curvaceous woman whom she saw in the mirror today. She'd be fat and pregnant.

All her life, her looks and her body had been her ammunition, and she used them at will. How many times had Jake told her that he adored her body, how perfect it was
Would he ever be able to look at her the same way again, with the same hot lust in his eyes

And what of their love life
She was a sexual woman, needing to get laid as often as she needed to eat. She'd heard the horror stories of couples whose sex life diminished to near zero after having children. Was that what was in store for her and Jake—if they even stayed together

A chasm of emptiness suddenly opened up inside her.
Not being together with Jake
The unthinkable rocked her back on her heels. She grabbed the edge of the sink. Jake was everything to her. Everything. She tried to see into a future without him in it, and she couldn't do it. She stared harder into the mirror, and his reflection might as well have been right there beside her own, grinning that sly grin and making her blush like a virgin.

All her life she'd searched for some purpose, some validity to her existence. She'd found it in him and now in the child she carried. She wasn't going to lose either one.

She turned away from the dressing room mirror and hurried out. It was time she got back in the game.

*   *   *

Eva pushed open the door to the cabin.

Jake, Jinx, and Rita jumped in surprise.

“Girl, where have you been
” Rita demanded.

Eva said, “Everybody but Jake Kelly I want out of here right now.” Her arm was outstretched toward the open door.

Jinx and Rita looked at each other, then cast furtive glances at Jake as they approached the door.

“You look totally ridiculous giving orders wrapped up in towels,” Rita whispered as she crossed the threshold.

Eva made a face, shut the door behind them, drew in a breath, and marched across the room to stand above her husband. “You sit right there and listen to what I have to say,” she said, wagging a finger of warning at him. “I want us to get one thing straight Jake Kelly—I love you. I want us to work, and I want this baby.” She stomped her foot in punctuation. “Yeah, I know I should have told you I wanted to stop taking the pills, and I didn't. I didn't because I knew what you were going to say. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I'm not sorry I'm pregnant with our baby. Ours.”

She huffed and began pacing in front of him.

“I know I'm not going to be beautiful and sexy in a couple of months.” She turned to him. “But you're not always going to be beautiful and sexy either.”

Jake bit back a smile.

“I know it's going to be hard. But we can do it. We can do anything, together. You said so, but only about work: the con, the next job. This is bigger, so much bigger and so much more important than any of that. And maybe, just maybe this baby is what we've been looking for all along—some roots, some sense to this life.” She blinked back tears.

“Can I get up now
”