by Lee Damon
In a burst of unexpected generalship, Midge rallied her forces to make sure that someone was with Kitt in the shop when she had to leave to attend classes. She also organized various muscular male relatives to accompany Kitt on her morning and evening runs with Hero, and to "ride shotgun" when she went anywhere in the car.
With a bland disregard for the truth, she overrode Kitt's protests at such coddling with the comment, "It's for my sake mostly. After all, what could a little thing like me do if this guy attacked you?"
Kitt stared at her in total disbelief as she recalled how this "little thing" handled her six-foot-three-inch, 230-pound brother. However, argument availed her nothing and, like it or not, Kitt found herself practically smothered in brawny young men whenever she set foot out the door. By Tuesday evening, she laughingly gave in and began making friends with her "babysitters," since she had a strong suspicion that they would soon be her in-laws.
Chapter 19
Eddie's hunch that someone was watching Kitt became a certainty Tuesday afternoon when they talked to Joanne. Not only had she seen a thin young man fitting Midge's description several times, both in the shop and parked in the area in a red car, but she had spoken to him. Midge wasted no time in calling Eddie.
Leaving a disgruntled Midge to mind the shop, he took Joanne and Kitt upstairs to talk to them undisturbed.
"Tell me everything from the beginning, Joanne. We can't be positive," he cautioned, "that this is the same guy who tried to break in last night, but it's too much coincidence to overlook if he really has been keeping tabs on Kitt."
Obviously distressed, Joanne looked apologetically at Kitt. "I'm really sorry, Kitt, but I never gave him two thoughts." She turned to Eddie appealingly. "You know how it is around here once the weather gets good, Eddie, and the tourists start piling in. There's always a certain number of guys wandering around looking over the 'local talent.' We don't pay much attention usually," she continued with a half-smile, "unless he's super-looking. Well, this one wasn't, and I probably wouldn't have remembered him at all if I hadn't seen him so often."
"How often?" Eddie asked.
"Last week he was in the shop three or four times. I'm not sure exactly. We were busy, but Midge and Kitt were reorganizing the stock most of the week, and I stayed behind the desk waiting on customers and generally keeping an eye on things. That's probably why I noticed him. Normally, we'd be taking turns at the desk. Anyhow, he didn't buy anything —just browsed around for a while and left."
"You said you spoke to him. When?"
"Yesterday. He—"
"Wait a minute," Eddie interrupted. "Back up to last week. Let's try to get a sequence. What about seeing him in a car? Was that yesterday or before?"
"Both. Early last week, he was sitting in a red car at the edge of the parking lot when I came to work one afternoon. The next day, I saw him in the same car parked in front of the Stevens' place when I went out on an errand for Kitt. I'd seen him in the shop a couple of times by then, and I guess I sort of stared at him, because he drove off. And then, Saturday noon—remember, Kitt, you went up to O'Mara's to have lunch with Gus?—well, I carried that big order for Mrs. Burnham out to her car just after you left, and I saw the same red car turning around in the drive across the street and then going back down the road."
"Following Kitt?"
"I don't know. She'd been gone a couple of minutes by then, but if she's the one he was watching, he might have guessed where she was going. It didn't occur to me that he was interested in Kitt." She flushed a becoming pink and said diffidently, "He looked about twenty-two or three. Without really thinking about it, I just sort of assumed he was shy and trying to get up the nerve to speak to Midge or me."
Eddie grinned at her with the familiarity of long acquaintance. "Normally, you'd be right, but I think you struck out on this one. Now, what happened yesterday?"
"He came in a little after I did, at one, and browsed around the paperback section. Kitt and Midge were working in the back, and I was busy with some customers for a while. Just as the last of them left, he came over with a couple of westerns and started talking to me while I was ringing them up."
"What did he say?"
"Oh, he asked if it was my shop, and when I said no and pointed out Kitt as the owner, he asked if she were nice to work for and how long she'd owned the place. He said something about a good-looking woman like that having lots of boyfriends, and I said that she didn't, that she was going to be married soon. He said something like 'Oh, yeah? He must be somebody special. She could take her pick.' I didn't think it was any of his business, so I didn't mention Michael Talbot or O'Mara. I just said, 'He is,' and then another customer came up and he left."
