She gave him a nod and stepped back, watching as he continued his conversations. The first thing he’d done when they got back to the house was to check the bug that he’d planted in Francine’s office. Apparently, she didn’t spend a whole lot of time behind her desk. There were only a few other conversations, but nothing significant.
Because Brady’s art supplies took up every surface in the studio and the only real place to sit was his stool in front of the drafting table, she perched on the windowsill and nibbled as she watched him make his phone calls and coordinate the task force. He was more than competent when it came to organization, as skillful as a maestro conducting an orchestra.
To her surprise, he held the phone toward her. “Cole wants to say hello.”
She swallowed a bite of peanut butter and took the phone. “Hey, Cole.”
“Rachel says hi. She wanted me to tell you that everything is fine in Granby. No babies to deliver. And she’s enjoying the classes with your yoga moms.”
The description of Petra’s regular life seemed so normal and tame…and boring. “Tell her thanks again for filling in.”
“She also wants to know how you and Brady are getting along…” His voice trailed off. “It’s none of my business, but Rachel said I should tell you that feds make good husbands.”
“Is that so?” Rachel had been happily single into her thirties. After she and Cole got together, she couldn’t stand to see anyone else unwed. “Tell her not to order that bridesmaid dress just yet.”
“He’s a good man, Petra.”
“You’re as bad as your wife,” she said. “Do you want to talk to Brady again?”
“We’re done,” Cole said. “Sweet dreams.”
She disconnected the call and handed the phone back to Brady. “That was weird. Cole and Rachel are playing matchmaker.”
“They mean well.” He set down the phone and took a gulp of his tea. “They want everybody to be as happy as they are.”
“They aren’t the only ones,” she said. “I’m around these hormonal pregnant women all the time, and they really want me to couple up. They keep fixing me up and introducing me around. Sometimes, I think that if all the guys I’ve been on blind dates with held hands, they’d circle the globe.”
“That’s a strange image.”
“I’ve met some strange men. And I’ll bet you’ve had the same experience with blind dates.”
“I never kiss and tell.”
She finished her sandwich and dabbed at her mouth with a paper towel. “Have you got everything organized?”
“You’ll be happy to know that the delivery van with the body bags is under surveillance as we speak. There’s an eye in the sky watching the compound, Smith’s house and Lost Lamb. The ITEP task force is coordinating backup for when we decide to move in and make arrests.”
“You must be happy,” she said. “You finally have a plan.”
“I’m thinking that we’ll wait to make our move until after Francine has her meeting with the lawyer tomorrow afternoon. Cole can make the search at Mancuso’s office. And you and I can listen on the bug to what they say. We might pick up a few more bits of evidence.”
She crossed the studio and pointed to the number one name on the list they’d made. “What happens to Dee and her baby?”
“They’ll be safe. Lost Lamb will be closed down and arrangements will be made for the women.”
“This fell together nicely,” she said. “After we made all these elaborate preparations to be an undercover husband and wife, the case was solved with a bug and a GPS tracker.”
“Which never would have happened if we hadn’t gotten inside Lost Lamb.” He stood and pulled her into a hug. “You were the key to this whole operation.”
Even though his embrace seemed more friendly than sexy, she felt stirrings. Her heart gave an excited little leap. “Yeah, we’re a good team.”
“We’re more than that, Petra. A lot more.”
When he squeezed her, it took all her willpower not to respond.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” she said quickly.
He released his embrace. His head tilted to one side as he studied her. “There’s a wall between us. Why?”
“It’s nothing, Brady. Really, I’m not complaining. We’ve done great. Our investigation is a success and putting an end to this horror is a hundred times more important than my feelings.”
“Not to me,” he said. “You know better than to put yourself in second place. You’re the queen of positive thinking.”
“You’re right.” She never ever disregarded her feelings.
“What’s really going on?”
She inhaled a deep breath and tried to find the truth inside herself. “I’m a little sad. I had thought there might be a relationship between us, but that’s not going to happen. You’re leaving. I can’t let myself get any closer to you and then say goodbye.”
“Come with me.”
She hesitated. “Where?”
“I want to be alone with you.”
“Alone?” What was he talking about? She glanced around the studio. “Is there somebody else in the house?”
“It’s all this equipment. I feel like the FBI is in the room with us watching.”
He took her hand and led her into his bedroom. She was about to object, but he didn’t stop at the bed. Instead, he opened the door to the balcony and held it for her. She stepped outside into the night.
* * *
ON THE CEDAR BALCONY, Brady slipped his arm around her and guided her to the railing. A sliver of moon hung in the night sky and the stars looked down on them. The fresh air brushed his face. “It’s a beautiful night.”
As she lifted her chin, he admired the slender column of her throat. “A Virgo moon,” she said.
“Meaning?”
“I think of September as the time for harvest, to reap what we’ve sown and take stock.”
“I like it,” he said. Taking stock was one of his favorite things. “Under this Virgo moon, it’s time to figure out where we are and where we’re going.”
