WindSwept Narrows: #23 Molly & Natasha

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  For too long he’d started feeling old.

  Then she plopped herself down in front of him in a small diner in Utah.

  He closed his eyes and wrapped an arm over her waist. She’d put the nightshirt back on, but it wouldn’t be much of a deterrent in the middle of the night. Just in case, his fingers went to the small buttons, slipped some free and slid his palm inside. The soft small breast fit his hand perfectly.

  And she purred as she slept.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tasha stretched and tried to move. Correction, she thought, she tried to stretch. A large arm was draped over her waist, effectively pinning her in place against a long, lean male. He had one foot over the one of hers closest and their shoulders touched. No doubt the man wanted her close. She frowned, lifted her head and blinked at the strands of wild blond that weren’t by any means, in a tame mood.

  She would have sworn she went to bed with her nightshirt on. But looking down at her own chest told her it was no longer in place. Then the arm moved and one large hand stroked slowly over her behind. Then she remembered just how she’d lost it.

  Dell Russell knew just where her buttons were and he loved pushing them. Tasha figured by Monday morning, she’d be so nicely relaxed and laid back, nothing would upset her.

  “Morning.”

  She heard the rough greeting at the same time the bed shifted just a little and she felt the shadow on his face scraping along her shoulder. Then there were the fingers that tangled in her hair and tugged until she gave in and faced him. For a long minute, she even forgot she might not taste so good in the morning. But he didn’t seem to mind at all.

  “This is the way I always dreamed of waking up,” Dell whispered against her throat, urging her to her side and pulling her hard against his body.

  Her gasp was low, throaty and erotic as his cock pressed against her ass. One hand was tangled in a mass of gold curls; the other stroked heavily up her side to wrap possessively around her breast. Firm and warm beneath his hand, the little pink bud popped to alert, his fingers toying with it until she was squirming and tiny whimpers broke from inside her.

  He hadn’t denied her when she turned to him in the middle of the night. Her mouth had been warm and insistent on his, their tongues stroking even while he found his way out of the fog of sleep. Remembering he had a giving, sensuous woman by his side took only a few moments before his cock was just as hungry as she was.

  Dell roamed around the kitchen, all modern and shiny and he had to wonder why she thought she was messy. Yes, there were things all over. Some even still in boxes that she hadn’t gotten around to unpacking. But she was organized and cluttered at the same time.

  He toasted two fat seeded bagels and slathered jam on them both, leaving one on a plate with a tall glass of thick orange juice. His girl liked to chew her orange juice. He grinned at the thought of those words. When was the last time he’d ever called a woman his? And felt it to the bottom of his well-worn boots.

  He bit into the bagel at the same time she came from the wide hallway. The apartment was laid out well and the view had spread the business portion of the renovation below them.

  He knew from speaking with the resort business team, that the numerous businesses being erected on the grounds of the old shipyard had a limit to how high they were permitted to build. Partly because of the view; but mostly because of the moisture and building changes that had to be implemented for stable buildings to have a long shelf life. He liked their attitude and outlook for tomorrow.

  “Thank you,” Tasha looked at the waiting plate and smiled, kissing his cheek quickly before sliding into the breakfast stool. “I have to make a stop at the resort then we can go to your place. You said you hadn’t been there before?”

  “Too busy…or something always got in the way,” Dell admitted, wondering why he always let things get in the way. Then he thought of his father and uncles. Nothing came between them and the ranch. Not even their wives. That’s why they were all divorced.

  “If you don’t want to, Dell, it’s okay. I can force it to wait until Monday,” she told him hastily, her tongue out to swipe the jam that she felt on her lip. She laughed at the look on his face and held up a finger. “No more. Serious here…if you drag me off to bed again…”

  “We have a shower…and wall…and the back of that sofa looks mighty sturdy,” he told her with a wink, his laugh continuing through the heat in her cheeks. His body gave a nudge of arousal when the fire sparked in her gaze. The damp curls around her face and the slight hitch in her breathing were doing nothing to quell the desire.

  “Umm…well…” she worked to keep the little frown in place even as her cheeks heated.

  “I’ll mind my manners, Tasha,” Dell promised with a relaxed laugh. “When you’re finished and have a travel bag packed, we can go. I could use a really big coffee.”

  “I had shopping on my list for the weekend and then the research thing came up,” she answered in apology, taking a big bite of the jam packed bagel and running back into the bedroom, damp ponytail flipping behind her.

  He was tired. But for once he felt it was a good tired. They’d talked into the night and in the middle of the night. If she had baggage in her past, it hadn’t had a significant effect on her present. She was innocent enough to trust and believe. And the questions she asked made him think and laugh.

  “Alright…clean undies and other necessary things for a sleep over,” Tasha grinned at him and finished her bagel. “I’ve got my warm jacket, purse and…” she stopped chewing and looked around. “I think I’m ready…oh, my pack…I need the name of the man working with Harrison. It might present more information…” she sighed. “That’s why I wanted to check in with security and my office. See if they have something they haven’t sent me yet.”

