A woman, he reminded himself, who had every intention of leaving him when this house was sold.
GABRIELLE LAY NAKED in bed, waiting for Derek to return home from work so he could join her. Her pregnancy had merely upped her horniness quotient, something Derek appreciated-when he wasn’t worrying about hurting the baby.
The telephone rang and she hoped it wasn’t Derek telling her he had to work late. “Hello?”
“Guess what?” Gabrielle recognized Amber’s excited voice.
“What?”
“Jason called to ask me to recommend a restaurant downtown. A place where he could take Lauren tonight. They’ll be out of the house!”
A sinking feeling settled in Gabrielle’s stomach. “I am not rushing over there tonight. I have plans!” She pulled on the sheet, which had begun to slip over her bare breasts.
Just then, she heard the lock turning. “Derek’s home,” she whispered to Amber.
“Well, find an excuse to run out and cause some benign damage at the house.”
“Why? Jason’s already sleeping there and he’s obviously taking her out for a special evening.” She needed her husband in her bed more than Jason and Lauren needed their meddling.
Amber snorted. “You never know what could happen. Uncle Edward could snap, Lauren could get cold feet. We just need Jason to think something’s going on at the house and he can’t leave Lauren alone.”
Gabrielle frowned. “I-”
“Are you waiting for me?” Derek called out.
“Of course I am!” Gabrielle shut her eyes. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Did you ever buy the Super Glue?” Amber asked.
“Yes. It’s in my trunk. I still think gluing the windows down is a stupid idea.”
“Then think of a better one, but do something!”
“But-”
“But nothing. I did the mice and it worked. Jason’s been staying over. But trust me, you owe me for handling that one. It’s your turn.”
“Are you naked?” Derek called out, his footsteps growing closer.
“Gotta go. Bye.” Gabrielle replaced the receiver at the same time Derek opened the bedroom door.
He must have been stripping all the way from the front door, because he was naked by the time he stepped into the doorway.
Gabrielle’s eyes gleamed as she looked at her husband. They might have been high school sweethearts and he’d been her first lover, but time had only made her love him more.
She raked her gaze over his aroused body. God, he was gorgeous. She slowly, seductively slid the sheets over her now fuller breasts and rounded stomach.
Derek’s eyes darkened at the sight. He stepped forward to join her and she thought she was the luckiest woman in the world.
And when his body draped hers, she could no longer think at all.
LIFE WAS all about risks, and Beth had taken a huge one stealing the nurse’s cell phone when the nutty patient at the far end of the hall had an honest-to-goodness heart attack. Nurse Stupid, as Beth liked to think of her, had been on the phone when the alarms went off and everyone ran down the hall.
Beth couldn’t believe her luck. She’d snuck out to find the nurse had dropped the phone on her desk. She already knew the construction work had been winding down and that would leave her without easy access to her lover, so she had to get her instructions to him any way she could.
She left him a message, telling him exactly what her sister had said about the electrical system being perfect. A perfect target that no one would ever follow up on, Beth thought. The perfect thing to sabotage. She instructed him to make sure he caused enough damage that there was no way her sister could close the deal on time. She had to make sure the house remained in her family’s possession until she discovered the diamonds. In her message, she warned that if she didn’t hear from him soon, she’d break out and come after him herself.
Yes, the call had been a risk, but she had him so wrapped around her finger with the lure of love, sex and money, he’d never turn her in.