Buch lesen: «Heartbreaker», Seite 2

Two

Gage wondered how she could possibly look him in the eye and claim otherwise.

She sat beside him in his study in her bloodred dress, glossy tendrils of hair winding around her shoulders like Medusa’s serpents. It was all an enticing distraction from the threat she posed. To his name, his reputation and everything he’d worked hard to build at Mesa Falls Ranch.

“Revenge for what, exactly?” she asked finally, recrossing her legs in the opposite direction, causing the long slit in her dress to part and expose her lean calves. Velvet ribbons from her high-heeled shoes wound around her lower legs, their soft bows drawing his gaze to her feet, where red-painted toenails peeped from supple leather.

She was a breathtaking woman, even when she didn’t dress to turn heads. Tonight, he couldn’t look away from her if he tried. And damn it, he needed to try harder.

“For your wounded pride. For the slight from my family when my father bribed you to leave me. You were livid with him.” And she hadn’t even blinked when he’d asked her if she’d accepted the payment. Her affirmation—the defiant lift of her chin—had iced all the feelings he’d had for her. “With me.”

He’d never understood how she could have transferred so much anger to him when she was the one who’d sold out what they had. Later, it occurred to him that his father might have filled her head with lies about Gage not wanting her in his life. But by then, she was long gone and none of it mattered.

She’d moved half a world away, returning to Southern California, where they’d first met, while he remained in New Zealand to help his father campaign for a parliament seat and a more prominent position in his party. For Gage’s father, politics had been a paramount concern his whole life, an important way to maintain Striker family interests. Sadly, now that Gage’s fortune outstripped his father’s several times over, his relationship with his dad seemed even more tenuous.

“It’s been six years since we ended things,” she reminded him, glancing down at her fingernails as if the discussion bored her. “I moved on. Married someone else.”

“And look how well that worked out for you.”

The beat of silence afterward told him the barb had hit the mark. It also made him realize how damned petty that had been. Her gaze flicked up to his, her expression tinged with a hint of pain before the walls went back up again.

“I agree that was a foolish move.” Her easy response surprised him as she leaned back deeper into the couch cushions, relaxing her rigid posture a fraction. “But my point is that I certainly wouldn’t hatch a revenge scheme after all this time.”

“I have no business commenting on your marriage.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose, the tension in his head a sign that she was getting under his skin. “My apologies.”

She inclined her head, gracious as a queen. “And I’m sorry for sneaking into the party under another woman’s name. But given our history, I didn’t feel comfortable requesting an invitation.”

He couldn’t help a wry laugh as he forced himself to gaze into the fireplace flames instead of at the woman on the couch beside him. “Probably because I would have never granted you one. You have to know that it’s my job to protect the privacy of my guests. Which means no tabloid reporters.”

“Nevertheless, I need to have my phone back.” She shifted beside him, running her palm over the expanse between them and drawing his focus to her left hand that bore no ring. Not even a lingering tan line. “My followers will think something happened to me after my video cut off in the middle.”

“Then they seriously underestimate your resourcefulness.” They’d met the year before he’d taken his first company public. Back then, the tech start-up offering network privacy tools had been the sole focus of his life. Elena had been working for a rival firm, and she’d quit her job because she believed in his product more.

She’d shown up in his office to tell him so, offering her services as an influencer to a younger demographic. At the time, she’d had a homegrown following for her beauty and fashion tips, and he hadn’t understood how that could help him. She’d single-handedly taught him the value of never underestimating a target market, making a clever video that brought him fifty thousand converts to his network security product overnight. He’d given her a percentage and a job. In the end, he’d lost more than a woman he loved when they parted. He’d lost a hell of a team member since she’d handed in her resignation the same day they broke up.

“Then what will it take to recover my device?” she pressed, a hint of agitation creeping into her tone. “Let’s open the negotiations so we don’t take up any more of each other’s time.”

She reached for the bourbon on the rocks he’d poured her, and then, as if thinking the better of it, she returned her hand to her lap.

