Biting my bottom lip, I smile apologetically at the same time. "I'm sorry that I don't remember, but it's nice to meet you Gavin." This is so much fun.

"Gabriel," Gabriel growls his own name in annoyance, making Max laugh even louder.

Max puts an arm around my shoulder and I allow it. "I think I'm already in love with you." If he were serious, I might actually feel bad. Nah, probably not. I'm pretty heartless.

Gabriel mumbles something I can't hear. Recovering swiftly, he then throws me a flirtatious smile and asks, "What cla.s.ses do you have in the afternoon?"

"Let me see." I pull out my schedule as if I don't already have it memorized, but he s.n.a.t.c.hes it out of my hand to scan it over.

His triumphant smile reminds me of Max's and I can see a slight family resemblance. But maybe it's just that their smiles are similar. "It looks like we have all the same cla.s.ses this afternoon. Out of the kindness of my heart, I'll help you find your remaining cla.s.ses, Anna." At that bit of benevolence, it's Max's turn to scowl. The atmosphere remains charged with testosterone-induced rivalry and tension for the rest of lunch. Gabriel is gleeful and Max is grumpy. I'm thinking this a.s.signment might end up being a little too easy. Xavier is as good as dead.

When we're getting up from the lunch table, Max reaches out to touch my upper arm. Talking softly, even though Gabriel is two feet across from us, he asks, "Can I talk to you alone for a minute, Anna?"

"Sure," I respond casually.

Gabriel quickly interrupts, "Sorry Max, not enough time. Our cla.s.s is on the other side of the building." Gabriel puts an arm around my waist and starts guiding me towards the entrance of the lunchroom. Making sure to give Max a warm smile over my shoulder, I allow Gabriel to lead me out. Naughty boy. Our cla.s.s is actually quite close to the lunchroom, which I'm sure Max is well aware of. A person in my profession can appreciate Gabriel's sneakiness, though. He's a liar after my own heart.

His arm is still around my waist as we're walking down the hallway, which I allow. A few girls are glaring at me. Wow, those teen movies were right. Gabriel starts rubbing my hip with his thumb. Someone's a little too sure of himself. I get a little thrill from it, but quickly block it out. The guy and his cousin may be handsome as h.e.l.l, but so are a lot of other men. I've even met handsomer.

A blonde girl steps in front of us with her hands on her hips, sneering. "Are you f.u.c.king her too?"

I just stand there with a blank face, wanting to both laugh and slap her at the same time. Gabriel acts annoyed with her. "No. Now go away, Carmen." This girl wasn't in Gabriel's file, but with all the girls that he's dated, enough to fill a harem, it's no surprise that one or two slipped notice.

"Good," Carmen says and wraps her arms around Gabriel's waist, laying her head against his chest. "I've missed you Gabe. Let's ditch and go to your place." His arm is still around my waist and I'm getting a creepy third wheel feeling. Seriously didn't think teenage girls really acted this way, but okay. The girls here are in such dire need of guidance.

"Let's not," he says decidedly, in a cold tone, while unwrapping her arms from his waist. With two hands on her shoulders, he moves her body an arm's length away. "I've gotta go, Carmen. How about I not see you later?" The girl looks murderously at me. Whatever, I could have a knife in her jugular before she even finished that homicidal thought. Putting his arm around my waist again, we continue walking. "Sorry about that." Do I detect a blush on those high cheekbones of his?

"About what?" I ask him with false confusion.

"About that psycho, girl can't take a hint. Sorry if it made you jealous," he says apologetically, while shaking his head remorsefully.

I laugh loudly enough for a few heads to turn our way. "Why would I be jealous?"

He gives me a startled look, grumbling, "Never mind." But dammit, he's right. For some inexplicable reason, I actually am a little jealous. I look Gabriel over in my confusion. Sure he's hot, but not the first of his kind that I've dealt with while on a job. Why is this particular guy inspiring ridiculous feelings in me that I've never felt before? I must be reading it wrong. That or I forgot to bring my common sense with me on this job.

