Beautiful Criminal (3 page)

Gabe pushed up from the table and went to stand beside her in the kitchen. He looked out the window and eyed a large, chain-link fence covering most of the backyard. He counted six adult huskies in their own pens and a few puppies with their mother, separated from the others.

Thick bush in the foreground of the mountains bordered the property. From this vantage point, he saw no other cabins or landmarks. No smoke curling up in the sky to indicate other homesteads. Looked like they were alone in the middle of nowhere.

“Are you some kind of ranger out here?” The thought made him nervous. If she were an authority, he’d have to tread lightly. She may have saved him from a life-threatening situation, but it didn’t mean he could trust her.

Gabe held his breath waiting for her answer.

“No. I’m a woman who lives a simple life, that’s all.”

Relief flooded his veins. “I didn’t think people could build a cabin in the middle of the bush wherever they wanted.”

The woman looked up at him with a silly grin. “I didn’t. The land and cabin was grandfathered to me.”

He glanced down at her, noticing her staring at the side of his head. “What?”

“Your earrings. Are you a gypsy or something?”

He chuckled. “Define gypsy.” His skin tingled under her intense scrutiny.

“Gypsies don’t have a real home.”

Her words, so close to the truth, stunned him for a second. He’d lived everywhere and nowhere since his father died. “Then I guess I’m a gypsy.”

Damn, she was cute, and maybe a little naive. Drawn to the curve of her mouth, his inner beast wanted to taste those lips, but he brushed the sudden urge aside. Being here alone with her was dangerous. Not only because of his job, but because her allure unnerved him. Most of his life he’d been a player. Women flocked to him like he was on sale. But he was too old for that shit now. Too old to play games and risk anyone’s life. She said she lived a simple life. Gabe nearly laughed out loud knowing his was quite different.

She was the complete opposite from the women he usually entertained, and he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Living out here alone with her dogs obviously made her a tough woman. With no man taking care of the homestead, that meant she did all the hard work herself. He admired her for that. Plus, she’d saved his ass.

If she knew what kind of man he was, would she still have saved him?

Gabe walked away, pretending to look at the objects in the cabin, all the while his mind racing with options—getting back to his plane or radioing Colton. He’d noticed the ancient-looking radio atop a small table by the sofa, but he couldn’t use it with her around. But the million-dollar thought of the day was if the cargo survived the crash.

How could he request her help without making her suspicious? “Is there any way you can bring me back to my plane? I need to radio my boss.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I have a CB radio here for emergencies. You can use it if you need to. Besides, no going anywhere for you for at least a few more days.”

Shit. I need to find a way….
“I’d like to get my stuff at least.”

She turned around and smiled again which made him even more nervous. “Already taken care of. My friend Mary offered to swing by the plane on her next route. She’ll bring your stuff.”

Gabe’s heartbeat jumped into his throat. “
What?
No, she can’t.”

She paused, holding the kettle above a cup, her gaze sharp. He detected she didn’t like the tone of his voice. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Gabe shook his head, not wanting to alarm her. “Nothing. I…wouldn’t want her to get hurt for me, that’s all. It’s dangerous out there.”

Her face twisted into a silly smile before she laughed again. “Mary knows this bush better than I do. Believe me, she’ll be fine.
Unless
…there’s something you’re not telling me?”

Gabe forced himself to look passive. “Nah. Like I said, I wouldn’t want her to get hurt because of me. Any idea when she’s planning to come this way?”
Please don’t look in the back of that fucking plane.

His nurse gazed out the window, giving him the chance to stare at her profile. With her hair pulled back, he had an excellent view of her small ears, free of earrings. Her graceful neck sloped down to a smooth, olive-toned chest and a set of handful-sized breasts, the crests visible by the few buttons she’d left undone. He swallowed, not wanting to look at her, but unable to stop himself.

“While you were sleeping we got snowed in a little. I imagine Mary’s checking her traps today and will go to the plane within a couple days.” She looked back and caught him staring. The corner of her mouth tipped up. “So…you’re stuck with me until then.”