  “Then we can go and a prettier tour guide I can’t envision,” Dell reached out and snagged her around the middle. “I still don’t want the weekend to end, Tasha.”

  “It’s only Saturday morning,” she melted against him, her fingers caught in the loops of his jeans. “You might be glad to be rid of me by tomorrow evening.”

  “I might have to find the bottle of vitamins I used to take so I have the energy to work on Monday morning,” he teased, kissing her and stepping back to collect his jacket and case. “But I won’t be glad to be rid of you.”

  “I never thought a guy would complain about a girl wearing him out,” she commented with a laugh at the swat he made toward her behind. She moved faster and was out the door, waiting to make certain it latched behind them.

  Dell watched the teasing, playful gleam in her eyes, snagging her against him once they were in the elevator.

  “You know eventually I catch you…”

  “I like to live dangerously,” she laughed, tossing her head to the side when he bent to kiss her.

  Dell didn’t stop the laughter even as his free hand held her pressed against him. Something in those wide brown eyes had caught his interest and wasn’t releasing him. He wondered now and then about her use of the word girl and maybe that was what he found appealing. Tasha wasn’t complex and yet, she was. But in a good way.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, releasing her when the door opened. Without hesitation, she twined her fingers with his and led him into the light fall mist falling around them. “Please tell me you don’t drive some tiny little hybrid?”

  “Hmm…might be interesting seeing you try and fit…” she peeked over at the grimace on his face and shook her head. “You’re safe. I haul around stuff for SCUBA and things with friends. I’m pretty sure you’ll fit.”

  It wasn’t that old and it was definitely not something he’d have expected to see his little bookworm to be driving, but he wasn’t going to complain. He slid easily onto the sturdy cushioned seat of the SUV, adjusted the seat back as far as it would go and fastened the seat belt. It was a deep blue with a crème interior that felt like it fit her.

  The items she talke
d about were neatly arranged and secured and hidden in unmarked cases; her alarm system made him raise an eyebrow in approval. His girl valued her belongings.

  “You said you’d been talking to someone at the resort?” Tasha knew she was still nervous. As intimate as they’d been, this part of forming a relationship always made her a little uneasy. Afraid she’d ask the wrong thing; afraid she’d comment and it would be misunderstood. She guided the large SUV along the coast road, smiling at the look on his face. “But you haven’t been here yet?”

  “It was on the schedule for next week. I’ve been talking to the business department, making certain we could meet the requirements for that portion,” he stared out the untinted windows, taking in the mass effect the resort had begun two years before. “I knew we could meet the approval of the chefs,” he said with a confidence that made her smile.

  “You’ll like Mia and Gwen,” Tasha told him with a little nod. “They’re really good at what they do. We get an occasional person that nothing will please, but they manage to create stuff for most tastes.”

  “I haven’t heard anything but good reviews…and I’ve passed the preliminaries,” he stopped and stared at the expansive buildings. A transport system had been part of it, carrying people around the complex facility. It was fairly quiet for a Saturday morning. There were people leaving and people arriving; some were carrying maps and an intent look to explore the other attractions the area held. “It’s huge.”

  “Yep…it is…” Tasha smiled and went through the gates, flashing her ID and finding a nice spot. “Not too crowded this morning.”

  “The resort and casino are incredible, and the momentum it’s created with the business model…it’s almost like it’s creating a whole new city,” Dell stepped from the SUV, leaving his case on the floor. “A whole new outlook for society to consider and embrace.”

  “I’m not sure they thought it would get this complex,” Tasha said with a laugh. “Cassidy is the security chief and she’s married to one of the principles, Mac. He runs the arcade and computer portion for the whole place. I work kind of in between Cass and HR.”

  “What are we searching for, Tasha?”

  She liked his fingers twined with hers. One of the guys she used to date told her only kid’s held hands and didn’t like it. But his fingers tightened around hers as they walked and talked.

  “First, a stop at my office to see if any of the background checks I asked for came through. I need more information on Harrison and I wanted to see if Molly was at the resort today,” Tasha slid her thumb onto the identification pad, her name and time logged into the system before the click indicated the door was open.

  Dell had to admit to not seeing such an organized complex in a very long time. She led him down the stairs and they went to the moving walkway, leaning against the rail as she talked.

  “This guy that was following you in Utah…” Dell had been thinking over the information she’d shared since meeting him.

  “I don’t know…” she said before he could speak further. “I need my office and my project wall. There are bits and pieces to this mess that kind of float out there with no obvious connection, but I know they’re related. The who, answered. The when, mostly answered. The where, again, answered. The why…that’s the one that trips you up. Once you know the why of a puzzle, the rest is easy to work out.”

  “And how about one of my own, Tasha. Are you in danger?”

  She looked from the floor to the rail, unable to meet his gaze. “I don’t have that answer. I don’t know if Molly is in danger, either. I suspect, yes, but again, I don’t know why she’s important to them. I don’t think she knows. I know she’s afraid of them.”

