Under Her Skin

This was the second assessment of her character in less than ten minutes and she was equally surprised by what Dana thought. Lexi tried to be strong and in control but always felt she fell way short.

“I believe you did sleep with him,” Dana continued. “And that you’re engaged, but the rest of it? No way.”

Lexi opened her eyes and looked at her friend. “You don’t want to know.”

“Is it illegal?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“A simple no would have been too difficult?” Dana grumbled.

Lexi smiled. “It’s not illegal.”

“Then what?”

“Then I’m not going to tell you. You’re my friend and I love you, but no. Not this time. Cruz and I are engaged. That’s enough.”

“It’s not even close to enough.” Dana leaned toward her. “Are you in trouble? Any kind of trouble?”

Lexi appreciated the support. “No. Not even a little.” Thanks to Cruz. “Danger maybe, but not trouble.”

Dana’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

“Have you ever seen Cruz Rodriguez?”

“No.”

“He’s the walking, breathing definition of temptation.”

“Which shouldn’t be a problem if you’re engaged.”

Good point. “Let’s just say I don’t want him to know that he has that much control. Can I borrow your truck? I’ll need it to move my stuff into Cruz’s place.”

“You’re going to be living with him?”

Lexi believed the exact words had been something like, “In my house and in my bed.” Which made her want to fan herself. “Uh-huh,” she said.

“That doesn’t sound like you. Besides, won’t your shiny new fiancé be helping?”

She had no idea. “He’s, uh, going to be out of town. I want to surprise him.”

“You’re not a good liar. What will you be moving?”

“Just clothes and personal stuff.”

“No furniture?”

“Not right away.” Actually she had no idea what to take, but clothes seemed like a good place to start. “He can help with any big pieces I decide to keep,” she said, knowing it wasn’t an issue. She would hold on to her condo so she would have a place to go when the six months were over.

Dana looked as if she wanted to argue but instead she said, “I’ll help you move and I’ll be the one driving my truck.”

“Because you don’t trust me with your baby?”

“Damned straight.”

“But it’s just a truck.”

Dana winced. “That’s why you can use it but you can’t borrow it.”

WHEN DANA LEFT, Lexi hurried to her purse, where she dug out Cruz’s business card. He’d scrawled his cell number on the back. She punched it in and waited impatiently until he answered.

“Rodriguez.”

“What were you thinking? That’s some stunt you pulled. It’s bad enough that you did it, but you didn’t even warn me. I hadn’t told my sisters yet. You hurt Skye. I can forgive a lot of things, but not that.” Izzy wouldn’t care one way or the other, but Skye was sensitive.

“What if I hadn’t told my father?” she continued, her voice rising slightly. “Trust me, you don’t want to deal with Jed Titan when he’s at the business end of a gun.”

“You about finished?” Cruz asked.

“I’m just getting started.”

“Good. I’ll be there in ten minutes. You can yell at me in person.”

He disconnected the call before she could tell him that didn’t work for her.

She slammed down the phone, then marched to her private bathroom where she ran cold water on her wrists and double-checked her makeup. She hated that she cared about how she looked to him and called herself names as she put on more lip gloss.

Why her? Why had he picked her? She didn’t have Skye’s gorgeous curves and feminine features or Izzy’s zest for life and adventure. She was a classic, cool blond. Or as Andrew had so eloquently put it, an ice queen. Cruz was all fire and passion. So why her?

Did it matter? She’d gotten what she’d wanted—a bail-out. She still had a shot at winning Titan World and her father’s affections. In six months, she would be free of Cruz. Until then, she would endure. She was good at that.

Her assistant buzzed that he’d arrived. Lexi ignored the sudden clenching of her stomach, the weakness that invaded her knees, and made her way to the front of her spa.

As always, just walking through her place of business made her happy. The high ceilings and dark wood moldings gave the space an elegant air. She greeted staff members as she passed them in the hall. Jeannie, on her way to give a facial, seemed ready to collapse under the weight of a couple dozen towels.

