Black and Blue

Twenty

EVIE STOOD AT THE entrance to the Star Light Hotel roof, greeting guests as they arrived for the party. Behind her, the moon was high and golden, a million stars twinkling from a sea of black velvet. There was no wind, the temperature warm and perfect.

Mother Nature hadn’t wanted to ruin Blue’s big night, she supposed.

Also behind her, past a half wall of mirrors, was a summer oasis. A large swimming pool in the shape of the number eight consumed half the space. Palm trees stretched toward the sky. A buffet table piled high with rare delicacies drew the biggest crowd.

Evie wore a glittery silver sundress with a black bathing suit underneath. Five-inch hooker heels took her from maybe-I’ll-take-a-dip to I’m-already-soaking. Most of the invited guests had already arrived. The team, their families and friends. Season ticket holders.

Blue wasn’t here. Did he have the tracers?

Tyson and Tiffany Star hadn’t arrived, either.

The elevator dinged, signaling the arrival of another guest. She held her breath, hopeful. The doors slid open and she sighed with disappointment. And dread.

“Evie Black.” Dallas Gutierrez stepped forward and grinned a seducer’s grin. “You look stunning.”

“I know. But thanks.” He wore a perfectly tailored suit in the traditional black and white, his dark hair slicked back, his blue eyes bright. “A party crasher so soon. No wonder you didn’t know the dress code.”

“Like the ladies could really handle me in my swimmies.” Leaning forward, as if sharing a secret, he said, “Did you notice? No man boobs.”

She tried not to smile. Failed.

“By the way, you’re welcome.”

“For what?” she asked, arching a brow.

“My presence.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Don’t let him fool you. He’s not a crasher, he’s one of my plus twos.” An elegant woman stepped up beside him. She had honey-colored hair and a beautiful face usually only seen in magazines. She wore a short red dress that displayed a belly rounded by her pregnancy.

“Noelle Tremain,” Evie acknowledged.

“None other.”

Blue spent a year of his life with this exquisite, elegant woman. But he never shared his true self with her, and Evie suddenly wondered why. “Congratulations on your recent marriage.”

“Thank you. I felt really strongly that it was time I took a step up.”

Meaning her husband was better than Blue?

Evie masked a scowl. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Me,” a gruff voice replied. A man with dark hair, green eyes, and the rough features of someone who knew his way around a bloody battlefield wrapped a gloved arm around Noelle’s waist.

Why gloves?

“Hector Dean, meet Evangeline Black.” To Evie, she said, “Dallas tells me we have a mutual frenemy.”

Evie glared at Dallas. Yes, he’d had permission to spill the gory details about Blue, but he shouldn’t have acted on it.

“Whoa. Cool down now, Miss Black, and keep your hands out of your wizard bag. I don’t want to know if you’ve got another magic compact in there. Blue wanted her to know,” he said, palms up.

“If that’s so,” Noelle interjected, “why did you tell me Blue was going to kill you for being the messenger, and I needed to protect you?”

Dallas threw his arms up. “Because that’s also true. Hector, control your woman before she gets me killed.”

“Don’t think I will,” Hector said.

Noelle beamed at him. “Anyway.” She took Evie’s hand, squeezed. “If you ever want to compare notes, I’ll make myself available.”

The trio sailed past her without another word. Good thing, too. Another ding sounded, and out stepped Blue. As usual, Evie’s breath snagged in her throat. He looked edible—and it had been too long since she’d had a taste, feeding her addiction.

He sported a simple white tee that hugged his heavy biceps and rippled chest, and a pair of swim trunks that could have doubled as golf shorts. Casual and ready to play, but also ready for business.

His gaze swept over her and heated. Then his power followed the same trail, and it was as though his hands caressed her, causing her nipples to harden and her belly to quiver.

Tonight, after he returned from Tiffany’s and she returned from Tyson’s—fingers crossed—she would sneak into his room. If he didn’t sneak into hers.

“Evangeline, wow . . .” Another full-body once-over, his eyes lingering on all the places he liked to touch. He clasped her hand and kissed her knuckles, and she could only gasp at the heady sense of pleasure that flooded her. “You look gorge.”

Can’t laugh. “Thank you,” she said with a regal nod. “If I didn’t know you were abbreviating the word ‘gorgeous,’ I would think you were telling me I look like a ravine.”

“Gorge and smart.” His voice lowered. “The things I want to do to you . . .”

Can’t fall into his arms. “Oh, yeah?”

