by Kim Baldwin
“I want to have whatever it is that you have been stealing.”
A flush of embarrassment colored Blayne’s cheeks. “Stealing! I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she sputtered.
“I mean it. Hand it over.” Alexi advanced quickly on Blayne and shoved her against the wall of the dressing room. Her throat was tight with anger. “Stop lying to me.”
“Damn it!” Blayne tried to push Alexi away, but Alexi was ready for it, and her reflexes were astounding. Before Blayne knew what hit her, both her arms were pinned above her head and Alexi was frisking her. Her flash of outrage and natural instinct to fight faded quickly, however, under the delicious distraction of Alexi’s touch and the close proximity of their bodies.
Alexi smoothed her hand over Blayne’s coat, and checked the pockets. She was furious that Blayne would take such stupid chances, to risk getting arrested for shoplifting. She supposed that was why she had been a bit rougher with Blayne than she needed to be in pinning her to the wall. But her frustration and Blayne’s refusal to cooperate had made her over-react.
Once the coat was checked, Alexi patted down the front pockets of Blayne’s jeans and discovered a hard, smooth object in one of them. She reached inside with difficulty—the jeans were tight to begin with—and extracted a Swiss Army pocketknife.
“What is this?” Frowning, she held it up in front of Blayne’s face.
To her surprise, Blayne was no longer furious or fighting. Nor did she seem the least bit repentant. Instead, she was smiling. Smiling rather naughtily, as a matter of fact. And the look in her eyes was reminiscent of the way she’d been leering at Alexi the night before. It was disquieting, to say the least.
“Looks like a knife to me.”
Alexi tried to ignore the way Blayne was looking at her, but it was not easy. What had begun as a standard procedure search, something she had done almost without thinking hundreds of times, had suddenly taken on sexual overtones. She was all too aware that the both of them were breathing hard. That their bodies were nearly touching. That the air between them had gone heavy with flushed desire.
“Better keep searching,” Blayne invited. “There’s more to find.”
Alexi’s right hand—the hand that held the pocketknife—started shaking. Perhaps this had been a really bad idea. But she couldn’t stop now. She tossed the knife onto the pile of clothes, and reached around to pat down Blayne’s back pockets, trying not to visualize, as she did so, how cute Blayne’s ass had looked in those skimpy baby-blue briefs.
“Take your time. No need to rush,” Blayne said, her voice slow and lazy and full of seduction. “It pays to be thorough, you know.”
Alexi tried to purge her mind of who she was touching, and where she was touching her, fought to obliterate her growing arousal and concentrate on the familiar and methodical routine of frisking someone. But nothing about this felt routine any more.
She bent forward slightly to run her hand lightly up the inseam of Blayne’s jeans to her crotch, cupping her briefly, intending to continue on, down the other inseam. But as soon as she reached the apex of Blayne’s thighs, Blayne moaned and leaned forward, pushing into her touch, and she put her mouth on Alexi’s neck.
All thought fled from Alexi’s mind, and the hand that was pinning Blayne’s wrists to the wall started to tremble as Blayne lips and tongue traced a path of wet heat along her jawline.
“Christ,” Alexi said under her breath. “Stop. Blayne, please.” But she didn’t pull away—she couldn’t—and neither could she move her hand, now steadfastly refusing to budge from the warmth of Blayne’s center. In fact, against her will, she found herself briefly arching her neck to allow Blayne’s mouth greater access.
“Keep going,” Blayne murmured between kisses. She was now thoroughly into being restrained. It added an exciting twist to this unexpected encounter. Finally, she had some proof that she could get Alexi interested, plenty interested.
She could feel the rapid, pounding beat of Alexi’s heart when she pressed her mouth against the pulse point at the base of her throat. The driving tempo matched her own heart’s rising excitement. Her blood was roaring in her ears. She thrust her hips forcefully into Alexi’s touch and a strangled groan escaped Alexi’s lips as she jerked her hand away.