“You all right?” Lexi asked, grabbing an armful.

Jeannie straightened. “Thanks. Mrs. Miller is coming in and she has this thing about wanting extra towels in the room. She doesn’t use them—she just wants them where she can see them.”

Mrs. Miller was a regular. Weekly manicures, bi-weekly pedicures and facials, massages. Fake tan in the summer.

“Better extra towels than a yappy dog that pees everywhere,” Lexi told her with a grin.

“Oh, but then at least the towels would get used.” Jeannie laughed then ducked into one of the treatment rooms.

Lexi continued toward the main entrance, passing through the relaxation room. Three sofas and several overstuffed chairs filled the area. Women in thick robes sat with mugs of herbal tea as they either waited for their treatments or enjoyed a little quiet time after they were done. Soothing music played in the background while a junior staff member offered magazines and cut fruit.

Lexi paused to glance back at the long corridor. Nearly all the treatment room doors were closed, with discreet “occupied” signs hanging next to them. It was midweek and they were nearly at capacity. If nothing else, at least her business life was going well.

Cruz stood by the check-in desk. He should have looked out of place. Instead he lounged by a glass case filled with cosmetics and appeared completely comfortable, in a sexy, masculine way. Every female eyed him with a curiosity that did more than undress him. It served him up for breakfast and demanded they do it again.

Lexi found herself feeling oddly possessive, which was crazy. She should only want to yell at him for what he’d done with the announcement.

He looked up and saw her, then smiled with such pleasure that her entire nervous system tingled.

“Lexi,” he said as he approached, taking both her hands in his and lightly kissing her. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, “If you keep looking at me like you want to see me as roadkill, no one is going to believe we’re engaged.”

“Well then, they really won’t believe it after I take you to the woodshed and beat some sense into you,” she said back, keeping her voice low.

He straightened and grinned. “I look forward to you trying.” He released one hand and tugged on the other. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

She allowed him to lead her outside.

The sun was bright and high in the big, blue sky. She had to shade her eyes to see the parking lot. At first she didn’t notice anything different. There were the usual assortment of guest cars, most of which were expensive imports that…

Her gaze settled on a silver-blue Mercedes. She recognized the car and the color because both had been special-ordered for her birthday, and her father had been very unhappy when she’d explained the vehicle had been lost. In truth, Jed had been more angry that she hadn’t won the race than that she’d virtually given away an expensive car. He’d reminded her that if she was going to be stupid, she needed to learn to be tough.

Her anger at Cruz faded as she approached the car. It couldn’t be the same one. Not after ten years. Could it? Had he really kept her car all this time?

“Seriously?” she asked, glancing at him.

He shrugged. “Sure. I gave it to my housekeeper to drive. I got her something new, so you can have this back.”

Okay. So much for feeling special.

She opened the driver’s side door and slid onto the seat. Everything was exactly as she remembered. She rubbed her hands along the steering wheel then turned to look—

A small Tiffany’s box sat on the passenger seat. It was square and the right size for a ring. An engagement ring.

Because they were engaged now.

Lexi stared at the box. When she’d been a preteen, she’d spent hours daydreaming about falling in love and getting married. She’d imagined this moment over and over. Sometimes the faceless man of her dreams had proposed over dinner at the top of a tall building in a dark restaurant with candles everywhere. Sometimes it was on the beach, at sunset, or in Paris. But never had it been by a casually placed box left on the passenger seat of an old car.

“Open it,” he said.

She did and stared at the cushion-cut stone. Three carats, she would guess, with another carat or so of smaller stones on the shank. Flawless. Perfect. And without any meaning at all.

She took the ring out of the box, then stepped from the car.

“Put it on,” he told her.

She would. In a second. When the disappointment wasn’t quite so sharp and pressing.

It was a deal, she reminded herself. Just a business transaction. This wasn’t about her girlish dreams or falling in love or any of those things. The romance would come later…with someone else.

She slid the ring on. It fit perfectly.

“Thank you,” she said, forcing herself to meet his gaze. Not that she could tell what he was thinking. “It’s beautiful.”