He nodded—and then he snatched her purse and dug inside. “A wad of Chinese money. A handful of zip ties. Taco Bell sauce packets. An Immortals After Dark friendship bracelet. Six safety pins. A mini-Taze. And now a pen.” He held a plain-looking ink pen in the light and pressed the end.

It wasn’t a pen, she realized. A needle emerged rather than a ballpoint. In the belly was the isotope tracker.

“Perfect for my collection,” she said.

Lavender eyes narrowed with determination, surprising her. “I thought you’d like it.” He took her hand, much as he’d done the first time they’d met, and kissed her knuckles. “Forgive me, but . . .”

A sharp sting in her palm.

She frowned and jerked away from him. A tiny bead of blood welled just beneath her index finger—a needle puncture?

His expression was hard and intractable.

She lowered her gaze, saw last year’s NOFL Super Bowl ring glinting from his hand. He’d never worn it before.

“What did you do?” she demanded quietly.

“What I had to do to keep you safe. You’re welcome.”

“Blue—”

The elevator dinged, saving her from having to form a reply—it would have been a death threat, no question. Because if she had to guess, she’d say he’d just used the isotope tracker on her.

He handed her the bag, expression cleared of all emotion. Aaannnd, out stepped—

Tyson and Tiffany Star.

Game face on.

Evie cloaked her rising anger with a blank mask.

Blue gave a megawatt smile to Tiffany, and Evie marveled that he’d ever been able to fool anyone with his acting talents. He did not look besotted, but determined. “I was just asking Miss Black if you’d arrived,” he said to the girl. “And here you are, like a wish come true.”

Tyson stiffened, but Tiffany offered a shy smile in return.

Evie felt no stirring of jealousy. And, strangely enough, even her anger drained. Blue was doing his best to find his friend, and he knew how badly a distraction could screw him up. Worrying about his woman—a woman being stalked by the enemy—had to be the biggest distraction there was.

So you’re his woman now?

Well, yes. For the moment.

“You are all my sister has been talking about, Mr. Blue,” Tyson said, with zero emotion in his tone. However, his eyes gave him away. Flames crackled in their navy-blue depths.

Tiffany cast him a nervous glance.

Evie wondered if the guy had ever gotten violent with her.

If so, well, she might just kick him while he was down. And he was going down, somehow. Like Blue, she’d brought a pharmacy in her rings. One held the truth serum, one a sedative, one an aphrodisiac, and one a big dose of mental-patient cray-cray. She’d use them all if necessary.

“Please. Just Blue.” He took Tiffany’s hand. “I’ve thought about you a lot since that day at the coffee shop, wondered if you were doing okay, and if I’d get to see you again.”

The girl blushed, and honestly, it was kind of . . . sweet.

Almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

“A thousand times I’ve asked my father to meet you,” Tiffany said. “I’m not allowed to date anyone that hasn’t met him. But he’s refused. I’m sorry.”

“We’ll find a way. No probs.”

The phrase was a caress to Evie’s ears.

Tyson ran his tongue over his teeth, reminding her of her job.

“I know this comes a little late, but welcome,” she said to him. “I’m Evangeline Black, tonight’s hostess.”

The Star heir stepped forward and nodded in greeting. “Tyson Star.”

“Ah. The illustrious owner of this amazing paradise.” She swept her hand out to indicate the pool. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to speak with you.”

“And I you.” He hooked her fingers over his and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

She pretended to be charmed. He was a handsome man. Tall, like his sister, and leanly built. He was not in casual wear. Like Dallas, he wore a suit. He wasn’t the type to relax, she would bet.

I can help him with that.

“Your staff has done a wonderful job,” she said.

“We only hire the best.”

How special for you. “Well, it certainly shows.”

Blue and Tiffany wandered past the mirrored wall, whispering to each other, obviously flirting and, to any outside observer, seemingly lost in each other. Tyson watched, his shoulders squaring more with every step the pair took. A warrior preparing for battle.

Evie smiled at him, hoping to distract him. “It seems you’re in need of a companion, Mr. Star. Come, and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team.”

Blue was having trouble concentrating. Chatter and laughter rang through the night. Every so often someone would jump in the pool and warm water would splash everyone nearby, eliciting startled cries.

One of those cries came from Evie. She used the water as an excuse to escort Tyson to the edge of the roof, a secluded spot overlooking the lights of the city. The two stayed there for half an hour, talking. Tyson’s gaze continually strayed to Tiffany. At one point he even tried to walk away from Evie, but she somehow convinced him to remain at her side.

