He parked out front of Tower Pizza and turned to Ruby. “I’m ordering extra stuffed grape leaves this time.”
She laughed. “Great, more for me.”
The pizza was terrific, the stuffed grape leaves abundant, and the dessert of key lime pie was the perfect way to top off the meal.
Leaning back in his chair, Michael rubbed his stomach. “I’m stuffed.”
“Who’re you kidding? You’re a guy. You have a bottomless pit.”
“I wouldn’t talk if I were you. I didn’t see you shy away and leave anything on your plate.” A fact he was most happy to see.
She shrugged.
“I suggest a quick shower to rid ourselves of salt and sand, then a walk on the beach. We can’t have you getting fat on the job.”
“Marvelous idea. Better than a jog.”
* * * *
Taking Ruby’s hand in his, he guided her along the sand as they strolled. The sun descended in colors of magenta, purple, and orange, and a welcome breeze blew in over the ocean.
Her head dropped to his shoulder. “Michael, I had a blast today. It felt good to be in thirty feet of water with all those magnificent fish swimming around. It was like being in a different world. This past week has been like being in a different world.” She traced his face with a finger as she looked up at him with mischief.
A world he wished he could keep her in. One that was safe and sound. He didn’t want her chasing after bad guys. He didn’t want her involved with other men. She belonged here. With him. Always.
Backing out of her grasp, Michael gazed into hazel eyes brimmed with tenderness, passion, and promise. He wanted nothing more than to take her to bed, claim her as his and never let her go. But he couldn’t. A sexual relationship would complicate the situation. It could be a distraction. A potentially dangerous distraction.
“I’ll work out a foolproof cover, but this is a temporary gig,” he stated. “Don’t get any long-term ideas.”
Her eyes flashed defiance, mouth opened in denial, but he watched the objection die before it crossed her lips.
“Fine.” She took a deep breath, exhaled, and continued. “Most men can’t handle an independent, driven woman who wants to be just as successful or more than the guy in her life.”
“You need a guy who can handle you. One who can help you put all the other pieces of your life in order. Not all men are assholes like your ex-fiancé. There are some good ones out there. The right one is just waiting for you.”
She flung herself from his arms, stood in front of him, fists jammed against hips, waves lapping at her ankles. “First of all, I don’t want to be handled. Second, if I ever found a guy who could deal with the fact I‘m independent, like to work, and want success then yes, maybe a serious relationship would be doable. A family and a home would come in time.”
She watched as a smile grew around the edges of his mouth. His eyes, a very dangerous blue, peered intently into hers. Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned in, braced herself against his warm chest.
The kiss was gentle and warm. Brushing his lips with hers, Ruby nipped at his lower lip. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drew him closer. He returned her kiss with reckless abandon, mouths opened, tongues explored, she shuddered in his arms. Her fingers raked through his hair.
Tearing his mouth from hers, chests heaving, his lips went to her face, her jaw line, up to her ear. She tingled, became molten as he tasted and bit playfully.
“I can’t stop—I want you,” Michael vowed. He sealed it with a kiss as he brought her down to the sand. Trapped, pressed against him, Ruby felt every hard plane of his body.
Breathing was difficult. His mouth found hers again, his powerful hands stroked her, searching and touching from hips to breasts, heating her skin and knotting her stomach.
Her bottom lip caught between his teeth, he sucked, and nibbled. Michael’s taste, scent, and feel overpowered her. His mouth seared a path down her throat to her breasts, fastening on her through the thin cotton dress where she felt his wet heat and desire. Her heart slammed against her chest.
Needing to touch her flesh, he worked the buttons open on her little dress. She hadn’t worn a bra. Gotta love this woman. The pink of her pebbled nipples begged for his attention, waiting for him to taste. His breath came harder, faster, as he lifted her up to take her into his mouth.