"And when did you see him in the red car?"
"That was later. I left around five to do some errands, and I was walking home when Kitt went by on her way to pick Gus up at the school. I stopped at the corner to wait for a break in traffic, and the red car with that guy driving passed me going in the same direction as Kitt, but he was several cars behind her. I still didn't pay any attention, because there are a lot of places he could have been going on that road."
Eddie leaned back and sighed. "Too many coincidences. Just too damn many. What do you think, Kitt? Any idea why someone would be watching you?"
Shaking her head, she said emphatically, "No. None at all. And the descriptions of him that the girls have given don't ring any bells."
"Could be he was hired by someone else."
"Who? And why? The one enemy I might have had has been permanently out of the picture for over five years."
"Anyone trying to get to Ez through you?"
"Ez doesn't make enemies. No, not Ez. And that leaves
O'Mara. He was in a dangerous occupation for several years. I'm not sure how those things work after someone... retires... but maybe somebody from his past is... what? Seeking revenge for something? Getting even? Oh, it all sounds like something out of one of his books! I can't believe this. Any of it. And that innocuous little man doesn't sound like someone who would be mixed up in O'Mara's past life. You said he must be a rank amateur at lockpicking, and he certainly sounded terrified when Hero and I routed him. He's not in O'Mara's league at all."
"Maybe. Still, it seems like the most likely possibility. About all we can do right now is keep a close watch on you, try to spot the guy and pick him up and wait for O'Mara to get back. So far, we've come up blank on the fingerprints, but we've sent them to Washington and may hear something in the next day or two. Thanks for your help, Joanne. Glad you have sharp eyes and such a good memory. I want to see Midge for a minute, and then I've got to report in. See you later, Kitt. Don't worry, we'll be keeping a close watch on you tonight."
"You can try," said Kitt, laughing, "but probably all you'll see are your own cousins and brothers, to say nothing of your mother and Angie. You should see the duty roster Midge drew up! I'm apparently going to be hip-deep in Bancrofts for the duration. Not that I don't appreciate it, but she has gotten a bit carried away."
Chuckling to himself as he ran downstairs, Eddie decided it was just as well Kitt didn't know about the rest of Midge's protective measures.
Much as Kitt appreciated everyone's concern, by Wednesday noon she was desperate for some privacy, and finally took a stand with Midge as they finished lunch.
"Listen, pixie, if I don't get some time all to myself, I'm going to go up a wall. I'm one of those people who need a certain amount of solitude. So, this afternoon, while you and Joanne mind the shop, I'm going to lie out on the deck in that lovely sunshine and work on my tan. You can post a guard at the foot of the stairs if you want, but I don't want to see a human being for the next two or three hours. All right?"
Midge gave her a long, considering look and saw the signs of strain around her eyes and mouth. "Okay, Kitt, I guess we have all been hovering over you, but we really do mean well. We're concerned about you. And besides that, we've all got visions of the havoc Ez and O'Mara would
wreak if anything happened to you!"
"I might have known," Kitt groaned. "Even when he isn't here, that man is taking over my life. Go away, you traitor, and let me have some peace and quiet."
"I'm going." Midge chortled. "But you might consider my tender bottom, which would be covered with unsightly blisters if Ez thought I hadn't taken proper care of you."
"I can see that the very thought has you shaking in your size-fours," drawled Kitt, a sardonic gleam in her eyes. With a saucy twitch to her hips, Midge headed for the stairs and had one foot on the top step when Kitt's voice halted her. "Wait up. What about Gus? Is someone going to be with him during practice?"
"It's all taken care of. My cousin Roger, the one who stayed at the Rock last night, will be there. He knows the coach, and he'll explain what's going on. He's also got a car, and will bring Gus here after practice."
"Roger. Big, blond, all-state tackle?"
