Dangerous Flames (Mafia Hearts) (10 page)

“
I…”

“
What,
Mik?” she demanded. She dropped the bag onto the floor and
planted her hands on the contours of her hips. Maybe she’d been
one hundred percent correct when she’d decided he wasn’t
attracted to her even though he kept shifting his eyes back to her.
“Don’t you find me attractive?”

“
It’s
just…” he said flustered. He let his hands drop down to
his sides, in what she guessed, was frustration. “Oh never
mind.”

Not
only did that simple statement bruise her heart but her ego as well.
“Then turn around so you can’t see me.”

****

Mikolas
faced the brownish-tiled wall of the gas station restroom. Behind
him, Gabi rustled around in her bag, probably for her change of
clothes. Her bag hit the floor, making him jump. At any moment she’d
be stripping down. Gabi naked? In the same room as him? Heat rushed
over his cheeks.

How
long could he go along with this? Without knowing where exactly she
planned on taking him stopped him from preparing himself ahead of
time for situations such as this. He could barely handle it in here.
Maybe he should put an end to this whole thing to avoid any more
uncomfortable moments with her. Who was he trying to kid? Every
second turned out weird in her presence because of his feelings for
her. Trying to stay in the middle of the Emotion Road with her didn’t
work. He either needed to let her go permanently or claim her.

And
taking her right now sounded really damned good to him as the soft
terry cloth fabric of her pants hit the floor. He crossed his arms
over his chest and stared at a crack on the wall to fight the
evilness of the temptation that started at his erection and boiled
through his blood stream.

He
wanted to sneak a peek at her to see if she looked as amazing as she
did in his fantasies but couldn’t bring himself to actually
turn around. If Mikolas gave in, he’d find himself pushing her
up against the cracked bathroom wall with her naked legs wrapped
around his waist.

Screw
not looking. One quick glance wouldn’t hurt either of them as
long as nobody found out. He turned slightly toward her, but she
remained out of his line of view, even when he strained to see her.
He turned an inch more just in time to see her shove a socked-foot
into the leg of her jeans. His gaze moved up her bare leg until it
reached her hip decorated with the thin strap of her thong. She
turned slightly, showing the round curves of her bare ass.

His
heart raced as she pulled the pants up her legs and kept her eyes on
the task of zipping her jeans, her long dark locks of hair fell
forward to block her view of him as if he was meant to take this
moment to admire her beauty. After all, depending on the night’s
events, he may not ever get the chance after they end their time
together. They might not have anything in the future but they had
right now with nobody to stop them.

Her
being clothed did nothing to push away the desire that had built so
rapidly in him. He needed to stay far away from her. The more
distance between them, the better off he would be in the long run. He
could resist nearly anything in the world but not Gabrielle Medini.
She was his weakness and had been for far too long.

Once
her pants were zipped, she turned toward him, giving him a full view
of the contours of her breasts through the thin shirt she still wore.
His dick hardened in his pants as he watched her nipples press like
two little pebbles against the fabric. Probably from the cold, but he
wished that she was just as aroused as him. He’d love to slip
his hands under her t-shirt to cup her breasts, slide his finger over
the nipple and make her yearn for more of him. He wanted to make her
want him so bad that there would be no way she’d deny him. Only
beg him to do more. Right here. Right now.

As
if she had a magnetic pull to him, he took a step toward her as she
grabbed the sweatshirt from her bag, snapping her attention to him.
She locked her gaze to his. Her cheeks flushed while time seemed to
have stood still.

“
I
thought you…” Her voice barely came out in a whispered,
making him move even closer. “You didn’t want to see me
get undressed.” Her cheeks flushed as she pinched her lips
together, lips that he’d give anything to kiss.

Heat
crept over his cheeks and his erection pressed even harder against
the zipper of his slacks. Damn it, he knew he wouldn’t be able
to resist her if he’d take the smallest glimpse of her
undressed. Now he had and couldn’t wait another moment to touch
her.

He
ran his hand through his hair. “I never said I didn’t
want to.”

Tears
welled in her dark brown eyes and one fell onto her freckled cheek.
“Mik,” she whispered.

“
Why
are you crying?” He walked over to her even though he knew he
shouldn’t and wiped the tears from her skin.

He
wished he could re-do the events of the night. First off, he wouldn’t
do or say anything to make her doubt his feelings for her. He’d
make it clear. Fuck it. He loved her, but now she thought she
disgusted him.

She
held the sweatshirt down at her side as she wiped the tears away with
her other hand. “I’m tired.”

He
reached out to pull her into his arms partly to soothe her pain but
who the hell was he kidding? He wanted to feel her breasts against
his chest. “That’s not the only thing. Tell me, please,”
he said softly.

She
allowed him to hold her for only a minute. That moment of heaven was
broken when she pulled away from his touch and turned her back to
him. “You either like me or you don’t, Mik. Don’t
play games with me.”

“
You’ve
got to be kidding me!” He jammed his fists down to his sides.
“Play games with you? You, darling, are the one who has me here
against my will and won’t tell me why this is happening or
where we’re going.”

Gabi
whirled around to face him again, her mouth dropped open in shock.
Her dark eyes stared at him, but he didn’t give her a chance to
respond.

“
Then
you get upset about me not being over-joyed by being in here with you
while you’re dressing? Who’s playing games?” He
turned toward the door.

“
I
told you to stay in here.” The fire had left her voice. Did she
plan on giving up this whole charade? Or had he worn down her
defenses for the moment.

