by K. M. Hodge
“We... uh... should probably get inside. Maggie is waiting for us.” He tried to see through the fog of lust that blinded him. He needed to be sensible about this.
A shy smile flittered across her lips as she released her hold on him.
“Wait right there.” He jogged around to the passenger’s side to help her out. She gasped in surprise as he lifted her out of the seat. He hadn’t anticipated her to be so light, and almost lost his balance.
She clung to him with a wide-eyed expression that made him laugh a little. “Alex, put me down! I can walk.”
He smirked. “I’ve got you.”
He held her more tightly, and she relaxed against him as he carried her to the door marked 4B.
Alex’s colleague, Maggie, came to the door dressed in a smart gray suit. “Alex, Katherine, right on time. Come in.”
Alex walked into the room and set Katherine down on the twin-sized bed in the corner. The room was set up as an office with a metal desk, laptop, printer, phones, and surveillance equipment. He noticed that one of the screens showed active surveillance of Jason’s apartment, and quickly pushed the off button for the screen before Katherine noticed.
What was Mags thinking?
“Mags, do you have our paperwork?” He tried to keep his irritation out of his voice, but wasn’t too sure he had been successful.
“It’s all in here: new identification, bios, plane tickets, and clothes.” Maggie handed them each a small carry-on suitcase. “Katherine, you will need to change your hair color—red kind of stands out.”
Katherine’s face fell.
Alex was a little sad himself, sorry to see the red go. He smiled at her in the hopes of cheering her up, and pointed at the paperwork. “Did you see where we’re going?”
Katherine shuffled through the papers and her face lit up. “Florida! A little time in the sun sounds lovely.”
He smiled as she once again found a silver lining to cling to, his world-weary heart again skipping a beat in the presence of her undying hope.
Maggie twisted her hands. “You will be posing as a young married couple while you transition into hiding. A representative of the US Marshal’s office will rendezvous with you to complete the transfer of custody from FBI to Federal Witness Protection. Katherine, you’re to have no contact with anyone at all. It could seriously put your life in jeopardy, and others’ too. Do you understand?”
Katherine’s smile melted into grim determination. “Yes, I know what’s at stake. My father was a US Marshal.”
Because they were on the clock, they changed into their new clothes, and Katherine dyed her hair strawberry blonde. Maggie presented them with matching wedding bands to finish off the ruse. They looked every bit the married couple.
Maggie smiled at the finished product. “Good luck.”
Katherine looked up at Alex. “We’d better get going or we’re gonna miss our flight.”
After working their way through rush hour traffic, they finally arrived at Reagan International Airport with their new identities—Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Scully, newlyweds.
Two hours later, they were on the plane heading to Key West, Florida. Alex played it up for the flight attendants by doting on Katherine. He couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to be a real married couple going on their honeymoon. Maybe her hope was seeping through his tough skin.
After they landed and secured their luggage, they piled into a CIA fleet sedan and drove all the way from Key West to Orlando in an effort to ensure their location remained unknown.
Alex’s heart raced as they neared the hotel, where they had booked the honeymoon suite.
Chapter 4
Wyndham Hotel
Orlando, Florida
March 31, 2008
8:00 PM
~~~
Katherine dropped her purse at the door of the spacious, ornate room. “Wow!”
Alex brought in their bags, dropped them in the open foyer, and kicked the door closed behind him. He caught Katherine by surprise when he picked her up by the waist and drew her into a long passionate kiss.
She quickly pulled away from the kiss, even though it had already begun to unravel her.
God, he’s a good kisser. “We shouldn’t be doing this. The FBI is paying you to protect and serve, not to proposition and seduce.” She tried to catch her breath and calm her racing heart.
She could tell by his smile that he wouldn’t be so easily dissuaded.
He carried her over to the sofa in the middle of the room and laid her down on it. “Nothing wrong with practicing for being under cover. We’re newlyweds, ya know?”
The saucy grin he gave her, coupled with the suggestive rise and fall of his eyebrows, made her want to lower her defenses and let him in.
His fingers ran through her now blonde hair as he kissed her—a soft, sweet kiss—and the shame and guilt that hovered just above the surface of her subconscious reared its ugly head. She needed to put on the brakes before things progressed past the point of no return.
“Alex, stop. We can’t do this.” Even though it pained her to do so, she pushed him away.
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said in a rushed apology.
He sprang up from the sofa and walked over to the coat in which he kept his pack of cigarettes and lighter.
The click of the lighter coming to life made her jump.
He turned on his heel, the cigarette dangling precariously from his lips, and walked out onto the balcony.
Katherine followed him, pausing in the doorframe. She felt torn between her desire and common sense, which told her this was neither the time nor the place to indulge in the bodice ripper fantasy she had playing over and over in her head.
Before she could say anything, Alex said, “This isn’t going to be easy....” He took a long drag, and continued, “...playing by the rules.” A plume of smoke left his parted lips. He put out the cigarette and then stormed past, leaving her standing in the doorway. “I’m going to go take a walk.”
