Arrested Pleasure (15 page)

Sienna hiccupped. "Yes . . . it . . . can," she finally croaked.

Cassie sensed Gabe behind her, and she turned and glanced up at him.
Sorry,
she mouthed. She knew Sienna wasn't her responsibility, but she'd come to love the sweet, little, dark-haired girl.

Turning back to Sienna, Cassie wiped the tears away with her hand. "Tell me what's wrong. Surely it can be fixed—"

"No!" Sienna's voice rose in frustration. "Mommy says we hafta move." More tears escaped from her eyes and began to trickle downward. "I don't wanna move. I wanna stay here with you, Cassie."

Sienna's lips quivered as she stared at Cassie, as if willing her to do something.

As she pulled her back into her arms, Cassie mulled over the news. Livi planned to leave Rosa's? Did she have a job in another town? She knew she was homeless, but the last Cassie heard—two days ago in fact—she still didn't have enough money to move out on her own.

"Did she say why? I mean, did your mommy get a better job?" She was aware she shouldn't grill a seven year old, but with Livi's track record, Cassie sensed something else was going on, and that didn't mean good things. Livi had once confessed to Cassie she'd spent years on the street as a hooker, though she claimed this was in her past. But if she was desperate, would she return to a trade she once found lucrative?

Sienna shook her head against Cassie's shoulder, her words mumbled. "She's got a new friend. Mommy says he's gonna take care of us. I don't wanna go."

Cassie glanced at Gabe again, and she saw the dawning realization mirrored in his eyes. Gabe didn't know Livi, but it was obvious he thought the same as she—the new friend wasn't somebody Sienna should be around. It wasn't up to her to judge Livi, and Cassie had no control over where Sienna went. However, she cared for the little girl who'd stolen her heart. She cradled the child in her arms and began to rock her. The tears had stopped, but her body still quaked with suppressed crying.

"Honey, the friend might be . . . nice." Cassie stumbled over the words. She needed to talk to Livi and find out what was going on—if only to reassure herself Sienna would be okay.

Sienna didn't reply and continued to sniffle. Cassie continued to rock back and forth comforting her.

Gabe moved with quietness about the room picking up the remaining dishes off the table. His quiet closeness soothed Cassie's jumbled nerves.

"Did you want a glass of milk for her?" he asked.

Cassie glanced up and smiled. "Yes, please, and get the box of cookies in the cupboard." She gently smoothed Sienna's face to remove traces of tears. "Want some cookies and milk, sweetie?"

Dark eyes lit up and an eager nod was her only response. Cassie rose and released the little girl, while continuing to watch with troubled eyes as Gabe handed Sienna a cookie and glass of milk.

Gabe offered Cassie some, but she shook her head. He snagged a cookie for himself, and they both stood in silence as Sienna sat at the table munching her goodies.

A knock at the door below interrupted the silence. Cassie suspected it was either Livi or Rosa looking for Sienna, so she quickly headed down the stairs to answer it.

Gabe slowly trailed behind her and stood at the top of the stairway.

"Oh, thank God you are here, Cassie! Sienna is missing, and I wondered—" Livi's frantic voice matched the concern on her face. Though she appeared too young to be a mother, she right now seemed like any mother worried about her child.

"Livi, she's with me—and she's upstairs."

The dark-haired woman briefly closed her eyes before she opened them to stare at Cassie. "Oh, thank you for taking care of her. We talked this morning, and then I went to get clothes out of the dryer. When I returned Sienna had disappeared." She glanced toward the stairs leading to the apartment and her dark eyes widened.

Cassie turned her head to follow Livi's look. Gabe stood midway down, silent.

His eyes were on Livi also. It was as if they knew each other. But yet they appeared to be polar opposites of each other.

Sienna emerged from inside her apartment to stand at the top of the stairs.

"Mommy!" she cried.

"Baby! I've been worried sick about you." Livi rushed past Cassie and started up the stairs past Gabe. As she grabbed her daughter, she sent a wary glance over her shoulder at Gabe.

He returned Livi's look, his expression unsmiling.

So, did they know each other? A trickle of concern rushed up Cassie's spine.

Surely he wasn't one of Livi's former clients? A john?

