Neighbors and More (High Rise Series) (17 page)

His arms crossed, the detective snorted. “You forgot two
people on your list. Dante Cantari: officially a respectable lawyer with a big
firm. But with big skeletons in his closet. He comes from a long line of Mafia
guys, and he cares about Ms. Alexa Partson. He has even asked Bairey to leave
her in peace. And the prime suspect, up until yesterday. Ms. Alexa Partson. She
shared a drink with the victim before he drowns but she can’t explain how one
of the glasses contains traces of Valium, or why there was a ring hidden in her
drawer. Now the list is complete.”

“Maybe you should search their apartments,” Dante suggested,
not impressed by the detective’s acerbic tone.

“Mr. Cantari, thank you for the advice.” Ladd exhaled with
exasperation. “Now you take care of Ms. Alexa, and let the police do its job.”

Dante squinted at the detective. “Sure.” Not that he planned
to remain inactive when the killer who’d tried to drown Alexa was on the loose,
and had ransacked her condo.

As soon as Ladd and the officer collected the broken pieces
in a box and left, Alexa went to her room. Dante smiled when she returned
wearing a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. With her hair in a
bouncing ponytail and face free of make-up, she looked like a high school
student. “I’m going to clean this mess.” She fetched an electric broom and wiped
the floor diligently.

“Do you mind if I call a security agency and install an
alarm system on your doors and windows?”

“Go ahead, please. This week has been a nightmare. I don’t
know how I’d have survived without you.”

He gathered her in his arms. “I’m glad I was here to help.
Soon, I hope, things will go back to normal.” He pressed her hard against him. She
seemed so vulnerable although she’d been holding her own during the funeral and
when they discovered the break-in.

Sadness shadowed her eyes and a sigh escaped her lips.
“Normal? Nothing has ever been normal in my life.”

“I promise things will improve. Please, trust me.” He sealed
his promise with a deep kiss.

Chapter Twelve

Alexa threw another load of lingerie into the washing
machine and finished tidying her bedroom and the guestroom while Dante paced
the living room talking on the phone. A new calm replaced her previous dismay.
In spite of tearing apart her apartment, the intruder hadn’t found the safe and
her jewelry.

Two days ago, she’d escaped from a killer in the ocean, and
today, she’d managed to protect her valuables from theft.
Trust yourself,
girl. You can survive on your own
. But he might come back to hurt again or
steal or... How long would she be able to deal with a determined enemy and cope
with new blows?

 If she kept pondering things and speculating, she’d soon have
the mother of all headaches. Through the bay window of her bedroom, the view of
the ocean tempted her, the water tranquil and greenish blue in the late
afternoon. Yet a shiver crawled down her spine. It would be pure stupidity to
swim on her own. Or even with Dante, if her attacker decided to show up with
reinforcements or weapons. With a brusque movement, she lowered the shades to
block the scenery that she’d loved since a young age. No place seemed safe any
longer, not her home or the beach she loved.

To prevent a depressing mood from submerging her, she
rummaged through the drawer of her night table, and reached for her small
Bible. Thank God, the intruder hadn’t touched her most precious possession.
From between the yellowed pages of her sacred relic, she extracted an old
photo. With reverence, she touched the face of the beautiful young woman
holding a little girl who looked so much like her. “I love you, Mom. Help me.”
The young woman’s smile never failed to comfort her. Carefully, Alexa hid the
only picture she had of her mother between the pages of her Holy Book.

A strong shower should adequately replace the missed swim. She
strode to her bathroom, peeled off her clothes, and stepped under the warm
water.

“Alexa.” The faint call, hardly audible, interrupted her as
she shampooed her hair. “Alexa.” This time Dante’s voice covered the water
rush.

“I’m in the shower,” she yelled, and then turned down the
faucet.

“Oh sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“I need to rinse my hair. I have soap in my eyes.” She
blinked. Hardly making out Dante’s form just outside the glass door, she wiped
her face with her fingers.

“I’ll help you.” He chuckled as he yanked off his clothes
and stepped in.

“Oh.” Fascinated, she narrowed her eyes to swipe a blurred gaze
over the naked expanse of his skin. What a magnificent body, broad shoulders,
bronzed chest narrowing at the hips into white flat abs, and his erection hard
and ready for her. “I...you...”

