Читать книгу Risking It All: The Proposition / The Dare / The Favour / The P.I. / The Cop / The Defender - Cara Summers - Страница 24

“OOH, DETECTIVE NATALIE! Your hair! What have you done?”

The moment Rad had caught sight of her, he’d clapped two palms to his cheeks and stared. Now the majority of the people waiting for a table at the Blue Pepper was staring at her too.

“You’ve cut it.” Rad pressed the back of one hand against his forehead and the palm of the other over his heart. “You’ve cut your lovely hair!”

“Yes, I’ve cut my hair.” Natalie fluffed the ends with one hand. The color was back to normal. And so was she. That’s what she’d kept telling herself during the week she’d been back.

“It will grow in.” Rad spoke in the hushed tone of voice one might use to express sympathy at a wake.

Because she was pretty sure he was comforting himself and not her, Natalie found herself biting back a grin. “Hair has a tendency to do that.” Maybe her sisters had been right to insist that they get together for dinner. “Are my sisters here?”

“Sure thing.” Rad’s face brightened. “I gave them a table on the patio. They’re already enjoying the appetizer sampler.”

Natalie drew in a steadying breath as she followed Rad through the crowd and down the three steps. Being on the patio was a good thing. Better to face all your ghosts. Better to— Her heart nearly stopped as she stepped onto the dance floor. The salsa band was playing the same tune that she and Chance had danced to on the night that she’d taken him up on his first proposition.

Memories of that night and others streamed into her mind—the way he’d touched her, held her, filled her. The memories and the sensations hadn’t dimmed any more than the ache in her heart had.

But they would, she told herself firmly. And maybe she wouldn’t let her hair grow in. Maybe she could never be the same Natalie Gibbs she’d been before Chance Mitchell. So what?

Lifting her chin, she followed Rad off the dance floor.

“Here she is,” Rad announced as they reached the table.

Any confidence Natalie might have built up faded the moment she looked at her sisters. She could tell by the expression on their faces that she wasn’t quite back to the old Natalie Gibbs yet. In fact, what she saw in their eyes was what she’d been denying every time she let herself look in the mirror.

Rory had frozen in place with a stuffed mushroom halfway to her mouth. Rory never let anything interfere with her appetite.

Sierra had her hands clasped tightly together in front of her, the way she always did when she was really nervous or worried.

Hell. Natalie knew she looked like shit.

“Her lovely hair will grow back,” Rad said.

When silence continued to stretch at the table, Rad cleared his throat and said, “Well. How about I bring the drink of the week—a frozen pineapple margarita?”

Rory cut him off by raising her free hand. “Three very dry martinis with olives. And keep them coming.”

“Excellent choice,” Rad said as he hurried away.

Sierra took Natalie’s hand. “What happened to you?”

Natalie found she had to speak around a lump in her throat. “I’m fine.”

Rory set her stuffed mushroom down. “You have black circles the size of Wyoming around your eyes.”

“I’ve been working.”

“And not sleeping,” Sierra said. “Or eating. Tell us.”

Natalie sighed. A triplet could never have secrets. Finally, she said, “Sometimes when you risk everything for something, you don’t get it.”

And then she told them the whole story.

“THIS ISN’T MY HOTEL,” Chance said as Tracker eased the car to the curb in front of the Blue Pepper.

“We thought we’d have a drink first,” Tracker said. “Lucas is buying.”

Searching his mind for an excuse to bow out, Chance stepped onto the curb. Above the traffic noises on the street came the faint sounds of laughter and music from the patio. He recognized the song the band was playing. It was the same one that he’d danced to with Natalie three months ago. That’s when everything had started between them. No, he corrected himself as nervousness twisted in his stomach. Everything had started between them the first moment he’d seen her. Had that been when he’d fallen in love with her?

Panic slithered in to join the nervousness. “You guys go ahead,” he said. “I’ve got some business to take care of.” Truth was he had a plan to make. And he was lousy at them. “I’ll just take a cab—”

Tracker gripped one arm and Lucas the other. “Sophie’s holding our table.”

“And Mac will be very annoyed if we don’t bring you,” Lucas added. “Besides you owe us. I provided my boat and my chief of security for this little Florida caper of yours.”

“Yeah,” Tracker put in. “And don’t forget the effort I put into saving your sorry ass. My arches are still sore from those high heels I had to wear. The very least you owe us is a drink and the rest of the story.”

Chance sighed and let himself be led into the Blue Pepper. It was the last place he wanted to be. Memories of Natalie were already flooding his mind. The past week had been hectic, tying up the Ferrante diamond case in London and seeing to it that “Carlo Brancotti” was finally behind bars. Now, he needed a cool head to think.

“Ah, Mr. Wainwright. Welcome, welcome, welcome.”

At first, Chance couldn’t see who was speaking, but on the last “welcome,” a short man with spikey red hair burst through the throng of people waiting for tables.

“Hi, Rad,” Lucas said. “Is my wife here?”

