Falling From Grace (Leverage 3.5)

“This is larimar, the only stone exclusive to the Caribbean,” he said, pulling a few pieces from behind the glass. “It is found in the Dominican Republic and is very rare. Would you like to try it on? The color would complement your skin tone very nicely.”

She nodded eagerly and the jeweler slipped the ring on her finger, looking to Miles for his opinion. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” he said, agreeing with the jeweler that it looked fantastic against her golden skin. Then he added in a silky whisper meant for her alone, “The legend of larimar is that if you take it away from the Caribbean, it will compel you to return someday.”

He pulled away and a tiny smile lifted the corners of her mouth as a moment of sweet promise flowed between them but then a shadow dimmed the lovely light in her eyes and she forced a different kind of smile as she pulled the ring from her finger and handed it back to the jeweler. “It’s gorgeous but I think I’ll pass today.” Before he could ask her why she pulled him from the jeweler’s shop and announced that she wanted to try boiled bananas.

He chuckled but at the back of his mind, he knew something was still troubling Dani…something that made her hold back from loving him again. He didn’t know if that was a blessing in disguise or simply a painful truth that he wasn’t ready to accept.

Miles took her to a hole-in-the-wall diner that the locals frequented, The Lazy Donkey, and after they gave their orders, he grasped her hand in his and decided to broach the subject that was most on his mind. “What are we doing here?”

She gazed at him quizzically and answered, “Eating boiled bananas. Or was that a trick question?”

“C’mon, babe. Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about. What are we doing with each other?”

She tried a sweet smile and said, “Can’t we just keep doing what we’re doing and not worry about putting a label on it?”

He loved her smile but he wasn’t going to let her off so easily. “No,” he said firmly. “That was the problem last time and look where it got us.”

She withdrew her hand and shrugged. “Miles, I can’t go there right now. There’s too much in my life that I don’t have answers for much less what we have with each other. Let’s not ruin the day, okay?”

He frowned at her deflection and decided to just go for it. “What if I told you that I never stopped loving you?”

“Then I would say I feel the same but we come from different worlds and I don’t know that the two worlds can ever truly mesh.”

“We meshed just fine until you broke it off,” he reminded her.

A small smile at the memory curved her lips as she agreed softly. “Yeah, we did, huh?” But it faded too quickly as she followed with, “But too much has changed and trust me, you definitely wouldn’t like the world I live in now.”

“Such as?”

Dani shrugged and a bleak expression stole the joy from her eyes. “Miles, you caught a taste of my world back in L.A. and I could see your contempt quite easily. You’re no actor. What you feel is usually splayed all over your face. It’s what I love about you. There’s no subterfuge or deception. I don’t have to decipher your true meaning from what comes out of your mouth because you don’t play games like that.”

“So far I’m not seeing the problem,” he said.

She exhaled and shook her head with a groan. “Miles…I’m an actress. I’m gone three to four months out of the year and everyone is always trying to get a piece of my life. I’m always dodging the paparazzi and sometimes they tell terrible lies about me. What would you do if you saw a picture of me with a story blazed across the headline that I was screwing around? It happens. And it destroys relationships. I’ve done enough damage to you…I don’t want to hurt you again.”

As much as he didn’t want to admit that she might be right, he could see her point. He’d hate seeing her in the tabloids and it would be difficult to separate the lies from the truth. At a certain point, he would break. “So what you’re saying is we should just enjoy what we have right now and accept that when our time is over here, it’s over for good?”

She nodded sadly. “Yeah. Pretty much.”

He couldn’t accept that. Not ever. Not even if it meant that in the end, he’d get a heart full of misery for his trouble. He loved her — not in the fleeting kind of way that tickles as it passes — but in the kind of way that left a scar several layers deep and was always tender to the touch no matter how much time had passed. But she wasn’t ready to hear that. Not yet. So he’d pretend to go along with her reasoning for the time being if only to give her the space to accept that she couldn’t live without him just as much as he couldn’t live without her. And in the meantime, they’d enjoy boiled bananas.

-9-

Miles and Dani were just returning from The Lazy Donkey when Lindy Bell breezed into the lobby of Larimar, looking impossibly fabulous in spite of the hours spent traveling. Dani tried not to act star-struck but it was hard not to be affected by the reality that she was standing in the foyer, breathing the same air as someone as famous as Lindy. And the fact that Lindy was personally lobbying for Dani in Falling From Grace? Well, Dani was having a hard time keeping it together.

?

??How is it that you look movie-star fresh after an eight hour flight and yet I look like mashed donkey dung after the same flight?” Miles grinned as he folded Lindy into a hug.

“I’m used to the humidity,” Lindy answered with a laugh. “It’s in my blood.” She pulled apart and her gaze settled on Dani with open speculation, going straight to the introductions. “You must be Danielle St. Claire. I’m—”

“Lindy Bell,” Dani cut in with rabid excitement. “I’m sorry! But…I’m a huge fan.”

Lindy smiled. “Nice to meet you, too. Your work in Judgment was good. I think it takes talent to give depth to a part that’s essentially eye candy in an action flick. Has Miles talked to you about my latest pet project?”

“I have,” Miles answered for her, adding, “But maybe you could fill her in on the details.”

“Sounds good. How about we meet in the family section of the resort and we’ll hash it out over dinner.”

Dani bobbed a nod, too excited to act cool or nonchalant or every other bit of bad advice Raina had ever given her because she was standing next to the woman who was her idol and she didn’t care if she babbled or came off as an amateur rookie. Lindy waved and then she disappeared into the private section of the resort where the family lived. Dani whirled on Miles and planted a nice, long, deep and passionate kiss on him, breaking apart with a wild grin.

“What was that for?” Miles asked, his eyes hazed with sudden desire. “Not that I’m complaining…”

“Just because.” She left it at that. There was too much emotion swelling in her chest to think clearly and she didn’t want to think clearly. She wanted to roll around in all the lovely goodness permeating her soul and lifting her spirits because only God knew how long it would last and she was greedy for every blessed moment. Dani grasped Miles’ hand and practically dragged him to his bungalow, needing to feel his skin against hers to burn out some of this nervous energy or else she end up humping Lindy’s leg in adoration, effectively ruining any chance she might’ve had at looking cool in Lindy’s eyes. Unless by some strange quirk of fate, Lindy enjoyed leg humpers. Gahh! She was definitely babbling, even inside her head!