“For starters, be honest with me about what you’re doing in Montana.” He rose from the couch and returned to the wet bar, pouring her a glass of ice water. Delivering it to her, he noticed how carefully she took it from him. Somehow, the absence of contact only ratcheted up the awareness between them as he reclaimed his seat.

“Thank you.” She took a long sip before setting the glass beside the first one. A hint of lipstick on the crystal distracted him for a moment. “And I was honest with you. I’m going to get answers about Alonzo Salazar’s ill-gotten gains and where the proceeds from his book went. I’m not leaving the ranch until I either find out or have a solid lead that points somewhere else.”

Gage already knew from his exchange with the investigator April Stephens that she’d found answers to that same question. But he wasn’t going to point Elena in her direction since he didn’t want to aid her in her quest.

Alonzo’s secrets were tied up with his own. His former mentor had been privy to the nuances of a boarding school tragedy that involved all six of the ranch’s owners, something they’d taken pains to put behind them for good. So his primary objective was to keep Alonzo’s past on lockdown. For starters, he sure as hell wasn’t letting the woman seated beside him anywhere near April Stephens tonight. Thankfully, the investigator would be leaving Mesa Falls Ranch in the morning.

“So you’re just here for a story,” he concluded, willing to capitalize on their past affair to maneuver her if it came down to that. He happened to know her very, very well. “Not out of any desire to see me again.”

He could tell he caught her off guard by the slightest hint of her shoulders straightening. Was it in awareness of him? Or was she just squaring up for the next round of battle?

“You’re safe with me, Gage. I promised your father you would be, after all.”

They settled back into sparring roles, and if he were being honest, he was more comfortable seeing her as the enemy than a woman out of options after a well-publicized divorce. It spoke volumes about her financial position—and, perhaps, her personal confidence—that she was selling stories to the tabloids. The Elena he’d known had been a fierce businesswoman.

“And you’re not seeking some sort of misguided revenge.” He stated it as fact, wanting clarification on that point.

Or perhaps he just needed to rile her.

A light trill of laughter bubbled up from her throat. Rising from the couch, she paced closer to the fireplace, peering back over one shoulder at him. “I’d have to feel something for you if I wanted revenge, Gage.”

She said it so coolly, he almost believed her. But at the last moment, a hint of something else flitted through her gaze. The look was fleeting, but it had been there before she quickly turned away. In that moment, he’d glimpsed something more than cool detachment.

Getting to his feet, he closed the distance between them to join her beside the sleek stone hearth. Eyes locked on her subtle curves as she stared down into the flames, he remembered a thousand other times he’d touched her. Tasted her. Made her moan with pleasure.

The past simmered around him, hotter than any blaze.

“I don’t believe you.”

Gage’s words, spoken while he stood far too close to her, stopped her short.

Her breath caught. Her pulse stuttered for a protracted moment.

Thankfully, her back was to him. So she closed her eyes and steeled herself against the tingling in her nerve endings that reminded her of how hot they’d burned together, once upon a time. That hint of bourbon she’d sipped danced in her veins, seeming to warm her everywhere.

But she wasn’t here to play games with him. And she couldn’t afford to let her guard down for a single second. She needed this story to shore up her finances. If she happened to inconvenience Gage Striker in the process, all the better. Revenge? She preferred to view it as a reminder to him that a Striker couldn’t pay his way out of all life’s inconveniences.

“It hardly matters whether you believe me or not.” She shrugged and traced a pattern in the dark gray stone of the fireplace surround with her finger—anything to delay facing him.

“You feel something for me.” That voice, pitched so low for her ears alone, was like a fingernail stroke down her spine. “It’s probably nothing good, but I am one hundred percent confident you aren’t indifferent.”

He’d dropped the gauntlet, and they both knew it.

The silence between them stretched. She’d tried acting once, when she’d first fled her father’s run-down desert shack for Los Angeles at seventeen. She hadn’t been any good at it then, either, but she’d never had as much motivation as she did right now. Taking a deep breath, she spun on her heel to look Gage in the eye.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” She flipped a few curls over her shoulder. “But I’m in Montana for work, not to rehash a long-dead past. So if we’re done here, I’ll see myself out.”

