Twist of Fate (24 page)

“No, Gideon.”

The words shocked him with their clarity and certainty. She didn't try to pull away. She simply refused him access to her clothing.

“Hannah, you want this as much as I do.”

“I told you earlier I won't go to bed with you.”

“Why?” he asked softly, drawing his hand gently down over her breast. He could tell she wasn't wearing a bra. “Why fight something this good, honey? We're lovers. There's no need to send me away tonight.”

She looked up at him, her arms still circling his neck, and it seemed to Gideon that her hazel green eyes were deeper and more unfathomable than he had ever seen them. Her lips curved very slightly.

“I'm not going to get involved in an intellectual debate on the subject. The answer is no.”

“Are you afraid of me, Hannah?”

“Maybe.”

He stroked her cheek lightly. “You know there's no need. I'd never hurt you.”

“I'm afraid that I'm still not in your league, Gideon. I'm getting tougher and I'm getting stronger, but I'm not quite ready for you yet. I took a risk down in the Caribbean and I lost. I won't take any more risks for a while.”

He stared at her fiercely. “What kind of risk did you take?”

“I thought you were changing, softening. I thought you were beginning to need me and that we could find some common ground together. But you're never going to change, Gideon. You're always going to be as hard as nails. Until I'm also as hard as nails I can't afford to get involved with you. Good night, Gideon.”

“Damn it, Hannah, you're not making any sense tonight. You talk as if you have to transform yourself into some sort of super woman before you'll risk going back to bed with me.”

“Before I risk going to bed with you or any other man. I'm going to learn to set the rules. The games will be played my way, and I will be the one who always wins or at least I'll break even. Come back and see me in a year or two, Gideon. No telling where I'll be by then.”

“You can't send me away that easily, lady.”

“Why not? Because you saved my life that day in the cove? You can't hold that over my head as a means of getting me into bed. Besides, I've already thanked you for that.”

“Well, what about what I'm doing for your brother? You haven't thanked me for that.” The rash, challenging words were out before he could stop them. Gideon swore silently as he saw her eyes narrow. Why the hell hadn't he kept his mouth shut?

“You've made it perfectly clear that your business with my brother excludes me. The last time I got involved I made a fool of myself. I wouldn't dream of interfering again. Not unless you use your consulting position to hurt him somehow. Did you make the deal with Nick as a way of convincing me I owed you another couple of nights in bed?”

“No, damn it!”

She nodded, satisfied. “I didn't think so. After all, you're probably not that desperate for a woman. There must be plenty of females available in Tucson. Lots of sun-streaked blondes who like to hang around successful businessmen. No, it's as I said. You're here for your own, private reasons. I don't think those reasons really include me except in a peripheral way. Let's not argue, Gideon. There's nothing more to discuss. Dinner was lovely. Thank you and good night.”

“I don't believe this.”

“That's because you're so accustomed to winning.”

“This isn't a game we're playing.”

“Everything that has a winner or a loser can be classified as a game.”

She slipped out of his arms. He made no attempt to stop her. Hannah moved out of reach, aware that she was seeking a sense of safety by putting some distance between herself and Gideon. She knew that the only reason she had succeeded in sliding away from him just now was because he was too surprised by her actions to stop her.

“Hannah, listen to me.”

She smiled bleakly. “You thought it would be so easy, didn't you, Gideon? Don't worry, you'll live. Maybe you'll even discover that you don't have to win every time.” She was standing by her desk, idly toying with a page from her aunt's journals. Earlier she had left the book open to an entry detailing the women's cult on Revelation Island. “You know, these Revelation women certainly had a foolproof method of handling men. Nothing like being the chief intermediaries between the gods and the males to keep the males in line. You should read what went on during these all-night celebrations. They had a huge, carved vessel that they filled with a fermented liquor they made themselves. Everyone drank from it during the ceremony. The theory was that when it was empty the most important goddess could be reached. I'm afraid Aunt Elizabeth got tipsy right along with the rest of the women. I don't think she mentions that in her books but it's here in her journal.” Hannah broke off in surprise as she realized that the page she was looking at was from a much earlier section of the journal.

“Hannah, I don't give a damn about Nord's studies on some female cult.” Gideon stepped closer, his expression intent and forbidding. “I want to talk about us.”

“When it comes to us, the conversation is closed for the evening, Gideon.” She flipped the pages in the journal, searching for the one she had been reading earlier. “I could have sworn I left this open at a different place. Maybe a breeze came through. But I didn't have the window open.” With a curious sense of unease she glanced around the room. Something was wrong and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

“What is it, Hannah?” Gideon was alert now, watching her in a different way.

“I don't know. It's just a feeling.” She wandered over to look down into a box of books she still hadn't unpacked. “I left this carton closed.”

“It's closed now.” Gideon followed her, glancing down at the cardboard box which had all four edges wedged under each other.

She drew in a breath, calming herself. “But not the way I left it. I didn't feel like struggling to get the corners locked together that way so I just left the edges folded shut. Gideon, I think someone's been in here tonight.”

“Hell. And we've been standing here in the living room yelling at each other as if we were involved in a charming little domestic quarrel.”

“Hardly yelling.”

“Get out into the hall.”

