Hands On (15 page)

“Go back to sleep. We'll have to get up in a couple of hours.”

“Maybe.”

He smiled. “Maybe?”

She yawned and nodded. “Maybe we'll stay in bed all day. I dare anyone to tell us we can't.”

“Ah, Cass.” He slid down so that she could rest her head on his chest. “What am I going to do with you?”

She lifted her head and looked at him. It was too dark to see her face, but she sounded too serious when she said, “Is that why you're awake? You're worrying about what to do with me?”

He didn't get what she meant at first, and then he sighed. “Don't start looking for hidden meanings or reading things into what I say.” She stiffened against him, subtly retreating. He brought her close again and hugged her. “I am not worried about what to do with you.”

“Good. You don't have to be.”

He frowned. What did that mean? He almost
laughed out loud at himself. Talk about paranoid. “Let's both try to get some sleep, okay?”

She swirled her finger through his chest hair. “If you aren't tired yet…”

“Jesus, Cassie, you trying to put me in intensive care?”

She sighed and patted his chest. “I forgot. You are pushing thirty.”

“Excuse me?”

She erupted into laughter.

He slid his hand between her thighs, immediately finding her heat, and the laughter died.

T
HE NEXT MORNING
,
while Dalton was in a male-bonding session, Cassie confirmed her appointment to see Bask after dinner. She didn't tell Dalton. She knew he'd give her a hard time. But seeing if she could get Bask to come on to her had been the original game plan, and since it was a good one, she was sticking to it.

Dalton thought their best avenue was through Simone. Cassie didn't discount either source. She thought they needed to exhaust all possibilities. And normally, she knew Dalton would agree.

She sighed as she folded her dirty clothes and stuffed them into a plastic laundry bag. Very mixed emotions plagued her over Dalton's sudden notion that she not try and lure Bask into temptation, so to speak. It was kind of nice that he felt so protective of her, even though he'd deny that was the reason, but that macho knucklehead attitude annoyed her, too. If he believed she was capable of handling her job, then he shouldn't be worried. Simple.

Sighing again, she sank to the edge of the bed, laid back and stared at the ceiling. Simple, hell. She'd blown it. She wasn't supposed to have fallen for him. Last night was supposed to have been a job perk. Not
a night that replayed in her head so many times it made her dizzy.

So many more qualities than she'd ever imagined made up Dalton Styles. He was smart, funny, considerate, tender and when he was turned on…

She shivered, thinking about how skilled he was at touching a woman's body, finding just the right spot to drive her insane. How tempted she'd been to ask how many women he'd been with, but of course she hadn't dared. Not only did the timing stink, but she didn't want to fuel his worries.

Something was bothering him. She really didn't think it was regret. In fact, she was the one who had to kick him out of bed and order him into the shower. She smiled thinking of how he'd tried to drag her in with him. Which would never have worked. They'd already practically missed breakfast.

The amazing thing was, she felt so comfortable around him, as if she'd known him for a long time. Some people talked about old souls, and having crossed paths in other lives. She'd never believed any of that stuff. But the familiarity and comfort level they shared had her a little creeped out. In a good kind of way, but still…

Someone knocked at the door and she sprung to a sitting position. Tasha, probably, to tidy the room, but Cassie had already made the bed.

She opened the door, ready to tell Tasha to skip their room, but it was Simone. “Hi.”

“Can I come in?” Simone sniffed, and then dabbed her nose with a tissue. Her eyes were red and puffy.

“Of course.” Cassie stepped aside. “Take the chair. Can I get you some water?”

“No, thanks.” She sat down. “I changed my mind. I would like some water. And would you happen to have an aspirin?”

“I'm sure I do.” Cassie got her a glass of water first and then went into the bathroom to root through her cosmetic bag.

Simone had missed breakfast altogether and it was obvious why. She looked terrible. Either lack of sleep or a hangover had her looking older and more pathetic. Cassie couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the older woman, but what an opportunity. As long as Bask didn't know where Simone was, Cassie had a great shot at getting some information.

“Here you go.” She held out the bottle of tablets.

Simone shook out three into her palm and downed them with half a glass of water. “Thanks.” She sniffed and then gave Cassie a shaky smile. “You're probably wondering what the hell I'm doing here.”

“Uh…” Cassie shrugged and sat on the bed. “Yeah, actually I am.”