Gabriel I'm starting to get really annoyed and do I detect discouragement on my part? Impossible! Usually girls are all over me by now and always jealous of other girls that I've, uh, a.s.sociated with, but not Anna. Maybe she's into Max. No, that can't be right. They always choose me over Max, when I want them to that is. She is so f.u.c.king s.e.xy, so hot in that outfit. Her legs are smooth and the golden skin gleams, like she applied a generous amount of lotion to them before school. I love when chicks do that. To prevent calluses from surfing and other sports, I try to keep my hands moisturized. The better to touch you with, Anna.

She's not as . . . eager as other girls. Guess I'll just have to be more aggressive. "Do you want to hang out after school?"

She finally looks at me again. "Sorry, can't."

That's it? Not even an explanation as to why she can't? "Do you already have plans?" I ask, wondering if Max beat me to it.

"Not really but what if I'm tired or something? Better leave it free in case I want to take a nap," she says as if it makes total sense.

She's freakin' kidding, right? Is she for real or just f.u.c.king with me? First, she smiles and winks at me in the club on Friday. Then she disappears while I'm trying to woo her at the bar. Then today, she doesn't remember me in the parking lot this morning, but smiles and winks again at me before first period. She isn't even jealous of another girl and now she's basically telling me that a nap sounds like more fun than hanging out with me. A nap that she may not even end up taking!

In cla.s.s, I show her to a seat next to my usual one. The psych teacher asks her to come up and introduce herself, and conveniently enlighten me in the process. I learn that she just moved from Hong Kong, but has lived in other cities. She sits back down, but she doesn't even look at me or talk to me. Halfway through cla.s.s, a note lands on my desk. In growing excitement, I unfold it, reading the slanted, feminine script.

Thanks for the drink on Friday night.

My head whips up to meet her gaze. She gives me a mischievous smile and winks.

She has been f.u.c.king with me this entire time! I should be mad, but instead I'm incredibly turned on. I have to make this girl mine for a while. No one's gonna get in my way, not even Max. Thinking on the matter for the rest of the period, I fail to take notes. Maybe I'll ask her to borrow hers. A glance in her direction shows that she isn't bothering to write down any of what the teacher's saying either. The bell rings and she leaves cla.s.s without waiting for me, causing me to lose her in the crowded hall. When I get to my next cla.s.s, she's already sitting in the back.

Taking a seat next to her, I turn in the chair to face her. "Did you have any trouble finding it?"

"No, I knew where all my cla.s.ses were before I came to school today," she states nonchalantly. "I had a tour, of sorts, over the weekend." Her secret smile makes me wonder at her thoughts.

She's rubbing a finger over the material of her skirt. I watch the back and forth motion, while speaking. "Then why did you let both me and Max think that you didn't?"

"Well, you guys were just too cute wanting to help me. I didn't want to disappoint you." What a brat.

"Are you really planning on taking a nap after school?" I ask, realizing that she likes to mess with people, so maybe I should question the words that come from that taunting mouth.

She laughs and the sound of it has me wanting to hear it again. "I haven't taken a nap since I was a child." She makes a sour face. "Nannies suck."

"I wouldn't know," I say, shrugging. My mom was pretty hands-on, except for an occasional babysitter. "So were you, in truth, jealous of Carmen?" Jealously would mean she likes me, girls tend to be territorial. Please be jealous.

She pats my face condescendingly. "No, but if you want me to, I'll pretend that I was."

"You and I are hanging out after school," I inform her, deciding a more aggressive approach would definitely be easier.

"I don't know," she says slowly. With a smirk and a wicked glint in her gold-flecked eyes, she continues, "Max wanted to talk to me alone. Maybe you should give me his cell number so I can text him and see if he wanted to ask me to hang out after school." The brat.

