Hard Deal

But she’d had excitement before. She’d had the wild thrill of an electric, charismatic man sweeping her off her feet and filling her head with false promises. A guy who flew in and out of her life as he pleased, drama and chaos nipping at his heels. It was exhilarating to be wanted by a man who could have anyone, sure. But it was also exhausting, stressful and left her heart shattered into a billion jagged pieces.

In other words, excitement was not all it was cracked up to be. Which was why she needed to focus on her mission.

Then she spotted him. The gold mask gleamed under the twinkling light of the grand chandelier. The design left part of his jaw free, and showed some of the styled hair at the back of his head. Imogen squinted. She hadn’t remembered Daniel’s hair being quite so fair, but he could have dyed it. It wouldn’t surprise her—the guy did get weekly manicures after all. He was also looking more trim than usual, but her sister had mentioned something about them being on a prewedding diet. No carbs or some such craziness.

She made her way forward, heading toward a waiter who was standing near Daniel and the man he was talking to. Smiling, she accepted a flute of champagne and took a delicate sip. Up close, the masked man looked broader and more athletic than she remembered of her future brother-in-law. Imogen bit down on her lip. He had said his mask was one of a kind, so this must be him. But something didn’t seem quite right.

“Oh my, I love your dress.” A woman in a long blue ball gown came over to get a closer look at Imogen’s borrowed outfit.

Grateful for the chance to better blend in, Imogen positioned herself so she was in earshot of the man in the golden mask. As the other woman started talking about designers and ball gowns, Imogen strained to listen to the conversation between the two men beside her.

“...you simply have no idea how difficult the wedding folks are. The silver and gold clashes, my good chum. It clashes terribly.” The man made a gesture with his hands, rolling them at the wrists. She’d recognise it anywhere. It was hard to hear what Daniel’s companion was saying, as he was farther away. “Penny and I are delighted to be married and everything must be perfect for my darling ball and chain.”

Penny. Imogen breathed a sigh of relief. She’d let it slide that he’d referred to her sister as a “ball and chain” for the moment. At least she knew she had her man.

“Don’t you think?” the woman in the blue ball gown asked. Oops! She’d been too busy eavesdropping to know how to respond. “I mean,” the woman continued, “I know they predicted last year that cerulean was going to be all the rage, but I rather prefer navy. It’s much more elegant.”

“I totally agree.” Imogen bobbed her head and took a sip of her champagne.

By the time she turned her head back to Daniel, he’d started walking away. Imogen smiled and made an interested mmm-hmm sound so the woman in the blue dress would keep talking.

“But we decided to go with this shade because it’s in the middle. Fashionable but still elegant, because I don’t want to be completely off-trend...”

Daniel stopped in front of a woman in a full-skirted dress in a vibrant pattern that looked like it could have been lifted directly from an Impressionist painting. Her mask was elaborately designed, with lace and ribbon in shades of soft pink, purple and yellow.

“But I mean this is the biggest event of the year. One must step out of their comfort zone.”

“Absolutely,” Imogen said, her eyes fixed on her brother-in-law as he chatted to the woman in the stunning dress.

Perhaps this was the blonde she’d seen him with at the bar a few weeks back. Between the mask and full-skirted gown, it was impossible to tell. But then he reached down and grabbed her hand, slipping his fingers between hers. It was an intimate gesture. Definitely not the kind of thing two strangers did.

Bile rushed up the back of her throat. Poor Penny. She was so in love with Daniel and here he was acting like she meant nothing at all—and after talking about her moments earlier, no less. Imogen drained the rest of her champagne and excused herself from the conversation with the woman in the blue dress.

Daniel might think he could keep someone on the side, but Imogen wouldn’t allow it. The memories rushed back—of finding her husband’s dating profile on a site specially for people wanting extramarital affairs. Counting the women he’d agreed to meet with...one, two, ten. Fifteen. More. He hadn’t even tried to deny it.

That one time she had used the F-word.

Daniel and the mystery woman made their way to the courtyard, heads bowed. His companion smiled, her perfect white teeth practically sparkling like in those cheesy toothpaste ads. Imogen could almost hear the ping sound-effect. Ugh.

