Heat: An Alpha Male Criminal Romance (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 1) (19 page)

He follows me to the bed and I lie down. “Any dizziness?” he asks.

“No, none since waking up about an hour ago.” I wince a bit as he pulls off the bandage.

“This will be tender for a few more days. I will leave the bandage off and give you a few waterproof transparent dressings so you are able to shower.” He carefully touches the skin surrounding the sutures. He’s gentle and it doesn’t hurt.

All I can think about is a shower. “Are you married?” I ask him. “I’m single and will make you a lovely bride once my hair is washed.”

He laughs again and talks while checking my eyes with a small light. “Yes, I am married, and my wife would not like to share our home. I graciously pass on your generous offer. I will check your shoulder now.”

“Okay, so I guess the honeymoon is over.”

“I like you, Miss Kinlock. You will be good for Captar.”

The name throws me for a moment until I realize he must mean Moon. “What does
captar
mean in English?”

“My pardon, señorita. Captar is catch.”

It comes back to me. Catch Xavier Moon. That’s Moon’s full name. I heard it in class but couldn’t remember. Chase the moon and catch the moon. His parents were romantics.

“What has you worried, Miss Kinlock?” The doctor is peering at me with concern.

“I’m not worried, just maybe a little sad. Moon told me of his brother, Chase.”

Dr. Santos’ smile disappears. “He was a special child. You must value what el jefe has shared with you. He is not an easy man to know and even less so to understand why he does the things he does.”

“El jefe?” I’ve heard the term but have no idea what it means.

“Forgive me twice. El jefe means ‘the boss or chief.’ He takes care of his people and from what I’ve seen, you are now one of his people. Value his loyalty; he is a man with many faces.” His hands move to my shoulder and he begins rotating the joint. Another slight wince escapes me.

“No change?”

“It only hurts when I move it or someone tries to twist it off,” I reply deadpan.

A twinkle replaces the solemn look in his dark eyes. “Then I would say don’t move it and don’t allow anyone to twist it off.”

“Your bedside manner is flawless, Dr. Santos.”

He grins and then looks away. When he turns back, his cheeks are tinged red. “I do not have these conversations, because my patients are children.” He clears his throat. “It is your decision if you wish to return to sexual activity.”

Oh my hell, this is priceless. “Did you tell Moon that I couldn’t?” I laugh.

Merriment enters Santos’ eyes and they actually sparkle. “I have never before examined a woman in Captar’s bed and I wanted to be sure he did not cause you further injury. Even good men tend to think with their sexual organs when a lovely woman is involved.”

Poor Moon. He tried very hard to abide by the doctor’s orders. I definitely received the best end of the deal. “Is Moon a good man, Dr. Santos?” There’s a wistfulness in my voice that I can’t help.

Dr. Santos stares at me for a long time before answering. “The best, Miss Kinlock. Captar is the best of men.” He places the penlight in his bag and removes a card. “I will leave you now.” He hands it to me. “Do not hesitate to call me if you have headaches or your shoulder does not improve.”

“Thank you, Dr. Santos.”

“You are most welcome, Miss Kinlock.”

I check my phone after Santos walks from the room. I have thirty minutes until my visitor arrives. I’m extremely curious about who Moon has invited. I cover my stitches with one of the clear bandages Dr. Santos left me. I can’t even express how good it feels to wash my hair. Moon’s shampoo and conditioner smell heavenly, and I now know that it isn’t cologne he wears that makes him smell so good. I allow the shower to spray over my body while I wash the rest of me. I’m also using Moon’s razor and shaving all the parts that have grown furry.

The cell phone is ringing when I walk out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my head. I’m holding the towel in place because the weight is pulling on my stitches. I answer the phone and Moon’s voice makes me smile. “Is Carlo gone?”

His question isn’t sexy in the slightest. So why am I suddenly breathless? “He’s gone and I just finished taking a shower and washing my hair.”

He makes a slight humming noise into the phone. “What are you wearing?” His voice has dropped, and we’re on the same page.

“A towel... around my hair.”

“Your hair?” He takes a deep breath. “What about the rest of you?”

“Too bad you’re not here to check me out yourself. I’m heading back into the bathroom to use your lotion on my skin. All my skin, very slowly so I don’t miss anywhere.”

His heavier breathing turns into a quiet moan. “You’re killing me.” He’s silent for a moment. “I wanted to talk to you before Danita arrives.” My sexual teasing stops and I go on instant alert at the woman’s name. Not that I recognize the name. “Do me a favor and give her a chance,” Moon requests.

No, this isn’t good. “Moon.” I’m trying to stay calm and not give the thoughts rushing through my head a chance to propagate.

“Gotta go, baby. I’ll see you this evening.”

He hangs up on me. No more sexual teasing or answering my biggest question: Who the hell is Danita?

Chapter Twenty

DANITA INVADES MOON’S ROOM
without knocking and startles me as I walk from the bathroom. Moon’s damn lotion smelled like him and I took my time putting it on. At least I’m dressed in shorts and a tee when I see her.

She’s much older than I am, though she hides it well. Her hair is short, black, and styled. Whoever her plastic surgeon is, he’s good. She doesn’t have that pulled skin look. Her makeup is tasteful and her jewelry expensive. She’s dressed in a designer getup that you would see in exclusive stores where I never shop. Give me Old Navy or Gap any day.

Her saccharin smile, which is more a pursing of lips, is as phony as her tone. “I’m Danita, Moon’s aunt. His father was my half-brother.” She hasn’t looked into my eyes. She’s too busy analyzing my body. “The ladies are in quite the uproar over you. We’re having a pool party downstairs, honey, and you’re the guest of ho…nor.” Her gaze meets mine and her phony concern drips venom. “My word, you poor dear. What happened? If Moon hasn’t killed your pimp, I will.” Her outrage is completely fake. She’s Moon’s surrogate mother whether he knows it or not. She’s found me lacking like all the other moms. She’s also just told me the type of women Moon shares his bedroom with.