"I'm sorry Mommy, but I don't wanna leave." Sienna's eyes began to fill with tears again, and Cassie's heart went out to her.

"Honey, we can always visit her. Scott will be good for both of us." As Cassie ascended the stairs, Livi turned back to her. "Scott manages a subway sandwich shop in Lake Oswego and offered me a place to stay, as well as a full time job. I couldn't turn the offer down."

Cassie nodded in approval as her fears of Livi returning to prostitution waned.

"Sounds like a good move. But what about your schooling?"

Livi smiled. "Scott says the bus route is near his place, and he offered to take care of Sienna for me at night. He believes in education and is very encouraging of my goal to get a degree." Her eyes shone with the respect she had for Scott.

"I'm glad." Cassie glanced down at Sienna, now clutching her mother's leg.

"Sienna, you can come back anytime you want to visit me, and I'll give you a manicure."

The little girl gazed at both her mother and Cassie for a few seconds. "I can?"

Livi smiled down at Sienna and stroked her daughter's hair. "Of course, sweetie."

"Whenever you want, and I'll pick you up," Cassie told her.

Sienna's eyes lit up at the reassuring news from her mother. "Okay. When are we leaving, mommy?"

All three adults laughed in unison, and Livi lifted Sienna into her arms. Sienna's previous fears were now soothed and all was well.

"Well, we better go. Thank you for taking care of her, Cassie. Sorry she interrupted your breakfast with Detective Banks."

"Hey, no problem," Gabe said, responding for the both of them. "If this makes Sienna happy, it's a great move. She's a pretty thing. I bet the boys will be running after her when she gets older." Gabe touched the little girl's shoulder, and she squealed in embarrassment.

Livi turned and headed back down the stairs, with Sienna happily waving goodbye at them.

Cassie returned the wave, but Livi's words to Gabe had left her in bewildered silence. Detective Banks? He was a police detective?

Stunned and only half-aware of the door shutting, she started when Gabe came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. His warmth and masculine smell enveloped her senses.

"Well, shall we finish where we left off?" He nuzzled her neck before turning her around to face him. "Sweet little girl, but she interrupted us just as things were getting good." He bent down to kiss her.

No
. She needed to reassess the situation, and his being so close jumbled her brain. Cassie broke away from his embrace and moved past him into her apartment.

Aware he gazed at her curiously, she ignored him and began to wash the dishes from breakfast.

"What's wrong?"

She paused and then glanced up. "Why didn't you tell me you worked for the police department?"

Gabe froze as realization hit him. Livi's words to him. "The question never came up."

"You could've mentioned this little fact the day we were in Markham's. You know more about me—my job, where I live—than I do about you."

He assessed her for a few seconds. She watched as he picked up his coffee cup and took a slow sip, his expression unchanged. "Is there a problem with me being a police detective?" he finally asked.

Cassie closed her eyes. What did she know about the man with whom she'd just spent the past twelve hours having the most fantastic sex she'd ever had? There'd been no time to talk last night, and this morning's sexual hijinks had lulled her into a sense of tranquility.

"No. Just . . . I wonder if you're hiding something from me. Somewhere—like last night—you could've mentioned it. You have a dangerous job, and I'm not sure—"

"How do you know what I do? I rarely have to use my gun. I'm not on the streets taking down gun-toting drug addicts."

She frowned. "What do you do on the police force?"

He hesitated for a few seconds. "I work on the vice squad dealing with sex crimes."

"Sex crimes—" Then realization dawned. "That's how you know Livi! She used to—"

"Yeah, and my job is to make sure she doesn't do it again." He rubbed his jaw. "I hope her new guy is the real thing, and he's supportive of her and Sienna."

Cassie's eyes filled with tears. She hoped the same. "I'm glad for her. Sienna is adorable, and I hated to think Livi was selling her body again. I had fears . . ." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Gabe, if I thought the worst. We haven't talked much about each other. Please, let's start again."

She put down the plate she held and wrapped her arms around his waist. She sensed a bond had formed between them. Neither wanted Livi thrust back into her former life and Sienna's future threatened. "Livi arrived at Rosa's shelter eighteen months ago after she got out of jail for soliciting in Vancouver. Poor Sienna came out of foster care emotionally haunted by almost losing her mother for good. I don't want to see that happen again."

