Tin Angel (16 page)

“That’s obvious.” Daryn took out a pack of Pall Malls from his pocket and lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag, then blew out a long stream of smoke. “For someone who’s supposed to be intelligent, you sure can be stupid sometimes.”

“What do you want me to do now? I said I was sorry.” Her voice cracked when she spoke.

Great. She was on the verge of tears. On top of everything else, he didn’t need a weepy female. “Okay. Apology accepted. Let’s go back to the hotel and figure out our next move.” He patted her leg. “I’ll bet Ally won’t even notice the statue’s missing.”

* * *

Jack watched Ally pour the brandy into two snifters. There were many nights he’d share a drink with Alice before going upstairs to his apartment. The similarities between her and Ally were uncanny. Even Sally had made a big deal of that. She’d said Ally was the spitting image of Alice as a young woman. He’d always wondered what she must have looked like, and now he knew. She’d been drop-dead gorgeous.

He glanced at Ally through hooded eyes. Every time he looked at her, his pulse raced. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Her hair brushed his neck, and her warm breath tickled his ear. After their romantic evening, he was very close to being putty in her hands. If he lost control and let his emotions take over, he might lose track of his objective—to find out if she was one of those grifters. What he should do was thank her for a wonderful night, then go home. But her lips parted slightly, and he brought his mouth down on hers. She returned his kiss with a fiery passion. Her hands clutched at him, and her eyes were wide yet innocent. A wave of arousal shot through him, and he wanted her more than he ever thought possible. With desire clouding common sense, he lifted her into his arms and carried to her the bedroom, then gently eased her down onto the bed.

She lay back against the comforter, her hair splayed out around her like a halo. He leaned over her, his breath mingling with hers and kissed the base of her neck, where her pulse thrummed. He unbuttoned her blouse and ran his finger over her black lace bra, then reached inside it to touch the soft skin of her breast, slowly tracing her nipple. It hardened beneath his touch.

He lowered his body onto hers, and she arched her back to meet him.

“I want you so much,” she whispered against his ear, kneading her fingertips into the muscles along his back. When she reached the base of his spine, she held him to her.

His thigh pressed against her, and he savored the incredible feeling raging through him. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Positive.”

He wasn’t going to ask her twice. It was as if his body had taken control of his mind. He started to unbuckle his belt, never shifting his gaze off her beautiful face. Her eyes shone like those of a woman in love. Could Ally be in love with him? An inner pain ripped through him. What on earth was he doing? He couldn’t use her that way. If she opened up to him after they made love, he’d have to bring whatever information he gleaned to the police. He wanted the truth, but he didn’t want to break her heart.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this tonight.” He rolled onto his back and redid his belt buckle.

“It’s not you,” he said, knowing he owed her an explanation. “Believe me. I want to make love to you more than you can imagine. It’s just not the right time.”

She lay beside him unmoving, her blouse still open and the creamy skin of her chest exposed. It took all his willpower to keep from touching her. If he didn’t leave now, no amount of guilt was going to keep him from her. “I’ll be over tomorrow. I’ll make Christmas dinner.”

She didn’t say a word as he left the room, yet he felt her indignation more than if she’d shouted a thousand angry words at him.

He strode to the front door. In his hurry to leave, he knocked against the hall table. It wobbled precariously, and he grabbed for the porcelain statue of Venus that Alice kept there. She’d never forgive him if he broke it. But it was gone. How strange. He could have sworn it was there yesterday. Would Ally have moved it? But why?

He went into the parlor and scanned the room. It wasn’t there. His gaze settled on the Christmas tree with the missing tin angel. Anguish washed over him as he realized he had to face the truth about Ally. She might very well be Alice’s niece, but it looked like she was also a thief. She’d stolen the tree topper, the statue, and who knew what else. He needed to do something and fast, before she completely cleaned out Alice’s house.

His initial reaction was to storm back into the bedroom and demand that she return the items, but he knew she’d deny taking anything. She was a pro. A grifter. No, he needed to outsmart her. Beat her at her own game.

Even if that meant breaking her heart.

Alice lay on the bed and wondered what just happened? Jack wanted to make love to her. She didn’t doubt that, but something had made him withdraw. Could it be that he still didn’t trust her? When was he going to move beyond all that?

Her lips still tingled from his kisses, and her skin burned from his touch. She wanted him so badly her body ached.
So this is love?
Agony and ecstasy all rolled into one. She’d never felt this part of love before…the physical part. After all, when she’d been engaged to Tom, good girls didn’t do things like that. They saved themselves for marriage. And he’d been taken from her before… She stopped herself from traveling down that road again. It was Tom’s doing that she’d been given this miracle. He wanted her to experience love again, so she’d better not dwell on the past, especially since she didn’t have much time left.

She buttoned her blouse, then sat up, her hair falling around her shoulders in tangles. She must look a mess. As she went over to the dresser and grabbed a brush, the front door closed. Jack had left. Her ragged emotions turned to hurt…and anger. How dare he do that to her? Walk out like that, with little to no explanation, when she’d been ready to give herself to him. Well, next time, if there was one, it would take a lot more than a kiss to get her back into bed.