Her stomach churned and a wave of uneasiness washed over her. How was she going to break the news to her big sister? Penny was so optimistic and caring and kind. The wedding was her whole world right now and this would shatter everything.

But what was the alternative? Letting her sister walk down the aisle with a guy who didn’t deserve her? Letting her have that sickening moment of discovering betrayal?

No. That couldn’t happen.

Imogen flagged down another waiter and snagged a glass of champagne. She hovered at the edge of the ballroom and kept her eyes on Daniel. It wouldn’t do to get too close in case they spotted her. If she spooked him now, there might not be another chance. Holding her champagne flute in one hand, she used her other hand to fish her phone out of her evening bag. Photographic evidence, that was what she needed.

Once he and the mystery woman walked into the courtyard and rounded a corner, Imogen set off again. The string quartet played a lively piece of music and people flocked to the dance floor. Judging by all the giggling and the unsteady way some women tottered in their heels, the circulating drinks were doing their job. Hopefully it would mean Imogen’s actions would go unnoticed.

She headed outside and made sure her steps were slow and easy. Like she had all the time in the world. Balmy air brushed her bare arms and caused the panels of her skirt to flutter around her ankles. The scent of white flowers enveloped her in a heady, intoxicating hug. Every detail of this ball had been meticulously thought through—from the white roses and gardenia trees dotting the courtyard to the tiny white cakes sitting pretty on silver trays. It was impossibly romantic. Like a grown-up version of Alice’s Wonderland.

For a moment Imogen stood there, sucking it all in. If only she was here for fun and frivolity, rather than amateur sleuthing—all because Daniel couldn’t keep it in his pants.

Draining the rest of the champagne, Imogen set the flute down on a table. Liquid courage acquired.

Refocusing, she scanned the courtyard. No gold mask or Impressionist dress. They must have snuck off for some privacy. Imogen followed a path that led deeper into the mansion’s gardens, all the way to the stables at the back of the property.

She toyed with her phone. How on earth was she supposed to get a picture of them without being completely obvious?

You’re a master of improvisation. You’ll think of something.

Flying by the seat of her pants—or in this case, by the skirt of her sexy lace gown—was so not her style. But she had to go with the flow, no matter how uncomfortable it made her.

The stables were set back on the property, away from the main building. But against the brown tones of wood and trees, the mystery woman’s dress was easily visible. From this angle, Imogen couldn’t see Daniel and she definitely couldn’t get a photo. The zoom on her iPhone camera wasn’t exactly paparazzi-worthy.

“Shoot,” she muttered. If she walked too much farther along the path she’d come into their view. There was only one option.

Sighing, Imogen hiked up her dress and bundled the length in one hand as she stepped onto the grass.

* * *

“I can’t believe you picked me out right away,” Caleb said.

Karolina made a snorting sound. “You’re wearing literally the most ostentatious mask I’ve ever seen, and I would know that cocky swagger anywhere.”

He chuckled. “Subtly isn’t one of my strong suits, huh?”

Karolina Petrov-Wells was a longtime friend of both his and Jason’s. She had a fun-loving, vibrant and vivacious personality and could make anyone smile. Which was why Caleb had crushed on her hard all through high school. But after sharing an awkward kiss in their university days, it was clear the romantic chemistry wasn’t there. They’d decided to remain friends and Caleb was happy it had turned out that way. She was the sister he’d never had.

“So, are you going to tell me why you dragged me out to the stables so we could ‘talk’? This doesn’t seem like the place where a lot of talking happens.” He waggled his brows in an exaggerated fashion that was about as far from sexy as he could possibly get. “Are you going to seduce me?”

“You wish.” She grinned. “Seriously though, I needed to escape for a minute. I swear, if my mother drags me over to one more ‘suitor’—”

“Suitor?”

“Yeah.” Karolina snorted. “She actually said that. Pretty sure she thinks we’re living in a Jane Austen novel.”

He shook his head. “I don’t see what the big rush is.”

“Well, I’ll be thirty next year, Caleb,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Apparently that means my uterus is about to shrivel up and die. I told her I didn’t need to get married in order to have a baby.”

