With Every Breath (6 page)

She nearly groaned out loud and had to physically restrain herself from banging her head on the nearest possible place, which happened to be his shoulder. He was right. She never called him Wade. And what was worse was that it hadn't been intentional. It hadn't been part of her trying to worm her way out of a disastrous situation, though so far it seemed to be working. It had just slipped out. If he didn't have her so rattled and off her game, she would have never called him by his first name. She'd called him plenty of things but never that because, damn it, it was too personal. Friends, family, people she liked, those were the people she was on a first name basis with. Sterling was none of those things.

He stared at her a long moment, something shifting in his gaze. Something dangerous that made a light shiver work up her spine. It was as if something huge had changed in that moment and she did not want to know what that was because she had the distinct feeling it had everything to do with her. Then he shook his head as if dispelling cobwebs and just as quickly that intense scowl was back and the moment was gone. Thank God.

“So this surprise,” he drawled. “Do tell. You avoid a woman who considers you her friend thus making her believe you're
angry
with her, which causes her untold grief, and if I had to guess makes her husband and
your
coworker not very happy with you, and now you're telling me you've been hurting her feelings and making her feel like shit because you have a
surprise
for her?”

He ended with a snort of pure disbelief. Eliza winced at hearing the words “hurt feelings” and “feel like shit.” Then, mentally, she thought back, trying to remember if Zack had treated her any differently. Truth be told, she hadn't even considered the consequences. She'd been too focused on her mission. Then she winced again, because yeah, she could remember Zack shooting her searching looks, laced with anger in his eyes and a tight jaw, though he'd never approached her and that surprised her because he and Eliza were tight after all the shit that went down when he and Gracie had their thing.

Eliza didn't have to pretend agitation or fake regret when she glanced back up at Sterling. She stared at him with stricken eyes, allowing all her regret and sorrow to show, evidenced by his look of surprise. At least she was keeping him as off balance as he was her.

“I was planning it, have been planning it for over a week,” she said quietly. That wasn't a lie. She
had
been planning. Sterling would just assume she'd been planning Gracie's surprise. “I couldn't be around her when it was all I was thinking about and preparing for,” she continued. “She would have known instantly and then it would no longer be a surprise. But I never meant to make her think I was angry with her. I didn't think.” She closed her eyes against the sudden sting of tears. No way in hell she'd cry in front of Sterling. Even if it would go a long way in convincing him of her lie.

He studied her a long moment, and she got the distinct impression he didn't miss the shine of tears, gone almost before they'd even appeared. His scrutiny was unbearable and it made her squirm. Her palms itched and she had to control the urge to curl her fingers into tight fists because that would betray her supreme agitation and Sterling was someone who picked up on subtle clues. He never missed a goddamn thing.

“And just what is this surprise,” Sterling asked, eyes narrowed, suspicion still heavy in his voice.

“I can't tell you! Are you crazy? You're around Gracie all the time. If you knew, then she'd know too.”

“Then give me a goddamn clue,” he bit out impatiently.

It was clear he still wasn't buying it. Damn it!

“All I can say is that it has to do with her school,” Eliza said softly, referring to Gracie's plan to open her own place to teach free art classes to promising students who couldn't afford lessons otherwise.

Until recently Gracie had used a small building—owned by Sterling of course—but now there were too many students and it broke Gracie's tender heart to have to turn anyone away because there wasn't enough space.

Her dream was to find a bigger place, which Sterling of course would provide, but Gracie needed donations to pay for supplies and at least one full-time assistant. Volunteers couldn't always be counted on to be available and that many children needed more supervision and attention than Gracie could give them alone. Not to mention Zack was heavily opposed to anything that took too much of his new wife's time. They'd been separated for twelve years by horrific circumstances and Zack was making the most of every single day now that they'd found one another again.

“And so help me, Sterling, if you even
think
about Gracie's school and or me at the same time when you're around Gracie, swear to God, I'll have your nuts.”

His expression became sly and a look entered his eyes she did not like. It made her want to tuck tail and run like the coward he accused her of being.

“I don't even want to know,” she muttered. “Can I leave now?”

Noticing that Sterling had loosened his grip on her arm, she took swift advantage and turned to stalk away but he was faster, reasserting his hold on her.

“I'll gladly give you my balls, Eliza. Just say the word. But you'll get a whole hell of a lot more than my nuts. That I can guarantee.”

Horrified by the heat that instantly flared to life, curling in her groin and licking up her spine, she tried to jerk away from him again.

“Make you a deal,” Sterling said in a silky, bone-shivering, sexy voice. “Give me one dance and I'll make your excuses to Gracie and you can leave with your secret intact. She'll just be happy you came. I doubt she's noticed much more than her new husband anyway,” he added wryly.

“No one is dancing!” she protested. “You don't think Gracie”—not to mention every single one of her coworkers—“and the others wouldn't see us and know I was here, never said hi or made my presence known and then, oh gee, I had to leave. You're out of your damn mind.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. Come on. I'll take you to Gracie then, so you can offer your hellos to your
team
and congratulations to Gracie.”

She went rigid. “You little blackmailing bastard.”

He shrugged again, making her want to scream. Did nothing ever ruffle him? What did it take to
really
piss off a man who rarely looked anything beyond mildly annoyed or more commonly like he didn't give a fuck?

“I gave you options,” he pointed out. “That's hardly blackmail. The choice is yours. I thought I was doing you a favor but since you don't seem inclined to accept my offer then we'll carry on and you can remain until the bitter end. But fair warning, word is after the showing your posse is having a post exhibit celebratory dinner and if you're here you'll be expected to attend.”