"Max is gay," I tell her in a consoling tone, faking a grimace.

She laughs again, but it's drowned out by the bell. "You're lying."

The teacher is writing some terms on the board, with her back to the cla.s.s. I know we only have a minute or two until she'll take roll and demand our attention. "Yes, I am. But, it doesn't matter what Max wanted, because you're hanging out with me." I'm pretty confident at this point that I'll be getting my way. Her skin looks so soft that I can practically hear it calling out to me, 'Touch me, Gabriel!'

"We'll see," is all she noncommittally says. Yes, we will.

After our last cla.s.s, I walk her to her car in the parking lot. Trying to hold her hand, she laughs and disengages, giving me a playful, chiding look. Hey, a guy's gotta try. "So, what would you like to do? Go to a movie?" Dark is good, privacy is really good.

She gives me a devious look. "How about this, if you can keep up with me, then we'll hang out." As she gets behind the wheel of her car, I'm confused until she clarifies, "You better hurry up and get into your car. Mine is pretty fast."

At that, I'm sprinting over to my car and starting the engine in five seconds flat. She's already pulling out of the parking lot. I speed after her and catch up down the street at a red light. My phone starts playing "I Ain't Mad At Cha" by 2Pac. Answering it distractedly, I bark out, "What's up, Cuz?"

"Where the h.e.l.l are you?" Max asks suspiciously "I'm speeding down the street, away from school," I tell him, not wanting to clarify further.

"Why?" d.a.m.n, he's gonna be p.i.s.sed.

"To keep up with the hot chick in the yellow Lamborghini in front of me, of course," I answer in a 'duh' tone.

"f.u.c.ker! I'm going to shoot you in your sleep, Gabriel!" he yells. Uh-oh, angry Max is rearing his ugly head. I refrain from laughing into the phone, not taking Max's threat seriously.

Then I fail and laugh anyway. "No you're not. You're going to forgive me like you always do, because I'm your favorite cousin."

"You're my only cousin and not this time, Gabriel. You know I want her and not just for a quick screw like you." His vehemence is touching, but I've heard it before.

"I'm offended." I pretend to be offended. "A long screw is what I'm after. Anyways, gotta go. It's not safe to drive and talk on the phone at the same time." Hanging up and shutting off my phone, I wonder if Anna is actually trying to lose me in the traffic. Either that or she's insane. I am so turned on right now.

After barely managing to keep up with her, she pulls into the parking lot of the The Setai hotel. I park my red Ferrari in the s.p.a.ce next to her and quickly get out and open her door for her. Realizing that I'm acting too eager, like Carmen, I slow my pace. "Were you trying to ditch me?"

She smiles secretively. "Maybe."

"What are we doing here? Do you want to get a room?"

She rolls her eyes. "I already have one. I live here until my parents buy a place."

"Do I get a reward for keeping up?" I ask, zeroing in on her full lips.

"Yes, you get the pleasure of my company for the next couple hours." With that, she wanders away from me, clicking the alarm on her car after I slam the door shut.

Chapter 4.

Annabelle "So, this is your city, what do you wanna do?" An image of a seventeen year old boy's favorite activity and us engaging in it flashes through my mind. Naughty Annabelle.

"Who needs to go anywhere when we have a perfectly good hotel room upstairs?" Naughty Gabriel. Not that my experience with older men has taught me that they're any different. Just add age, money and power to the equation and you get the type of man I usually deal with. Briefly, I wonder how Gabriel will turn out. Like his father? Will someone like me kill him one day? The thought makes me sad but I brush it off as not my problem.

Leaning close to him, I can smell the spicy scent of his cologne. "How about we go for a walk on the beach instead?" Reading his intentions, I pull away before he can close the distance with his lips and start walking around the hotel to the beach.

