The Virgin Mistress (7 page)

Rebecca had to smile at that. “You didn't ask, Austin. I volunteered.”

“But—”

“No buts,” she cut in. “I want to do this—for you and Joe. Let me.”

Put that way, there was no way he could deny her, especially when she looked at him with such trust in her eyes. At that moment she could have asked him for anything, and he'd have found a way to get it for her, God help him. What had she done to him?

Confused, questions swirling in his head, he said the only thing he could: “Go change. I'm not taking you to a club in that part of town in shorts.”

He didn't have to tell her twice. A small smile playing about her mouth, she hurried to her bedroom to change.

 

There was a time when the Silver Slipper had been a sophisticated place. But that was long ago, before most of the clubs on the street turned into bars, and the businesses in search of a more affluent clientele had moved to another part of the city. Now, with its graffiti on the side of the building and its painted black windows, it just looked like a run-down dive.

Reading her mind, Austin took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as they waited at the corner for the traffic light to change. “Maybe it's not as bad as it looks.”

“Yeah, and I'm Cinderella.”

“Well, you do have the look about you,” he teased, only to sober almost instantly. “We can call this off right now. All you have to do is say the word.”

He meant it. He'd find another way to track down Chester. He never should have brought her here in the first place. It wasn't the kind of place she belonged, and they both knew it. But she was, he was discovering, nothing if
not stubborn when she set her mind to something. “No, we're here,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “Let's do it.”

When she headed across the street to the Silver Slipper, Austin knew he should have stopped her. But there was a glint in her eyes that warned him and anyone else who cared to look not to get in her way, and he liked to think he wasn't a stupid man. Without a word, he fell into step beside her.

Inside, it wasn't quite as bad as he'd feared. Granted, cigarette smoke hovered like a thick, choking haze in the air, and the band was so loud, you could hardly hear yourself think. But the band was fairly decent, and most of the crowd seated at the tables in front of the small stage was there for the music, not the booze.

Reassured, he took her arm and led her to an empty table near the back of the club. With the music blaring, she couldn't hear anything without him talking right in her ear, so he pulled his chair over and put his head close to hers. “Do you see anyone you recognize?”

Her heart pounding, her eyes skipping over the sweaty band members who were banging out a heavy metal song up on the stage, Rebecca frowned through the smoke that stung her eyes and didn't see anyone who looked the vaguest bit familiar. Not that that surprised her. She hadn't paid much attention to the band the night of the party, and too late, she discovered that one musician looked much like another.

Bending his head to hers like they were lovers sharing an intimate secret, Austin murmured, “Well? What do you think?”

His breath, warm and moist, caressed her ear, sending a shiver dancing down her body, and for a moment, she was so surprised, she couldn't even think, let alone look
for a guitar player she hadn't looked twice at on the night of the party. Then her gaze locked with that of the slender, dark-haired man at the end of the bar who was just lifting a mug of beer to his mouth, and shock stopped her in her tracks. “My God, I think that's him!” she said loudly.

T
he words popped out just as the band took a break, and at the bar, Chester Phillips looked up in surprise. Recognizing her almost at the same time she did him, he set his beer down with a thump and headed straight for her. “Hey, you're one of the Coltons, aren't you?” he said with a frown, trying to place her. “One of the daughters, right? I saw you at the old man's party.”

Rebecca exchanged a look with Austin and didn't have to ask if he wanted her to tell Chester why they were there. If he was as skittish of the cops as they'd been led to believe, he'd probably run for cover if he thought he was being questioned about the shooting.

So acting as if their meeting was a chance one and it wasn't the least unusual for her to frequent bars, she moved to join him and was thankful Austin was beside her as he joined them.

“Actually, I'm a foster daughter,” she said easily, of
fering her hand as she introduced herself. “Rebecca Powell. And this is Joe's nephew, Austin. You were in the band, weren't you?”

“Yeah, that's right,” he said. “I play bass. So how's the old man? Did the cops ever find out who tried to kill him?”

“You know, Austin and I were just talking about that,” she replied, and surprised herself with the way she stepped into the role of friendly confidante without the slightest hesitation. If this was what it was like to play P.I., she could really enjoy it! “It's really bizarre the way the police haven't been able to come up with a suspect. With so many people standing right there when the shot was fired, you'd think somebody, somewhere, would have seen something.”

“I know, man. It was weird. People were packed onto the patio like sardines. I didn't realize how bad it was until we took a break and I tried to make it to the back of the crowd for a cigarette. I couldn't move without bumping into someone with a glass of champagne. Every time I turned around, I got soaked.”

Beside her, Rebecca felt Austin stiffen, but his tone was casual as he said, “So where were you when the shot was fired? Did you make it to the back of the crowd for your cigarette?”