“No!”
Blayne pulled back a few inches to look down at their bodies, dumbly wondering where Alexi’s hand had gone. Her gaze fell on their breasts, mere inches apart. Their coats were open, and she could see the outline of Alexi’s erect nipples through the form-fitting red T-shirt she had on. They matched the prominent display of her own, through the thin fabric of her green button-down. Oh God, that’s damn hot.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered, as she leaned forward into Alexi again so she could feel their breasts press against each other. When they did, a surge of heat rushed through her and settled low in her belly. “Please don’t stop.”
Alexi might have tried to tell herself that she was only following routine, finishing what she had started, if she had been capable of conscious rumination. But that whispered plea compelled her hand back to Blayne’s body. She skimmed her fingers over Blayne’s breasts to check the crevice of her cleavage, then looked down with heavy-lidded eyes to confirm what she had felt. The stone hard bumps that were Blayne’s nipples, pressing against her bra. A black silk bra—the edge visible because she had left three buttons unbuttoned on her shirt.
Her hand stilled as she stared at Blayne’s breasts, uncertain of her next move, reluctant to disengage. It was all she could do not to unbutton the rest of those buttons. Her mind had gone hazy with desire, and as she gazed into the depths of Blayne’s eyes, she could not resist the open and unguarded yearning she saw there. She had to kiss her. Had to.
But before she got the chance, two sharp raps on the dressing room door startled them back to reality. Someone rattled the knob.
“Anyone in there?” A woman’s voice.
“Yes,” Alexi responded shakily, stepping back from Blayne. She ran a hand through her hair—the hand that had caressed Blayne’s breast—to try to stop its trembling. “We will be a few more minutes.”
They stared at each other as the woman outside retreated, and Blayne took a step toward Alexi. The hungry look of arousal in her eyes had not diminished, but Alexi had regained a measure of control.
“No, Blayne.” Her voice held less than its usual measure of absolute authority, but she had managed to don a credible façade of detachment. “No. I am sorry. That should not have happened.”
“I know you were getting off there as much as I was,” Blayne said with conviction.
“I apologize for my part in it. It will not happen again.”
Want to bet? Now that she knew Alexi was attracted to her, now that she had experienced the fire beneath the surface, Blayne had every intention of seizing any other opportunities that might come her way. And if they did not, she just might create some. How can what just happened…or didn’t happen…be sexier than most of the sex I’ve ever had?
“Please tell me why you stole the knife,” Alexi said. “And hand over whatever else you took, because I know you put something else into your clothes.” Please do not make me search you to find it, because I cannot.
“I told you I want something to protect myself, and I knew you’d probably object,” Blayne said. “It’s not a big deal. I wasn’t going to try to use it to get away from you or anything. I mean, it’s a Swiss Army knife, for God’s sake.”
“What else did you take?”
Blayne stared at her for another long moment before she let out a long sigh. She reached behind herself and pulled a rectangular box out of the waistband of her pants, near her spine. “This.” Her cheeks flushed and she averted her eyes as she handed it over.
Alexi forced herself not to smile. It was a small massage wand. The box proclaimed it a great and portable way to relieve sore and aching muscles, but the shape of the device left no doubt that it could be used for oth
er, more pleasurable purposes.
“Well, you know…last night…you got me all stirred up and all, and nowhere to go with it,” Blayne said sheepishly. “I thought there might be future, similar occasions.” She looked up at Alexi with a wry grin and fire in her eyes. “Course, I had no idea you’d get me going again before we ever got out of the store.”
I have got to get out of here. She can’t keep looking at me like that. “Is that everything you took?”
“Yup. But you are welcome to keep searching if you don’t believe me. I think you missed a spot.”
Alexi kept her face expressionless, but her heart was pounding. She needed some space to get herself together, and right now. “Try on your clothes. I’ll be just outside.” She headed for the door, but paused before she opened it and didn’t turn around. “You can get whatever you like. No more shoplifting. That was another bad judgment call.”
