Risky (Torn Between Two Lovers #2)(61)

“The Joaquin Delacruz?” her mother practically screeched in shock. “The billionaire?”

“The same.” In for a penny, as they say. “And older brother of Manny, the rat who was running drugs through Floor Fifty-Five.”

“What in the hell are you thinking getting mixed up with that family? Are you trying to get put in prison, or worse? I—Oh, no.” Margaret paused, then her voice lowered, her tone grim. “This new man you’re so interested in is Gray’s enemy. He told me himself how he’s been after this family for years. Do you realize what this is going to do to him when he finds out?”

“Yes,” she said miserably. “I don’t want to cause him more pain, but I really like Joaquin, Mom. There’s a connection between us, a real spark. How can I just ignore that?”

“Easy. You thank him for a nice time, get on a plane, and come home!”

“What about what I want?”

“You want to get caught in the crossfire? I’m not only talking about Gray and Joaquin, I’m talking about the Delacruz family and their kind. We have nothing in common with people like them, or their crooked world. Please, baby, come home.”

“I will, but not yet. I want to see where this goes. I promise to be careful.”

A resigned sigh came from the other end of the line. “All right. But the next time I see Gray, if he asks the right questions, I’m not going to lie to him for you.”

“I would never ask you to do that. I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too. If you get in too deep, promise you’ll call me, and then Gray.”

There was no getting around it. “I promise.”

“Okay. Keep in touch or I’ll send Gray after you whether it pisses you off or not.”

“I will. Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, honey.”

Ending the call, Anna wasn’t sure whether she felt better or worse. In some ways, a little of both. Her mother was smart enough to realize that meeting Joaquin was the reason for the call, and that Anna was more than a little conflicted about being with the man. But Margaret didn’t know exactly how far their acquaintance had progressed. If she did, she’d be a lot more worried.

With a sigh, she got dressed, pulling on a pair of purple shorts and a white tank top. She’d just slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops when there was a knock on her door. Cautiously, she approached and peered out the spy hole.

Joaquin. Well, that certainly hadn’t taken long. A bit nervous, she pulled open the door and did her best not to show it.


“Hey, there. I wasn’t expecting you.”

This made him frown. “Really? We spend the night making love, and I wake up and you’re gone. No note. I had to come and find out if I did something wrong.”

“No, of course not.” Stepping aside, she gestured to the living room. “Please, come in.”

Once he was in, he faced her squarely. His expression was somewhat guarded, as though he was unsure of his reception. “If you’re not upset with me, why did you leave?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess I thought you’d rather not wake up with your one-night stand in your bed.”

Moving close, he gave her a sexy smile. “There are a couple of things wrong with your assumptions. First of all, if I wanted you to go, I would’ve seen you out the door last night. Second, I’m kind of over sleeping around simply to get off, and I was hoping you got that message yesterday. I want to spend more time with you.”

“I’d like that very much.”

Looking pleased, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips. “Fantastic. What do you say we get out of here for a while and go on an excursion?”

“You mean off the resort?”

“Why not? The scenery is gorgeous, and there’s a market not far away. There are shops if you want to pick up gifts, and some restaurants we can choose from to eat lunch.”

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” she teased.

“I did my best.”

“Well, I would like to get my mother something, and lunch with a handsome man is always a great idea.”

With the awkwardness of the morning after put behind them, they set off in a car Joaquin had rented for the sole purpose of chauffeuring them around. It wasn’t fancy, nothing like a limo or even a luxury car, but the vehicle with its driver was theirs.

The burly man from this morning was riding shotgun.

“And what’s your name?” Anna inquired cheerfully as they climbed inside the car. “Rib Eye?”

“Huh?” The bodyguard squinted at her over his shoulder.

Joaquin laughed. “Anna, this is Henry. Henry, Anna.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Her smile was rewarded with a grudging greeting. “Yeah, you too.” With a grunt, he turned back around.

So much for a sense of humor. She glanced at her date, and he shrugged.

“My men are rather intense. Job hazard.”

“You don’t say?”

Anna quickly immersed herself in having fun with the man beside her. He was a good companion, entertaining her with stories of running his casinos and of all the stupid stuff people tried to get away with while gambling. Some were funny, like hearing about patrons who went through all sorts of superstitious rituals each time they sat at a machine. They’d do everything from rubbing it like a genie lamp to blessing it while holding a cross. As if any of that would do any good, because, he explained, every machine is preprogrammed far in advance to pay out certain combinations in an exact order, making it truly the luck of the draw for whomever sits down to play.