“Let me guess. You want to make a plan.”
“I’m not so sure.”
He was on the verge of a change in his life. His thinking was, as always, clear and rational. But there was another element, a subtext. Instead of focusing on his career, he wanted a personal life. He wanted Petra.
“Let me start at the beginning.”
“Okay.”
“When I flew into the airfield in Granby, I was sick and tired of the ITEP task force and the southwest. I didn’t see the sunset or the mountains, didn’t care that the aspens had turned gold. My world stopped at the end of my nose. For eight months, I’d been chasing criminals who would never be brought to justice. I was close to burnout.”
“Talk about your negative vibes.”
“Then I walked into the clinic and saw you standing on your head upside down.” He would never forget that moment. “You made me curious. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t concentrating on my next promotion or how I could impress my next boss. You filled my mind and opened my eyes.”
“I did all that with a headstand?”
She was grinning, trying to keep the mood light. And he didn’t want to scare her off by turning serious. But he didn’t have much time. If all things went according to plan, tomorrow would be the end of their undercover assignment.
“I don’t want to leave you.” He took her hand. Her fingers were cold, and he brought them to his lips to warm them with a kiss. “We haven’t had enough time together.”
“But you have to go. You have to take care of business.”
“I’ll come back. I promise.”
Even though she eyed him suspiciously, she conceded, “You’re not a man who breaks his promises.”
“I will never hurt you, Petra. I’m not like the other men you’ve had relationships with.”
“I know.”
“The tru
th is…” He hesitated. “This explanation would be easier if we had days and weeks of courtship to move gradually from one step to another.”
“It feels like I’ve known you for a long time,” she said. “Because of the fake marriage, we had to get real close, real fast. I’ve told you things about myself that very few other people know.”
He kissed her hand again. “The truth is that I’ve fallen for you. I like the way you get bent out of shape when I tease you. All your odd beliefs about crystals and burning sage make me want to know you better. You’re as beautiful as the night, the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”
Her eyes widened. “Even in my flannel pajamas?”
“You’d be sexy in a gunnysack.”
“I like this,” she said. “Keep talking.”
“You can say yes to me right now, and we can explore this relationship together. If that means making love, I’m for it. If you want to wait, that’s fine.”
“It’s up to me?”
“If you tell me to leave and never come back, I’ll go,” he said. “But know this. I won’t give up. I’ll keep trying. I’ll make plans and map out strategies to get closer to you.”
She flashed a seductive grin and wrinkled her nose. “I’d be your next project.”
“And we both know how annoying I can be when I’m getting organized.” The ball was in her court. He hoped she was willing to take the risk. “Will you give me a chance?”
She glided into his arms. “Make love to me.”
* * *
PETRA KNEW HE’D BE a good lover. Brady did everything else well, and she was certain that he hadn’t ignored those skills. He started slowly, carefully. When they kissed, his tongue explored her mouth, probing and sweeping. His subtle caresses gently teased her toward the next level of excitement.
And then he switched gears, become more demanding, more aggressive. He pinned her against the balcony railing. His thigh separated her legs, and he pressed hard against her. Her neck arched, and her hair fell down her back. It felt like she was suspended in air, floating.
His hands slid under her T-shirt and up her torso. In a moment, her shirt was gone, and the cool night air flowed across her bare breasts. Her amethyst necklace was cold against her skin.
“Beautiful,” he murmured as he kissed her lips, her chin, her throat. He held her wrists against the railing and gazed down at her. “So sexy.”
He lowered his head and took his time, tasting her breasts with light kisses and flicks of his tongue. Trembling sensations ripped across the surface of her skin.
She wriggled to get her hands free and yanked at his shirt, wanting to feel his naked chest against hers. When they melted together, she exhaled a groan. This was good, so very good.
Her legs wrapped around him, and she clung to him. He carried her back into the house, and they fell onto his bed together. The rest of their clothing was torn away in a frenzy of passion.
His body was amazing. She glided her hands over his hard muscle and smooth skin. Moonlight through the bedroom window shone on the dark, springy hair that spread across his chest and down his torso. Lying on his back, he lifted her on top of him, yanking her around as though she was light as a pillow.
She fitted her body against him from neck to toe. His hands grasped her behind, holding her in place. Every move she made provoked a response from him.
Her arousal was building to an exquisite level. Tendrils of sensation unfurled inside her and spread from her core to her toes. They rolled together, and he was on top, rising above her on his elbows, and she spread her legs. She wanted him inside her.
“Wait,” he said hoarsely.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m getting a condom.”
“I should have known. You’re so organized.”
“Prepared,” he said.
She teased, “Do you have a full selection? Color-coded in various textures?”
“Not in the mood for jokes.”
Neither was she. Even though she could have told him it wasn’t necessary and she wasn’t likely to get pregnant, she said nothing. Infertility wasn’t a topic she wanted to think about, not now.
When he entered her, she abandoned herself to pure instinct, reveling in his strong thrusts. Her pulse raced. She was gasping as she pulled him deeper, giving as good as she got, until they exploded together.
