Page 64 of Lawbreaker

Stasia pursed her lips and tried not to laugh. Things were definitely heating up. And it wasn’t because of the weather.

10

Odalie stared at herself in the mirror, trying to understand what had just happened. It was amazing that Tony had kissed her, especially after he’d spent so much time denying that he even felt attracted to her. But that hadn’t been any teasing kiss. It had been half desperation and half passion, and it surpassed her wildest dreams of what a kiss should feel like. The man was amazing.

Well, of course, he’d been married, and there was a woman in his life already. So certainly, he knew his way around women. She caught her breath remembering the expertise in the long, slow kisses that had almost singed her.

But was it just lust on his part? Was he honorable enough to try and keep away from her, because it was just lust that he felt? She wished she knew more about men. She wasn’t close to anybody except Stasia and Maddie, and she could hardly ask them any of her burning questions. Maybe, she thought, there was information online somewhere on male behavior. Surely there was. She’d have to find it. But not today. She and Stasia were going over to Tony’s for supper. And the way he’d smiled at her as he left! Just the memory of it left her breathless. There had been such wicked delight in that smile.

She sighed at her reflection. Then she blinked. She had to change clothes and go back and make lunch for herself and Stasia. She could daydream later, when they got home after supper.

As long as Stasia didn’t know what was going on. This was private and personal, so personal that she didn’t want to share it with anyone just yet. She wanted to live in her dreams without being reminded that Tony was dangerous and the world was bigger than Big Spur, Texas, for a cowgirl in couture in the big city.

She and Tony had been adversaries for a long time. He’d glared at her every time he saw her when she went to parties at the art gallery with Stasia. He’d started fights, he’d been insulting. But let some other man threaten her, in any way, and Tony was suddenly right there, glaring at somebody besides her.

She’d been certain that it was pure antagonism, that he hated her. But the man who’d kissed her a few minutes ago hadn’t been an adversary. She still felt faint just remembering the utter hunger in those hard kisses. That hadn’t been an assault, or taunting, or anything of the sort. That had been pure, unadulterated passion.

She was anxious about how it would be when they went to Tony’s apartment. Would he be back in his shell, antagonistic again? Would they start all over from square one, like after the barbeque at her parents’ ranch when they’d danced and hunger had spawned between the two of them?

She didn’t want to think about backtracking. She put her hair up and went to the kitchen.

“Tony wasn’t growling at you, was he?” Stasia asked. “He’s not really a bear. Well, he can be, if he needs to. But he bluffs occasionally.”

“He wasn’t mean.” She hesitated. “He was at first. He was yelling, and I started crying...” She swallowed and paused to sip coffee.

“And...?” Stasia prodded. “Why was he yelling?”

“He was sitting on the steps when I came home from my voice lesson,” she said quietly. “I told the cab to drive on around the corner and then I sat in the bookshop for an hour.” She glanced at her friend’s face. “Well, I didn’t want to face him. I knew he’d be angry. I hoped he’d just give up and go home.”

“Anybody who knows Tony could tell you that he’d still be there in the morning if he had something to say to you.”

“I found that out.” She put down her cup. “He was fighting mad when I got out of the cab. He saw me go past the apartment and around the corner. He knew I was dodging him. So he yelled and I yelled and then I went into my apartment and slammed the door.”

“And Tony went right in behind you and slammed the door himself.” Stasia chuckled at her friend’s expression. “I know Tony very well,” she added. “You may run from a fight, but he never will.”

“I found that out, too.” Odalie took a long breath. “So we...discussed it,” she lied, not looking at Stasia’s face. “And we sort of worked it out.”

“Sort of?”

“Sort of.” No way was she admitting what had actually happened.

Not that Stasia couldn’t guess from their guilty expressions and her sister-in-law’s rumpled appearance. But she was kind enough not to point that out.

“Anyway, we’ve arrived at a truce,” Odalie announced with a fake smile. “How’s the salad?” she asked.

It was a diversion. But Stasia let her get away with it.

The apartment was lit up like a Christmas tree when they got there. Mrs. Murdock was fussing around with table settings while Tony took the lasagna out of the oven. He was wearing an apron that had a shark with a fork standing in front of a grill on it, over slacks and a sports shirt. Odalie thought how appropriate it was, and smothered a laugh.

“Lasagna,” he said. “Made properly, the way my mama used to make it,” he added, sliding off his oven mitts. “Garlic bread’s already on the table. Hey, Ben—” he raised his voice toward the living room, from where video game music was booming “—food!”

The music went off at once and Ben appeared in the doorway. “Food! The only thing worth giving upHalo Infinitefor!”

“You and your video games,” Tony said, shaking his head.

“Well, a man has to have a few vices,” he protested.

“We could list yours, if we had enough paper,” Tony suggested.

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