“She’s with Miss Sophie. This way,” the man said as he waved a hand and led them up the stairs and into the bar.

At least they weren’t going to have to sit on the patio, Chance thought. After greeting and being hugged by Sophie and Mac, he found himself wedged between the two women in the corner of a circular banquette.

Sophie poured a glass of beer from the pitcher in the center of the table and handed it to him. Then Tracker cleared his throat. “There’s something you ought to know.”

Something in the tone of his friend’s voice had his stomach muscles clenching. “What?” He glanced around the table, noted the solemn expressions and fear streamed through him. “Has something happened to Natalie?”

“No.” Mac spoke as Sophie laid a hand on Chance’s arm. “She’s fine. She’s on the patio right now with her sisters.”

Chance felt his throat go dry. “She’s here.” He wasn’t ready to see her, and for the first time in his life he didn’t trust himself to improvise. “I—”

Suddenly, he didn’t care whether or not he had a plan. He had to see her. Hold her. Maybe the plan would come to him then.

“Let me out.” He nudged Mac. “I need to see her.”

“There’s something you should know before you see her,” Tracker said. “I—she knows you were aware all along that she was Natalie—that you were never fooled by the Rachel Cade disguise.”

“You told her?” Chance asked.

“Hell, I didn’t mean to. I slipped and called her Natalie.”

Chance took a long swallow of the beer. “I take it she wasn’t pleased.”

“She wouldn’t even let me drive her to her apartment,” Tracker said.

“You don’t have to lecture him,” Sophie said before Chance could speak. “I already have. But you should have told her yourself.”

“Before you took her to Florida with you,” Mac added, then shook her head. “Pretending to believe that she was this Rachel Cade when all the time you knew she was Natalie…what were you thinking?”

Chance raised a hand, warding off their criticism. “I wasn’t. But at the time, I—” At the time he’d been afraid she wouldn’t come, and he’d wanted her with him. “I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

The two women exchanged glances, then Sophie spoke. “Tracker says you’re nuts about her.”

Chance pinned his friend with a look.

“Hey,” Tracker said with a shrug. “I only calls ’em as I sees ’em.”

“Don’t look at me,” Lucas said. “My advice is to plead the Fifth.”

Chance glanced back at the two women. “Works for me.”

Then to his surprise Mac and Sophie smiled at him.

“Since you are clearly nuts about her, we’ve decided to help you dig yourself out of the hole you’re in,” Sophie said.

Mac slid out of the banquette. “Go. Talk to her.”

Chance felt his stomach plummet as he followed Mac out of the banquette. Natalie was here. His intention had been to spend the night working out a strategy for what he knew he wanted to do. Maybe he’d call her in the morning. Or send her flowers and then drop in on her at work. Or…

Hell, it was the one time in his life that he dearly needed a plan, and he had no choice but to play it by ear.

“WELL, WHAT ARE YOU going to do about it?” Rory asked as she swirled her olive around in her drink and then popped it into her mouth.

“Do?” Natalie asked.

“Yes.” Sierra reach over to pat her hand. “You always have a plan.”

Natalie took a sip of her martini, then studied her two sisters over the rim of the glass. She’d just told them everything that had happened since she’d left Sophie’s party with Chance, and they were looking a lot less worried than they’d been when she first sat down at the table.

“Right,” Rory said around a mouthful of stuffed mushroom. “It sounds like you had a wonderful adventure down in Florida. But you’re going to have to do something about Chance.”

“No.” Natalie shook her head. “I’ve had my adventure and I’ve had my fling. My plan is to go back to being Natalie Gibbs. Period.”

“You’re crazy about him,” Sierra said in her quiet, certain voice.

“I’m…” The not stuck in her throat. Because Sierra was right. No one else in the world had ever made her feel the way Chance Mitchell had. She was very much afraid that she was in love with him. “I’m a mess,” she finally admitted.

“Have one of these shrimp.” Rory shoved the plate toward her.

Natalie shook her head, but she did take another sip of her drink. “He’s walked out on me twice now.”

“Yes, he has,” Sierra said.

“The jerk,” Rory said.

“I’ll drink to that,” Natalie murmured and did. For the first time since she’d walked off the plane a week ago, she didn’t feel quite so numb. Perhaps it was the martini. Or maybe it was the little flame of anger that had flickered to life inside of her.

“He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with,” Sierra said.

“No,” Natalie agreed. He didn’t.

“You’ve always been the one with courage. Harry was right when he called you his warrior. I’ve never once known you to walk away from anything,” Sierra added.

Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re trying that psychology stuff on me.”

“She’s trying the truth,” Rory said.

“The way I see it, it all boils down to one question—do you want this man?” Sierra asked.

Natalie thought of all that had happened between them down in Florida. It hadn’t just been about great sex. Finally, Natalie drew in a deep breath. “Yes, I want him.”

“Then take a risk,” Sierra said.

“And use your talents,” Rory added.