Simone nibbled on her lower lip, looking hesitant suddenly as she studied the hem of her white cotton shirt. “I shouldn't have come.”

“Something I said?” Lame remark, but Cassie hoped it would help relax her.

Simone glanced up, a frightened expression tugging at her brows. “Actually, yes.”

“Huh?”

“Yesterday. During our open therapy session. I
liked what you said about marriage and partnership and all that.”

“Oh. I meant it.”

“I know. I could tell.” Simone looked down again. “I admire that you know your mind. At your age, hell at my age, I've let myself be so easily swayed.”

“We all do that sometimes,” Cassie said gently, her heart strings beginning to knot.

“Yes, but you're so strong. You tell Dalton what you want, what it takes for you to be happy. You don't accept crumbs just because he's your husband and that's the way things are. I think that's wonderful, Cassie. I think you're wonderful.”

God, she felt horrible. What a fraud! “Well, Dalton and I haven't been married long. It's easier to set the ground rules right off the bat. You and Grant, how long have you been married?”

Simone abruptly looked away and stood. “I need to go.”

Cassie stood, too. “I'm sorry. What did I say?”

“Nothing.” Simone shook her head. “Nothing at all—I just need to go.”

“Oh. I thought you wanted to talk. You know, just kind of girl to girl.”

“I do. I did.” Simone let out a sob and sank back down into the chair. “Grant isn't my husband,” she whispered.

Cassie tried to look surprised. “But—but—”

“I'm married to someone else.”

That really did surprise Cassie. “Okay. Um, where is he?”

“I can't tell you that.” Simone sighed and slouched
in the chair. “It's very complicated. Our marriage has become more of a business arrangement.”

When the discovery registered, Cassie did all she could to stay contained. She took several deep calming breaths, even pinched herself on the leg to keep from saying or doing something incredibly stupid.

Simone was Bask's wife and they'd missed the whole damn thing. It made perfect sense. The two of them working together on the con. Who would he trust more than his own wife?

Cassie's adrenaline climbed as another realization struck her. If Bask and Simone were married, that made him a bigamist. He was legally married to Cassie's client, Marianne, and who knew how many other women.

True, bigamy didn't have the same legal ramifications as fraud, but the charge would at least keep him behind bars until they could persuade other women to come forward. Dalton said there was a client list and…

“I don't know why I'm telling you all this.” Simone stared at her with misgiving. “I really don't. I guess I've bottled up so much for so long.”

Cassie forced her attention back to the sniffling woman. She really did look awful, and Cassie suddenly hated the case. The idea that she was about to add more pain to the woman's life made her nauseous. But then she remembered that Simone was as guilty as Bask in swindling dozens of needy, vulnerable widows and divorcées.

“I'm happy to talk to you,” Cassie said. “I know sometimes I just need to talk out loud to give myself
some perspective. But don't you think your husband should be here for this marriage encounter—”

Simone half laughed, half sobbed.

Watching her closely, Cassie added, “Maybe you should talk to Mr. Blankenship about this.”

Simone looked at her as if she were crazy. Pushing a hand through her tangled hair, she stood. “I have to go.”

“To talk to Mr. Blankenship, I hope?”

The devastation on the other woman's face made Cassie regret fueling the fire. But then the old hardness was back and Simone's lips lifted in a cold smile. “Yeah, I'll think about it. I'm sure the great Mr. Blankenship will fix everything.”

She headed for the door, and then stopped with her hand on the knob. “I wasn't here, okay?”

Cassie shrugged. “Sure.”

“I mean it,” Simone said, looking lost and frightened again. “No one can know I was here. Or about what I've told you. It's important.”

“Got it.”

Simone hesitated, regret evident in her expression, in the slump of her shoulders. “Thanks, Cassie,” she murmured, and then left.

Damn. Amazing how two words could make Cassie feel like the lowest life form on earth. This part of the job was new to her and she knew she'd have to get through it without getting sappy. No matter how sorry she felt for Simone, the woman was still a criminal.

Cassie checked her watch, anxious for Dalton to return. According to today's schedule, the session would last another twenty minutes.

Her heart still raced and she went to her suitcase and dug around until she found the small notebook she'd brought. She needed to be able to remember everything Simone said. Jotting down a few notes wouldn't hurt. Not when her entire nervous system had gone haywire.

She checked her watch again. She couldn't wait to talk to Dalton.