I want to tell her to cut the shit but decide to keep my temper in check. “Car accident,” I reply. I couldn’t care less if she believes me.

Danita’s not only beautiful, she’s elegant and has that natural condescending attitude that I’ve run into a million times. She places her purse on the end of the bed and approaches me. She touches one of the bruises below my eye and I do my best not to flinch. I refuse to let her know she’s getting to me.
Play nice
, I silently tell myself. Using her fingers, she tilts my chin back so she can peer at my stitches in the light. Moon said to give her a chance. I’m sure belting his aunt across the face is not what he meant.

She drops her hand and also the pretense of playing nice. Her eyes narrow while she continues speaking. “Moon could have mentioned your condition. He said he had a special guest and you were staying in his room. He made that quite clear.” What she makes clear is that she doesn’t approve of me being in Moon’s room.

I step back because I can’t handle her in my personal space. She doesn’t budge, and her eyes hold satisfaction because she thinks I’m shrinking away from her nastiness. That’s not the case. I’m trained to keep a good amount of space between me and the bad guys, or ladies as the case is at this moment.

“How long have you known my nephew?” Her voice is firm and she expects an answer. Like Moon, I’m guessing she’s accustomed to being in charge.

I’ve never been one to beat around the bush, and allowing her to touch me went way past my comfort zone. “Look…” I slowly appraise her body just as she did mine. When I meet her eyes, I continue my statement. “Moon asked me to give you a chance. You’ve checked me out from my toes up, touched and examined my face, and now you’re butting into my personal business. I don’t give a flying fuck if Moon is your nephew; I don’t answer to you.”

Her laughter is nothing like Moon’s. It’s tightly controlled, and while she laughs, the calculation doesn’t leave her eyes. They flash with venom when she speaks and her claws come out. “No. You’re the one who needs to…
look
. I chew women like you up and spit them out. That’s why I run Moon’s escort service.” She picks up her purse and removes a card. “When Moon’s finished with you, call me once your face is healed.” She doesn’t bother handing me the card, just places it on the bed. “If you can manage to use your vulgar mouth for something besides cattiness, you’ll make a lot of money. Some of the girls are downstairs and they plan on enjoying the pool for a few hours. Take my advice and stay up here. You can’t handle me, sugar, and you don’t stand a chance with a group of women vying for Moon’s bed.”

She turns on her expensive heels and leaves the room.

My fists are clenched at my sides. One of her jibes hit dead center. She doesn’t see me lasting in Moon’s bed before my face is healed. She’s right. I’m also surprised to learn that she runs Moon’s escort service. Having met her, she’s perfect for the job, but still. The woman’s a shark, and I refuse to be a minnow in her pond. Her last statement about hiding up here was a challenge. I know exactly what to do with challenges.

I head into the closet and pull out the red bikini that I spotted the first day. It has a complex system of straps and covers practically nothing. No way did Gabriella choose this. I try it on, and like everything else, it fits perfectly. Too much skin, but that’s how it’s designed. I pull a flower print sundress over the swimsuit and slip my feet into red four-inch heels that come very close to matching the bikini. The heels are not my usual footwear and I sincerely hope I don’t break an ankle. There is nothing I can do about my face, and I refuse to hide it. I pull my semi-wet hair into a French braid and nab a pair of Moon’s sunglasses from a shelf in his closet. I didn’t find any large gold chains to go with Moon’s thug image. Too bad because I’d have worn one.

He has two books on his nightstand. One is a business book that I’ll admit sounds thoroughly boring. The other is
Lincoln and His Admirals
by Craig Symonds. I’ve read several Lincoln biographies and other books about the Civil War but not this one. I pick up the hardcover and hate the fact that my Nook reader is back in my apartment. I’d love nothing more than a good murder thriller right now.

I hold the banister as I head downstairs and adjust to the heels. The book and sunglasses are in one hand. I stop at the bottom of the staircase to get my bearings. Moon took me past the pool by turning right after we walked outside via the kitchen exit. I open a pair of double doors beneath the stairs and discover a huge ballroom complete with a built-in bar at one end and a dance floor. Two additional sets of double doors open into this room. Sheer drapes show the pool area outside.

My heels make a
click, click
noise as I cross the expansive floor. I head to a door at the side corner and open it. It’s a changing room with two shower stalls. On the opposite wall there are oak-wood cubbies filled with purses. To the right of the cubbies, expensive-looking dresses are hung up; I assume these belong to Danita’s swarm of lady sharks. I open the door that leads outside and see six women sitting under a large umbrella speaking to Danita.

All talk dies when I head in their direction. When I’m at the table, I lay Danita’s card on it. “No offense that I’m passing on your offer. I have a wonderful job as a private investigator.” I place the sunglasses over my eyes before making my introduction. “Hi, everyone. Please make yourselves at home. My friends call me Mak.”

I receive a few mumbled hellos before I walk past them to a reclining chair grouping that’s also under an umbrella. It’s over one hundred degrees and within a short time, I’ll need to take a swim to cool down. I sit, open the book, and begin reading.

“Señorita, may I serve you a drink?”

Gabriella’s voice startles me because one: I didn’t know she was there and two: her English is much more refined than before. She also gives me a soft smile and I know she overheard me talking to the women. She approves. “Gracias, I would love a glass of ice water, Gabriella. Bring one for yourself if you’d like to join me.” We both know this is a game. The question is… will she play?