He grinned crookedly. “Actually, I ran into this beautiful blonde with the most bodacious…” Suddenly remembering Rebecca's presence, he swallowed whatever he was going to say next and shot her a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Anyway, the next thing I knew, she screamed and threw herself into my arms and we hit the ground, just like everybody else. It was wild.”

“So you didn't see where the shot came from?”

“Are you kidding? With a blonde plastered all over me? I don't think so.”

There was no doubt in Austin's mind that he was telling the truth. Not only was there an honest appreciation in his eyes when he talked about the blonde, but if Austin remembered correctly, he had interviewed the daughter of one of Joe's neighbors who claimed she hadn't seen anything because she'd run into a slender, dark-haired man with blue eyes and a crooked smile. Now he knew who that man was.

Damn! Once again he'd hit a dead end.

He looked at Rebecca and saw that she, too, realized Chester wasn't going to be any help to them. But he had to try one more time. “What about before the shooting? Did you see anyone acting odd earlier in the evening? I know you were busy playing, but since you were up on stage, you have a full view of everyone outside. Did you see anyone hanging back by themselves or acting jittery or nervous?”

“No one but Mrs. Colton, and she was just worried about the party—that everything would be perfect.”

“She's always like that,” Rebecca said with a smile. “Fancy parties make her a nervous wreck, but she won't stop giving them. I don't understand it.”

“Everybody seemed to be having a great time,” Chester said with a shrug. “Sorry I can't be any more help than that.”

“You tried,” Austin said with a shrug. “Thanks.”

Disappointed, he escorted Rebecca outside, then had to smile when she drew in a deep breath of fresh air. “It was kind of rank in there, wasn't it?”

“It was awful,” she said, grimacing at the scent that clung to her clothes. “I don't know how those people in there can stand it. My eyes were starting to water!”

Chuckling, Austin had to admit that he hadn't even noticed. “Actually, that was pretty tame compared to some of the places I've been, but it can get to you if you're not used to it. Thanks for coming with me.”

“I just wish I could have helped you more,” she said. “I feel like I didn't do anything.”

“Oh, but you did,” he assured her as he unlocked his car and opened the passenger door for her. “Without you, I wouldn't have known Chester from the lowest barfly.”

“But he didn't tell you anything!”

“True, but he could have just as easily been the one who cracked the case wide open. There was no way to know until we talked to him. That's the nature of the business,” he added as he slipped behind the wheel and headed for her apartment. “I shouldn't admit this, but sometimes, it's just a matter of dumb luck that solves a case. That and a lot of hard work.”

He told her about several cases he'd solved on a fluke, how he'd just happened to be at the right spot at the right time and everything had just come together, but then they arrived at her apartment, and the last thing he wanted to talk about was work. He wanted to see her again. The strength of that want hit him right in the chest, shaking him to the core. Scowling, he tried to convince himself that he just enjoyed working with her on the case, but deep down inside, he knew that wasn't it at all. He wanted to take her out to dinner, to a movie. Hell, he'd settle for an evening at the bowling alley. Anything so he could spend some time with her.

He was asking for trouble. He knew it, but it didn't make a bit of difference. The minute he walked her to her door, he said, “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”

In the process of digging her house key out of her purse, Rebecca glanced up, her eyes wide with surprise.
“To talk over the case? All right. But we've already gone over the guest list—”

“I'm asking you out on a date, Rebecca. This has nothing to do with the case.”

She couldn't have been more surprised if he'd told her he was an alien from outer space who'd taken possession of the real Austin McGrath's body. Dazed, she just looked at him. “It doesn't?”

“I like you,” he said huskily. “I want to spend some time with you. Why do you look so surprised?”

Her heart pounding crazily in her breast, she wanted to tell him that she hadn't let herself consider the possibility that he might be as attracted to her as she was to him. Because then he might want her. And she couldn't…she wouldn't be able to…

A fist tightened in her stomach and she couldn't even complete the thought. She just knew she couldn't let him or any other man touch her. Which was why she should turn him down, she told herself sternly. Any further contact with him was only going to lead to frustration and bitterness. She knew that, accepted it.

Still, she couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a man's company so much, and she couldn't deny herself a little more time with him. He just wanted to take her out to dinner. What could it hurt?

“All right,” she said softly. “I'd like that.”

It wasn't until then that Austin realized just how badly he'd wanted her to say yes. That alone should have been enough to send him running for cover. By inviting her out, inviting her into his life on a personal level, he was in danger of opening himself up to all sorts of possibilities, including heartache, but he couldn't bring himself to worry about that now. She'd said yes. Nothing else mattered.

Suddenly unable to stop smiling, he said, “Good. I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven. We'll go get a hamburger or something.”

 

One eye on the clock on the nightstand and the other on the contents of her closet, Rebecca stood half-naked in her bedroom early the following evening and told herself not to act like a ninny. They were just going somewhere for hamburgers, so this obviously wasn't a fancy-schmancy dinner date. Jeans and a T-shirt would probably do.