She noted more than just a small amount of irritation in his voice, and the loud slamming of the heavy door behind him.
Once she was back inside their room, she plopped down onto the pullout sofa and rested her head in her hands. Thoughts of Charles and everything left unsaid between them, including the commitments they had made, flashed through her mind. As much as Charles had hurt her, she still felt torn between past commitments and her growing desire for her partner. Alex was everything she wanted in a man—smart, funny, sexy, and a damn good kisser.
She twisted the government-issued ring on her finger. It represented a hollow union but, for a moment, felt real to her.
***
Once outside the room, Alex slammed his fist against the hallway wall, causing a picture to fall to the floor. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it as he made a beeline for the hotel bar. The thought crossed his mind that he should call his sponsor or Doc, but he just couldn’t bring himself to take that necessary step. It had been years since he worked the steps of the program, and he could feel himself spiraling even with the medication Doc had prescribed him. The rapidly building need had him balancing on the knife’s edge. Just a little taste--that was all he needed—to get him through.
An hour later, he walked back into the now pitch-black hotel room. Curse words flew out of him as he fumbled for the light switch and tripped over the bags he had carelessly tossed on the floor earlier. At last he found the switch and flicked it on, causing a soft light to spill into the room, bathing it in a warm glow.
Katherine lay curled in a ball on the sofa, a prescription bottle of Vicodin on the stand next to her.
As he stood over her, he let the shame of what had happened wash over him. His obsession with sleeping with her was taking a toll on him. He couldn’t help but wonder, if he gave in to that urge, if it would lessen the need gnawing at him or just consume him whole.
After Katherine had put the kibosh on their make-out session, he’d ended up in
the bar bathroom with a willing and able replacement. He shivered in shame and disgust with himself, as his addiction once again threatened to wrestle the reins away from him.
The sofa groaned as he lifted her up. He carried her into the bedroom and tucked her in, and she slept soundly—a heavily drugged sleep that he knew she needed.
He washed away the smell of his failings in the hot hotel shower. As he stepped out of the shower, the harsh artificial light left his reflection in the mirror looking haggard and worn. His addiction was taking a toll on him in more ways than one.
On the way out of the bathroom, he grabbed a pillow and blanket and went back out into the living room. He set up his bed for the night, and pulled out his cell to call Doc.
She picked up on the third ring. “Hey, Alex.”
“Do you have a minute?” He swiped away the tears that were sliding down his cheeks. The humiliation over his addiction and what it had already cost him was sometimes more than he could bear. “I’m having a bad night.”
“Oh, Alex, did you have a relapse?”
“Yeah, something like that. I’ve been thinking maybe those side effects wouldn’t be so bad after all.”
***
The Mall
Washington, D.C.
April 1, 2008
6:00 AM
~~~
Even though he had access to the congressional gym, Scott still preferred to run outside. He had been an all-star track and cross-country athlete in high school, like his twin sister Katherine. They had both kept up with the running even into their thirties, something he was proud of.
His government-issued parking sticker let him park almost anywhere, making it easy for him to fit a quick run in at any time of the day. The biting cold weather awoke his senses and helped him to think more clearly. He was going to have a busy week, with several key bills hitting the Senate floor, and he needed to be sharp and on his toes.
He had surreptitiously managed to sneak in some pork belly spending for his district, and needed to ensure that the bills passed in order to make good with his campaign contributors. He spent half of his days scheming and making deals behind closed doors. Congress was an ugly place, where power and money exchanged hands at imperceptible rates, and he couldn’t afford to be waylaid by trivial personal matters.
Unfortunately, the mess his sister had caused had created an unavoidable distraction.
Scott was rounding his way back to his car when his phone chimed with an incoming text message. He slowed down to check it—no text received before 7:00 a.m. was ever good. Jean.
Emergency meeting today at 9 in the tunnel by the kids’ art.
The game of holding onto power required one to walk a slippery slope.
***
Wyndham Hotel
Orlando, Florida
April 1, 2008
7:00 AM
~~~
The light streaming through the cracks in the blinds awoke Katherine from a sound sleep. She squinted at the clock: 7:00 AM. When’s the last time I slept twelve hours?
She hopped out of bed, did her regular yoga routine, and took a quick shower. With her morning rituals complete, she tiptoed out into the front room. She was relieved to see soft dark curls poking up over the pillow on the sofa. After their little fight, she had wondered if he would still be there when she awoke.
As she walked farther into the room, his body revealed itself to her in sections. When she saw him in his entirety, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes feasted on the sight before her. His firm, muscular chest, sprinkled with dark curly hair, rose and fell with each breath. A small puckered scar marring his near-perfect right pectoral caught her eye, and before she could stop herself, she reached out to touch it.
Alex clasped onto her wrist and pulled her down upon him, making her gasp. His anxious mouth searched hers out and she found herself giving in to his ardent kiss. With one arm on her back and the other cupping her head, he shifted them until he had carefully pinned her beneath him—a place she didn’t mind being.