“It suits you.” He studied her hand. “You can keep it. After.”

After the six months were over. “Traditionally the woman is supposed to return the ring unless the groom-to-be breaks the engagement or cheats. At least I think that’s how it goes.”

He grinned. “Already forgetting those fancy lessons on manners?”

“Some. As a kid I spent a few weeks every summer with my mother. The visits were more like classes than anything else. Plenty of instruction.” Lots of coldness. Her mother hadn’t been especially cruel or unkind, she just didn’t believe in displaying affection or coddling, as she called it. Hugs were unnecessary in her world.

“Skye spent a couple of years in a Swiss finishing school,” she continued. “She would know for sure. You could ask her.”

“No, thanks.” He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over the ring. “You can keep the car, too. Sell it.”

“Give it to my housekeeper?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“I don’t have one.” She pulled her hand free, mostly because the feel of his skin on hers was too distracting and she needed to be able to think. “Why did you put the notice in the paper?” she asked.

He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “I wanted to get things moving along. You’d cashed the check. Why wait?”

“You thought I might back out on our deal. I wouldn’t do that.”

“I didn’t think that.”

He had to. Why else would he be in such a hurry to tell the world they were engaged?

“What do you know about a guy named Garth Duncan?” he asked.

She frowned, trying to place the name. “Not much. I’ve never met him. He’s wealthy. Has a lot of businesses. Doesn’t do the party circuit very much. He lives somewhere around here. Why?”

“He’s the one who made the original loan. The callable one.”

“What? Why would he do that? Why would he invest in my spa in the first place and then try to bankrupt me? I’ve never met the man.” The way things had been handled felt so personal. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“I agree. I’ll do what I can to find out more. Garth Duncan is a private man. It’s going to take some digging and time. But I’ll find out what you want to know.”

“Thank you,” she said, confused by the information. Why would a stranger want to hurt her?

“All part of the deal,” he reminded her. “And I’m sorry about the announcement. I should have thought it through.”

There was something about the way he said that. She shook off her questions about Garth. “Because it’s making trouble for you, too?” She could only hope.

“My mother. She read it and now she wants to meet you.”

His mother? As in…his mother? “Um, no.”

“You don’t have a choice. We’re engaged. She lives in Houston. We’ll drive down and have lunch.”

“No we won’t. I’m not lying to your mother.”

“I’m lying to your father.”

“That’s different. Your mother is probably nice.”

“She’s a lot of things. You can discover each and every one of them when you meet her at lunch.”

Suddenly the diamond ring on her left hand felt very heavy. Lexi sighed. “I’ll have to check my schedule.”

“You do that. And you have less than four days left to move in.” His dark eyes gave nothing away. “Until Saturday night.”

“You’re very anxious to claim what’s yours.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “I know.”

She wanted to tell him she needed more time. That while she could easily move into his house, she wasn’t ready to be in his bed. They were practically strangers. They couldn’t sleep together. Except they’d been strangers that first night and it hadn’t mattered at all.

“I’ll be there,” she murmured. “A friend is helping me move.”

“What kind of friend?”

She rolled her eyes. “Her name is Dana and she’s a deputy, so don’t piss her off or she’ll arrest you.” She put her hands on her hips. “I said I wasn’t seeing anyone and I’m not. I wouldn’t lie about that.” Besides, why would he care? Or was it a guy-pride thing?

“I believe you.”

“Obviously not, if you’re asking all those questions.”

He touched her cheek. “You have a temper. I like that.”

“Then you’ll be a very happy man. I’m a pretty crabby person.”

That made him laugh. “I doubt that, querida.”

He leaned in and kissed her. Just once, for a heartbeat. Then he straightened and pressed a set of keys into her hand. “For your car.”

She watched him walk away.