"Me either," Gabe replied. He smiled down at her and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "How about we finish what we started a bit ago, then?"

A thrill of desire ran through Cassie. She'd love another bout of lovemaking, but she grimaced as she spotted the clock. "I wish, but Lola will be here any minute, and if I'm not downstairs on time, she may come looking for me." She sighed, regret coursing through her.

"Ah, okay. I wouldn't want her to find us in a compromising position." He waggled his eyebrows.

She laughed. "Hold that thought. How about tonight?" She stepped away from him reluctantly, and he reached down to pick up his wallet from the table.

"Sure. I have to work 'til seven, and unless an important case pops up, I can be here shortly afterwards. Want me to pick up some Chinese or whatever?" He gave her a disarming smile, and she almost wished she could close down Casa de Massage for the day.

"Sure. Chinese food sounds good. Maybe we'll get a good fortune from the cookies."

"Ah, yes, I can think of things to do with fortune cookies."

"I bet you can."

He kissed her lightly on her lips. "But I want to find out what you can do with scarves."

A thrill of sensual awareness slammed through her veins. Anticipation for tonight began to build, and she knew she couldn't wait.

A noise from below grabbed their attention. The door downstairs jingled, signaling someone had arrived. She pushed him away. "Hold the thought." Cassie gave him a sly look. "I'll be waiting for you tonight with my scarves and much more."

The expression on Gabe's face spoke of promises for a very long night ahead.

"Cassie, your mother's here."

She glanced at the time. Almost four o'clock. Lola's voice interrupted Cassie's wicked thoughts about all the sexy things she planned for Gabe tonight. She couldn't wait for the doors to lock so she could head upstairs to prepare her apartment. In the meantime, she had to deal with her mother.

She walked out of the room she'd been cleaning and met her petite, dark-haired mother, Nola, in the hallway. When the two stood next to each other, it became obvious where Cassie's ethnic roots came from. Her mother was born and raised in Manila, the only child of upper class parents. Nola had met Patrick Nichols when he'd been stationed in the Philippines at the military hospital, and they'd fallen in love, eventually settling in Portland. The love between her parents still shone brightly even after almost forty years together.

"Hi, sweetheart. I thought I'd stop by and catch up on things with you." Her mother rose on her toes to drop a quick kiss on Cassie's cheek before stepping back to study her. "You look different. Something going on in your life I should know about?"

Cassie blinked at her mother's astuteness. Was it that obvious she'd spent the night having hot, sweaty sex with a gorgeous hunk? Lola had figured things out when she caught Gabe sneaking out the back door right after she arrived. Cassie had given Lola a "none of your business" look and ignored her all too knowing glances the rest of the day. Of course, that didn't mean Lola hadn't called in reinforcements—her mother.

She decided to ignore the question. "Hello, Mom. What are you doing in Portland?" Her mother and father usually kept close to their ocean view home on the coast, with occasional trips to town to shop or visit with either Cassie or Tim's family. In most instances, they called ahead. Cassie hadn't been expecting Nola today.

"You mean I can't surprise my favorite daughter?" Nola gave her an indulgent smile.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Mother, I'm your
only
daughter."

She led her mother back into the reception area where Lola was fielding a phone call. After offering her mother coffee and receiving a shake of the head, they settled down at Cassie's desk to visit.

"I'm in town to get a gift for Junie's wedding." Cassie absorbed that news, aware what was coming next. "You are coming, aren't you,
mi chica
?"

Cassie inwardly groaned. She hadn't planned on going, since her financial problems took a major chunk of her time, but she should've known better. Her dad would send his most shrewd ammunition to force her to come.

"I . . . don't know yet."

"Please, Cassie, we want you to attend. You've been too long out of the family loop. Besides, it's in Portland, so shouldn't be a major inconvenience for you." Nola's dark eyes pleaded, and Cassie sensed her resistance wavering.

Her mother had a valid point. Granted, she wasn't close to Junie and her family, but her excuse of being busy on a Saturday afternoon couldn't cut it since Casa de Massage was closed on weekends. The only thing that came to mind was the possibility of spending the weekend with Gabe. Cassie had visions of their spending any available time together.