She sidled past him, but at the last moment, his palm landed lightly on her elbow.

“Wait.” His touch fell away, quickly breaking their connection.

Because he didn’t care to make contact with the woman who’d betrayed him? Or because he felt the same jolt of attraction she felt?

She stopped and turned back around to face him.

“You really plan to stay in town to chase this story?” His voice had lost some of its antagonistic edge.

“I’m not going anywhere until I have answers.” She would be in Mesa Falls for as long as she could afford it, anyway. Rooms at the main lodge weren’t cheap, but she didn’t think Gage would ban her from the ranch property altogether given how hard his PR team had worked to bring the place into the public eye. She didn’t think he’d risk the potential bad press.

He gave a decisive nod. “Then stay with me.”

She blinked, certain she’d misheard. “Excuse me?”

“If you are that indifferent to me, it should hardly be a problem to stay under the same roof while you research your piece,” he told her mildly, heading back to the couch to retrieve their drinks. He drained the rest of his bourbon and then returned with her water.

“So you can keep an eye on me while I’m here? Make sure I don’t find the answers I seek?” She clutched the glass, savoring its coolness against her palm while she struggled to keep her edge. She had no illusions he was opening his home to her out of the goodness of his heart. “I don’t think so.”

“Why waste your mental energy figuring out how to sneak into my home when you could have full access?” he asked, his tone deceptively reasonable.

“Why not just kick me out, the way you threatened to upstairs?” She didn’t trust the offer. Couldn’t trust him.

“While I don’t mind negative publicity for myself, I’d rather not stir it up for Mesa Falls.” He paced past her toward the huge table that seemed to function as a desk. Withdrawing her phone from the pocket of his tuxedo jacket, he laid it on the glass-topped surface. “So I’d rather not resort to removing you from the property altogether. But to answer your earlier question, I would find it convenient to have some awareness of your movements while you’re in town.”

Her gaze had dropped to her phone, but his words made her attention snap back to him. “So you admit you want to keep tabs on me?”

“You’re hardly making your movements secret when you’re posting them online,” he scoffed. “But yes. Having you under my roof will help me stay informed so I don’t have to check my social media accounts.”

He had a point. She’d be deceiving herself if she thought he was going to ignore her presence in town altogether now that she’d made it clear she wanted answers about Alonzo Salazar.

“For that matter,” he continued, perhaps sensing her indecision, “you’d have access to me twenty-four/seven.”

“For what purpose?” she asked coolly, not appreciating the implication that she might desire such access.

Gage shrugged. “You tell me. I assumed you might have questions about the ranch. Moving forward, I’ve committed to spending more time on-site to ensure the ranch’s mission is fulfilled.”

“Are you saying you’d be willing to answer my questions?” she pressed, draining her drink and trying not to think about what it would be like to move into Gage’s home for days.

Or weeks.

Her stomach knotted. His easy dismissal of what they’d shared six years ago had hurt her deeply. For the first time, she debated the wisdom of coming to Montana and reopening that old wound.

“I can’t promise that. I’m simply offering you the opportunity to ask.” He moved toward her again, plucking her empty glass from her fingers and setting it aside on the fireplace mantel. “Put your money where your mouth is, Elena. If you’re not out for revenge, and you don’t feel a damned thing about me, then work on your story from my home, where you won’t have to sneak around my security. And yes, I get to pretend I at least have a chance to influence your work.”

She longed to refuse. To walk away from him and the deal with the devil he was offering.

But he’d effectively called her bluff. And bottom line, she couldn’t afford to turn him down. Smoothing a nonexistent wrinkle from her velvet-and-satin gown, she told herself it was a welcome opportunity. A chance to learn insider details about Alonzo Salazar’s life and legacy.

“I’ve heard more gracious invitations,” she said finally. “But I’m hardly in a position to be choosy.”

He gave a satisfied nod.

“Excellent. Are you staying in the lodge? I’ll send someone over to retrieve your things.” Gage pulled his own phone from his pocket and began tapping out a message.