His hands drifted over her body exploring her contours. Lightning knifed through the dark skies and the sound of thunder rumbled, a voice of disapproval in the distance... awakening him to reality, he groped for control. Agony washed over his body and through his nerves. On a groan and an oath, Michael wrenched himself away from Ruby, drawing air into his lungs.
He had to be out of his mind almost taking her. He had inadvertently put her in this situation and wished to hell he could think of a way to get her out. Short of that, he needed to keep this relationship platonic. There was a psychotic ex-fiancé out there, possibly watching them right now. On top of that, there could be no obstacles in their way of getting the job done with speed and safety.
“Ruby, I…”
“Don’t say anything,” her voice fragile and shaking, “It was a mistake, you changed your mind. I’m glad one of us did. It was probably just the effects of scuba diving. We both know what that does to a person’s hormones.” She brushed sand off her backside. Her movement jerky with anger, Ruby tried to button her dress without any luck. As she started to go past him toward the house, he grabbed her arm.
Raw hurt glittered in those amber eyes, clawed at his heart, telling him everything she felt. He wished he knew how to tell her it wasn’t her fault. He wasn’t rejecting her. He couldn’t bear causing her pain. His hands fisted at his sides, he looked skyward, and told himself it was better this way. He couldn’t have her distracted or himself for that matter. Distractions were dangerous no matter how simple the task. He knew only too well what could happen, he had the shoulder scar to prove it.
“It’s just the wrong time and place.”
What did time and place matter when the desire prevailed? Had she gone too far? It hurt that he could maintain control. Stop the need, the wanting. Furious at her vulnerability to him, her chest ached, a lump lodged in her throat, and tears stung the backs of her eyes. She would be damned if she’d let the waterworks flow.
Raising cool eyes, she met his. “No matter. We’re both in control and it won’t happen again. Besides, as I said, I have other things to concentrate on right now.”
Michael lifted his hands to try and finish her buttons, but she knocked them away. “Don’t touch me,” she snapped. “I can take care of myself.”
His sapphire eyes darkened, threatening anger. Then, he broke out in a grin, slow and disarming.
“You’re cute when you’re riled.”
Speechless, he kissed her brow, swung her around, and walked her back to the house.
She’d show him cute. That was the last time, she vowed to herself. He didn’t want her. The ache of rejection filled her mind and body. He didn’t want her. She could control her response to him. She could be cool and aloof. It would just take practice. A lot of practice.
THIRTEEN
Replacing the receiver, Michael hung up the phone with Nicolas La Rue’s assistant. The conversation had been brief but productive. His cover was set. He made an appointment to meet with the Frenchman in a few days to discuss the potential opportunity for Nicolas’s computer security consulting company to do work for Michael’s financial services organization.
That only gave Michael a couple of days to get Ruby prepared for his departure and her role and re-introduction to her one-time mentor. The thought made Michael shiver and grimace. He hoped Ruby’s contact with Nicolas would be minimal.
As much as he enjoyed working out with Ruby in hand-to-hand combat, he doubted his own sanity. The more he remained near her, the more his resolve to keep their relationship professional would crack. Teaching her, touching her, just plain watching her in tho
se black horn-rimmed glasses she wore, sitting in front of the computer made him want to drag her down to the sand and finish what he started on the beach.
It took all his mental and physical willpower the other night not to succumb to her charms and the heat of her touch. He couldn’t afford to get involved with her or anyone. Not until the operation was over.
The last two days, Ruby practically lived on the lanai, working on Illusion, her program, virus, and worm, whatever she called it. She was there now, sitting on the chaise in one of her skimpy, barely-there bikinis with those sexy glasses falling down the length of her pert little nose. Although it was good to see Ruby engrossed in something she enjoyed and was good at, she had almost worn a hole through the chair’s cushion.
* * * *
She thought of Michael. Since the night on the beach, she couldn’t get him out of her head, her heart. When it came to work, it was important to concentrate on business and she did. But, whenever her mind didn’t focus it would wander—to him. She thought about how strong with desire he had been and it pissed her off he walked away, rebuffed her. Was it just her or did he do that to all women? He never even explained why.