"That's the one. Don't worry, Kitt, he's also smart and quick. He'll take good care of Gus. They got along fine last night, and Andy liked him, too. If O'Mara doesn't get back today, he'll stay at the Rock again tonight."
"Sounds like you've got everything organized, pixie. Okay, scoot now, and let me get out into that sun."
Kitt spent ten minutes rooting through boxes in the storage room before she finally unearthed an old bikini. With teeth-gritting resolution, she put it on and walked out into the bright light of afternoon, breathing a sigh of relief that only Hero and the seagulls could see what she felt to be yards of bare skin. It was just as well for her peace of mind that she didn't know how many monitoring glances from the nearby boats suddenly became fixed and heated, and how many loins stirred at the sight of her long, slim legs and lithe, near-naked body.
Kitt had tacked some lengths of canvas to the railing around two sides of the deck to cut off the light wind blowing upriver from the ocean, making a suntrap in one corner.
Now, she and Hero sprawled in boneless abandon on a padded exercise mat, and she felt the tension draining out of her in the soothing warmth of the sun.
It was one of those lovely May days with which Nature rewards the hardy souls who endure the wild, often destructive storms of winter on the Maine coast. Although the sun was bright in a clear blue sky, the soft ocean breeze kept the temperature in the sixties and low seventies. Landscaped yards and wild areas alike were bursting with the endless colors of the amazing variety of flowering trees and shrubs that grace New England. The pervading scent of lilacs drifted on the air, mingling with the tang of salt in a strangely heady blend.
It was very quiet and peaceful on the deck, and Kitt half-drowsed in the heat of the sun. She drew in deep breaths of the strong scent drifting up from the cluster of white and lavender lilac bushes in one corner of the backyard and from the lilac "fence" along the Stevens' property line. Since it was midweek, there was little traffic on the road, and only the occasional cry of a gull and the soft rushing of the river flowing out with the ebbing tide disturbed the afternoon quiet.
Indolently, she stretched and settled more comfortably on her stomach, half-opening her eyes to look at Hero. She reached over to stroke a firm hand along his side.
"Silly dog," she murmured. "You're baking. Turn over. It's a wonder you don't sunburn."
He lifted his head, muttered "Rrrarrow" and rolled over on his other side, relaxing back into bonelessness and heaving a sigh of contentment.
Totally relaxed, Kitt let her mind drift aimlessly, but within a few heartbeats found her inner vision filled with tanned skin, a sensuous mouth, bright blue eyes and soft masses of dark hair. She groaned softly as she remembered the touch of his hands and mouth on her. Her muscles tightened and she pressed her hips hard against the mat as she felt desire coursing through her at the memory of that last night—the strength of his arms around her, his fingers pressing into her buttocks as he pulled her into the warm length of his body, the muscles of his back flexing under her exploring hands, the taut urgency of his tongue in her mouth and the hot, weak sensation in her belly as she pressed it against the hard bar of his manhood.
Restlessly, she turned her head the other way and pushed her hair back from her flushed face. Sexual arousal had brought her fully awake, and now she consciously shifted her mind to the bookshop and concentrated on the pros and cons of finding another part-time person for the summer. She was still thinking about it as she drifted into a light sleep.
She didn't hear the slight sound of the door sliding slowly open and then closed, or the cat-footed pad of tennis shoes across the deck or Hero's "Whuff' of recognition. She didn't feel the large body sitting down beside her, or the pressure of a hard male hip against her thigh.
In fact she was not aware that she was no longer alone until her mind foggily registered that the large, warm hand sliding gently up and down the length of her back was not part of a pleasant dream. Even then, the languorous stroking felt so good that she kept her eyes closed for another few moments. Finally, she couldn't hold still any longer and, like a contented cat, flexed and stretched her back muscles with a sinuous arching movement and groaned, "Mmmmmm. O'Mara."
His deep chuckle sounded from behind her, and there was a very satisfied note in his voice as he teased, "That's encouraging, love. Now, tell me how you knew my touch even in your sleep."
