Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

should be thanking you.”
    Simon chuckled and she could feel the rumbling in his chest beneath her. “I’m fairly certain I don’t deserve you.”
    “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that.”
    A trace of a smile lifted his lips. “And if your judgment’s impaired?”
    “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”
    He paused and nodded slightly. A nearly imperceptible movement acknowledged something so profound. His long fingers brushed the hair away from her face and trailed down her cheek.
    She leaned into his touch and settled herself more comfortably. “And how do you feel?”
    He smiled for a moment, but then something else won out and he looked up at the ceiling, letting out a long breath. “Like I’m on top of the bloody world.”
    She could hear the tremor in his voice. “And about to fall off?”
    Simon’s eyes flicked back to hers, seemingly surprised and a little embarrassed by her insight.
    Elizabeth shook her head. “Not gonna happen.”
    “You seem terribly sure.”
    She arched an eyebrow and slipped her body onto his. “I like it on top.”
    * * *
    Charlie hadn’t stopped grinning all night. Only when Elizabeth mentioned the mugging had his expression faltered. He shrugged off her concern over the money with a wave of his hand. She was all right, and that was all that mattered. The club was doing a land office business, but Elizabeth had a feeling his ear-to-ear smile was something a bit more personal.
    “You look like the cat that ate the canary,” she said, as she waited for another order to be filled.
    He shrugged innocently. “Just a happy man.”
    She saw his eyes dart over to Simon and his smile broaden even further. She fought the urge to giggle. Charlie, the two hundred pound cupid.
    However it had happened, she was grateful. Was it only yesterday she stood in this very same spot and thought her world had come crashing down? She looked across the bar at Simon. He really did play beautifully. She couldn’t see his hands, but could imagine the way they moved across the keys with sensual grace. She grinned to herself, remembering how they’d moved across her body that morning.
    The warmth of the memory and the velvety melody of “Someone to Watch Over Me” lulled her into a pleasant haze. She didn’t notice the hushed voices and the newborn tension in the room until King was standing at her side.
    “Penny for your thoughts,” he said in a voice smoother than silk. “Although, I’m sure they’re worth much more.”
    She tried not to let her fluster show and busied herself with rearranging the nearly empty tray. “Mr. Kashian.”
    “King.”
    She nodded once. “What brings you here again?”
    His dark eyes flashed with something almost preternatural, but he schooled himself quickly. “A little business,” he said and then moved ever so slightly closer. “And perhaps a little pleasure.”
    She tried not to shiver. She was used to space invaders, people who infringed on your personal bubble, but King was something else entirely. It wasn’t simply the fact he was a gangster, although she knew that should have been more than reason enough. It was that something in his eyes. Some mysteries are better left unsolved, a tiny voice told her. For once, she listened.
    “I hope you have an enjoyable evening,” she said with as much finality as she could muster.
    King merely smiled, and she was saved from any more conversation when Charlie appeared with her drink order.
    “Here ya go, Lizzy.”
    She took the tray, but couldn’t help one last glance at King. Expecting his usual entitled, insouciant expression, she was surprised to find a tinge of sadness and even a glimmer of uncertainty.
    She was about to leave when she noticed her order wasn’t complete. Damn. “I need another Scat, Charlie.”
    “Right, sorry.”
    King shifted his shoulders and rested his gloved hands on the bar. “We have business matters to discuss, Charles.”
    The bottle of whiskey trembled in Charlie’s hand. “Yeah?”
    “Nothing to worry about really. The local police department will be paying you a visit tomorrow.”
    Charlie’s face blanched. “A raid? You sure?”
    King snorted derisively. “I assure you, my sources are never wrong.”
    “I didn’t mean—”
    King waved him off impatiently. “You’ll close tomorrow.”
    Charlie had completely forgotten about the drink order. “Right.”
    King fastidiously tugged at his kid gloves. “The situation is an aberration. An error