When she raised her head, Joe lovingly smoothed her hair back from her face. She smiled her thanks. “If we’d only answered our hotel room door in Ybor City, he would have had a chance to tell us he’d slipped away from the real mobsters long enough to let us know he was with the law. Actually, he did—through the door—but we didn’t believe him.”
“Well, it did seem suspicious, after all. First, thugs come pounding on the door, and then a few moments later, someone knocks claiming to be a federal agent.”
“It was just like a movie, wasn’t it? There he was, telling the mob boss up in New Jersey that he and those actual mobsters would take care of us, when really he was trying to protect us and not get himself killed at the same time. And we kept putting him on the spot by confronting him, didn’t we? Not once did he give himself away. He was really good. He even got away from those goons so he could contact Maury to get his cooperation, but the old guy kept running away or wouldn’t open the door.”
“Yeah, well, none of us is going to be offered a Mensa membership over our actions in this.”
Meg grimaced. “Me, especially. Those poor men, Joe. They show up at Maury’s to tell us what’s been going on and how it’s over now. And what do I do? I go screaming out the door like a crazy woman and assault three federal agents.”
“Like I said, you didn’t know. At least they picked up the real bad guys at the airport before they could get to Uncle Maury. And how about that old dude? Ice water in his veins. Said he didn’t know why the Ferlinettis were after him, and he had no idea what money they were talking about.”
“Until they granted him full immunity. Then he told them everything.”
“Like I said. Ice water in his veins. The man has guts.”
“I’ll say. He used the mob’s money to finance and build the South Tampa apartment complex where I live, Joe—and got away with it! That property is worth millions. And the little sweetheart is going to leave it all to you.”
“Along with The Stogie, don’t forget. Now there’s a real treasure. But you know what’s most embarrassing to me about this whole thing?”
Meg chuckled. “I think so. The keys?”
“Amen. It’s all so obvious now.”
“Yeah,” Meg said, “Naming the apartment complex Bay Water Keys.”
Joe burst out laughing. “God, Meg, the old man took the money, invested it in property, shredded the letter he’d signed years ago swearing to Freddie Ferlinetti that he’d keep the money for him, then went out one night in a boat by himself and threw the lock-box and keys in the sparkling waters of Tampa Bay. All the proof gone forever. I should be shocked and appalled, but I’m not. It’s just too damned, I don’t know, off the chart.”
Grinning with him, Meg looked onto Joe’s eyes. “Speaking of being shocked and appalled, Joe, I have something I want to say to you.”
“All right.” With great affection, he caressed her cheek and roved his gaze over her face. “What’s on your mind?”
“First, since we’re in a honeymoon suite in a hotel called The Sand Castle, which is much nicer than the one we tried to build last Saturday in St. Pete, and since this is Las Vegas, home of wedding chapels, and I don’t like being the fake Mrs. Smith, who has no big diamond ring—”
“Are you asking me to marry you, Meg?”
She took a bolstering breath that did nothing to ease her excitedly pounding heart. “And that’s not all.”
“Isn’t the fact that there’s nothing I’d rather do than marry you enough?”
Happiness flooded Meg. “You’re moving to Tampa.”
“I am?”
Meg raised her eyebrows at him. “Don’t start that again, Joe. Where’s the property Maury wants to sign over to you now, so he and Mrs. Warden can live in sin and travel? I believe it’s in Tampa. But here’s a compromise. We can divide our time between Denver and Tampa. I want to keep teaching—”
“Even after our own children come along?”
Suddenly shy, she looked down. “We’ll talk about that later. So maybe summers in Denver, the school year in Tampa, and alternating holidays in the snow and the tropics with our families? How’s that sound?”
“Like your friend Wendy is going to be totally jealous.”
“No, she won’t be. She loves me.” Meg frowned, biting on her bottom lip. “You’re right. She’ll kill me. So will my mom. And my dad and brother. And your parents and sister. Oh God, Joe, are we doing the right thing? Maybe we should wait—”
“No. It’s our life, Meg. They’ll all come around. And now I have something I want to say.”
“That you love me?”
“No—well, yeah, I do, of course. But I was going to say I want to seal the deal with you.” When Meg stuck out her hand for a handshake, Joe playfully batted it away. “Funny.” Then he said in a low voice, “I want to make love to you.”
Meg’s eyes widened with anticipation. She slid down into the covers and raised her arms to him. “Cowboy, I love how you negotiate.”
Joe rolled over on top of her and took her in his arms. “You do? Then you’re really going to love how I—”
Meg cut him off by pulling his head down and covering his lips with hers. The long, slow, sensual kiss took over, causing time and place to slip away as their tongues did slow battle and their hands explored each other’s bodies. Within moments, their breathing became shallow, rapid. Their gentle kneading and unhurried massaging became fevered, grasping motions. Their whispered words of love became low moans of pleasure. And their desire to enjoy this moment, to prolong it, was supplanted by the primal need to be one, to be whole.
With the earthy scent of Joe in her nostrils, with the heated feel of him atop her, and with the sight of his naked magnificence filling her vision, Meg wrapped her legs around his lean hips. “Take me, Joe. I need you now. I’ll always need you like this. All my life. I love you.”
Joe’s intense blue eyes had darkened with desire. “I love you, too, Meg. I have since I saw the curve of your spine and the nape of your neck in that dressing room last week. We’re going to be great together.”
With that, he entered her, sliding easily into her softened, welcoming center. Meg sighed with contentment as all her senses coalesced in that throbbing place. Though Joe filled her, she arched her hips to take him in even more fully. Her body, impatient for the loving dance, began to move slowly, sensually. Joe met her every thrust with a powerful one of his own, until they moved in perfect concert. Giving herself over to the pleasure, Meg closed her eyes….
“Meg,” Joe whispered into her ear, his rhythmic pace never slowing, “we forgot the condom.”
She opened her eyes and whispered back. “We sure did. So what do you want to name this child?”
Joe chuckled. “How about Rocco? Rocco Rossi.”
Meg opened her mouth to protest, but with the power and potency of his lovemaking, Joe swept away her ability to form coherent thoughts. Arms and legs wrapped around him, Meg’s entire being centered on what he was doing to her—and what she was doing to him. Nothing and no one existed but her and him. And this moment. And this bed—
And that god-awful pounding on the adjoining door accompanied by Maury Seeger’s grating voice.
“Hey, Joey, Meggie, you in there? Wake up! We gotta pack and get outta here right now! I just seen Big Diamond Brody downstairs in the casino, only he didn’t see me. He musta followed us here from Tampa. Hey, can you guys hear me? You’re awfully quiet. What’s going on in there?
“Vera, honey, go around to the hall door and use that pass key I got from the front desk. See if the kids are in their room. I’ll keep talkin’ in case they are. Hey, you guys, remember I said I wasn’t running from the Ferlinettis? I wasn’t lyin’. It was Brody who called me last Sunday at home and said he was coming down from New York for his diamonds. Only, I ain’t got his diamonds. They’re in the lockbox at the bottom of the bay. But I got a map hidden at home that shows where I dropped the box. I just hope no fish ate
the keys to it. Anyways, we gotta get back there right now and find those diamonds before he kills me and everybody in my family. That includes you and Meggie.
“Hey, Joey? Meggie? Whadda ya doin’ in there?”
ISBN: 978-1-4603-7249-4
BLIND DATE
Copyright © 2005 by Cheryl Anne Porter.
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