“Right now?” She thought about what her hotel room looked like, her meager possessions offering a far more realistic portrait of her desperate finances than the beautiful gown she’d finagled from a local vendor for the event at almost no cost to her.

“I’m sure you’re in a hurry to begin pursuing your story.” He pocketed the device again. “Didn’t you tell me your followers deserve answers?”

She began to see how neatly he’d maneuvered her into doing what he wanted. But what were his real motives? “I hope that doesn’t mean I’ve effectively become your prisoner in this remote home.”

“An intriguing idea, but no.” The curve of his lips didn’t seem quite like a smile. Wolfish anticipation, maybe. “You can, of course, come and go as you please. Although running from me at first opportunity hardly seems like the action of a woman who’s indifferent.” A note of challenge hung in his voice.

“I only meant that I’d like to retrieve my own things from the lodge.” She wasn’t sure how much of her life she could hide from Gage if he decided he wanted answers of his own. But she definitely didn’t want him to know the extent of her financial hardship.

“And miss the rest of the party you took pains to crash?” He shook his head and moved closer to her. “The evening has only just begun. Enjoy yourself here, and your bags will be in your suite by the time you’re ready to retire for the night.”

He extended his arm to her, as if he were courting her and not taunting her. Tempting her. Teasing her.

He’d said he didn’t believe that she was indifferent to him, and clearly, he still didn’t.

She suspected Gage would do everything in his power to prove her a liar on that count. But then, given how quickly he’d believed the worst of her, what was one more black mark against her name?

She’d wheedled her way into his home. Now it was up to her to make the most of the opportunity. So she slid her hand around his forearm, wordlessly accepting his invitation.

His dark eyes met hers and she felt that crackle of electricity between them again. She flicked her gaze away, her darting glance landing on her smartphone.

“My camera—” she began.

“—is off-limits for the rest of the party.” He laid a hand over hers where it rested on his arm. “It will be safe here when you return to your suite tonight.”

Confused, she peered around the office.

“My suite?”

“This will be your sitting area while you’re staying with me. Your bedroom is through there.” He pointed to double doors behind the massive desk.

“I see you have plenty of room for me,” she noted drily. She’d understood that Gage had achieved new heights of wealth in recent years, but seeing the way he lived firsthand was still eye-opening.

“I do, indeed.” He squeezed her hand lightly before letting go and leading her out of the suite and back toward the party. “You’ll hardly know we’re sharing the same roof again.”

Based on the way her pulse quickened when he was near, she seriously doubted it.

Three

Later that evening, Elena went into the kitchen and helped herself to a plate of fruit before declaring the night a total bust. Becoming an invited guest at Gage’s soiree tonight had done little to help Elena’s story.

Of course, the fact that Gage had attached himself to her for most of the party surely had something to do with it. Sighing with frustration, she drizzled a yogurt dip over her pile of strawberries and pineapple slices. No matter what he said to the contrary, he planned to be her watchdog more than her host.

Which would be easier to deal with, frankly, if his nearness didn’t affect her so much. As it stood, her thoughts scattered like dandelion fluff on a spring breeze whenever he was close.

She scooped up some raspberries from a chilled dish on one of the kitchen islands and dumped them on her china plate next to a few wedges of cheese and some baguette slices. She’d given up searching the party for April Stephens, the woman she’d met at their shared dress fitting earlier in the day. April had seemed like a promising lead for more information about the Mesa Falls Ranch owners since she, too, was in Montana to investigate the finances of Alonzo Salazar.

But by all accounts, the woman had left the party alone shortly after Gage had pulled Elena aside to speak to her. As for the other ranch owners, she’d spotted Weston Rivera drinking by himself in a back den, and his brother, Miles, in a heated conversation with Desmond Pierce out by the pool in the backyard. But they’d both stopped talking as soon as she’d stepped outside, making it impossible for her to overhear anything.

And Gage, the only other owner on-site tonight, was never far from Elena’s side. Even now, he entered the kitchen moments behind her, balancing a trio of half-empty champagne flutes in one hand.