The sound of his boots. .h.i.tting the asphalt signals his closeness. "Don't you want to go upstairs to change first?" He clears his throat. "Change into a bikini?" Jesus, I can feel his eyes on my a.s.s. Adding a little extra sway to my hips for the fun of it, I get the reaction I'm looking for when I hear Gabriel's tortured groan.

"Nah." I keep strolling along. He's walking parallel to me when we reach the sand. I grip the back strap on one shoe and tug it off. The other one drops into the sand next to it. Gabriel chooses to leave his boots on. I meet his eyes to see him watching me intently.

We're walking in silence for a full minute, with the cool sand beneath my feet and the ocean breeze playing gently with my loose hair, before Gabriel speaks, "So, who was the guy at the club? Your boyfriend?"

Yep, all men are the same. "Max was asking about him too."

"Well, what did you tell him?" Gabriel prompts impatiently.

"I didn't tell him anything, but if you must know, no, he isn't my boyfriend. I don't believe in relationships." Not a lie.

"Well, who is he?" Gabriel asks again in a more impatient tone. Clearly, Gabriel is used to getting what he wants and not having to wait for it.

Letting a long moment pa.s.s, I pretend to study the red nail polish on my fingernails. "Why, do you want me to hook you up with him?" I tease, still not giving him a straight answer.

"No, but Max may be interested," he retorts, before moving on to the next question, "So, do you like Max?"

"Is this the part where I check the box 'yes' or 'no'?"

"Why is it so hard to get you to answer a question seriously?" he asks in exasperation, his eyes flaring wide.

"Why do you care?" I counter, realizing that I'm messing with him for my own amus.e.m.e.nt, not to further the a.s.signment. Staring at the incoming waves, it's beautiful, but I've enjoyed watching the sunset from my balcony even more the past few nights.

"See! That's what I'm talking about!" He grabs my forearm to pull me to a stop and I contemplate throwing him onto his back, watching him slam into the sand. We're facing each other and I'm staring up into his piercing green eyes. d.a.m.n those eyes, something about looking into them makes me uncomfortable. Gives me the feeling that he's going to see more than what I present on the surface. Discover my secrets. The way he's looking at me, like he's trying to figure me out, not just get into my pants, again makes me want to slam him to the ground. Looking deeper will get you nowhere, Gabriel Sanchez.

"It's going to get dark soon," I tell him, glancing away before he can see any of my true feelings. "We should head back."

"Not for a couple more hours. Besides, I like the dark," he murmurs. "It gives us privacy for this." Weaving his fingers through my hair, near my scalp, he brings my head forward to meet his lips with mine. I allow it. The instant our lips touch, it feels as though I've been shocked with a stun gun set on a low voltage, but in a good way. Pulling back from his lips, I see the same confusion on his face that I'm feeling. Something about this kiss was different than others I've experienced. Disturbed, I start to pull away as he whispers, "Shh," then brings his lips back down onto mine.

The spark is still there and, as the kiss deepens, it feels like the whole world is disappearing around us. Fastening my arms around his waist, I forget this is a job. I forget that his father is the target. I kiss him back as pa.s.sionately as he's kissing me. A part of me is alarmed because it feels better than it should, better than it has before. He lowers me onto the sand in a practiced move and begins to kiss a slow path down my neck, making me moan softly. One of his hands is still tangled in my hair while the other has forged a flaming path along one side of my body ending on my thigh, gripping it, branding it with his touch. Lying on the cool sand, his heat feels more intense as my own hands grip his back through his thin shirt, pressing him closer to me. I want more, need more of him.

He pulls his head back slightly, not putting much s.p.a.ce between us, but enough that I'm again looking into his mesmerizing eyes, eyes that gleam with possession. "You're mine, Anna." He's not smiling smugly as I would have thought, and the sincerity of his words is evident.