Not sure what to make of any of it, she got back in the car and started the engine. It sounded good—as if someone had taken care of it. Probably Cruz’s housekeeper, she thought grimly. Although the woman had apparently been incredibly clean. There wasn’t a mark on it and no sign of—

Her gaze fell on the odometer. The car had only been a few months old when she’d lost it to Cruz. She’d driven to California and back with her girlfriends, then to college and home a few times. She didn’t remember the exact mileage, but it had to have been under ten thousand miles.

The odometer read 8962.

There was no way someone had been using this car, she thought, beyond confused. But it had been kept in good working condition. Had Cruz really kept her car all this time? It was the only answer that made sense, except it didn’t make sense at all. Why would he do that? He could have sold it and made thirty or forty thousand, easy. Maybe more. If he hadn’t wanted the car, why had he raced her in the first place? And why was he returning the car to her now?

CHAPTER FOUR

CRUZ SHOWED UP AT Lexi’s condo Saturday morning with coffee and half a dozen boxes. He told himself he was there to help, and possibly to make sure she was going to be moving in with him. Despite the announcement in the newspapers, he wouldn’t believe she was really his until he saw her in his bed.

The complex was small, with only a couple dozen units, all two or three stories, some with a small yard in back. Lexi’s was on the end. He parked in front, then carried the coffee and boxes to the front door.

She answered almost immediately, then stared at the flat boxes he held.

“Not that you don’t trust me,” she said, stepping back to let him in.

“You can never have too many boxes.”

He stepped into the open space and had a brief impression of pale colors and plenty of light. But most of his attention was on Lexi herself.

She wore jeans and a T-shirt. Her feet were bare, as was her face, but considering it was early on a Saturday morning, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Still, there was something compelling about her. She looked scrubbed clean and impossibly sexy.

She eyed the coffee. “Is that for me?”

“A skinny latte,” he said. “I didn’t know what you liked.”

“Close enough.” She took it from him and sipped, then sighed. “Oh, yeah. Now I’m functional. You’re up early.”

“So are you.”

“But I live here, so it was less effort. Come on in.”

She led the way into a large living room. There were a couple of paintings on the wall, a few pieces of art glass, magazines on the coffee table and a to-do list scrawled on a pad left on the floor.

Lexi was everywhere. In the subtle print on the sofa to the abandoned high-heels by a club chair. Two Thomas McKnight watercolors flanked the small fireplace.

“No ruffles?” he asked.

She laughed. “I’m not that girly. At least not in public. You should see the bedroom. Plenty of lace and satin there.”

The words seemed to hang in the air. He thought about her bedroom, or more specifically, her bed. What it looked like, what it would feel like. Who else had been there with her and had he been able to please her? Which made Cruz think of the night he and Lexi had been together. Everything had been perfect—better than perfect—until he’d found out she was a virgin. Why had she wanted him to be her first time?

The question had always bothered him, but it was nothing compared with the heat of need that flared up inside of him.

“Did you, ah, bring any packing tape for those boxes?” she asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

“It’s in the car.”

“Good. Good.” She looked at him, then away. “Did I thank you for the coffee?”

She must feel the tension, too. Sexual awareness sparked whenever they were in the same room. Lurking…taunting…promising. He only knew one way to make it go away.

He moved toward her. She took a step back. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed. He could see how quickly she was breathing. Then she was standing still and he was next to her. He reached for her.

She ducked and spun away. “Are you hungry? I’m starving. Have you had breakfast? There are a couple of great places in town. Come on. I’ll show you. We don’t even have to take the car. That’s one of the nice things about living in Titanville. It’s like a little village. Everything is so close together.”

She hurried past him.

He could have caught her and drawn her to him. He could have held her and kissed her and made her want to surrender. But he didn’t. There would be plenty of time for that when she moved in to his place. Plenty of time to take her slowly, patiently, easing her over the edge so that she had no choice but to fall. In six months he would let Lexi go, but until then he would own every part of her.

She paused to slip on shoes, grab her purse, then they were out in the cool morning and walking the two blocks to the main part of town.