With his bow tie long gone, he looked deliciously disheveled. The top button of his tuxedo shirt was undone, and his five o’clock shadow had been darkening steadily as the evening wore on. She noticed that other women’s eyes followed him when he walked past. It provided some small comfort that she wasn’t the only person captivated by his dark good looks and athletic physique.

But she knew better than to get involved. Again.

“The catering staff not only serves the food, they provide cleanup afterward,” she noted, nodding to his handful of crystal stemware. “That’s what you pay them for.”

“Thank you, Elena, for the entertaining tips. But when one is trapped in a room where the conversation has turned to which lipstick is the longest-wearing, the urge to escape by any means becomes overwhelming.” Setting the glasses in the sink, he joined her at the kitchen island. “May I join you?”

He was already helping himself to half a baguette, not bothering with a plate. She hid a smile. His father might have poured a lot of time and money into cultivating an heir with posh manners and social savvy, but Gage had resisted at least some of the efforts to tame him.

“Only if we can talk about something besides makeup.” She found a napkin and retrieved her glass of water to bring with her. “I’ve had all the party small talk I can bear, too.”

It frustrated her that she’d learned so little about the Mesa Falls Ranch owners or Alonzo Salazar this evening. But maybe she could still learn something from her host.

The crowd had thinned out considerably. The only guests still dancing in the great room were younger members of the celebrity entourages. It looked like one of the pop singers was deep in conversation with a European model Elena had spoken to only briefly. The party guests weren’t the kinds of people Gage had normally chosen to surround himself with, but then, the evening had been carefully planned by the ranch’s public relations staff to showcase Mesa Falls for young influencers who might bring more attention to the ranch’s environmental initiatives.

She admired the intent, even if the crowd was far different from what she was used to. They all seemed so damned young.

“Let’s sit at the breakfast bar.” He nodded toward the coffee station near the back windows overlooking the darkened pool area outside. “That way I can keep an eye on things until these people run out of gas.”

Elena slid into the cushioned wraparound bench that surrounded the table on three sides. Even though it was close to the kitchen, the spot was quiet since the catering staff was based in a mobile food preparation truck outside.

Gage slid in to sit near her, closer than she’d expected him to. To converse? Or to prove his point about her not being indifferent? Glancing over at him, she had to concede that she couldn’t read the nuances of his expression anymore. Or perhaps he’d cultivated a greater skill in keeping his thoughts to himself since she’d known him. No doubt that was a formidable asset in his business dealings.

“So how long are you in town for?” she asked as she unfolded a linen napkin and laid it over her lap. She might as well dig for answers from the only Mesa Falls Ranch owner she knew personally. “You mentioned staying in Montana beyond tonight, but the last I knew your full-time residence was in Palo Alto.”

He’d only just purchased that property when she’d met him. They’d talked about moving in together before things fell apart on the ill-fated trip to New Zealand to meet his family.

“It has been my home base ever since I purchased it.” He tore the baguette in half and offered her a piece, but she shook her head. “But Weston is looking for someone else to oversee the ranch full-time.”

Sitting so close to him called forth old memories. His aftershave was the same; since they’d broken up, the scent had sometimes tempted her in her dreams.

Dropping a few raspberries into her chilled water, she tried to refocus on their conversation, needing to learn what she could from him.

“Is Weston leaving the group?” she asked, mentally reviewing what she knew about the six partners. Weston Rivera was the younger of the Rivera brothers, both of whom owned a stake in the ranch. Weston had diverse investments around the country—mostly in fast-growth start-ups that had made him a very rich man. Miles Rivera ran their family’s ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in central California.

“No. But now that we’re beginning to attract tabloid attention—” he paused to give her a meaningful look “—Weston doesn’t want to be solely responsible for overseeing the security and privacy of the guests.”

Either that, or he wanted help ensuring the ranch owners’ secrets were kept on lockdown. She was willing to bet the latter.

“So you’re moving here more permanently?” She couldn’t envision Gage retreating from the world in this remote corner of western Montana.

He might not have gone into politics like his father wanted, and he definitely didn’t fit the same spit-shined image his father projected, but he had inherited his family’s comfort in social situations. More than that, he was good with people, and seemed to enjoy working in team settings, not on isolated ranches.