Damn. Blayne watched her go, and it felt as though all the heat departed the small enclosure. Oh well. Keep your chin up. If you can get this close in a dressing room, just imagine what can happen in a remote hideaway in Canada.
No words were exchanged between them as they checked out. Blayne put both the knife and the massage wand in with her items, and Alexi didn’t flinch as they were rung up.
Alexi’s selections included a small locking suitcase for the money, and two large duffel bags for their clothes. She packed them all and stuck them in the trunk before they drove the short distance to the border.
“Get out your passport,” she instructed Blayne as they neared the checkpoint. “Remember, from now on, you are Fiona Murphy and I am Jacquelyn Andrews. Please let me do all the talking, unless you are asked a direct question. We are long time friends from Chicago who are heading to Toronto for a few days’ vacation.”
They made it through without any problems, and stopped at a restaurant on the other side to get breakfast and so that Alexi could make some phone calls. She didn’t dare contact Theo directly any more. It was too risky. She would have to relay information through Ray.
She would have him let Theo know they were safe, and in Canada, but that was all, and she wanted an update on the search for the leak, and any news about the case against Cinzano.
*
Ray had completed his assignment in the allotted time, but did not have good news for her. Lang had been unhappy with the go-between arrangement and wanted more specific information on their location. He’d had no luck in nailing down the leak, and he had nothing but discouraging news about Cinzano. The district attorney had warned the task force that without the guarantee of Blayne’s testimony, a judge might agree to a motion that had been filed by Cinzano’s attorney to get him released from jail.
Damn. That will certainly delay any trial. Who knows how long we will be cooped up together? Days, weeks…months? The memory of Blayne’s body pressed up against her returned and she tried to ignore the sudden twitch of feeling in her lower abdomen.
She returned to the Prizm, unfolded a map of Canada, and studied the area.
“Have you picked a destination?” Blayne asked.
“Only a route with good possibilities. I will know the place to stop when I see it. Somewhere remote. Private.”
She had long ago decided that whatever hideaway she chose should not have a telephone to tempt Blayne, and now she added a second prerequisite—they certainly would need separate bedrooms. Her loss of control in the store unnerved her. She had come dangerously close to kissing Blayne, and she knew that sharing a cabin with the feisty redhead was going to be one long exercise in frustration.
Mentally chastising herself for her weakness, she vowed once more not to allow the past to repeat itself. But it was going to be torturously difficult if they were stuck together and Blayne kept flirting with her. She had to minimize the opportunities for Blayne to get to her that way.
“Remote and private.” Blayne nodded thoughtfully. Remote and private with Alexi sounded damn fine. Just as long as she could get to a phone. Because she knew she couldn’t truly relax until she made some calls herself, to see if she could find out anything about Claudia.
Chapter Thirteen
“What a fabulous place,” Blayne said as they surveyed their surroundings from side-by-side Adirondack chairs on a screened-in porch. Couldn’t have picked a more romantic setting myself. It’s perfect.
Moondance Resort comprised a log cabin lodge and dozens of cabins, all scattered throughout hilly, mostly wooded acreage that surrounded a picturesque private lake. Alexi was able to book them the two-bedroom A-frame that was farthest from the lodge, where the only phones for miles around could be found. Their cabin sat on a small rise overlooking the lake, and the huge window in the upstairs front bedroom offered a view of anything approaching by water or road. Alexi had also arranged for a rental boat with a fast motor, ostensibly for fishing, so that they would have an alternate route away from the cabin. It would be delivered to their dock that afternoon.
“Fresh air. Breathtaking views. And a sexy woman to share it with.” Blayne glanced at Alexi, who was avoiding her eyes. “What’s wrong with this picture? Oh yeah,” she snapped her fingers as if the answer had suddenly come to her. “You seem to be far too able to resist me.”
“Blayne,” Alexi said reproachfully. “You have to stop this. Here and now. Nothing is going to happen between us. Nothing.”