 

S
HE COULDN'T BELIEVE
she'd dozed off, but she must have. The door closed softly and she slowly opened her eyes. Dalton smiled as he came toward her.

“Don't get up.” He sat at the edge of the bed and laid a hand on her shoulder when she tried to lift herself up. “I'm thinking about crawling in and taking a nap myself.”

She stifled a yawn and glanced at the digital clock. “Won't they expect us to come down for lunch?”

He lowered his head to nuzzle her neck. “If you're hungry, I'll take care of you.”

She laughed. “I'm sure you would. Mmm…” She liked it when he licked that particular spot, right behind her ear, and then lightly bit her lobe. “How was your session?”

“A bunch of bullshit.”

“Well, that describes it well.” She moved over so he could lie down beside her. “Did you guys talk?”

“Hell, no.”

“Silly me. A bunch of guys in a room with no football on the tube…. God forbid you should have anything to say to one another.”

“Very sexist remark, honey. But that reminds me
that I did hear a new joke this morning. What did the blonde do when—”

She clamped a hand over his mouth. “Don't you dare say it.”

“Why?” His voice came out garbled but he didn't remove her hand. Instead he licked her palm.

She pulled it back. “Dammit, that tickles.”

He grinned and laid his hand familiarly on her left breast, kneading gently, and making her thoughts scramble like crazy. “It's a good joke. You'll laugh. I promise.”

“Unlike you, I had a very productive morning.” She shifted to make him stop. She knew damn well where the touching would lead and she wanted to tell him about Simone first.

He gave her an odd look, a kind of wounded look that tugged at her heart. She kissed him, lightly, enough to reassure but not excite. “Business before pleasure. Remember?”

“Sure.” Briefly, he kissed her back. “I thought by productive you meant you slept most of the morning.”

She gave him a smug smile. Wait till he heard… “I had a chat with Simone.”

“Yeah? Without Bask butting in?”

“Yep, she came to our room.”

That got his interest. He shifted to his side to look at her, his brows drawn together.

“Simone is Bask's wife.”

He drew his head back, shock blanketing his face. “She told you that?”

“No, but she told me enough that there isn't any doubt.” She went on to repeat her conversation with
Simone, disappointed that he didn't seem more excited.

He didn't say anything for a long time after she'd finished, just stared toward the window.

“Well, what do you think?” she finally asked.

Exhaling a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair in several quick successions. “I should've seen that one.”

“Not necessarily. Are all con artists who work together married?”

One side of his mouth lifted in a wry smile. “Well, at the very least, that makes our boy a bigamist. He is legally married to your client, correct?”

Cassie nodded. “Which means we can have him picked up and booked.”

Dalton seemed doubtful, judging by the face he made. “We could if we thought he might bolt.”

“If Simone looks as if she's losing it, he could get nervous and do just that.”

“On the other hand, even if Simone does fall apart, he could simply remove her. There's no reason for him to be nervous or suspicious.”

“True.”

“Unless you think Simone might confess what she's told you.”

“No, I really don't think she will.” Cassie thought a minute. “Before she left she was adamant that I not tell anyone she'd even come to the room. Anyway, she didn't tell me anything specific. If we didn't know what we did about Bask, there's no way we would suspect he was her husband.”

“You're right.”

“Of course I am.” She snuggled closer. “Get used to it.”

He slowly turned her way and gave her an enigmatic look that had her thoughts forking off. Did he think she was implying there was a future for them? Or was he thinking she was just being smug? She hoped the latter was to his thinking. She could deal with being smug.

She sighed. She'd forgotten how complicated this relationship stuff could be. Not that she thought they were forging a relationship, she reminded herself, and sighed again.

He nudged her shoulders and when she lifted them, he slid his arm beneath her and pulled her close. “What's all that sighing for?”

“Just trying to figure out what we should do,” she lied.

“Yeah, I know.” He kissed her temple. “Well, I don't think we should make a move yet.”

“Why?” She swallowed. Was he thinking the same thing she was? That the case would be over, and so would their association.

“As long as they aren't suspicious, I say we gather as much dirt as we can. Put that bastard away until he's too old to sweet-talk any more women out of their savings.”

“I like it.” Not because that gave her more time with Dalton. She really believed he was right. She did. “So we…wait?” She'd almost blown it. Or maybe he wouldn't be so against her meeting alone with Bask now. She decided not to test the water.