“So pick something,” she muttered. “He's going to be here in ten minutes and you still haven't put on your makeup!”

Her eyes skipping to the clock, she felt her heart stop in her breast. Blindly, she reached in the closet and pulled out a baby-blue sundress with spaghetti straps that she seldom wore. Hesitating, she considered it. It was just a simple cotton dress…that was ultra feminine. Butterflies swirling in her stomach, she pulled it on.

When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, her stomach lurched and she had to ask herself whom she thought she was kidding. If this was just a casual date, why was she a nervous wreck? Her pulse was throbbing, and when she stared at herself in her dresser mirror, she saw a woman nearly glowing with anticipation, and that scared her to death. She couldn't let herself start to hope that this time it would be different. That could only lead to frustration and heartache, and she wouldn't, couldn't, do that to herself again. It was just too painful.

So call it off,
a voice in her head suggested. A woman has a right to change her mind.

But even as the practical side of her brain tried to convince her that cancelling at this late date was the only
wise thing to do, she knew she couldn't. This was all she was ever going to have of him, and she couldn't deny herself that. Just this once, she was going to pretend she was like every other woman and go out with a man she was attracted to.

Her mind made up, she dabbed on her favorite perfume, checked to make sure her lipstick wasn't smeared, and hurried to the front door. Suddenly breathless, her heart in her throat, she pulled open the door and couldn't seem to stop smiling. Dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, he looked absolutely wonderful. “Hi,” she said softly.

Up until then, Austin had convinced himself that this was just an ordinary date with an ordinary woman. But too late, he realized that there was nothing ordinary about Rebecca or his reaction to her. That quiet, shy beauty of hers hit him right in the heart every time he saw her. And that beauty went soul deep. He'd heard about how good she was with children, especially children with problems, and for a man who regularly encountered the darker side of society, she was like a breath of fresh air. He found her innocence, her sweetness, incredibly seductive.

And that had him worried. She was practically family in spite of the fact that she was no blood relation, and he had to be very, very careful with her. Because once he'd solved this case and returned to Portland, there would be times when he saw Joe and the rest of the Coltons. Those times would be extremely awkward if he got involved with Rebecca, then just walked away. Over the years, he'd deliberately distanced himself from his family, but that didn't mean he wanted to be an outcast. He very well could be if he hurt Rebecca.

He should have found an excuse to call things off, but he just couldn't. Wearing white sandals and a sundress
that turned her eyes as blue as a summer sky, she looked cool and comfortable and incredibly pretty. Always before, she'd worn her hair confined in either a braid or ponytail, but not tonight. Her long brown tresses cascaded down her slender back in a waterfall of gold and chestnut highlights that glistened in the late afternoon sunlight, and all he could think about was touching her. Did she have any idea how soft and feminine she was? How touchable?

He told himself not to go there, but it was already too late for that. In his mind, he was already running his hands through her hair. “Ready?” he asked huskily.

She nodded shyly. “Just let me get my purse.”

 

He took her to a small mom-and-pop hamburger joint down by the beach. He'd never eaten there before, but he'd driven by one day while he was tracking down witnesses, and he'd liked the looks of the place. There was nothing the least bit pretentious about it. The building was small, about the size of a two-car garage, and only had a tiny eating area inside. But it was the outdoor patio that he'd found incredibly appealing. Picnic tables and benches overlooked the ocean and were positioned under a natural awning of flowering, brilliant bougainvillea.

Rebecca took one look at it as he pulled into the minuscule parking lot next to the restaurant and gasped. “It's beautiful! How did you find this place? I've lived here all my life and never knew it was here.”

“I got lost one day and there it was.” Grinning, he cut the engine. “I can't make any promises for the food, but I can guarantee the view is hard to beat. So what do you say? Are you game?”

For an answer, she reached for the handle to the passenger door and pushed it open.

 

The food turned out to be as incredible as the view, but they could have both been eating sawdust for all either of them noticed. Rebecca had never been at ease in the past when she'd dated, even though she'd always liked the men she'd gone out with. She'd never been able to get past the horror of her past, though God knows she'd tried. But with Austin, she didn't have to try—it just came naturally. They talked about everything from movies to books to politics, and it was wonderful. He'd read everything Stephen King had ever written, and so had she. And if he had his choice of movies to watch, he'd pick
Psycho
every time. How could he have known that it was her favorite, too? That blew her away. Could anything have been more perfect?

Time flew by and neither of them could have said where it went. Long after they'd finished their hamburgers and the sun had slipped beyond the western rim of the Pacific, they sat talking and laughing. Before they knew it, it was ten o'clock.

Glancing at her watch, Rebecca gasped. “We've been here three hours!”

Austin grinned. It could have been three days and he didn't think that would have been long enough for him, but she had to work tomorrow and he'd kept her out late enough. Rising to his feet, he held out his hand. “I guess I'd better get you home, then. Let's go.”