Page 31 of The Last Dance You Saved
“Why were you talking to Lorenzo Puzo?” he asked, a determination in his tone that said he’d find out one way or another.
Adam had asked me not to tell the family about the jewelry yet, and I understood his reasoning for not getting anyone’s hopes up. Although, the logic was muddied now with Rafe here, as he certainly had enough money to invest in the ranch if he wanted, so maybe it was simply all the unknowns that had me holding back some of the truth. Or maybe it was because I couldn’t stand the idea of giving Rafe the satisfaction of seeing my family as thieves when it was exactly what he’d already expected. So, I told him part of the truth but not all of it.
“I was researching our family history. No one knew my great-grandmother’s maiden name until I came across an old photograph of her that had Carolyn Puzo written on the back. I’ve been contacting any Puzo families I could find to see if they knew her.”
Even though I couldn’t see his expression in the shadows, I knew he was scrutinizing me to see how truthful I was being. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t look away. I just met his gaze with as steady of one as I could muster.
“You don’t want to be tied to Lorenzo,” he said with a certainty I didn’t necessarily disagree with. But I still wanted to know about Carolyn. Why had she left and never mentioned any of them again? Was it simply because she hadn’t agreed with their lifestyle? Or had they not approved of Harry McFlannigan, the son of Irish immigrants living in a tiny town in Tennessee, like Lorenzo had insinuated? Or was it because she was a thief?
“No matter how ugly, it’s always best to know the truth,” I said and meant it. No matter whether Carolyn had stolen the jewelry, or it had already been hers, or whatever else might have happened, knowing would help us to set it right.
“Careful what you wish for,” he said darkly.
I didn’t respond, couldn’t argue with that statement. I shivered again, both the night air and the conversation getting to me. Add in Rafe and his constant bombardment on my senses, and it was all almost too much to keep up with. I rose, sliding down off the rock, and it brought me momentarily closer to him. The heat and sizzle of the attraction that wafted between us sparked stronger. A promised flame that had to be squelched.
“I don’t normally believe in coincidences,” I told him. “But that’s all this is. I certainly had no idea you were tied to both Lorenzo and the Harringtons on Sunday night. You can believe that or not, but it’s the truth.”
He stepped off the boulder, and our toes touched. I was surprised to see he still had on his fancy dress shoes instead of something more appropriate for hiking through the woods.
“You’re going to have blisters tomorrow,” I said without thought.
He looked down, and a grunt of something that might have been acknowledgement drifted through him. The sound came from deep in his chest, a tantalizing lure that made me want to taste him. To see if I could make him rumble for all the reasons we’d planned the other night. To finally receive the satisfaction we’d both craved.
I stepped away and headed up the path the way I’d come instead. I heard him behind me, moving through the rocks and grass at the same pace as me, watching my every move. It kept the electricity drifting between us, a heady drug-like pull that left me craving more.
“How long are you staying?” he asked.
I briefly looked back over my shoulder. “The plan was to leave on Sunday after the wedding. You?”
“I’m here for the week.”
I couldn’t help the dart of something like hope that whisked through me. Maybe we’d get to finish what we’d started in Vegas. Would I risk it for a chance at putting to rest this damn desire he’d stoked, even when there was just as much of a chance of him embedding himself permanently under my skin? It didn’t matter, because if he’d all but tossed me out of his penthouse once his daughter had come home, he wasn’t going to sleep with me when Fallon and his ex were under the same roof.
A possibility hit me like a brick. Maybe he’d come to reignite whatever he’d once lost with Lauren. With his brother gone, no one was here to stop them from being together, right? Except, the way they’d talked to each other in the library hadn’t sounded like any kind of rekindling. It had sounded like loss and betrayal and disgust.
As we wound our way up along the smooth path at the cliff’s edge next to the falls, Rafe let out a startled rumble. I turned just in time to see him slide toward the cliff in those fancy shoes. As he fought to keep from going over, pure panic had me grabbing at him and hauling him back onto the path.
Our bodies collided, and he wrapped his arm around my waist, still trying to right himself. Those sparks I’d been fighting burst through me, every nerve ending happily remembering and rejoicing in the strength of him. The feel of him. The yearning for him.
We were both panting, from the sudden adrenaline rush of the near accident as much as from our bodies tucked together. When I glanced up, his face was now on display in the moonlight. Dark eyes sparkled with shock and passion. We stayed there, frozen, for several heartbeats. Stuck as if by a force we couldn’t see. Melded together.
I didn’t believe in coincidences, but I had enough Irish in me—I’d been around Uncle Phil enough in the last days of his life—to completely believe in fate and gods and otherworldly beings playing mischief. Or acting as matchmaker. Maybe all of this was always supposed to happen.
Maybe I was supposed to end up right here with my body almost grafted to Rafe’s.
Before I could even register he’d moved, Rafe’s mouth crashed into mine. Liquid flames ran through me at the touch, like the burn of alcohol going down, spiking through every nerve. Golden ambrosia that sent my head spinning. After a second of pure shock, I returned the kiss. Pushing harder. Desperate and needy in a way I’d never been. He groaned, fisting my hair and steadying me as his lips took command. Demanding I yield. Demanding I give entrance. And when I opened for him, he invaded. Caressing and driving. Dancing and exploring.
Every sound, every sight, every feel of the night air disappeared until there was nothing left but Rafe. His body. His strength. The taste of him. Vibrant and addicting.
Something I’d hunger for over and over again.
Something that made me think the fates were right. We belonged. Our bodies and souls were meant to be together just like this.
But just as the thought hit me, he was gone. Nothing but space and the rush of the mountain air between us as the warmth of his body disappeared.
He stared at me, lips tight, expression dark.
“You’re a damn siren. A temptress.” The words were a growl, unforgiving and harsh.
