A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold #9.5)

Food hadn’t seemed very important. “I’m fine.”


“No way. You’re not starving on my watch.”

He picked up the robe and draped it around her shoulders, then pushed her toward the bed. She pulled her long hair out of the way, shrugged into the robe and slipped between the sheets. After pouring them each a mug of coffee, he carried one to her and handed her the plate of toast.

“Eat.”

“Yes, sir.”

He returned with his own mug and settled next to her on the bed. He sipped coffee and watched her finish a piece of toast.

“Better?” he asked when she’d finished.

She nodded. “Like I said, I’m fine.”

“You’re thin and you spend your day dancing. You need more food.”

“I weigh nearly ten pounds more than I did when I was dancing professionally.”

He leaned back in mock surprise. “And yet the earth manages to stay in its rotational orbit. Stunning.”

She grinned. “You think you’re funny.”

“I am funny.” He touched her face. “You’re so beautiful.”

“That’s the sex talking.”

“No, it’s me.” He leaned toward her. “Maybe later you can model some of your ballet costumes.”

She laughed.

“See,” he told her triumphantly. “I’m funny.”

“You’re a riot.”

“I’m not kidding about the costumes.”

She pushed him onto the pillows, then bent over and kissed him. “Do you have a dancer fantasy?”

“No, I have a fantasy about you. It’s specific. It’s also my favorite.”

She knew he was playing, but his words were oddly touching. “I’ve never been anyone’s fantasy before.”

“Sure you have,” he said before he kissed her. “You just didn’t know.” His mouth lingered. Then he drew back and pointed to the toast. “Eat more. You’ll need to keep your strength up for later.”

“That sounds interesting.”

He watched her nibble on the toast, then grabbed a piece for himself. “So why isn’t there a guy?” he asked between bites. “A husband or a boyfriend?”

“I haven’t met anyone I can imagine falling in love with. Not in a forever kind of way.” She shrugged. “I’ve gotten close a couple of times, but somehow my heart never quite flung itself over the cliff.”

“Interesting visual.”

She grinned. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

She finished her toast and tied her robe more tightly around her midsection. “What’s your story? Why isn’t there a Mrs. Jefferson waiting in a suburban paradise somewhere?”

“I’m not that guy,” he said with a shrug.

“Don’t believe in love?”

“Love is too dangerous.” Dante put down his mug of coffee on the nightstand and looked at her. “I was in a gang when I was a kid. I got in early. It was a way to be safe on the streets. My mom didn’t like it, but she was working all the time, so she couldn’t stop me. Plus I was a kid and pissing her off didn’t matter.”

He took her hand in his and stared at their linked fingers. “When I was fifteen, I met a girl. She belonged to a rival gang leader, but we didn’t care. We were in love. And stupid. When he found out, he went after my mom.”

Dante raised his head and looked into her eyes. “She was killed in a drive-by shooting. To teach me a lesson.”

If Evie had been standing, she would have fallen. She could feel her legs giving way and her breathing stop.

“I stole a car to go after him,” he continued. “I was caught and instead of being put into jail, I went into a trial program that pulled younger teens out of the gang world and put them in a completely different environment. For me, that was a military school in Texas.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered and reached for him. She put her hands on his shoulders and lightly kissed him. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. I don’t talk about her much. It was a long time ago, but I still miss her.”

“Of course you do.”

She couldn’t comprehend what he’d told her. The words all made sense, but the images were painful, and she was picturing them from a distance.

“I would give anything to have her back,” he said quietly. “She was so good to me, and I was a typical teenager. She never got to see me grow up.”

“She would have been really proud of you.”

“I know.” He glanced at her. “I’m not prepared to put my heart in someone else’s hands again, but she’s the main reason I’ve pushed you about May. I would give anything for a second chance with my mom.”

The situations were different, but she understood how he would think that. “I can see how you’d want to ride to the rescue. You do that a lot.”

“Me? Never.”

“You, always.”

He kissed her. “Don’t make me too much of the good guy.” He paused. “I meant what I said before. I don’t talk about this. Rafe doesn’t know.” He hesitated.

She squeezed his hand. “I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“Thanks.”