Free Bird of Paradise by Katie MacAlister Page B

in the fact that wherever Sally went, Adam was
sure to follow.
    Since there was no use denying it, she might as well
give in.
    “I'd love to join you, if you truly don't mind,” she
said with a grateful smile, and followed them past a barrage of
cameramen into the brightly lit ballroom. It was a bit unnerving
knowing that her every movement was likely to be caught on camera,
a fact that had her checking obsessively in the small mirror in her
bathroom to make sure that she didn't have a spot or something
horrid hanging from her nose, or that the back of her tiered gauze
skirt was tucked up into her knickers. She tried not to look at the
cameras, and took a chair next to Greg. He was grinning right at
one, flexing his thigh-sized arms.
    He probably ate steroids for lunch.
    A minute later Jesus was deposited on the chair next
to her, Adam taking the seat beyond that. “Evening everyone. Sally.
Hero, you look lovely. Hi. Name's Marsh,” he said to Greg, leaning
across Jesus and Hero to hold out his hand. “And you are…?”
    She blinked at him as Greg introduced himself. Sally
sent him a menacing glare, then ignored him, putting her hand on
Greg's huge arm to draw his attention back to where she wanted
it.
    “Notice you have a cat,” Greg said
casually, but casually in an I don't want
you to see just how interested I am sort of
way. Hero wondered if Greg, noticing Adam's interest in Sally, was
preparing to go territorial.
    Adam's lips twisted wryly. “He's a bit hard to
ignore, but yes, he's my cat.”
    “Brought him through quarantine, did you?”
    Hero froze, not daring to look at Adam. How would he
handle the question?
    “Yes,” Adam drawled, apparently unconcerned. Hero
let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and glanced
over at Adam. He was scratching the cat's chest, much to Jesus's
satisfaction. “Spent six months in there, poor old fellow.”
    Greg tapped on the side of his plate with his
fingernail. “Rather odd, isn't it, to put your cat through six
months of quarantine for a six week vacation?”
    Adam smiled, showing a great many white teeth. “Not
odd at all. I'm hoping to settle in the area, and once your animal
has cleared through one quarantine in these islands, they can
travel to the others with immunity.”
    “Huh. Is that so?” Greg replied, a shuttered look to
his eyes.
    Hero wondered if what Adam had said was true. It
didn't sound right, but then, she knew he was lying. It might very
well do as a cover story.
    “So,” Adam said, smiling at her and not too
noticeably changing the subject, “what's the game plan for this
evening? Dinner and then a group date, eh? What sort of a date will
it be, do you think?”
    Hero nudged the small card in front of his plate
toward him. “The card says tonight will be an icebreaker date. I
imagine that means silly party games.”
    Two more people wandered over, introducing
themselves. Sally greeted them, her smile almost as bright as the
arc lights shining down on them. Immediately two cameramen honed in
on them, one camera on Sally, the other on Jesus who was sitting at
the table with a serious expression on his face, looking for all
the world like a guest who had been invited to a dinner party. The
gecko was still perched on his head. Hero stared at it for a
moment, then glanced up at Adam.
    “Thought he needed a bit of sprucing up,” Adam
whispered to her. “Jesus and I have our evening clothes on, so
thought it was only right Gecko should fancy himself up, too.”
    She looked back to the cat. She had to admit Adam
was right. The gecko did look much more festive with a bright red
bow around his neck. Jesus wore a different collar from the one
she'd seen him in earlier. That was plain brown leather—this one
was hot pink with little black charms dangling from it. She looked
closer.
    “They're mice. Friend of mine made it for him just
for the dinners,” Adam said. “Makes him feel like he's dressed up,
too.”
    She wanted to tell