Caleb stifled a laugh. “How did that go down?”

“Uh, not well.” She bobbed her head. “Not well at all. I don’t suppose you want to marry me?”

He raised a brow and Karolina burst into a laugh a second later. “Can you not even keep a straight face through your phony marriage proposal?”

“Sorry.” She pressed a hand to her stomach and shook her head. “The thought of it... We’d drive each other crazy.”

“We certainly would.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Besides, one sham marriage is enough for my family.”

Karolina made a tutting sound. “Stop that. Your parents are not in a sham marriage.”

“Okay, a one-sided marriage.”

“Not even that.” She placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. “Look, I know what they have isn’t perfect. But that doesn’t make it fake. Jase was telling me things have been tense between you and Gerald. You’re projecting. I bet he’s different when it’s the two of them.”

He made a noncommittal noise. “You sound like Jase.”

“That’s because he’s the smart one,” she said with a wink. She was winding him up now, the little minx.

“I’m not going to bite.”

“Damn, you’re getting too good for me.” She grinned. “I used to be able to tug on your strings a lot easier than that.”

“Not anymore, I’m afraid.” He slung an arm around her shoulder. “I’m awake to your tricks.”

“I guess we should go, huh? God, these things are such a drag.” Grinning, she turned her face up to his and planted a kiss on his jaw below his mask. She looked at him as if waiting for something, then she pressed her lips together. “Nope, nothing. Not even a little zing.”

He chuckled and wiped at his face where there was no doubt an imprint of Karolina’s bright pink lipstick. “Some people are meant to be friends, Karo.”

She sighed. “It would be easier if that wasn’t the case. Then we could get married and everyone would leave us alone.”

“No way,” he said. “You deserve the real deal. Hearts and flowers and all that shit.”

“And all that shit, huh?” She rested her head against his shoulder. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t object to having the perfect person land in my lap so I could skip the whole dating thing.”

At that moment there was a loud thud outside the stables followed by a high-pitched squeak. What the hell? Was someone spying on them?

CHAPTER FIVE

“JUST FREAKING GREAT.” Imogen planted a hand on the ground and tried to stand. She could already tell there’d be a grapefruit-size bruise on her butt.

But bruises were the least of her problems. Her dress was stuck on a bush and her shaking hands couldn’t free it.

Everything had been going along smoothly, too. She’d found a window to peer through that was clear enough for her phone camera to get a decent shot of what was going on inside the stables. It was a trade-off—she couldn’t hear what either person was saying, but she had more places to hide than if she’d approached the entrance.

When Daniel had put his arm around the woman and she’d kissed him, Imogen had taken a perfect shot. But in trying to get the best angle, her sandal had slipped on a loose rock and she’d gone down like a sack of potatoes.

“Graceful as a baby freaking elephant,” she muttered.

All she had to do was get her dress free, then she could slip back into the ball with her phone in hand. Hopefully Daniel and the mystery woman hadn’t heard her. She strained to listen, but the only thing her ears picked up were the distant notes of the string quartet.

She located the offending pieces of shrubbery holding her captive and carefully extracted the lace. There was a hole but it was tiny. The dress was a loaner, and Imogen couldn’t afford to drain her bank account because of a stupid bush. Breathing a sigh of relief, Imogen got to her feet and tried to see where her phone had landed.

“Fudge nuggets,” she muttered, glancing up at the window. Thankfully there wasn’t a face peering down at her, but she needed to find her phone. Now.

Hoisting her dress up, so it wouldn’t catch on the bush again, she searched the ground. The phone had bounced close to where she landed, so the blasted thing couldn’t have gone too far. Maybe it was on the grass behind her. The second Imogen turned her stomach plummeted.

Daniel stood in front of her, lips pressed into a hard line as he held her phone in one hand. Even though his face was mostly covered, he still managed to effectively radiate a “peeved as hell” vibe.

“I can explain,” she said, her mind kicking into overdrive. Which wasn’t a good thing—she tended to word-vomit when she got nervous.

“Go on,” he said, folding his arms across his chest and keeping her phone out of reach.