She fell back on the pillows, gasping as residual tremors vibrated through her body. Pure emotion surrounded her with a many-faceted crystal light that multiplied and reflected.
One thing was certain. Making love with Brady had been the right decision.
Chapter Nineteen
Brady launched himself from the bed at the sound of a cell phone ringing. Gray light through the window told him it was dawn. Barefoot and naked, he dashed toward the studio. Wrong way. The ring tone was coming from Petra’s bedroom.
He flipped the light switch, blinked at the sudden brightness, grabbed the cell from her bedside table and answered with a mumbled hello.
“Brady? Is that you?”
“Margaret.” He recognized her simpering voice. “What’s up?”
“I guess you are.” She giggled. This was one annoying woman.
“Why do you want to talk to Petra?”
“It’s Dee. She’s in labor. This time she’s not faking.”
The timing wasn’t great. Life would have been easier if Dee had waited until afternoon when the task force would close in on Lost Lamb and the other facility.
Petra appeared in the doorway. Squinting against the light, she stuck out her hand. “Give me the phone.”
He passed it to her. She’d thrown on his T-shirt which hung almost to her knees. Her auburn hair fell around her face in tangles. She looked adorable.
Her end of the conversation was mostly nods. She concluded with, “We’ll be there in a minute. Brady will drop me off.”
She disconnected the call, tossed the phone on the bed and fell against his chest. She groaned. “I don’t want to deliver a baby this morning.”
“That’s good.” He snuggled her warm body. “Because I don’t want you to go back to Lost Lamb.”
“Wanna go back to bed.” Her hand slid down his back until she reached his butt and gave a squeeze. “Wanna stay in bed with you.”
The thought of making love to her again aroused him. Last night had been pretty spectacular. “And I want you to stay.”
“That’s not how being a midwife works. Dee needs me. I’ve got to go.”
She disentangled from his embrace, stretched and yawned. Barefoot, she padded toward the dresser by the closet and pulled out a fresh pair of panties—lacy, black and bikini-style. He suppressed a growl of desire. “It might not be safe for you to go there.”
“That’s not what you said last night. You told me that Dee and the other women would be taken to safety.”
That was the plan. His plan. No action would be taken until after Cole had a chance to check out Mancuso’s paperwork and Brady listened in on Francine’s conversation with the lawyer. There was still a possibility of gathering more evidence before they closed down the entire operation.
He glanced at his wrist. Still no watch. That bit of undercover madness ended right now. He needed to keep track of time.
Petra turned toward him, boldly she looked him up and down. “It’s a shame I have to say this, but you should get dressed.”
He was willing to use his advantage. “What if I stay naked? What if you join me?”
“Not going to happen.” She crossed the room. Her fingers ruffled the hair on his chest. “Much as I’d like to make love to you again, we have to go.”
He pulled her close, crushed her against his chest and kissed her hard. His blood rushed to his groin. He was more than ready for morning sex. “Pregnant women are real inconvenient.”
She tensed. “That’s what Smith said.”
The mention of Dr. Smith doused his desire like a bucket of ice water to the face. “You’
re right. We need to focus.”
He left her to get dressed and went into his own bedroom to pull on a pair of jeans and blue work shirt and his boots. He eyeballed the Beretta on the bedside table. Even though he would have felt justified in taking along his firepower, they were still undercover. For a few more hours, he needed to act like Brady Gilliam, but with one difference. Brady Gilliam was going to start wearing a watch.
As he slipped on his watch, he felt like he was reclaiming an important part of himself. He was in control. It was three minutes past seven o’clock.
Stepping onto the landing, he heard Petra in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. Was there time for coffee? He sprinted downstairs, turning on lights as he went. In the kitchen, he loaded the coffee machine, turned it on and hovered beside it as though his presence would make the water drip faster. There was almost half a pot when Petra came down the staircase.
“Three more minutes,” he begged.
“And how are we going to carry that coffee in the truck without spilling?”
He opened a cabinet, reached onto a top shelf and took down two travel mugs. “You didn’t really think I’d forget something as important as this, did you?”
“You never forget anything. It’s part of your charm.”
With travel mugs in hand, they went out to the truck. He was driving. This morning, he was not inclined to race along the winding mountain roads. As he drove, he watched the magenta sunrise lighten the skies. “I wouldn’t mind living in Colorado.”
“But you want to be in the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico.” She sipped her coffee. “It’s where your career as a profiler is headed.”
“That’s the good thing about being in the FBI. There’s crime everywhere. I could still do profiling in Colorado, and I’m pretty sure Cole could use me.”
“So could I,” she said.
He had promised her that he wouldn’t leave, and he’d meant what he said. In the foreseeable future, they would be together. It wasn’t a sacrifice for him; he liked that picture.
“I wouldn’t even mind living in Granby.” He knew her house was a rental, which meant she wasn’t obligated to stay there. “I’d like a ranch house with a bit of land. Maybe get a dog.”
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