“I wouldn’t put money on that. I can be pretty convincing. And you did pick a place where we are going to be spending a lot of time together, with little else for entertainment. No phone. No T.V.”
“Speaking of which,” Alexi said. “I would like your word that you will not sneak away to the lodge to make any phone calls while we are here.”
“I promise.”
The immediate answer made Alexi suspicious, though she had come to believe that when Blayne gave her word, she meant it. “Thank you. It is necessary.”
“I do believe that you have my best interests at heart.” Blayne stretched languidly and long. “Well, some of my best interests, anyway. Perhaps you could do more for my physical interests, but there’s time for that. Plenty of time.”
Her voice had a husky breathiness to it that washed over Alexi like a verbal caress, and forced her up and out of her chair. “I am going to unpack. Then we can head over to the lodge for some dinner.” She had to be alone for a few minutes to get herself together. It was becoming increasingly difficult to act nonchalant about Blayne’s come-ons.
“Whatever you say. I’m not going anywhere.”
Alexi heard the underlying promise in the statement, and she was both relieved and disturbed by it. It was great that she could apparently stop expending so much time and energy trying to keep Blayne from running. But it was obvious that Blayne was determined to continue her efforts at seduction, and that was just as dangerous a distraction. She could allow nothing to divert her focus and attention from the job she had to do.
While Alexi was avoiding her, Blayne put her feet up, wrapped her jacket tightly around herself, and stared out over the lake. Not only was she feeling safe for the first time in days, she was actually quite content with her current situation. It certainly could be a whole lot worse.
If only she knew what had happened to Claudia.
She knew Alexi wouldn’t approve of what she was planning, and that helped her tamp down the niggling of guilt she felt about her promise. There would be no harm in what she was going to do, she was sure of it. Now she just had to figure out how to do it without Alexi being any the wiser.
So far the only thing that had seemed to crack Alexi’s concentration was blatant flirting. Okay, then. I have a plan.
Blayne had gotten the layout of the lodge during their short visit there to register. While Alexi had been dealing with the front desk clerk, she’d wandered through the lobby, always within sight, feigning interest in the wildlife art on the walls and the view out of the windows while noting each phone, elevator, exit, and every other conceivable reso
urce.
When they returned for dinner she was pleased to discover that the lodge dining room, though not quite as cozy and intimate a place as they’d eaten in the night before, was certainly adequate for what she had in mind—lit by candles and quiet enough for private conversation.
“You sure know how to pick ‘em,” Blayne commented as they were led to a lovely table for two near one of the south-facing windows. “I haven’t been wined and dined in such nice places since I can’t remember when.”
“Perhaps we should skip the wine tonight,” Alexi commented as they took their seats.
“Aw. Don’t be a spoilsport. I’ll be good, I promise.”
Alexi was hearing every sentence out of Blayne’s mouth as a double entendre, which, she was certain, was the intention.
“A couple of glasses, then.” She knew she couldn’t tighten the reins on Blayne too much. But she loathed the idea she might have to once again fend off the kind of advances she had faced the night before, or worse. She would have to take the initiative in the conversation more, keep to safe subjects. Or perhaps even better, throw Blayne off guard a little. “Blayne, I am curious about something.”
“Shoot.” Blayne leaned forward expectantly.
“How long have you been shoplifting?”
Blayne frowned. “I told you. I took the knife because I wanted something to defend myself with, and I knew you’d probably have a problem with it.”
“I am not talking about this one incident. It was rather obvious that you had done it before. Perhaps a lot. Yet I view you as an otherwise intelligent woman and not in dire need financially. So I just wonder why.”
Blayne squirmed in her seat as she considered her answer. “It’s not a big deal. Once in a blue moon, I take something from a store. It’s never anything expensive.”
“Is it a compulsion, would you say?”
“No. Not at all. Look, I know it was stupid. A foolish risk. I’m sorry.”