Natalie glanced at her watch. Technically, she was still on vacation. So there wouldn’t be any trouble getting a few days off. Either Tracker or Lucas Wainwright should know where Chance could be contacted in London. And while she was finding out that information, she’d have time to plan.

“I’ve got to go,” she said as she rose from her chair.

“Speak of the devil,” Rory said.

Natalie felt the prickle of awareness at the same moment Rory spoke the words. Then turning, she felt that quick leap of her heart that only Chance could cause.

He was moving quickly through the crowd on the stairs. How long had he been in town? How had he known she was here?

The moment that his eyes met hers, she felt it right down to her toes. I’m not ready for this. That was the one solid thought that managed to tumble into her mind as she walked to meet him in the center of the dance floor. Couples moved around them. Natalie could see that he looked tired—as if he hadn’t slept in a week. That made her feel just a little bit better.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Chance said, “Natalie,” and reached for her.

She took a quick step backward and folded her arms in front of her chest. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me that you knew I wasn’t Rachel Cade?”

He frowned. “Don’t you think I asked myself that a hundred times? I should have. I know that. But once we were down in Florida, I told myself that it would be safer if I didn’t.”

“Safer?” Her brows shot up and she began to tap her foot.

“Okay. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid at first that you wouldn’t come with me and, later, that you wouldn’t stay.”

“So it was the job all along.”

“No.”

She saw the anger flash into his eyes, felt it in the way he grabbed her arms. But she planted two hands on his chest and held her ground.

“You were the one who masqueraded as Rachel Cade. Why did you put on the damn disguise in the first place?”

She lifted her chin. “Because you walked away from Natalie Gibbs.”

“I didn’t. I had a job.”

She poked a finger into his chest. “You didn’t leave a note. You didn’t call for three months.”

He held up his hands, palms out. “Okay. I plead insanity. But I’m not walking away this time.”

In a move so quick that she couldn’t prevent it, Chance pulled her onto her toes and kissed her.

As his taste, his heat, streamed through her, Natalie felt as if she were coming home. It would have been so easy to sink into that feeling, into him. But not yet. She hooked a foot around his ankle and gave him one good shove that sent him to the floor.

Couples scattered, and she heard a burst of applause. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tracker and Sophie on the side of the dance floor. Mac and Lucas stood behind them grinning.

“You go, girl!” Rory shouted.

“Trust in your talents,” Sierra called, the laughter clear in her voice.

Natalie kept her eyes on Chance as he shot her a grin. It nearly melted her, but she wasn’t through with him. Not yet. Planting her hands on her hips, she said, “You’re a jerk.”

“Okay. I plead guilty to that one.”

There was another burst of applause from the crowd.

Chance held out his hand. “Help me up?”

Her brows shot up again. “Do I look like I have the word Sucker written on my forehead?”

CHANCE THREW BACK his head and laughed. This was his Natalie all right. He got up off the floor and faced her. “God, I’ve missed you. I liked Rachel. I’ve always had this thing for blondes.”

“Really?” Her foot began to tap again.

Chance began to warm to his theme. “And Calli was really sexy. I had a real thing going for her.”

“Yeah. I got that feeling.”

She was softening. He was almost sure that he’d seen her lips twitch.

“But I missed you.”

He waited a beat, and when she said nothing, he decided for the first time in his life to risk everything. “I have another proposition for you.”

Her eyes narrowed and her foot tapped faster. “If you think—”

He raised a hand to stop her. “I thought we might go behind those potted trees over there—for old times’ sake?”

“Forget it.”

Oh, his Nat was back all right. He might have even begun to enjoy himself, if it weren’t for the fear that had tied itself into a tight knot in his stomach. If he blew this— No, he wasn’t going to blow it. He couldn’t.

“Okay. I’ll do it right here.” He pulled the small box out of his pocket. Then he got to his knees and opened it.

“A ring? You brought me a ring?”

There was such astonishment on her face, in her voice, that a quick sliver of panic raced up his spine. Was he pushing her too fast? “Yeah. It doesn’t have to be an engagement ring. It could just be a—”

Words slipped away as she dropped to her knees in front of him.

“Looks like an engagement ring to me,” she said, meeting his eyes. “But if you’re having second thoughts…”

“No.” Chance met her eyes steadily and saw what he needed to see. “No second thoughts. How about you?”

She gave him a shaky smile. “Just about a thousand or so. I didn’t plan on this.” She drew in a breath and let it out.

He smiled at her. “Me either. But I’m good at improvising. So are you.”

She looked down at the ring again. It was a big step, a huge one. And there wasn’t a plan in the world that she could come up with to deal with it. But as Chance put his hands on her shoulders, she thought she could hear a voice telling her, “You can do it, Nat.”

And then she heard Chance’s voice. “I love you, Nat.”

She met his eyes then and smiled. “I love you, too. So I guess we’ll just have to make it up as we go along.”

He kissed her then, and though she vaguely thought applause and shouts had broken out around them, the one thing that she was sure of was Chance.