She couldn't control the panicked, deer-in-the-headlights look she knew flashed on her face and it only served to further annoy the fuck out of her that he could always get a rise out of her when her emotions and reactions were always tightly under control. They had to be in her line of work.

“I'm taking that as a yes to the dance,” Sterling said with smug satisfaction.

“Asshole,” she muttered.

In a show of unexpected—and rare—consideration, he propelled her to the far end of the room where the band was playing and there she found she was incorrect about no one else dancing. Why that relieved her she wasn't sure but then she hardly wanted all eyes on her and Sterling if they were the only ones dancing.

Wordlessly he pulled her into his arms and though she attempted to keep him at arm's length so their dance was entirely casual, he ignored that just like he ignored everything else about her unless it suited his purposes.

She found herself locked against a very hard, very aggressive,
aroused
male.

Ignoring that particular fact, although that was kind of difficult when she could feel the imprint of his cock, the heat and urgency through his slacks and the sheer material of her dress. It throbbed against her belly and freaked the hell out of her. Wade Sterling turned on by her? Or because of her. Or with her. Whatever the hell it was. Maybe he was one of those guys who thrived on adversity and got turned on at inappropriate times. Or maybe it had nothing to do with her at all. Maybe any female would do or maybe he just hadn't got laid in a while. And then she nearly snorted at that idea. This was a man who only had to crook his finger to have his choice of pussy.

Swallowing the knot that had formed in her throat, wishing she could wipe at the sheen of perspiration at her forehead, she fixed her gaze on Sterling's shoulder, refusing to meet his eyes. She did not want to see whatever was reflected there. She was sure she wouldn't like it.

“So do tell, if you couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to give Gracie that I couldn't come at all without hurting her feelings, how are you going to
not
hurt her feelings by telling her I was here but had to leave?” she asked skeptically.

“Look at me, Eliza.”

The words rumbled out of his chest, vibrating over her skin until she shivered. It was a command. No doubt he was accustomed to issuing commands and having them heeded.

She shook her head, mutely, refusing to be one of his mindless minions who took orders and obeyed without question.

Instead of making the demand again, he moved one of his arms from around her and cupped her chin with his hand and forced it in his direction, tilting it upward so he could see into her eyes and vice versa. Still refusing, she lowered her lids, staring downward even though her head was angled upward and her chin was still in his firm grip.

He chuckled. Bastard obviously found her funny. She almost forgot about not looking at him and nearly sliced her eyes upward so she could cut him to ribbons with a look and words.

He rubbed his thumb in an up and down motion that surprisingly felt more like a caress. His hand was gentle, though she had no doubt he wouldn't allow her to slip away from him.

“Why even make me endure this farce?” she hissed. “It's obvious you aren't too worried about Gracie's feelings or you wouldn't have offered to let me dance with you in exchange for not being up close and personal with Gracie.”

“Maybe
I
wanted you to come,” he said blandly.

“Bullshit,” she snorted. “You have no more desire to be in the same room with me than I do you. Remember? According to you, I got you shot, and you said
never
would be too soon to see me again.”

He chuckled again. “I was pissed at the time, and face it, Eliza, you're trouble with a capital T.”

Her mouth opened to let him have it with both barrels but the music ended and suddenly she was free of Sterling's grasp and oddly bereft of the warmth that had surrounded her these last minutes.

“I suggest you go now and act like you're sick and in a hurry,” he said in a low voice filled with mockery. “I'll make your excuses to the others.”

She wanted to glare or do something childish and grind her heel into his foot, but he was offering her an escape, and she'd be a damned fool to hesitate. The cretin could change his mind in the next second, just as yet another way to torture her. So she turned, prepared to make a very hasty exit, when Sterling's hand shot out, his fingers curling firmly around her elbow, effectively halting her. She refused to give him the satisfaction of turning to face him, but his low voice reached her ears again.

“If I find out you lied about surprising Gracie with something regarding her school, you'll answer to me,” he said calmly, though there was a distinct edge of threat in his voice. “I'll be watching you, Eliza.”

She bit her lip and bolted, wasting no more time in her bid to be rid of the entire place. Gracie's gift of ferreting out one's deepest, innermost thoughts. But most of all
him
.

Because him keeping an eye on her was exactly what she feared the most. Thank God, in a little over twenty-four hours, she'd be in the wind. Away from the people she cared most about. Her friends. Partners. People she risked her life for every damn day and who did the same for her.

And, most of all, she'd be forever and permanently beyond Sterling's very long and encompassing reach.

FIVE

ELIZA
was on edge, trying not to let it affect the unflappable composure she'd perfected and was known for, as she waited for the latest “state of the union” meeting to commence so she could tackle the most difficult task she'd set her mind to today.

Lying to Dane and hoping to hell she was convincing enough to escape his legendary bullshit detector. Technically he was her boss, and to everyone except the Devereaux brothers—Caleb, Beau and Quinn—he was. But to Eliza he wasn't as much her boss as he was her partner.

Everyone at DSS had someone they gravitated toward, worked well together with, and partnerships developed. It hadn't been long after Eliza had been hired that Dane had tagged her as his partner, which had surprised the hell out of her and pleased her enormously.

Dane ran the show. He was the leader even if he wasn't the one signing everyone's paychecks. DSS was run by the Devereaux family, primarily the two oldest brothers, Caleb and Beau, while Quinn had been dubbed the geek and tech whiz who knew and ran all things computer and technology related. This was something that irritated and insulted Quinn to no end, but only Eliza knew this bit of personal information. Like the rest of the Devereaux clan, he was tight-lipped, extremely private and not one to share his feelings with anyone. None of them ever made public anything that would make them vulnerable, especially now that the elder Devereaux brothers had wives they loved and who were their heart and soul.