“Ruby?”
“Ruby?”
Interrupted by the call of her name, Ruby realized she’d been staring out over the pool. Turning toward the voice, she caught the gleam of blue in his eyes.
“Where were you?”
“Thinking.” Watching his lips twist into a wry, knowing smile, she continued, “About—Illusion,” was the only lie she could come up with. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of believing she thought about him. “What can I do for you?”
“We need to talk about the rest of the plan. Things are going to be moving a little faster now. I’ve arranged my first meeting with Nicolas La Rue for Monday morning.”
“That soon?” she asked, surprised and more anxious than she anticipated. “I thought we were going to have more time.”
“You will, but I need to get some things taken care of before you show up on the scene. Can you put your computer down for a while so we can talk?”
She saved her work and set Luey aside. Stretching, Ruby stood on shaky legs to join him at the table for a glass of lemonade and to discuss their plans.
Without preamble, Michael laid out the details of the strategy. “Since La Rue already knows you, your identity can’t be any different. We want to use your past relationship with him to our advantage,” he said with a vague hint of disapproval.
“My alias is Mickey August. It’s similar enough to my real name so you should be able to work with it. You’ll need to call me by my nickname from now on.”
“Why don’t you have a completely new identity?”
“The first rule of any operation is to tell as few lies as possible.”
“Why?”
“Why lie when you don’t have to. Lies have a way of coming back to bite you.” He leered at her, grinning. Caught in half-truths by him, look where it landed her. Ruby’s nose wrinkled. Sometimes he was so smug.
“How will you prove who you are?”
“I have a passport, credit card, driver’s license, my business and other important documentation with my identity. There’s an internet trail on Mickey August as well.” He saw her disbelieving eyes. Reaching across the table, he placed a comforting hand on hers. She’d been wringing them like a wet dishrag. “Don’t worry, this is done all the time. It’s quite the norm for me.”
Her hands stilled and he pushed on. “Your situation will be exactly as it is. You just lost a job and decided to take a vacation before killing yourself to find another. You wanted to have some fun to celebrate your upcoming birthday.”
Her luminous gaze widened, surprised by his having remembered her birthday. He understood. It wasn’t like he sent her cards or gifts every year or even a phone call for that matter. Sometimes he was a louse. He’d rectify that in the future.
“Again, we want to use your situation to our advantage. He knows you, but being the cautious criminal type, he’ll almost certainly do a background search on you when you meet up with him. But, what he’ll find is exactly what you are.”
“And that would be?”
“He’s going to find a beautiful woman who just lost her job and needs another one real soon. You aren’t in a relationship due to your engagement being called off, making you look even more vulnerable to a man with Nicolas’s taste for women.” He felt the muscles in her hands and arms tense, watched her eyes go dark, her body stiffen. His remark hit home. She didn’t mind being used for her brain but wouldn’t be used for her body. Some relief swept over him.
“And what is your role in all of this?” She pulled her hands from his as if they had touched fire.
“I’m a single, successful, businessman who lives off and on in Oahu, in need of some computer security consulting for his international financial services organization, ‘Financial Beginnings Investments’.
“We want you to get a job from him and that’ll get you on the inside. I’m going to work it out so you’re on the security project for my business. That way I can keep a very close eye on you.”
“What if he doesn’t hire me or doesn’t put me on your project?”
“That’s easy. Then I hire you because he’ll have introduced us and I make him work with you from my side of the fence.”
“When do you leave?”
“I leave in two days.”
“What?” Her voice shook, choked up as if she’d had the wind knocked out of her. “But you said you don’t meet him until Monday. What about more lessons and Illusion?” Damn. She nibbled on her lower lip again.