Out of the corner of her eye Imogen saw the mystery woman approaching, but Daniel waved her away. Once they were alone, Imogen sucked in a deep breath and pressed her hands to her stomach to quell the butterflies flapping up a storm.

“I don’t know how to say this, but I was following you.” Her mouth was drier than desert dust, but she forged on. “I know it was wrong, but I thought you’d lie if I confronted you. You have to understand, I’m looking out for Penny. I can’t have her marrying someone who’s cheating on her.”

Her words were met with a wall of silence, which only served to irritate her further. She balled her hands into fists as fury filtered through her veins. How could he stand there and not say a freaking thing? He wasn’t even defending himself.

“Seriously, did you think you could cheat and no one would ever find out? She loves you and you’re treating her like...like...” She shook her head. “Shite.”

“Shite?” The amusement in his voice made her see red.

“Yes, shite. And I’m not going to allow it.” She stuck her hand out. “Give me back my phone. Now.”

Silence.

She could rush him and hope that their size differential would be negated by the element of surprise. That might get her kicked out of the ball. Not that it mattered, now she had the evidence. But she needed to get her phone back...by any means necessary.

“If you don’t say something, this is going to end badly for you.” Her voice had taken on a shaky quality now. Adrenaline pumped through her body, preparing her fight response. Because she sure as hell wasn’t going to pick flight now. “Hand over the phone.”

“Who do you think I am?” he asked.

“Oh come on, Daniel,” she scoffed. “You’re really going to play that card? I heard you talking about Penny before. Ball and chain, huh? That’s real charming.”

* * *

Caleb wasn’t sure what kind of twilight zone fantasy land he’d ended up in, but this was a hell of a lot more interesting than what was going on inside the ballroom. After hearing the thud outside the stables, he’d gone to investigate only to find a woman in the sexiest black dress he’d ever seen on hands and knees, trying to disentangle herself from a bush. It wasn’t until he’d spotted the shiny silver case of a phone that he figured out what she’d been up to.

The mystery woman was an amateur paparazzo. He’d fully intended on handing the phone over. After all, it was clearly a case of mistaken identity. There wasn’t a person in the world who would care that he was having a “secret” meeting with Karolina Petrov-Wells. And the fact that she’d now called him “Daniel” was proof of that.

But the mistaken identity wasn’t the bit that interested him most about this situation. Oh no. What had his whole body buzzing was the glimpse of the diamond tattoo on this woman’s rib cage. It was clear she’d used that weird tape girls loved to keep her dress in place, but it must have come unstuck when she’d fallen and now the dress gaped enough to reveal the edge of some sexy, minimalist ink.

Prim Miss Imogen Hargrove.

If the tattoo hadn’t given her away, the self-righteous tone and use of shite would have done it. What the hell was she doing here?

And damn, her body was like a fucking midnight fantasy in that dress. The glossy black panels of silk and lace hugged her curvy figure, the plunging neckline giving him a good look at her gorgeous, full breasts.

The only problem was, if he said too much he’d give his identity away. And he wasn’t done with this bizarre exchange yet. So he bit his tongue, stifling a laugh as she got angrier and angrier at him.

“Seriously, what man refers to his future wife as a ball and chain?” She planted her hands on her hips and huffed when she didn’t get a response. “You have nothing to say for yourself?”

Ball and chain? Suddenly the penny dropped. No pun intended. She thought he was Jase’s friend Daniel. That would explain the identity mix-up. She must have seen the mask and overheard their conversation. He wanted to rub his hands together in glee. Anything that gave him leverage to stir up trouble with Imogen was a treat and today he’d hit the goddamn jackpot.

Never mind the fact that all he could think about was that moment in the archive room. With each move, her breasts shifted beneath the silky dress, stirring his memories and sending his blood south.

Caleb shrugged and steam practically rose out of Imogen’s ears. He pocketed her phone and stood there, curious as to what she’d do next.

You’re a horrible person, Caleb Allbrook. A despicable, no-good, dirty rotten scoundrel.

And fuck yeah did he love it.

“You...” Her lips were so pursed Caleb genuinely feared she’d cut off blood supply. “Smurfing smurf-face!”