Any other day, any other time, he’d close the distance between them and bend her over that kitchen counter. God help him, but he was sexually frustrated, and crazy situations such as this made him horny as hell.

He sensed her loneliness. Hell, he was lonely too. Instead, he simply nodded, wondering what he could do to pass the time safely. Taking advantage of his rescuer, who shouldn’t get caught up in his life, was the last thing he should do. And he had a feeling messing with her wouldn’t stop at a bang and “see ya later, doll.”

“Well, if I’m going to be stuck here I might as well know the name of my nurse,” Gabe said, looking at her from his safe distance by the stove.

She poured fresh coffee into two cups and walked over to hand him one. “Mima.”

Gabe accepted the cup and gladly took a sip. It tasted like liquid gold. “Gabriel.”

Mima’s gaze raked over him before she took a sip from her cup. That simple look made his blood simmer. “Well, Gabriel, the radio is over there by the front window if you need it.”

He’d already seen the radio. Being trained to pay attention to detail meant Gabe had noticed the rifle leaning against the wall as well. If he had to, he’d use it and find a way out of here, but he didn’t think this woman would cause him any extra trouble. Besides, he liked the way his name rolled off her tongue.

But contacting Colton without Mima listening in on the conversation would be hard. He desperately needed to let the boss know everything was okay before a search party was called out. If that happened, it could mean the end of his days, and possibly hers. Any family member suspected of disappearing with precious goods faced extermination.

He breathed deeply and swept a hand through his messy hair. He’d got himself into a sticky situation, and he had to figure out the best course of action.

“Thanks, for helping me. I owe you my life, but what should we do in the meantime? I noticed you have no power out here. What do you do to pass the time?”

Her smile was teasing. “What do you think we do in the bush?”

Gabe looked around the cabin, at a complete loss for ideas.

“I hunt and fish when I can, take the dogs out on the trails, go snowmobiling, read books, garden in the spring and summer, go to town when I need to—”

He chuckled.

“And for your information, I do have power. I only use the generator when I need it.”

“Then let me rephrase that,” Gabe added. “What can
I
do to pass the time?”

* * * *

Mima sensed her patient didn’t want to be treated like an invalid. The guy had spent a night unconscious in a plane, in below-freezing temperatures, and was probably suffering from a concussion. Now he wanted excitement?

She sighed, deciding to give in to his demands and allow him some fun, though she had to force herself not to laugh when Gabriel put on her brother’s caribou snowsuit. He looked like a miserable cartoon character, and yet his silly appearance made him look so cute that she wanted to pinch his cheeks.

Her gaze flitted down to the lower half of the suit, covering that part of him she’d wanted to look at when she and Mary undressed him. But her sensibilities protested, and she left the boxers on. Good thing, for she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she did look and had to face him now. She already felt overheated.

The pilot must be well over six foot, and from what she saw above the boxers, he was built like a cement foundation. His broad shoulders nearly touched each side of the doorframe when he came out from her room, and his head reached just below the top of the door. Good God, the guy was a monster.

She swallowed.
His wrists are the size of my calves for Christ’s sake.

“Wanna help me feed the dogs before I show you around?”

Gabriel’s thick brown brows drew together, and she wanted to laugh at the silly expression on his face. Maybe he was thinking they’d pound back some shots or something. Well, they could, but that wouldn’t be appropriate.

He shrugged. “Sure. Not much else to do.”

Oh, yes, there is….

Mima squared her shoulders and turned her back to him. Lusting for her patient was wrong. Caring for him the past few days had brought her close to him in a way she didn’t expect. She’d run her fingers through his thick brown locks as he’d slept. Murmured soothing words when he’d suffered bad dreams. Dreams that made him toss and turn and grunt strange things. She’d pressed a cool washcloth to his forehead when his temperature had risen as well. How was it possible to care about someone she didn’t even know?

He had an air about him that made her nervous to be around him, to trust him, yet the way he looked at her, as though she confused him as well, made her want to know him.