She looked over her shoulder at him and wrinkled her nose, laughter in her eyes. "Probably the same way you would know my touch. At least, you'd better." She dropped her head back down on her folded arms, but kept it turned so she could watch him out of the corner of her eye as he continued slowly stroking her back. "You're looking rather good for someone who's been jetting all over the place for two weeks. No bloodshot eyes, not a trace of a beard, no dark circles. When did you get home?"
"Now. I've just driven up from Boston. You're getting a bit pink around the edges, love." He reached for the suntan cream lying beside the mat and started rubbing it into her back. "I slept for most of the flight from London and changed clothes and shaved before we landed. Idiot, I told you this was a working trip. Have you been picturing me living it up all over Europe? I'm saving that until I can take you with me."
Kitt was only half-hearing him. A large part of her mind was busy coping with the sensations ebbing and flowing through her body from the sensuous movements of his hand over her back. She was vaguely aware that he shifted slightly, and glanced up to see him pulling his knit shirt off over his head and tossing it onto a chair.
"O'Mara, what are you doing?"
There was a thread of laughter in his voice as he answered, "Getting a tan. What do you think I'm doing? Are you blushing, or is that sunburn?"
"Of course I'm not blushing. Why should I? I've seen you lots of times without a shirt." Despite her best efforts to keep her tone matter-of-fact, her voice faded at the end. I've got to tell him about the prowler. He should call Eddie right away. She forgot her train of thought, and also forgot to breathe, as she was caught up in the crashing impact of his total maleness. Unthinkingly, automatically, she half turned to lean on one elbow, and her other hand reached out to brush, flat-palmed, over the thick, soft mat of curls on his chest.
With darkening eyes, he watched her gaze move over his shoulders and chest, follow the narrowing mat of hair down to the waistband of his jeans, and then flash back up to his face. She stared with unconscious longing at the wide, sensuous mouth; she didn't realize that her hps had parted to let the tip of her tongue run slowly across her bottom lip and that her fingers were playing in the thick curls on his chest.
For a few moments, they both seemed almost drugged with sun, the scent of lilacs and salt tang, and rising passion. Then, slowly, O'Mara reached down to take hold of Kitt's upper arms, pulling her up to sit facing him.
He brushed his lips across her cheek, and his voice was husky, almost whispering in her ear, "Put your arms around my neck, love, and kiss me hello. I'd like to see what two weeks of thinking about us has accomplished."
"It's kept me aw
ake nights, for one thing," she whispered as she obediently wound her arms loosely around his neck. She tilted her head back to look at him, her smoky eyes wide with desire, and he caught his breath as he realized that for the first time there was no trace of fear in her expression. She managed a shaky smile as she saw how dark his eyes had become and read the barely controlled passion in them. "It's also interfered with just about everything else in my life. I've missed you so ma—"
The word and her breath were stifled, and rational thought disintegrated, under the hot pressure of his mouth on her half-parted lips. Her arms tightened and one hand buried itself in his thick hair. She felt his long fingers cradling her head, holding her still as her mouth opened further for his exploring tongue. Heat swirled and bubbled and then drained away from deep in her body, leaving her with a hollow, aching need. She vaguely felt a tug at her nape and then another between her shoulder blades. His hand slid between their lightly touching bodies and then away, and dazedly she realized that he'd taken off her bikini bra.
Suddenly, blazingly, the last tiny, cold knot within her flamed into white heat and disappeared, and there was no trace of fear or panic, no withdrawal, no control. Only a driving need to get closer to the warm, hard, male strength of him. Even before she felt the pressure of his hands spreading across her back, she was arching against him to press her naked breasts and stomach into his soft fur.
Loving the feel of the silky curls brushing her sensitive skin, she squirmed against him, rubbing her taut nipples and swelling breasts across his chest. He growled deep in his throat, and the gentle exploration of his tongue became an urgent thrusting as his arms closed around her with a force that would have cracked the ribs of a smaller woman. Utterly lost in a scorching red haze of long-denied sexual need, they wrapped themselves around each other, fingers digging into arms, shoulders and muscles with a fierceness that would leave bruises. They swayed back and forth, jolted off-balance by the power of the unleashed passion surging between them.