“For now, yes.” He stabbed a fat strawberry with his dessert fork. “We’ll see how the year unfolds with all the media interest in Alonzo.”

She sipped her water and watched the antics in the great room as two young men held a dance-off for the enjoyment of the six or seven ladies draped on Gage’s leather sofas. Suit jackets discarded, the men spun on the toes of their slick dress shoes and performed hip swivels that had the women cheering and whistling.

The DJ seemed oblivious, spinning records and nodding to herself as she cued one song after another. One of her headphones had slipped off her ear.

“If you keep hosting house parties like this one, your time in town won’t be boring,” Elena observed lightly, amazed at the agility of the dancers.

Gage looked into the great room and shook his head. “I’m not sure living room dance battles are going to provide much entertainment. Besides, I like ranch life. Don’t forget, I grew up on a cattle station before my father turned his attention to politics.”

In fact, that detail of his past had slipped her mind. But now it all came back to her. They’d made plans to see the cattle station on her trip to New Zealand with him. But before they could, his father had intervened to confront Elena about her relationship with Gage. She’d flown home early. Alone.

She was still lost in thought when the DJ finished her set. A woman Elena guessed was part of the ranch’s PR staff arrived in the great room to urge the last of the guests into the swag room, enticing them with the promise of luxe goods and a fitting for a custom Stetson. The great room suddenly went quiet, as the group shuffled out, drinks in hand.

“What about you?” Gage asked, as she realized they were now alone. “How will you fare in the remote mountains, far from LA life?”

Awareness drifted around her like smoke, clinging to her skin. And yet, remembering how things had ended between them, she forced herself back down to earth. The pain of losing him had led her to a rebound marriage that nearly destroyed her life. She couldn’t give Gage any sway over her again.

“In light of my legal battles with my ex, taking some time to clear my head and commune with nature will be a good thing.”

Gage made himself a stack of cheese slices and crackers, building his next bite with architectural care that relayed how hard he was working not to show his feelings, too. “I’m having a tough time envisioning you communing with nature.”

“I may not have grown up on a cattle station, but I spent my youth in the California desert, sleeping under the stars as often as I slept under a roof. It was remote in its own way.” She let herself smile at the good memories. It had taken years of therapy for her to tease out the happy times among the sad and scary ones with her alcoholic mother, but Elena made an effort now. “I hope to explore all that the ranch has to offer.”

She’d tried on a lot of hats since running away from home at seventeen. She’d been a beauty influencer with her online makeup tutorials and endorsements that had helped finance college courses. A businesswoman in the years Gage had known her. Then, after that, a supportive wife to her husband’s career. None of those things had worked out for her.

She wasn’t sure where to turn next, but she knew for sure running hadn’t done her one bit of good. She was done being reactive. Over the years, she’d let her family dictate her choices. Then Gage’s overbearing father. Then her husband. Now, she was taking her life into her own hands.

For good.

Gage led Elena through his now quiet house half an hour later, not sure what to make of the changes he saw in her.

She wasn’t the same woman he’d dated six years ago. But just because he could no longer see her fiercely competitive side didn’t mean it wasn’t there. No matter how she downplayed her presence in Montana, he couldn’t shake the sense that she was here to right an old wrong. To make him pay for not standing up to his father on her behalf.

And yet, what had she expected when she’d completely hidden her past from him? He’d been blindsided by the revelation that her father was a wanted man. That she’d spent much of her teens on the run from the law with him. That her mother was an alcoholic with a violent streak that had landed both parents in jail more than once. Not that any of that reflected on Elena in the least. But it had hurt that she hadn’t confided any of it, leaving him to find out from his father’s private investigator. Her lack of trust showed how little she thought of him.

Now, she was back. And he didn’t know what to think about it other than her presence was still more intoxicating than any bourbon. Even walking four feet behind him, Elena’s draw was magnetic, pulling him inexorably backward.

“Thanks for showing me the way,” she said as they returned to the living area outside her bedroom, the same spot where they’d spoken earlier in the evening. She retrieved her smartphone that he’d left there.