His bold statement snaps me out of my stupor. Shaken, I quickly scramble up and start backing away. "I'll never belong to anyone," I say like a spaz and whirl around to jog away like a coward. G.o.d, I hope Jackson wasn't watching that pathetic spectacle from the balcony. Pa.s.sing the spot where I left my shoes, I grab them. Clumsily, I put them back on, not bothering to brush off the sand on my soles, and rush into the hotel.

Not once do I stop to look back at Gabriel, half-afraid of what I might see and strangely half-afraid of what I might not see. These feelings make no G.o.d d.a.m.n sense to me! Once I'm alone in the privacy of the elevator, I lean against the wall and take a deep, calming breath. See, that anomaly was nothing to worry about, Annabelle, just a surge of teenage hormones trying to get the better of you. Looking at myself in the mirrored elevator wall, I smooth down my mussed hair. Don't want to give Jackson anything to make fun of.

A contrary part of my brain makes me question if what just happened out there was just teenage hormones. That was the most unsettling moment ever in my career thus far. I've kissed lots of guys and I've never experienced anything like that. The word 'love' flashes through my mind and I give my head a shake. Love is for fools. Gabriel isn't any more interested in love than I am. l.u.s.t would be a more appropriate description of what happened down on that beach. Careful, Annabelle, or you're going to sabotage your own a.s.signment. Getting emotionally involved leads to problems, both Marie and Simon taught me that.

Getting access to Xavier Sanchez's home would have been easier through Gabriel, but I obviously can't trust myself around him. As I get off the elevator, I decide that I'll just have to use Max to get to Xavier. Gabriel isn't an option anymore. The less time I spend with him the better. After all, I will be killing his father.

Gabriel She felt it too. I've never felt anything near as powerful as that with any other girl. Wonder what the s.e.x will be like. The words 'on fire' come to mind. Usually, when I'm kissing a girl I'm thinking about moving on to the s.e.x. With Anna, I could have just kept kissing her forever. Jesus Christ! I sound like Max, all hung up on some girl. Next I'll be reading poetry and watching chick flicks. Not that Max does either, but still.

Whatever! All I know is that Anna can run away all she wants, but she can't deny that there's something between us, something hot and worth exploring. Deciding to give her a short reprieve, because the girl was all worked up, I get into my car and drive home. When I get there Max is waiting for me in the formal living room. Big surprise, he's at my house more than his own. Plus, he plans on shooting me in my sleep. Uh-huh, sure.

In jeans and a t-shirt Max looks out of place in the posh, airy s.p.a.ce. With ivory leather sofas, plush sand-colored rugs and crystal tumblers with candles or fresh cut orchids floating, this room always makes me feel like I'm going to break or stain something. The cashmere curtains are swinging with the breeze from the open French patio doors, which makes the room a little less stifling. My mom could be an interior designer if she wanted to, though I refuse to let her redecorate my bedroom. The thought of sailboat wallpaper makes me shudder.

"Leave her alone," Max says heatedly before I can even get out a h.e.l.lo.

Okay, so that's how this is going to play out. Pretending to think it over, I slowly say, "No, I don't think I will."

"You can have any girl you want. Let me have this one," he says. Please, like he ever suffers in the girl department.

"Well, this is the only one I want. I think I'll even keep her for a month or two," I say airily, meaning it and more.

Not giving up, he takes another tactic. "I really like her."

"You like all of them," I scoff, unwilling to take him seriously.

"She's different." His eyes are showing that maybe she is different for him.

"I've heard that before." I'm actually starting to feel a little bad about it, but I'd feel bad for me too, if I gave her up. Which Max will be the one to do.

My mom walks into the room, obviously just coming in from the pool in her sarong, with her blonde hair wet. Unaware of the hostility in the atmosphere, she asks, "Max, are you staying for dinner?"

"No," Max replies and leaves the room abruptly. The squeak of his shoes on the marble entryway precedes his slamming of the front door behind him. Max and I haven't thrown down in a while, but with my mom showing up it wasn't an option. It upsets her to see us fight.

"What was that about?" my mom asks in bewilderment.