He
stopped with his hand on the knob. “I need some fresh air.
Shoot me if you want, but you’ll be wasting your time since I
can’t leave without the keys to the SUV. I wouldn’t go
anywhere without you even if I had the keys in my hand.”

The
door swung shut behind him, cutting off any chance she had to fight
back. He leaned against the building and let the cool air fill his
lungs with the hope that not only his beating heart calmed but his
erection did too.

Did
he even have a right to be pissed at her? She wasn’t wrong on
one account. He’d said he hadn’t wanted to be there with
her while she dressed but then he gave in, damn near kissed her, and
who knew where that would’ve gone. No, stop lying to yourself,
he thought. If their lips had touched for a second he wouldn’t
have been able to stop.

Chapter Six

Johnny
brushed his hands through his hair as he looked to the left and then
the right. Thank God no cars or people in view. He chuckled. Enrico
had bought this place so far out in the desert to keep things private
but Johnny thought someone would’ve been ordered to guard the
place considering all the loot inside. But nobody appeared to be
here, giving him free reign to do as he wished.

He
held the flashlight with one hand while shuffling around in the
backpack for the bolt cutters. After snipping the chain holding the
gate closed, he slipped into the warehouse yard, and shut the gate
behind him.
Just
in case anyone watched from the shadows, which someone should’ve
been
,
he
sprinted through the darkness to the warehouse.

He
looked across the desert yard for any visible sign of another human
life. Movement against the fence. His heart pounded in his chest as
he reached for the knife at his side and wished his gun was
accessible. A jackrabbit hopped into view. He took a deep breath to
calm his nerves as he turned back to the task. Snipping the chain on
the door, he watched it give away like a knife slicing through
butter. He tossed the old chain and lock into his backpack.

Obviously
Enrico didn’t go by his own rule in keeping his enemies closer
than his friends. Johnny was considered a good employee. Yet, here he
was, plotting to kill the almighty boss-man. Setting up an
accident
meant nobody would be the wiser, letting him continue on in the
Medini family once the new Don, probably Leon, took over and Johnny
would still be paid by the other Family. The best of both worlds in
his book.

The
door slid open enough for his slim body to fit through with a loud
screech of metal against cement, and then he shut it behind him in
case anyone showed up. Confidence flooded him. He had two things
going for him; being small for a grown man and lack of fear.

He
weaved through the various piles of boxes piled high blocking his
view from seeing any great distance into the warehouse. Clayton
passed by the containers filled with a variety of firearms and fake
identification, the two things the Medini Family specialized in.

Pausing
at the office door where he knew money sat in piles on the table, his
thoughts rolled through the possibilities of a better future while
his hands itched with temptation to get a hold of some of the money.
He walked over and stood on his toes to take a closer look through
the small window frame. A bullet-proof glass window separated him
from thousands, if not millions, of dollars that would help him live
out his dream. It would only take a minute to bust into the room,
take the money, and disappear from Las Vegas forever. What did he
have keeping him here? Nothing. Maybe robbing Boss-man would prove to
be easier than killing the asshole. He stared at the cash. But they’d
eventually find him. Better stick with the plan. Rubbing his hands
together again, he turned to the shelving next to the office.

He
removed some of the bolts holding the shelves together. Other bolts
were loosened on both sides of the rack. With a support beam in the
back removed, he had to steady the shelves and hoped they didn’t
fall before Enrico found the direct spot where he usually stood
underneath it. One swing of the office door and Enrico would be on
the ground.

Johnny
stood back and stared up at the shelves. Enough stuff had been
stacked on them, making the impact of the weight enough to take
anyone down. Since Enrico usually had someone guard the place, Johnny
needed to get out before he got caught. He tossed a longing glance at
the money and paused. He shrugged his shoulders. Someday he’d
have that much money.

As
he started for the door, heavy footsteps approached from outside. He
ducked behind a pile of boxes and slipped his switch blade from his
pocket. Lesson learned; don’t ever do any sort of job without
having a gun on him. His 9mm currently was hidden under the front
seat of his car. A lot of good that would do him right now. With the
switch blade, he’d have to get close enough to actually cut the
guy. Very risky.

The
familiar screeching of the door being slid open echoed through the
warehouse. Who would it be? How many men had arrived? He wondered if
there’d be only be one, giving him the opportunity to overpower
the other man. He hadn’t come here to kill today, only set up
for Enrico’s death, but he wouldn’t shy away from taking
out a man if forced. Johnny should’ve known this had gone too
smoothly.

One
set of footsteps came forward but stopped on the other side of the
boxes. He couldn’t see the person from where he crouched down
and needed to switch this around to his advantage.

“
I
know someone’s been in here,” Wil said.

Johnny’s
hold on the knife trembled. No time to be scared. The guard tonight
happened to be Wil. A major player in the Medini Family, but with the
element of surprise, he shouldn’t have a problem taking the man
down. He waited for a response to Wil’s statement to determine
how many men were with Wil.

When
nobody said anything to Wil, Johnny knew the man’s
companionship came from his cell phone. “I don’t see
anyone, but when I came back from grabbing a bite to eat the chain
was off the door.” The man paused. A beam of light from a
flashlight moved slowly across the wall and hit the ground a few
inches from Johnny’s hiding spot. “I know I’m not
supposed to leave without having someone else here, but damn. I’ve
been waiting all evening for someone to show up and figured nothing
has happened so far, why would it for a half an hour? None of the
money has been messed with so I’ll take care of this. Just
don’t tell Enrico.” His voice faded, suggesting he had
moved farther into the warehouse.