“You’re plenty ready,” Michael tried to convince her as much as he tried to convince himself. “No more lessons as I don’t think I could take much more.” He wasn’t referring to the physical exercise, but the physical contact with her.
“You have Illusion under control and I trust you’ll have it complete before you leave next week. Ticketless airline reservations and a hotel will be arranged for you. Not to worry, it’ll look as if you paid for everything.”
“What do we do until you leave?”
“I’m going to pack and then I have some errands to run. You get some more work done or just relax. We’ll have dinner when I get back.”
He stood up, caressed her cheek, then pushed his hands in his pockets, turned and strode to his room.
She sat in silence until she heard the front door close and the car engine start. Her skin tingled. Was it from his touch or her nerves?
She glanced across the pool deck, past the screen, at the waves lapping the sand on the beach. Shaking her head, she said aloud, “No, you can’t think about it. It’s just business.”
With a sigh, she returned to the chaise and her work.
* * * *
A man on a mission, Michael drove down Overseas Highway toward Tavernier. He couldn’t shake Ruby from his mind. He couldn’t shake the thought that he’d leave her in two days. A small, nagging sense of dread crept into the back of his mind sinking into the pit of his stomach.
Rubbing his abdomen for some kind of comfort, he shoved the feeling aside and concentrated on his plan. Her birthday was next week and he wanted to be prepared, knew what would suit her, where to get it, and wanted to make sure he got it before he left. Since this distinct sense of awareness and foreboding wouldn’t cease crawling up his spine, he would have to make another stop along the way.
After picking up the package, he took it to a specialized electronics shop and waited for his specified modifications. When it was ready, he left with the owner’s best wishes.
Gift box tucked beside him on the seat, Michael headed back to the house. He couldn’t wait until her birthday, couldn’t wait to see the surprise on her face. Turning it over in his hands, he imagined the thick gold and vibrant pink stone nestled against her skin curving over the sexy hollow of her collarbone.
The stone was said to inspire love, creativity, a
nd wisdom. He didn’t think she would be thrilled to find he had added a personal tracking device to the pendant. She’d be down right pissed off at him. But he’d rather have her hiss like an angry she cat than have her in danger and out of touch.
All of a sudden, an idea took hold. The thought crystallized in his mind as if he focused a camera with startling clarity. Fear gripped him deep, his heart stopped, and he went cold.
“Son of a bitch,” he roared, slamming his fist against the steering wheel, swerved and almost drove off the road. He regained control, nailed the gas pedal to the floor and weaved in and out of cars. If he was right, and he knew he was, he figured out how Thomas tracked Ruby.
* * * *
Michael whirled through the house calling her name. She didn’t answer. Knowing she just about lived on the lanai, he moved to the patio doors in long sleek strides then out to the pool area. He checked the pool deck and found no sign of her or her computer.
Fists on hips, he asked himself, “Where the hell could she be?”
He’d find out, but right now he needed to find her laptop, find out if he was right. It wasn’t outside on the table or the lounge chair. He hoped she hadn’t taken it with her, wherever she’d gone.
He crossed the threshold and re-entered the house. He glanced through the living room looking for the computer but it wasn’t there. Then he went to her bedroom.
Scanning the room, he mumbled to himself, “Where would she put it?”
Down on his knees, he inspected under the bed. Nothing. He looked inside the closet, her suitcase, the bathroom, and even the linen cabinet. Nothing. Frustrated, Michael stood in the doorway between the bathroom and bedroom, raked his fingers through his hair, and perused the room. There was one last place to check.
He found Luey securely tucked away. He should have known. Luey wasn’t in a desk, a case, or even under the bed. If the array of colorful silk he eyed was what he thought, then Ruby kept the computer in her underwear drawer. Lucky Luey.
Lifting the laptop from the drawer, he flipped it over in his hands and looked for signs of tampering. He saw none. Without a word, he rushed out of the room with the computer in his grasp.
It Happens in Threes Page 13