Caleb couldn’t hold it in a second longer, a huge belly-deep laugh burst out of his lips. The woman was ridiculous in the best, most appealing way possible. Even now, she wouldn’t swear because people might hear. Not that there was much chance of it, since they were hiding behind the stables, where the garden turned into a lush bushland area, dense with trees and shrubs.

“Oh my God.” He bent forward, one hand braced on his knee as he laughed. “That’s brilliant. Smurfing—oof!”

Caleb jolted as his back hit the ground, the darkening evening sky now in his field of vision. Imogen was on top of him. What the hell? Had his favourite goodie two-shoes tackled a full-grown man to the ground? Colour him impressed.

He’d fantasised about getting her in this position many times. Admittedly, the circumstances had been a little different in his head.

“Give it back,” she demanded, wriggling on top of him as he tried to fend her off. She had him pinned down, one small hand braced on the ground next to his head and the other trying to worm into the inner pocket of his jacket.

Caleb grabbed her wrists and pulled them up by his head, forcing her to lean closer. Behind the elaborate mask, her olive green eyes were wide. Her ragged breathing caused her chest to rise and fall deeply, moving her breasts up and down against him. She straddled him, the full length of her dress bunched around her legs. Every last bit of blood in his body rushed south as she shifted, the sweet heat between her thighs brushing deliciously over his cock.

Truly despicable.

“Give me back my phone this second or I will scream blue murder,” she threatened. “Daniel—”

He yanked her hands higher, bringing her face even closer. They were nose to nose or, in this case, mask to mask. Her breath puffed over his cheek, and the scent of her perfume—something vanilla-like and softly feminine—wound through him like a drug.

He leaned forward, bringing his lips next to her ear. “Stop calling me that.”

“What?”

“My name isn’t Daniel.” With each word, his lips brushed over the shell of her ear. She stilled against him, her arms and legs going as rigid as steel. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”

“You’re lying.” But her words were tinged with doubt. “Don’t think you can bluff your way out of this.”

“Do I sound like Daniel?” he asked. Would she place his voice or figure out that she’d made a mistake?

Part of him wanted her to know who he was, to see if she’d push him away or if she’d lean in farther. Had she been stewing on the way he’d touched her in the dark? Had she gotten hot and horny thinking about it?

“I...” She bit down on her lip. “I don’t know.”

“So you were spying on me, taking photos of a private meeting between two friends, and now you’ve tackled me to the ground, and yet you don’t know if I sound like the man you’re after?” He let his voice take on a growl and a tiny shudder ran through her. She shifted, her body rubbing against his erection so perfectly Caleb had to stifle a moan.

“But you’re wearing his mask,” she squeaked. “It’s one of a kind.”

“Apparently not. Daniel was pretty pissed about it, too.” He grinned. “Said it was highway robbery what they charged considering the designs weren’t exclusive.”

“Oh no,” she groaned. “That does sound like something he’d say.”

She looked at him dead on, confusion flashing in her eyes. He probably should clear up the mystery, hand her phone over and send her on her way. But she had both spied on him and knocked him over. In the grand scheme of things, his sins were matched by hers.

“She started it.” Really? Great justification, Allbrook. Totally solid.

He ignored the sarcastic voice in his head and met her stare.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

Damn it. He obviously hadn’t been doing a good enough job of disguising his voice. “I don’t know. Do you?” He spoke slowly, trying to use a gravelly tone to throw her off.

She huffed. “You’re impossible. Now let me go and give me back my phone. This is ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? You attacked me.”

“I didn’t attack you.” She tried to pull her hands back, but he held her tight. “I attempted to retrieve stolen property. You’re a thief.”

“And you’re a spy. Do you even have a ticket to this event?”

Her olive green eyes blinked and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Well...of course I do.”

Did Prim Miss Hargrove sneak into the Carmina Ball? The night was getting more and more interesting by the second. Her skin flushed pink and she stopped wriggling against him.

“I call bullshit,” he said. “And there’s a quick way to find out if you’re telling the truth.”

She swallowed, the delicate muscles in her neck pressing momentarily against her fair skin. “If you hand over my phone, I’ll leave now.”