Risking it All (5 page)

the back of the club where tables were

arranged. He dropped into the first

available chair, close enough to the table

of men that she couldn’t deny it was her

section, before looking back at her

expectantly. She turned to ask the

bartender for a refill on the rude man’s

whiskey, but he’d already set it down on

the hatch. Apparently he
could
move

quickly when he wanted to.

Teeth gritted with the effort to appear

casual, Sera placed all four drinks on

her tray, ignoring her smile coach’s snort

when she served the three men first.

“Took long enough,” one of them

commented. “Someone should talk to

Hogan. Get him to light a fire under your

perky ass.”

Behind her, a chair scraped back with

such force, she jumped several inches in

the air. All three men at the table froze,

eyes going wide when her admirer

leaned over their table, supported by his

clenched fists. “Apologize to her now.”

One of them stood, hand out in a

conciliatory gesture. “Shit, I didn’t know

she was with you. I-I didn’t…she—”

A fist hit the table, knocking over one

of the fresh beers. “I asked for an

apology. If there’s one thing I can’t

stand, it’s asking for something twice.”

A chorus of sorrys immediately went

up, but all she could do was nod her

acceptance. Who
was
this guy? The three

men looked utterly horrified at having

offended him, like their very lives were

at stake. Slowly, he straightened and

went back to his table, settling back in

his chair. Everyone in the club had gone

deathly still, but he didn’t seem to notice

or give a damn. Not knowing what else

to do, Sera placed the full glass of

whiskey in front of him. When she tried

to walk away, his hand snaked out and

grabbed her wrist.

“Can I get that smile now?”

“If I don’t give it to you, what

happens?” she asked, with a little more

steel in her voice than intended. “Are

you going to shout the smile out of me?”

His thumb massaged a circle into her

palm, watching her closely. “Careful,

Ladybug, you’re showing your spots.”

What is that supposed to mean?
She

snatched her hand back. “Maybe I keep

the smile for my boyfriend only.”

He leaned back slowly and sipped his

whiskey, all traces of amusement gone.

“If you do have a boyfriend, he’s about

to be sorely disappointed.”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve never been much good at

sharing.”

Sera stared at him in shock.

Instinctively she knew not to challenge

him in front of the men sitting behind her,

no doubt hanging on every single word.

For some reason, they seemed to fear

him, and until she knew the lay of the

land, making a scene wouldn’t help her

cause. She set her tray down and

lowered her voice to a whisper. Still,

she couldn’t let him get away with that

comment. Share her? As if she were a

can of Coke? “Who do you think you

are?”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “I’m the

guy who’s going to kiss you tonight.”

“Like hell you will,” she sputtered,

crossing herself before she could resist

the urge. “I don’t even know your name.”

A single eyebrow rose. “Did you just

cross yourself?”

She shifted on the balls of her feet.

“I’d tell you to try it, but it appears to be

too late for religion where you’re

concerned.”

“No arguments here.” He leaned

forward, clasping his hands between his

knees. The way his head tilted to the

side probably sent most girls into a

squealing fit. It hadn’t escaped her

notice he still hadn’t revealed his name.

“I’ll make you a deal—”

“Oh no.” She shook her head. “This is

how every episode of
Dateline NBC

starts.”

“Ah, sweetheart,” he murmured so

low she could barely hear it. “How did

you end up here?”

Sera didn’t know what to make of his

confusing question, so she picked up her

tray and started back toward the bar, but

his voice brought her up short.

“If I can make you smile, I get that

kiss.” He rose and gently pried the tray

from her hands. “That’s the deal.

Harmless enough for you?”

“Nothing about you is harmless.” The

statement slipped out on a whisper.

“Aren’t there other girls you could be

kissing?”

“Sure there are.” Without looking, he

tossed her tray on the table. “But none of

them bless themselves after saying ‘hell’

or make me crazy to see them smile.”

“You appear to be crazy regardless.”

His lips twitched. “How about it,

then? If I’m so crazy, there’s no harm in

the deal. No smile, no kiss.”

A slight hesitation was her mistake.

Before she could protest, he grabbed her

hand and tugged her toward the back of

the bar. “Wait.
Wait.
I have customers.”

“They’ll live.” His calloused fingers

twined with hers as he led her down the

back hallway, past the bathrooms, and

into the kitchen. The short-order cook

and his assistant glanced up, looking

completely unconcerned to see her being

dragged through the kitchen by the insane

customer. She opened her mouth to ask

for their assistance when her kidnapper

greeted them both by name.
Fabulous.

“Where are you taking me?” Sera

might know how to defend herself, but it

wouldn’t be wise to go somewhere

alone with this man she knew nothing

about. She threw a desperate look at the

cook. “Stop him!”

Laughter sounded behind her as she

was pulled into the alleyway behind the

club, the kitchen door slamming shut

behind them. Never having been back

there before, she took a moment to take

in her surroundings. A loud extractor fan

above the door hummed, and street

sounds greeted her ears in the distance.