Blue had never before watched the woman he was sleeping with flirt with another man. But then, Evie might be done with him. She suspected he’d injected her with the tracker.

Too bad, princess. We’re together, and that’s final.

How many women had watched him over the years, wondering about his affections? How many women had he left twisted up, angry, and frustrated?

Too many. He was done living that way.

Hello. My name is Blue and I’m a reformed bad boy.

He couldn’t blame his current mood on jealousy. He knew what tonight’s flirtation games were about. He knew Evie felt nothing but contempt for Tyson Star, and that she wouldn’t do anything sexual. He knew she was doing this for John. For Blue. And he knew she could protect herself.

He blamed yearning. He and Evie couldn’t be open about their relationship. They had to hide their affection for one another. Blue couldn’t stand beside her and look at lights. Blue couldn’t put his arm around her or kiss her in the moonlight.

He also couldn’t leave the party with Tiffany until Evie convinced Tyson to take her somewhere else. Anywhere else. Otherwise, Big Brother would definitely try to stop Blue from leaving with Little Sister, and that would put unnecessary kinks in the plan.

At least Blue didn’t have to entertain Tiffany while he waited. A few of her friends were guests, and they had swept her away to gossip about him—if he had to take a guess. He’d claimed a seat at an empty table to watch her . . . and all right, yes, to watch Evie. He was dividing his attention between the two.

Tyson ran his knuckles down the length of Evie’s arm.

Blue stiffened. When John is safe, I’ll be removing those knuckles with a butter knife.

“All alone?” a female said. “What a shame.”

He recognized the voice and closed his eyes to pray for patience.

Noelle Tremain slid into the chair next to him. Light from the tiki torches bathed her, illuminating a pretty face he’d once wanted so badly to love.

In greeting, he nodded at her. “You’re looking well.”

“Don’t be modest. I’m looking magnificent.” She smiled coldly and waved at someone across the room. “Are you going to congratulate me on my nuptials and pregnancy or continue to glower at the owner of your team?”

She’d noticed. Damn. Others might have noticed, too. “Congrats,” he said, facing her fully. “I’m happy for you.”

“Are you? Really?”

This was long overdue, wasn’t it? “Yes, I really am. I’m sorry for the way I treated you, Noelle. I never wanted to hurt you.”

The coldness remained. “Well, you did. You were a crappy boyfriend. Like, I could have shoved a dagger in your gut and no woman in the world would have convicted me of a crime. You were always trying to change me, and there at the end you even tried to forbid me from seeing Ava.”

Ava. Her best friend. The two were practically joined at the hip. “Where is she tonight?”

“Out hunting with her vampire husband.”

“That’s right. I heard she tamed a feral vamp capable of stopping time.”

Evie laughed, the sound dazzling, drawing Blue’s notice. She was talking to Tyson, motioning to the elevators, but he was shaking his head no.

Only an idiot would refuse the raven-haired beauty.

There was a slight hardening of her shoulders, but she recovered quickly and reached up to toy with the ends of the man’s hair. Any resentment Blue might have felt about the action evaporated as her emerald ring glinted in the moonlight.

That’s my girl.

Wouldn’t be too much longer now.

“Blue,” Noelle snapped.

Noelle. Right. He forced his gaze on her. “Look, you were a job, meant to introduce me to the right people. I enjoyed your antics, I really did, but you were getting me in trouble. I’m sorry I tried to change you, I really am. You’re wonderful just the way you are. You always deserved better, and I knew it, and that’s why I incited you into breaking things off with me by telling you not to see Ava. My boss couldn’t force me to date a woman who wanted nothing to do with me.”

She surprised him with a smile. Small, short-lived, but undeniable. “I know I was a job, Blue. Now. Dallas told me what he learned about you, and everything fell into place. You’re lucky I didn’t find you that night, or you would have woken up with your balls stuffed in your mouth. You’re also lucky I know how to extract promises from my darling husband. He would have done much, much worse to you. He’s quite savage, you know.”

“If he wants a go at me, he’ll just have to get in line.”

Rubbing her hands over her swollen stomach, she said, “When it comes to the women in your life, have you learned your lesson?”

“I like to think so, yes.” He watched as Evie linked her fingers with Tyson’s and pulled him toward the elevators. This time he offered no resistance.

When they disappeared around the mirrored wall, Blue pushed to his feet. “It’s been nice chatting with you, Noelle, and if there’s ever anything I can help you with, please let me know. But right now I have to go.” He didn’t wait for her reply but zeroed in on Tiffany.