Deadly Little Secrets Page 0,82

she knew it now.

“Do come and let me introduce you to some people, Dav, Gates, ladies. It’s a wonderful turnout tonight.” Drake started them all down the stairs into the main gallery where all the bars were set up, directing them easily through the crowd.

Gates’s hand was on her back again, and he whispered in her ear as they paused in their progress through the throng. “He’s an annoyance, isn’t he?”

She gave a slight nod, careful to keep the pleasant smile on her face.

“I want to take your dress off and make love to you, right now,” he continued in the same whisper, never letting on that he was seducing her in the middle of the crowded room. The heat of his hand, the sweep of his fingers in that hypnotic rhythm were a poignant reminder of how they’d been together, and she could feel the blush rising from her cleavage up her neck and into her cheeks. “You’re beautiful when you blush.” His parting shot left her hotter than ever, but thankfully the jam-up of people shifted and they moved forward once more. If he continued to tease her, stroke her all night, she was going to explode.

The mental image of the two of them tangled together in bed made her wet with anticipation.

Forcing herself to focus, she pasted on a social smile and shook hands with the governor and his gracious wife, several congressmen and a congresswoman, along with a welter of social lions from the San Francisco community. At every turn, the cameras flashed, and she fielded numerous questions about her dress, the designer, and her jewelry.

They were alone with Dav for a few moments, which gave her a chance to speak to him. “Thanks for bringing Sophia. It takes the spotlight off me,” she said, watching the paparazzi maneuver in the crowd to get a shot of the gorgeous woman, now talking with a director who lived in the Bay Area.

“My pleasure,” he drawled. “She is a distant relative, and it did us both good to be seen here tonight.” He smiled at her, a twinkle in his eye. “I did not, however, want her to get the wrong impression.” Something over her shoulder caught his eye, and she saw his gaze sharpen and his body language change. For a moment, she saw something in his face that could have been hunger, something so deep and personal, that she caught her breath. Then he pulled down his social mask once more.

“Dav?” Gates must have seen it too, because there was more than a question in his voice.

Without answering the question, Dav smiled at Ana, but his attention was still across the room. “If you’ll excuse me?”

“Of course.” Standing together, Gates and Ana watched him move through the crowd, stopping only briefly when someone detained him for a handshake or introduction. Looking ahead, she saw what Dav had seen, the goal he was aiming for. “Interesting,” she breathed, remembering the gallery opening, and Dav’s interest in Carrie McCray.

“What?”

“Carrie McCray,” she murmured, directing his attention. As they watched, Dav reached her and even from where they stood they could see the pleased smile that suffused her face, the slight flush in her cheeks as Dav steered her toward the bar.

“So that’s who it is.” Gates’s murmur carried no farther than her ears. “I’ve been wondering.”

“Wondering?” Gates and Dav were close, she knew it, but their relationship was still opaque to her in so many ways. Gates was far more than the security droid he made himself out to be. While he was less than a full partner in all of Dav’s businesses, she believed he was as close to that as Dav might ever allow.

“He’s been distracted in the last week, and not just with the incidents. At first, he mentioned relocating to Europe.” Gates let his hand resume its restless movement at the small of her back. “I wasn’t in favor of that,” he said, his voice warm and caressing as he added, “for a variety of reasons.” After a moment, he continued. “Usually, he just makes a decision and goes, but this time, although he talked about it, he didn’t pack, didn’t change anything. That frequently means there’s a woman in the picture. He’s always had a soft spot for Carrie, but I wasn’t sure it went any deeper than that. In fact, I thought it might be Sophia.”

“She’s too young for him.” Ana kept her voice low as well, unwilling to provide fodder for the