Her long legs wrapped around him, making him growl in her ear. With her lips, teeth and tongue, she encouraged his advances. She needed this.
He grasped a fistful of her hair, yanked hard to expose her neck, and his teeth connected with the bundle of nerves along her neck and collarbone.
She cried out. The intoxicating smell of his natural musk and the salty taste of his skin left her wanting more. The night before she had vowed not to allow this to happen, but once again she found herself at the mercy of her desires.
Her fingernails dug deeply into his back as he bit, licked and sucked the tender skin at the hollow of her neck. His quick and nimble fingers made short work of the tiny buttons on her fitted blue oxford shirt, and the skin on her neck and chest became hot and inflamed from the scratchy stubble on his face, as he kissed his way down the new path of exposed skin. She pulled him back up to her lips. She had lost any and all control of her body, which responded in kind to every move and thrust of his. Each touch, each kiss, left her wanting—needing—more.
It would be so good. What could be the harm in just one time?
A noise rose over the sounds of their moans and heavy breathing. Katherine stilled for a moment. “Your phone’s ringing,” she rasped in his ear.
Alex grumbled in frustration as he rolled off her and grabbed the blanket to cover himself. He moved to answer the phone.
A wave of embarrassment and shame washed over her. She had let things go too far. While he looked the other way, she stood to clasp her bra and button up her shirt.
“Hello, yes, thank you. Just leave them at the concierge desk, please. Thanks again.” He hung up.
Feeling self-conscious, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Who was that?”
“A special treat I have cooked up for us.”
The blanket around him fell to the floor, making her heart race once again.
“I’m going to go shower, but first things first.”
He pulled her up against him for a tantalizingly short kiss that ended almost before it even started, leaving her longing for more as he walked off in the direction of the bathroom.
It would be so easy to just give in to him, to succumb to his persistent advances. Her fingertips brushed her kiss-swollen lips.
I’m doomed, she thought to herself with a small smile.
***
Once in the bathroom, Alex took his medication, hoping it would kick in quickly. Doc had advised him to take one and a half pills while he was in Florida. She would fill a different prescription for him when he got back home.
His heart was racing so fast that he thought he might pass out. His hands clutched at the bathroom sink as he breathed in and out, trying to ground himself, as Doc had taught him. As much as he wanted to sleep with Katherine, he also yearned for a relationship with her outside of the bedroom—something he had never had before with anyone. To get there, he would have to put the brakes on the physical part of their relationship and focus on building trust with her.
He thought over all the things Doc had told him last night. It was the first time in his life that he’d ever asked for love advice, or... hell... even needed it, for that matter. Bedding someone was the easy part. The other stuff remained a mystery to him, an “As Seen on TV Only” kind of thing.
Once his heart rate returned to normal, he started the shower and took out his toiletries bag. He hoped tonight’s surprise would help turn things in the right direction for them. It would be good to get out of the hotel—so much easier to behave in public.
After he had showered and dressed, he and Katherine spent the morning catching up on all their paperwork. Alex tried with every fiber of his being to keep a respectable distance between them. He knew from recent experience that even the slightest touch would be their undoing.
At four o’clock on the dot, he brought a garment bag out of the bedroom and held it out in front of her. “Put this on.”
She looked up from t
he book she was reading. “Excuse me, what?”
“You need to get dressed. Remember that surprise I told you about? Well, it has a dress code requirement.”
She half-smiled back at him, cocking one eyebrow. “All right, I’ll play along this time, but for the record I am not a big fan of surprises.”
“Noted, but I think you might like this one.” He dangled the garment bag in front of her, hoping to pique her curiosity.
“We’ll see about that.”
He chuckled and waved his hands anxiously towards the bedroom and bathroom, then playfully shoved the bag into her hands. “Get dressed!”
She laughed. “Okay, okay.”
An hour later, she came out dressed in a crimson-red, floor-length gown, her blonde hair swept up in a French twist. A single row of pearls graced her pale, freckled chest, and two pearl studs anointed each earlobe.
“Wow,” he said, swallowing to suppress his growing desire.
She twirled the skirt of the gown, showing off. “You like it?” She looked up at him from beneath her hooded lids.
“Yes, very much so.” He dug his fingernails into his palms to keep himself in check.
Her face flushed as she flashed him a shy smile. “Me too. Thank you. It really is beautiful. How did you guess my size?”
He smiled as he tried to adjust the bow tie of his tuxedo. “I’m a trained investigator.” His fingers shook a little under her watchful eye.
She tugged the lapels of his jacket and moved his hands aside so that she could fix the troublesome tie. “You clean up nice, Special Agent Bailey.”
He winked. “I know.”
She chuckled at his confidence.
Now that they were ready, he took her hand into the crook of his elbow and led her to the door. “Are you ready for our adventure?”
The expectant smile that looked up at him made his body hum with delight. When she squeezed his bicep, a rush of adrenaline shot through him.
“I can’t wait.”
***
Florida Opera House
Orlando, Florida
April 1, 2008
7:00 PM
~~~