He’d be gone once he was able to leave, then out of her life, which was all for the best. Pushing her thoughts of him aside, she opened the bottom pantry door, pulled out the food pail, and started scooping dry dog food into a bucket.

“All those dogs must be crazy expensive to feed,” Gabriel said from directly behind her.

Mima jumped and dropped the scoop. Dog food scattered across the floor at her feet. “You scared me.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. Here, let me help.”

He squatted down beside her. Mima watched him with a mixture of anxiety and sexual awareness, fixated on his big hands scooping up the mess. That’s when she noticed the small tattoo of the letter
M
located on the base of his right thumb. She frowned, wondering what it meant, but decided not to ask. He didn’t seem the type to lay his history on the table.

“You should be resting, but I know better than to argue with your type.”

His hands stilled and he glanced at her. Mima sucked in a sharp breath as his chestnut eyes penetrated hers. “What’s my type?”

“Full of balls and pride, which means you won’t rest when you’re told.”

The corner of his mouth tipped up before he smiled broadly.

Although he hadn’t given her reason to worry, Mima’s heart thumped wildly.
What is it about him?
She wanted to kiss him, but she wanted to keep her distance at the same time. He exuded danger and sexuality, and it confused her. She wouldn’t even know what to do with a guy like him.

“Want to tell me what to do already? You don’t even know me,” he murmured.

She looked down at his hands, then back up at his face. “I can’t help it. I don’t get much company around here. And I like you…a little.”

Those piercing eyes of his seemed to see right through her. Past the depths of her despair and the painful memories she’d held for so long. But she didn’t want him to think she was lonely and badly needing friendship, or even a lover. As far as Gabriel was concerned, she wanted to be a woman enjoying the simple life on her own.

“I see,” he replied, still staring at her with a boldness that made her uncomfortable.

Silence filled the air between them. Mima cleared her throat and looked away from his sharp gaze. She grabbed handfuls of dog food and tossed them back in the bucket in record speed, intent on not letting him get to her. As she was about to stand back up, he stopped her by putting his big hand on her bent knee.

“Why live out here alone?”

The question struck a vulnerable cord. She shrugged, trying to ignore the long-buried pain she’d tried so hard to forget. “This is my family’s home. My parents raised me and my brother here.”

“Where are they now?”

Mima cleared her throat and stood up abruptly, breaking their contact. She grabbed the bucket and headed to the back door. While she slipped into her mukluks, she added, “I don’t talk about my family. Come on, the dogs will start whining if I make them wait too long.”

She chanced looking over her shoulder and paused with her hand gripping the doorknob. Her quizzical patient held an odd expression, his eyes sharp.

“Secrets, Mima?”

The sting of tears drew too close to the surface. Crying in front of this man wouldn’t do her any good. He’d probably laugh at her and think she was weak. “Everybody has secrets, don’t they?”

The corner of his mouth tipped up, and her arm hairs prickled.

“Some more so than others.”

Benjamin Kain was tired. Tired of the same old bullshit day after day. Twenty years he’d spent serving the old man, only to end up becoming his bitch. As far as he was concerned, Colton McCoy favored Gabriel, and he hated the fucker. While Gabe got the best of his paycheck running the cargo, exterminating unsavory characters, and flying to every corner of this godforsaken earth, Ben picked up the pieces on the home front in Victoria. Most of his job entailed being Colton’s manservant.

Twenty fucking years.

“Pour us another drink, would you, Ben?”

He gritted his teeth and clutched the bottle, imagining how fucking lovely it would be to break it over the boss’s aging head. To see blood oozing from his temple would be an early birthday gift.

“Of course, sir,” he answered automatically.

Would the old man tremble and whimper, or would the notorious Cocaine King take it without uttering a sound like the feared man he was believed to be? As much as he wanted to know, Ben wasn’t an idiot. He knew well what being in Colton’s good graces meant—and how excruciatingly painful it would be on the other side of his temper. Besides, even if he did end his life, Terry was in the room and would put a bullet between his eyes.

Ben had plans, and he wasn’t going to fuck them up.