She brushed her hair into a ponytail, not caring that she yanked through the snarls as she did so. These feelings were foreign to her. She wished she had someone to talk to. Someone to help her sort them out. Her gaze scanned the room, hoping to see the flutter of gossamer wings, but the angel didn’t appear, and she was left to simmer alone.

A short while later, she went into the kitchen and put the kettle on for tea, hoping a cup would help her relax. While she waited for the water to boil, the telephone rang. There was no one she wanted to talk to, unless it was Jack calling to apologize for his running out on her.

She picked up after four rings.

“Hi, Ally. It’s Ross. I was wondering, if you don’t have any plans for Christmas, would you have dinner with me? I really enjoyed your company this afternoon and would love to see you again.”

She couldn’t help but be flattered by his invitation. After all, he was a very attractive man. A man who didn’t judge her like Jack did. It was just too bad she didn’t get that tingle of excitement for Ross like she did for Jack. Her initial reaction was to turn him down, but then a wild thought occurred to her. Why not see if she could make Jack jealous? A little bit of competition just might be what was needed to make him realize how much he cared for her. “Why don’t you come here, Ross? Christmas dinner is always better at home than in a restaurant.”

“I’d love to. Thanks.”

“It’s the big blue Victorian at 117 Main Street. Be here at two thirty.” Ally hung up the phone with a smile on her face. Tomorrow should prove very interesting.

* * *

“Baby, we’re still in the game.” Daryn picked Cassie up and swung her around the hotel room.

A smile of delight curved her full lips. “So she took the bait?”

“Hook, line, and sinker. Now all I have to do is reel her in.”

“What’s my part tomorrow?” she asked eagerly.

Her role was to stay far away from Ally. He couldn’t run the risk that her temper would get the best of her and she’d say something she shouldn’t. Or that she’d steal something else from the house. She’d nearly ruined everything as it was. He wasn’t about to give her another chance to mess things up. “I think it’s best if I do this phase alone.” He put her down, and she dug her heels into the carpet.

“Really? You think so? And you came to that conclusion without consulting me?” There was no missing how her mood had veered sharply to anger.

“Look, I can see where this conversation is heading, and I’m not going there. I don’t want to fight with you.”

“Then maybe you should have talked to me first before
you
decided how things would work. I thought we were partners. And partners discuss everything,” she spat.

“I do discuss everything with you. Most of the time.”

“Well, most of the time isn’t good enough. If you can’t commit to me one hundred percent, I’m done.” She left him standing in the middle of the room and snatched her purse from the bed. “I’m outta here. You can do this one alone and all the rest too, for all I care.”

“Whoa.” He grabbed her arm before she reached the door. “You’re not going anywhere. I need you.”

“Need isn’t enough.”

“I want you.” He spun her around so that she faced him. “I love you.” Before she could say a word, he brought his mouth down on hers.

She resisted at first but opened her mouth to his persistent kisses and relaxed against him. He ran his hands down her voluptuous body. A heat raged through him, but this wasn’t the time to let his lower region do his thinking. No, he had to use his head. He had to make her understand why he needed to spend time alone with Ally. There had to be a large amount of money in that house, and he was going to do whatever it took to find it. If Cassie went with him, he’d never be able to do that.

“Listen, babe. This has to be done my way, not because I don’t value your input, but this can be a big score, and we can’t blow it. I can get the job done fast; then we can get out of this town. But you’ve got to trust me.” He held her gaze and looked deep into her eyes.

“Ahhh, I don’t know. You haven’t given me many reasons to believe you, let alone trust you. And with another woman…a good-looking one too. I’m not stupid.”

“I know that. But you have to let the past go and believe me when I tell you tomorrow is strictly business. I don’t feel anything for Ally. She’s just a means to an end. A very lucrative end. And one that could put some diamonds here.” He touched her earlobe; then he lifted her ring finger on her left hand and kissed it.

A soft gasp escaped her. “A-are you sa-saying what I th-think you are?”

He hadn’t planned to propose. It just sort of slipped out of his mouth, yet he wasn’t sorry that he had. If it meant keeping Cassie, it’d be worth it. Besides, he wasn’t getting any younger. He might have had his one-night stands, but Cassie had his heart. Always would. Why not take the plunge and make their relationship permanent?

He put his arms around her waist. “So whaddya say? Will you have me for your husband?”

Her vivid eyes opened wide and brimmed with emotion. “Are you kidding? Yes! Yes! Of course. I can’t believe you just asked me to marry you.”

“Believe it, baby. We’re partners in every way. And if things go according to plan, you’ll have a ring by the New Year.”

She held up her hand and studied her fingers. “A big round sparkly one that people will stare at with envy.”

“Only the best for my girl.” He walked her toward the bed. Tonight they had lots to celebrate.

* * *

Jack wrapped Alice’s yellow-and-white-striped apron around his waist, then tied it snugly behind his back. He always wore it when he cooked dinner for her. Alice thought he looked cute, but after last night, he wasn’t sure Ally would mimic her aunt’s sentiments. He opened the oven door to peek at the turkey roasting inside.

“How’s it look?”