  “Which tells me you might be a target, too,” Dell felt his hands tighten around the railing he was perched against.

  “I’ve come to believe the truth always makes you a target of someone,” Tasha held her hand out and shrugged. “Can’t hide in a cave…don’t like the bugs,” she teased and gripped his fingers, taking them from the walkway and toward a large set of frosted double doors proclaiming ‘SECURITY’ across the front.

  Dell watched the repeat of previous procedures, her thumb print accessing the doors for them. She led him through the maze of cubicles, desks and offices around the outer edge of the wide open room.

  “A corner office,” Dell commented, remaining in the doorway to the large office, one entire wall outfitted with a white erasable surface. At the moment, it was blank, but he doubted it would stay that way. He watched her quickly go through the pile of folders in the middle of her desk, her frown telling him she didn’t have what she wanted.

  “Harrison is not a ghost…” she said with a little growl. She took the two photos and used one of the magnets on each one, hanging them on the board.

  Dell leaned against the doorjamb, watching the black marker move across the large wall. On the far right, she’d written the word school and the initials UT. In lines coming off that, was the initial M on the left and I on the right. A line was drawn beneath the letter I and the word ‘escaped’ written beside it. Beneath the M, she drew a short line and the word ‘destroyed’.

  She wrote the word ‘current’ and ‘ruins’ beneath that and the name ‘Todd Melville’, and a short line to the word sister – she put a question mark beside each. Then she moved to the other side of the wall, the marker capped and tapping against her cheek.

  In the center she wrote a column of initials, a dash and the letter C – except beside one of the M’s and the initials, FR, which she placed an M next to.

  From the pair of photos, she drew a line and the question: working to find? As well as another line to the string of initials and the single word – questioned.

  She took two steps back and stared.

  “This began because two strangers were questioning employees,” she said softly. “Not all employees. Only this key list. Somewhere in this list, each of these people came into contact with Molly. All of the people, have a career or at least background in, computers. Except Frannie and Molly, who are in the medical field. I need to know if Frannie ever had an interest in computers…and I have to find Molly,” she turned quickly, blinked and stopped short. “Dell.”

  “I found a place in your memory,” he said quietly, holding out one hand. “It looks harmless enough until you learn what the school was doing and how they got their students. What did you do before you worked for the resort?”

  She slipped her fingers into his and let him tug until she was toe to toe with him. He straightened up from the door frame and pulled her against him. He kept one hand at the small of her back, taking the marker from her fingers with the other and tossing it lightly to the surface of the desk. It lay quietly between some folders and books.

  “Data miner for the…military.”

  “Data miner…” Dell repeated the word with a little frown. “Spy hunter.”

  “Well…maybe…not quite…I never knew what they did with the information I found, I was just told to research.”

  “Huh…you owe me some food, girl.”

  “We have a great cafeteria or two restaurants upstairs,” she answered, relaxing and wrapping her arms around him.

  “Then we’re hitting the country, city-girl.”

  “Do I get a tour?” She eased back and went to her toes to kiss him. “Give me a minute.”

  “Horse back or tractor,” he said with a grin at the look on her face. “Or maybe truck.”

  “I’ve never ridden a horse, Dell. Seriously. Well, except the ponies at the carnival and maybe the carousel,” she said with a little frown as she took one last look at her diagram and jotted down some phone numbers from a little book on her desk. “Okay…upstairs.”

  “Restaurant. I’ve been smelling Italian since we came in,” Dell told her as she led them from the offices to the main underground.

  “Thank you for being patient. I sometimes get lost but…seeing things etched out helps.” Natasha smiled, absently nod
ding at people she knew as they walked through the underground and found the moving pathway.

  “You’re blushing.”

  “People are staring,” she looked down at their hands.

  “Pretty sure it’s safe to hold hands,” he whispered back. “I’ll try not to embarrass you.”

  Her gaze was up instantly, her mouth opening and closing when she saw the laughter in his eyes.

  “Hmm…now I’m in trouble,” Dell teased when she pulled her hand free and stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans. “I know you’re not afraid your other boyfriend will see us…and since I don’t plan on vanishing when the weekend is over, I’m a little puzzled at this adult reaction to people noticing us together.”

  She let him tug until her hand was back out and wrapped inside his. “You know I don’t have another boyfriend…” she frowned and peeked at him. “Boyfriend?”

  “Beats the term gigolo,” he said with a grin. “Boy-toy?”

  “Hmm...I might like that one.”

  She let loose with a burst of laughter and giggles when he pulled her hard against him in the landing of the staircase.

  “Okay, okay…not a boy toy,” she laughed, gazing up at the lines around his eyes and mouth, his smile settling the confusion inside her. She straightened up and walked with him from the employee’s only section. They were crossing the lobby when she stopped, her nails biting into his hand. For a long few seconds she stared, her head tipped to the side and lashes blinking behind her lenses. “Wait here, Dell…please…”