“But, Gideon…”

“Now.” He was already yanking her toward the door, opening it and stuffing her outside. “Scream if you hear anything at all or if I'm not back in three minutes.”

“What are you going to do?” She stared at him in confusion.

“I'm just going to check to make sure we haven't trapped someone in the bedroom.” He was gone before she could argue.

Feeling foolish and suddenly quite worried, Hannah obeyed, listening intently to the sounds of Gideon's movements. The search didn't take him long. It was a very small apartment. He was back at the door within a few minutes, his expression thoughtful.

“It's all right. If there was anyone here, he's gone now.”

“Why would anyone be interested in that carton of books?”

“I doubt if he was. Probably didn't know what was in the box when he opened it. You'd better have a look at your valuables and see if anything's missing. Whoever he was, he was neat. I can't see any obvious signs of the place having been tossed. There aren't even any signs of the door being forced.”

Hurriedly Hannah went through her drawers, checked her stereo, counted her few items of jewelry and made sure the small stash of emergency cash was still hidden in the freezer.

“The freezer? You keep cash in the freezer?” Gideon looked appalled.

“It's for emergencies.”

“It's probably the second place a burglar would look. Right after he'd checked your bedroom drawer.”

“Well, he didn't find it, did he?” She closed the refrigerator door with triumph.

“No. He doesn't seem to have found anything, in fact. Hannah, are you absolutely sure that box was closed a different way?”

She grimaced. “I'm having a few doubts now. If someone had been through the apartment there ought to be more evidence. I didn't think the average burglar was this neat.”

“I don't think he is.”

“What about the average corporate spy, Gideon?”

“Huh?” He swung around to face her, his brows drawing together. “Corporate spy? You think one of Ballantine's people went through this place?”

“If I ever find out Ballantine had my apartment searched, I'll sue until kingdom come.”

“You won't have to sue. I'll take him apart. He's got no business dragging you into this.”

The new level of tension in Gideon was almost palpable. Hannah experienced a flicker of uncertainty. It occurred to her that Gideon Cage could be a dangerous man. She had sworn to herself that she would not get involved in his battles and that she would keep an emotional distance between them, but some of her old habits were proving hard to break. She felt an unfortunate urge to protect Gideon from himself.

“I was only talking off the top of my head, Gideon. It's highly unlikely that Ballantine would have my apartment searched. What could he possibly hope to find? He'd hardly expect you to store corporate secrets around here. The truth is, you were undoubtedly right about my incipient paranoia this evening. Nothing is missing. All I have to go on is the fact that I remember leaving the journal open to a different page and that box closed in a different manner. Neither of those two facts is enough to warrant hysteria. I'm sorry I mentioned them.”

“Now you're trying to convince yourself that no one was in here after all?”

She smiled brightly. “Doing a good job of it, aren't I? You said yourself that any burglar worth his salt would have found my cold cash. And even if he hadn't thought the stereo sufficiently high tech he would have been interested in the bits and pieces of jewelry I've got. As for Ballantine, he simply has no reason to want this place searched.”

“Unless he knows I'm here.”

“Even if he knows you're here, why would he want to have a look around my apartment?”

Gideon ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated and concerned. “I don't get it.”

“Neither do I. But I expect it's because there's nothing to get. Closing the door probably caused enough of a draft to turn the pages in the journal.”

“What about the carton?”

She lifted one shoulder. “I must have forgotten how I left it. I'm sorry, Gideon. A woman living alone sometimes gets a bit nervous about small details.”

“You're still nervous, aren't you? All your rationalization hasn't really convinced you that no one was in here tonight.”

“As I said. A woman sometimes gets nervous. There's certainly nothing here to warrant calling the cops. Don't worry, Gideon. I'll be fine.”

Thumbs hooked into his belt, Gideon sauntered over to the desk to look down at the journal. “You'll feel better if I spend the night.”

She went still. “No, I will not feel better. I will feel like a fool.”

His head came up, his gaze hard. “I'm not going to seduce you.”

“I know,” she said easily. “I don't intend to let you.”

“I'll sleep on the sofa.”

“It's too short.”

“I'll manage.”

“Gideon, there is absolutely no need for you to stay with me tonight.”

“It's nearly midnight and I haven't got a hotel room.”

“Damn it,” she muttered, “that's hardly my fault. You should have arranged one earlier.”

“Please, Hannah.”

That stopped her. She was braced for an argument, not a plea. She glared at him. “Please, what?”

“Let me stay.” He waved a hand to indicate the sofa. “I'll sleep out here. You don't have to worry about being assaulted in the middle of the night.”

“Why do you want to stay?”

“Because I came all this way to be with you.”

She drew a long breath. “I don't think this is an emotionally healthy situation, Gideon.”

“Is that guidance counseling talk? Emotionally healthy situation?”

“It's common sense, which is what guidance counseling is all about.”

“Go to bed, Hannah. I promise I'll behave myself. It's raining outside, I'm tired, and I don't even have a hotel reservation. I'm being as humble as I can. Let me stay.”

She tipped her head to one side, examining him cautiously. “You ought to try groveling a bit more often. It suits you.”

“Remember what you said earlier, Hannah. You're not in my league yet. Don't start something you can't win.”

“Is that a threat, Gideon?”

“It's a plea for common sense and intelligence. Go to bed, honey.”