Part 29 (1/2)

Nita's resolve wavered. Deo was angry, but her eyes were soft.

* 207 *

RADCLY fFE Soft and gentle, and wounded. Nita wanted to believe that Deo wanted more than her body. She wanted to give in to the longing to confess her fears and uncertainty, but she didn't trust her own needs. She'd lost herself once, and Deo unhinged her in much the same way Sylvia had.

She couldn't deny her physical urges, or even control them when Deo was around, but she could keep from risking her sanity again. She eased out of Deo's grip. ”I'm sorry. I'm not interested in anything more than last night.”

”Last night was already more than just s.e.x.” Deo kicked into Docksiders and headed toward the hall. ”You can pretend anything you want.”

Silently, Nita followed her retreating back. It might work. If she could somehow just keep her affair with Deo in the bedroom. And keep Deo out of her mind.

y An hour later Deo slammed into the real estate offi ce, dripping water in streams onto the fl oor.

Elana Torres broke off talking with Pia, who sat on the corner of her desk, and regarded Deo with surprise. ”Something on fi re? Hard to believe with the weather.”

”Joey around?” Deo said, stomping over to her desk to collect her messages.

”He's got an appointment with me in an hour for therapy,” Pia said. ”Considering the weather, he probably just fi gured he'd show up at the job-”

”We work whether it rains or s.h.i.+nes. He knows that.” Deo grabbed her mail and shuffl ed through it, scarcely able to read the addresses through her fury. When she had dropped Nita off, Nita had kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for a great time before sliding out of the truck and disappearing without a backward glance. Thanked her! Jesus Christ. What was she now, a f.u.c.king gigolo?

Pia appeared at her elbow and asked in a low voice, ”What is wrong with you?”

”Nothing.”

”Oh, c.r.a.p, Deo. Don't pull that with me.”

Deo tossed aside her mail and stabbed the b.u.t.ton on her answering * 208 *

Winds of Fortune machine. Nita's voice hit her like a hammer. Deo, it's Nita- ”f.u.c.k,” Deo seethed, punching the stop b.u.t.ton.

”Ah ha.” Pia tugged Deo's sleeve. ”Let's go have coffee.”

”I've got to get out to the site.”

”It's pouring, Deo. There's not much work going to happen today.”

With a sigh, Deo surrendered and let Pia drag her to a coffee shop around the corner.

”So, what gives?” Pia asked.

”I don't know. I wish I did.” Deo pushed her coffee aside. Her stomach was queasy.

”Let me guess. Nita.”

Deo nodded.

”You slept with her.”

”Yeah.”

Pia sighed. ”Deo, sweetie. Nita is not like your usual...girlfriends.

I mean, some of them I've really liked, but... they were goodtime girls.

Party girls. Nita is, I don't know, deeper than that.”

”What's your point,” Deo grumbled.

”I love you, you know that, right?” Pia gently stroked Deo's hand.

”Right?”

”Just say it, Pia.” Deo was tired, and her head hurt, and-worse- her heart hurt.

”I just mean, she probably expected something besides goodbye in the morning.”

Deo laughed bitterly. ”Wrong. What she expected was I'd be available next time she wanted a dependable f.u.c.k. Other than that, she's not interested in my company.”

Pia's jaw dropped. After a second, her eyes narrowed. ”She said that? She said that to my cousin! Why that-”

”Whoa. Whoa. Easy.” Deo laughed in spite of herself. ”Even you just said that's about all I'm good for.”

”That's different. I can say it about you if I want to.” She closed her fi ngers over Deo's hand. ”What am I not understanding here?”

”Nita and I...we've got this thing, this energy between us,” Deo said, feeling helpless. ”More than physical. But she doesn't want it to be about anything except s.e.x.”

”Because she thinks you're a player and won't ever change?”

* 209 *

RADCLY fFE ”I don't know. I think...I think she's okay having s.e.x with me, because she can control that.”

”She can? That doesn't sound like you.”

Deo remembered the way it felt when Nita teased her right up to the edge of coming while refusing to let Deo touch her. It was maddening and frustrating and made her come harder than she'd ever come in her life. And if she didn't stop thinking about it now, she was going to have to drive out to the beach for a little solo action in the truck before she went to work. ”It's different with her.”

”Uh-huh.” Pia rested her chin in her hand. ”So her reluctance isn't necessarily about you and your f.u.c.ked up ways.”

”Thanks, Cuz.” Deo couldn't very well say that Nita had been abused by some woman and acted like Deo would treat her the same way. She rubbed her eyes, wis.h.i.+ng she was still in bed and Nita was holding her the way she had this morning when she was still half asleep, stroking her and making her feel like she belonged somewhere.

”There's some other stuff going on. I don't think it's all about me.”

”Good,” Pia said briskly, sitting back in her seat. ”Because if it was just that she didn't like you for anything other than your talented hands and your hot mou-”

”Jesus, Pia. Cut it out.” Deo blushed. ”You're my cousin. You're not supposed to say stuff like that.”