against her face. Feeling wholly out of place, and the butt of a thousand jokes between the two of them, she wanted to run before she embarrassed herself further.
But then the girl question him. “Eddie, who’s this?”
Uncertainty breathed out in a long, deep sigh. She knew the answer to that. His partner. Rio knew they were an impossibility, but she wasn’t ready to have it thrown in her face and in front of his girlfriend, or worse yet—his wife.
Eddie grabbed Rio’s wrist, as if he knew the thoughts speeding through her brain. “This is my partner, Rio Laraquette.” His tone, calm and cool, blanketed her in a sense of security. But she recognized the bogus act. She was beginning to feel like a third wheel who harbored a secret crush, helplessly in love and hopelessly out of her league.
“Well, isn’t that original. You have a river named after you.” The girl’s words, heavy with sarcasm, mocked Rio.
Eddie ignored her snide comments. Why wouldn’t he? He surely wouldn’t get into a fight over his brand-new partner. And he wasn’t letting go of Rio’s arm either.
She fancied that somewhere in the remote corners of his mind he knew Rio could kick the girl’s ass. Not that she would. But she could, and that was enough.
“Rio, this is Naomi Thomas. I knew her in Phoenix.”
“Knew me?” Naomi cackled, and Rio thought the girl’s head might explode. “That’s one way to put it.”
Rio, still trapped in Eddie’s grasp, attempted to free herself. He tightened his grip.
“Could you give us a minute?” he said to Naomi.
“What?” Naomi’s eyes widened and her head sprang forward. “You’re asking me to leave?”
“Yes.”
Rio recoiled. Maybe Naomi’s head wasn’t going to explode, but her bulging eyes were on the verge of popping out. If that happened, they’d become projectile missiles headed straight for Eddie.
The girl scared Rio, and she wasn’t afraid of much.
She waited until Naomi was in the hallway. “Hey, look.” She paused, hoping to salvage at least some of her diminishing dignity. “I don’t want to get in the way of you and your girl.”
“Jealous, Laraquette?”
“In your dreams.”
“That’s one of my favorites.”
Bite me . She managed to contain the snappy comeback to just a thought, knowing what he’d do with that response.
He stood, his mouth twisting with a devilish grin. “Did you bring the car around?”
A scream charged up Rio’s throat. He knew she hadn’t brought the damned car around. A lacerating growl choked the shrieking urge to pieces.
“Perhaps you should get a ride from your girlfriend,” she said, pleased at how nonchalant she sounded.
He laid the keys in her hand, holding his palm against hers a bit longer than she liked. “Go get the car and bring it around front. I’ll be down shortly.” He scooped his cell phone off the nightstand. “I’m going to get rid of Naomi.”
“Yeah, right.” Rio snorted and moved toward the door.
“Can I drive?”
“No,” she said without looking back.
In the hallway, Naomi’s stare, long and cold and hard, felt like she was cursing Rio with some evil-eye voodoo crap.
Rio shuddered, walked on past and gave her a quick, uneasy smile. Even without turning around she could feel Naomi’s glare burrowing a heated hole deep in her back.
She prayed the girl would go back into Eddie’s room, as opposed to following her into the elevator.
CHAPTER 3
IN A matter of minutes Eddie LaCall’s problems had tripled. The single dilemma he had half an hour ago, an anonymous text message threatening “ that bitch ” was worry enough. He’d thought it was meant for Rio, but now that Naomi had shown up he wasn’t so sure.
What if they knew why he was here? What if they thought Naomi was a way to get to him? Was he prepared to sacrifice her for his own selfish purposes? Could the end ever really justify the means?
Damn it. She picked a hell of a time to decide, all on her own, that he wanted
But then the girl question him. “Eddie, who’s this?”
Uncertainty breathed out in a long, deep sigh. She knew the answer to that. His partner. Rio knew they were an impossibility, but she wasn’t ready to have it thrown in her face and in front of his girlfriend, or worse yet—his wife.
Eddie grabbed Rio’s wrist, as if he knew the thoughts speeding through her brain. “This is my partner, Rio Laraquette.” His tone, calm and cool, blanketed her in a sense of security. But she recognized the bogus act. She was beginning to feel like a third wheel who harbored a secret crush, helplessly in love and hopelessly out of her league.
“Well, isn’t that original. You have a river named after you.” The girl’s words, heavy with sarcasm, mocked Rio.
Eddie ignored her snide comments. Why wouldn’t he? He surely wouldn’t get into a fight over his brand-new partner. And he wasn’t letting go of Rio’s arm either.
She fancied that somewhere in the remote corners of his mind he knew Rio could kick the girl’s ass. Not that she would. But she could, and that was enough.
“Rio, this is Naomi Thomas. I knew her in Phoenix.”
“Knew me?” Naomi cackled, and Rio thought the girl’s head might explode. “That’s one way to put it.”
Rio, still trapped in Eddie’s grasp, attempted to free herself. He tightened his grip.
“Could you give us a minute?” he said to Naomi.
“What?” Naomi’s eyes widened and her head sprang forward. “You’re asking me to leave?”
“Yes.”
Rio recoiled. Maybe Naomi’s head wasn’t going to explode, but her bulging eyes were on the verge of popping out. If that happened, they’d become projectile missiles headed straight for Eddie.
The girl scared Rio, and she wasn’t afraid of much.
She waited until Naomi was in the hallway. “Hey, look.” She paused, hoping to salvage at least some of her diminishing dignity. “I don’t want to get in the way of you and your girl.”
“Jealous, Laraquette?”
“In your dreams.”
“That’s one of my favorites.”
Bite me . She managed to contain the snappy comeback to just a thought, knowing what he’d do with that response.
He stood, his mouth twisting with a devilish grin. “Did you bring the car around?”
A scream charged up Rio’s throat. He knew she hadn’t brought the damned car around. A lacerating growl choked the shrieking urge to pieces.
“Perhaps you should get a ride from your girlfriend,” she said, pleased at how nonchalant she sounded.
He laid the keys in her hand, holding his palm against hers a bit longer than she liked. “Go get the car and bring it around front. I’ll be down shortly.” He scooped his cell phone off the nightstand. “I’m going to get rid of Naomi.”
“Yeah, right.” Rio snorted and moved toward the door.
“Can I drive?”
“No,” she said without looking back.
In the hallway, Naomi’s stare, long and cold and hard, felt like she was cursing Rio with some evil-eye voodoo crap.
Rio shuddered, walked on past and gave her a quick, uneasy smile. Even without turning around she could feel Naomi’s glare burrowing a heated hole deep in her back.
She prayed the girl would go back into Eddie’s room, as opposed to following her into the elevator.
CHAPTER 3
IN A matter of minutes Eddie LaCall’s problems had tripled. The single dilemma he had half an hour ago, an anonymous text message threatening “ that bitch ” was worry enough. He’d thought it was meant for Rio, but now that Naomi had shown up he wasn’t so sure.
What if they knew why he was here? What if they thought Naomi was a way to get to him? Was he prepared to sacrifice her for his own selfish purposes? Could the end ever really justify the means?
Damn it. She picked a hell of a time to decide, all on her own, that he wanted
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