“My great-great-grandfather was a known gambler and womanizer,” she said, speaking quickly and keeping at least a foot between them. “He was good at both, constantly winning at cards and bedding any lady he chose, including the mayor’s wife and the preacher’s sister. More than one school teacher left in disgrace, pregnant and unmarried. Shifty gamblers came in from all over to challenge him to a game or two of poker. When he won again and again, they accused him of cheating. Fights broke out. It was a disaster for everyone who wasn’t him. The townspeople couldn’t tell him to leave. He owned more land than anyone around, but his way of life was ruining theirs. So they had a meeting and asked him what it would take to get him to settle down. To give up the cards and limit his womanizing ways to trips out of town.”

Cruz looked at the sign on the side of the road. It read, Welcome to Titanville—the best little town in the whole damn country.

“He wanted the town?”

“He wanted it named after him. There were a few other things. That he still got to sleep with the school teachers, as long as he found them a good husband when he was done, and something with water rights. They struck a deal. Titanville was born and my great-great-grandfather settled down. The shifty drifters went away and the town prospered. A triumph of government over the Wild West.”

She pointed out the various businesses. “We used to stop for candy there, on the way home from school,” she said. “That restaurant has the best Chinese food. Skye got her first kiss under that awning, in the rain.”

He glanced around at the quiet, clean streets, the perfectly maintained storefronts. It was like something on Nick at Nite. Not real. The world of his youth was a tiny house at the end of a narrow street. Abandoned cars filled front yards and the sound of gunfire meant Julio was out on parole again.

“It’s a mixed blessing,” she said. “Having everyone know who you are. I could never know if people were being nice because that’s how they were or if it was about my father. A lot of times it was about my father.”

She waved as a sheriff’s car drove by. “That’s my friend, Dana. She’s a deputy in town. Like I said, I have access to the law.”

He grinned. “If you’re trying to threaten me, you’re going to have to do a better job than that.”

She led them into a diner. “I’m working with what I have. You should respect that.”

“I respect everything about you.”

“If only that were true.”

They stepped into a small restaurant that looked as if it had lost a fight with a calico delivery truck. Every surface was covered with the tiny floral print, including the tables, the walls and the cushions on the wooden chairs.

Cruz immediately felt trapped.

“We can’t eat here,” he said.

“You’ll get used to it,” Lexi told him.

“No one could get used to this.”

“They serve the best breakfasts in three counties. It’s a thing in Titanville. Most of the restaurants have a theme. This one is calico.”

It was the most feminine business he’d ever been in and he didn’t mean that in a good way. He expected some large woman to burst out from the back and attack him with a rolling pin.

A teenager showed them to a table, then handed them each a menu, the front of which read, Breakfast Served All Day. If You Want Something Else, Go Away.

“The food is great,” Lexi told him. “They have everything. The specials are to die for. You’re going to love it.”

Lexi knew it was probably petty and small of her, but she enjoyed watching Cruz squirm. She’d never seen him out of his element before. He was always supremely in control, no matter what. But not here. She thought about teasing him that there was so much calico, he was at risk of transforming into a pioneer woman, but didn’t think he would find that funny.

He kept darting glances around the room, then shuddering as he took in the calico curtains, the display of calico porcelain cats on a top shelf and calico jar cozies covering all the jams and jellies.

“Open the menu,” she said. “Trust me. It’ll be worth it.”

He muttered something she couldn’t hear and read the selections. Their waitress arrived, dropped off coffee, took their order and left.

Cruz leaned back in the booth. She liked looking at him and would never get tired of the view, but she knew she would have to be careful around him. He had way too much power over her. The question was, did he know it or not?

She glanced around the restaurant and immediately spotted someone she knew. “Come on. There’s someone you need to meet.”

“Here?” he asked as he stayed in his seat.

She stood and put her hands on her hips. “Get up now, Cruz. Don’t make me fight dirty.”

He grinned. “You gonna wrestle me into submission?”

“You wish. I was thinking of pretending to cry.”

That got him to his feet.

He followed her to a table in the back. Lexi waited until the man there looked up from his newspaper and smiled.

“Morning, Congressman. Good to see you.”

“Lexi. How are you, darlin’?”