It had rained earlier, leaving damp

asphalt in its wake and water dripping

from the drainpipes of the apartment

building across the alley. A cool breeze

whipped down the passage and Sera

wrapped her arms around herself to

protect her exposed skin.

Her kidnapper still held her hand

tightly, but had stooped down to scoop

up a pebble off the ground. As she

watched in stunned silence, he lobbed

the pebble up at the closest window of

the building on the other side of the

alley.

“What are you doing?”

He held up a finger, smiling when a

light illuminated the window. “Wait for

it,” he drew out.

When the window flew open on a

barked curse, his hand squeezed hers,

pulling her closer to his side. Sera

stumbled into the crook of his arm, the

smell of whiskey and smoke wrapping

itself around her like fog. Above them, a

white-haired woman in a housecoat

appeared at the window, squinting into

the darkness and looking less than

thrilled by the disturbance.

“Mrs. Petricelli, you’re looking extra

beautiful this evening,” her kidnapper

shouted. “Sing for us, would ya?”

“
You,
huh?” She propped a fist on her

hip. “This ain’t a free show.”

He slapped his free hand to his chest.

“My

undying

love

isn’t

enough

payment?”

Sera blinked in surprise when the

woman began to primp, patting the back

of her hair. Her former irritation over

the kidnapping turned to intrigue. She

couldn’t stop herself from looking up at

him, wondering how this playful man

had put the fear of God into three men

twice his age only moments ago. When

she’d gotten her first look at him at the

bar, she’d judged him to be older, thanks

to the weariness in his eyes. Now, with

a roguish grin playing around his mouth,

a twinkle replacing the fatigue in his

eyes,

she

changed

her

earlier

assumption. He couldn’t be older than

thirty.

Her assessment was interrupted when

the most beautiful sound she’d ever

heard floated through the alley and

arrested her on the spot. Mrs. Petricelli

leaned partially out the window, singing

an opera song that Sera recognized as

Puccini. She wasn’t shy with it, either.

With wobbly arms outstretched toward

the night sky, her voice rose and fell in

such haunting perfection that Sera

temporarily stopped breathing. One by

one, windows in the building began to

slide open, neighbors popping out to

listen, joy written on their faces. Having

lived in the area for even a short while,

she knew that quiet respect was rare

among the residents, making their utter

silence almost as poignant as Mrs.

Petricelli’s song.

She didn’t want the moment to end.

Never
in her life had she experienced

something

so

spontaneous

and

wonderful. In all the hours she’d spent in

church, listening to choirs sing, nothing

she’d ever heard could compare to this.

How ironic that it was taking place in a

Brooklyn alley that smelled like stale

garbage, with a man who had managed

to infuriate and attract her within minutes

of their acquaintance.

Sera glanced up at him. Instead of

watching Mrs. Petricelli, he watched

her, as if she were the main attraction.

“You’re smiling.”

Her fingers flew up to trace her mouth.

She
was
smiling. “Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. Uh-oh.” His thumb brushed her

cheek. “I get that a lot.”

She couldn’t move as he angled his

body toward hers, pulling her into the

circle of his arms. In that moment, she

forgot about her job. About being

undercover or the fact that this man was

an enigma that needed solving. With

opera gilding the cool air around them,

the masculine lips descending toward

hers became her whole universe. She

wanted him to kiss her. Badly. Even

suspected it might be the kind of kiss

she’d always dreamed of but no one had

ever delivered.

The song ended on an abrupt note,

breaking the spell. Sera jerked away

from him.
What is wrong with me?

Letting him kiss her would be a mistake.

Of that she was positive.

“Thank you,” she called up to Mrs.

Petricelli, before racing back toward the

kitchen as quickly as her legs could

carry her. The door didn’t slam behind

her as fast as it should have, telling her

she’d been followed. Breath raced in

and out of her lungs as she entered the

hallway. Just a little farther and she’d be

away from him.

A hand curled around her elbow just

as she reached the dining room.

“Welching on deals in this neighborhood

can get you into trouble, Ladybug.” He

turned her around, bringing her up hard

against his muscular chest. “You’d do

well to remember that.”

She couldn’t help it. Her gaze fell to

his mouth. “Kissing you seems like

worse trouble.”

“Yeah, but it’s the fun kind.” He

glided his hand up the back of her neck,

gathering her hair into his fingers. Such a

proprietary gesture, it gave her pause,

feeling a flood of tantalizing heat rush

though her system. His eyes flared at

whatever he saw taking place on her

face and he didn’t waste time taking

advantage. Cursing once under his

breath, he yanked her up against him and

fused their mouths together.

Ohhh. Oh, wow.
Sera’s body melted

along with her reservations, curves

conforming to his hard planes in an

effort to get closer. Because of their

height difference, her head had fallen

back to receive the aggressive kiss, but

as his tongue skated across her lips,

parting them, she pushed up on her toes