“You look beautiful.” His husky voice echoed her thoughts. “Nothing
like a good shower to refresh a body,” he added with a laugh. He turned up the
faucet and drew her into his arms.

 The shampoo trickled over her shoulders and his chest,
enveloping them with the sweet scent of jasmine and lavender. He nuzzled her
throat and inhaled. “Mmm, smells good.”

She linked her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of
his skin against hers. “Deliciously decadent.” She laughed and squinted. “But my
eyes are still burning.”

He wiped her face with water and brushed her lips with the
tip of his fingers. “Can you see now?”

“Yes.” She could see his beautiful features, his chiseled jaws,
his sapphire eyes blazing with desire. Her breath caught when his hands cupped
her face and his lips neared her mouth.

“I want you to see how much I care about you,
bellissima
.”

“Yes,” she mumbled before he molded their lips and invaded
her mouth, his tongue playing a happy game of passion with her senses. “Yes.”
Lulled by the drizzle of the shower spray over her back, she closed her eyes.

Dante cradled her breasts and teased their tips until she
moaned her delight. His sensual lips trailed a fiery path along her throat and
suckled on the pink crests. “Enough, please,” she whispered.

“Sure.” His lips abandoned their prey and slithered all the
way to her belly to tickle her navel.

Her knees buckled. Attentive to her every move, he lowered
her with him to the tile floor of the shower cubicle. She found herself
straddling him, his erection seeking entrance and gliding into her warmth. A
fantasy frolicked through her mind—she and Dante cuddling and making love in a
rainforest. His thrust took her to heaven and back, as she matched his tempo
and collapsed, her head nestled against the crook of his neck.

“Rainforest,” she hummed incoherently with the tune of her
favorite song.

“Is that your fantasy place?” With a tender smile he brushed
her hair back.

She blushed and averted her eyes.

“We’ll go there someday.”

That day might never come. She was living a nightmare, and
yet she’d never been as happy and relaxed as now. In Dante’s arms. When the
case of Steve’s death was solved, would it be the end of her romp with Dante?

“How come you’ve never married?” She regretted the question
as soon as she blurted the words.

“Why would I marry?” He snapped back, shock written all over
his face.

“Forget the stupid question. You’re obviously not the
marrying type.”

He stared at her for a moment.

She wriggled to get up, but he held her in place, and turned
off the faucet. “Don’t move. I like you here.”

That’s all he liked. All he wanted. To make love to her now
and then, until...

“I haven’t got married because I haven’t found the right woman
yet.” She waved her hand and he chuckled. “Yes, it’s very clichéd, but it’s
true. So far I’ve enjoyed my freedom and—”

“That I know.” She couldn’t help her crisp tone.

“But there’s always a time in a man’s life when he realizes
he has to settle and start a family as my
nonna
often says. She wants to
hold little Cantaris.” A nostalgic grin played on his lips.

“Of course. You’ll have to satisfy your grandmother and
produce those Cantari babies.” She harrumphed and lowered her head to hide the
scowl she couldn’t stifle.

He burst out laughing. “All in good time, my dear. First we
deal with the Blue Waves’ problems.”

Her lips twitched. She didn’t give a shit if he offered his
grandmother a dozen Cantari babies, legitimate or not. By then, she’d be far
away, in New York, or even in Europe, maybe in France. To think of it, she’d love
to go to Paris and join an interior design program at the Sorbonne. The idea
soothed her.

“Time to get dressed.”

He helped her up, stepped out of the cubicle to reach for a
bath towel from the electric towel rack. Wrapping her in the warm material, he
kept her pressed against him and murmured, “Alexa, please, relax. We’re taking
one day at a time. And I promise I will not let any harm come to you. You’re a very
dear... friend. Can you trust me?”

She turned in his arms to face him. He had been at her side
every hour, every minute, attentive to her needs. “Of course, I trust you, Dante.”
She offered him a smile and her lips to seal their special friendship.

Yes, she could trust him, but could she trust herself not to
fall head over heel in love with her handsome lawyer?

****

“Let’s go out for dinner at a fun restaurant on Las Olas.” Dante
grappled with finding some distraction to offer Alexa. She was already an
emotional wreck. A few more hours in her condo would drive her insane—and him
too, trying to relax her.

“Sure, but...” Her spontaneous smile faded and her shoulders
sagged. “As much as I want to escape from here, we can’t go out. What if my
enemy comes back and finds what he’s after?”

“He may think about it. But he can’t do it. While you were
in the shower, I talked to Officer Raines and hired a cop to guard your
apartment.” Dante walked to the door and opened it. The policeman who sat on a
folding chair in front of the elevator immediately stood.

“I’m Matt George.”

Dante made a mental note to thank Officer Raines. “Come
inside.” The cop stepped into the hall and waited politely. “Alexa, meet Officer
George. He will guard your door.”

“I’m so pleased to meet you, Officer. Please, make yourself
comfortable.” Alexa’s smile illuminated the room. Relieved that he’d managed to
reassure her, Dante exhaled. With a guard outside her door, she might be able
to sleep without nightmares tonight. Although, Dante was determined to keep her
in his arms anyway.

“Thank you, Ma’am. My orders are to stay in front of the
elevator.”

“Can I get you something to drink or eat?”

“I have all I need here. Bottles of water and cookies.” He pointed
to a little cooler next to the folding chair. “You can leave your apartment
without worrying. I’ll be here.”

“To be honest, Dante,” she said after the young man resumed
his post outside her condo. “I don’t feel like going out. We had a hectic day.
I’d rather stay home.”

“Why don’t we go to my apartment for a change of scenery? I
can offer you wine and cheese. Nothing else.” Dante rubbed his chin,
embarrassed about his lack of supplies. “I haven’t had the time to shop for
groceries recently.” Not that he was ever very domesticated.

“I have steaks. We can grill them.” She opened the freezer
and grabbed a packet of meat. “I also have vegetable and mushrooms.” Pulling
out the various items, she shoved them into a plastic bag Dante held. “And here
are peaches and grapes for dessert.” As she bent over the fridge to choose some
fruits, the blasted short skirt hiked up her thighs.

“Perfect.” Dante admired her
perfect
backside and
resisted the urge to reach and caress. “Bring what you need to spend the night
at my place.”

She shot him a questioning look. “Why? You think
something
will happen here.”

“Not with the cop at your door. And tomorrow morning the
security company I called will install an alarm system on your condo. I hope
all of these measures will reassure you.”

“Oh God, when will all this end?” she mumbled in a weak
voice as she disappeared into her bedroom to comply.

Dante locked her apartment and kept the key to be able to
take a tour later tonight. “Officer, we’ll be next door, in my apartment. If
you need anything, feel free to knock.”

****

Alexa stirred and opened her eyes, and met Dante’s gaze. His
head propped against his open palm, he was staring at her.

“Good morning. You slept well?”

“Very well. Thank you for the massage, for—”

“I’m the one who should thank you for a wondrous night.”

Blushing to the roots of her hair, she inhaled and closed
her eyes. His male scent and the rumpled sheets stirred vivid images of their
night together. “I can’t believe I did...” Her voice trailed.

 “You were magnificent, my beautiful Alexa. Don’t regret a
minute of our lovemaking.”

“Oh I don’t.” That was what worried her. A thousand heady
feelings rushed through her. How would she survive without Dante’s lovemaking
when she left? He’d been such a tender lover.

His lips settled on hers for a deep insistent kiss, making her
head spin.

The ring of a phone rattled the silence. Dante grabbed his cell
from the nightstand. “Cantari speaking.”

“They’ll be here at eight to install the alarm,” he
explained after he shut his phone. “Time to get up.”

“Why don’t you shower and get ready? I’ll wait here and then
we’ll go to my apartment.”

Wearing long pants and a button-down shirt, Dante joined her
fifteen minutes later.

 “You look as if you’re going to work.”

“Actually, we’re going to my office as soon as the alarm is
installed.”

Dread pooled in her stomach. “Anything new?”

“Jay asked me to stop by. He spoke to Tom Dallen, and Juan
searched Dianna’s background. They probably have questions as to what to
investigate next.”