She ripped back the sheet that covered her and jumped out of bed. Catching her reflection in her dresser’s mirror, she asked herself why she was naked. She never slept naked. Then, sudden remembrance assailed her. Oh, criminy—Mike! Where was Mike? Almost fearfully, she looked again at her bed. Gone. Empty. She put a hand to her fluttering heart. Last night she’d been upset at the prospect of him doing a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am routine and leaving, but now she was eternally grateful for his good instincts.
Until he opened the bathroom door, wearing only a towel. Julie stifled a scream by clamping her hands over her mouth. Mike stared at her. “Tell me that wasn’t a knock I just heard at your door.”
She moved her hands a bare inch. “I wish to God I could.” Suddenly remembering her state, she grabbed at the bedsheet, tugging it desperately, until she’d pulled enough of it loose to cover her. “What are we going to do? Do you know who that is?”
“My money and my prayers are on the paperboy.”
Julie nearly screeched. “It’s not the paperboy, Mike. It’s not the paperboy at all. It’s your worst nightmare. That’s who it is. Your worst nightmare.”
He didn’t even hesitate. “Your mother? What in the hell is your mother doing here?”
“Oh, she’s not alone. My whole family is with her. We’re all going to brunch and then to the airport with Susan and Ben, remember?”
Mike just looked at her. “What are we going to do?”
In her agitation, Julie clutched at her sheet with one hand and danced in place. She waved her other hand as if trying to dry nail polish. “I asked you first. Help me!”
The knocking sounded again. Julie heard her mother calling out, “Julie, honey!”
The dancing and hand-waving intensified, despite her best effort to remain calm.
Federal Agent Mike DeAngelo went into action. Pacing and gesturing, resembling a scantily clad professor making a particularly important point, he outlined their plan. “Okay. Okay.”
“Hurry!”
“I am. Okay. First we’ve got to pick up all my clothes.” Not waiting for him, Julie dropped her sheet and raced naked around the room gathering them up. She shoved them in his arms. “Good. Okay, now, where’re my boots?” She knelt by the bed, bottom up in the air, and dug his boots out from the tangled covers on the floor and flung them at him. He caught them deftly. She stood up, hands to her waist, breathing hard and awaiting more orders. He sorted through his stuff. “Okay, that’s all. Now, go let them in, and I’ll stay in the bathroom. Then you come back here—by yourself—and get dressed. Once you’ve all cleared out, I’ll leave. How’s that sound?”
The knocking on the door intensified. Julie stared at Mike. There was something wrong with his plan, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Mike looked her up and down and then tugged his towel off and flung it to her. Okay, that was another thing she hadn’t thought of.
“Wrap that around you. Tell them you were in the shower. Come on, Julie, move!”
Mike retreated to the tiny bathroom and quietly closed the door. Oh God, oh God, oh God was Julie’s mantra as she took heavy steps into the front hallway. Despite her shaking fingers, she managed to undo the safety latch and open the door. Yep, there they were. Mom, Dad, Ben, Susan, Tommy and, oh God oh God—Aaron! That was what was wrong with Mike’s plan! Aaron! What were they going to do with him when Mike was nowhere to be found? Maybe they hadn’t gone to his apartment yet-”Well, sweetheart, it’s about time,” Ida fussed as she pushed by Julie. The rest of the family trooped in behind her, eyeing Julie dubiously as they all stood around expectantly, staring at her. Except Ben. Looking somewhat embarrassed as he passed her, he took the boys with him to go look out the sliding glass doors at the parking lot.
Julie glanced back at her mother. “I was in the shower.” Was that guilty voice hers?
Susan made a noise. “We can see that. So, go get dressed. We’d like to have enough time to devour the brunch at Surfers, if you don’t mind. Why are you running late?”
Why, indeed “Because.my alarm didn’t go off.”
“Did you even set it?”
Julie was beginning to hate Susan. “Of course I set it. What do you think I am?”
Ida stepped in. “Now, girls, this isn’t getting us on the road. Julie, before you go put on your makeup, let me take Aaron to the washroom.”
Julie nearly choked. “No. You can’t.”
Ida, already two steps into her mission, stopped and turned around. “Why not? He’s had to go since we left home.”
Oh God, oh God. “The toilet’s broken.” Geez, right up Dad’s alley.
“Oh, it’s probably nothing. I’ll take a look at it,” her father said.
“No! It’s not the toilet at all. It’s.the light. The light’s out in there.”
Now even Ben turned around. “You took a shower in the dark?”
Julie’s mind raced. “No. It just went out a few minutes ago. And I don’t have any more bulbs—so you can’t change it, Dad.”
Susan, the closest one in the room to Julie, waddled over to her, took her arm and spoke in a low voice. “Why are you acting so weird? What’s going on?”
Julie decided to come clean. She mouthed, “Help me.”
Susan frowned and mouthed, “What?”
Julie again mouthed, “Help me,” and then added, “Mike’s here. Mike.”
Susan’s eyes widened as the color drained from her face. She let go of Julie’s arm and stepped back. “Oh, dear God.” She turned immediately to their family. “Um, Mom, let’s all take the boys down to Aaron’s apartment. Maybe Mike’s home by now.”
Julie clutched at her sister’s arm. Did Susan not understand what she’d.mouthed? Susan brushed her hand away and spoke unnaturally loud. “He may not be there yet, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon. I bet he’d gone to get doughnuts or something when we called. Why don’t we all go there now and wait for him?”
Getting her ploy, Julie slumped. Until Ben exchanged a look with Jack Cochran and took a step closer to his wife. “Are you okay, Susan? Your voice sounds funny.”
“Of course I’m okay. Never better. Now, come on. Let’s go, dammit.” She was practically shrieking by now. “Humor me. I’m pregnant.”
“Okay,” Ben intoned, sounding very placating. “We’ll all go to Mike’s apartment again.” Then he added grumpily. “Although, I, for one, don’t see how he could’ve gone for doughnuts or anything else since his Blazer’s in the parking lot.”
Julie stepped up beside her sister in time to see her face turn red, just before she exploded. “You ever heard of walking to a store for exercise? People can’t walk in Florida?”
Silence reigned. Then everyone began talking at once. And moving toward the door. Susan jerked it open and ushered them all out. Except for their father. “Dad?”
“I’ll wait here. I don’t feel like walking for exercise or doughnuts.” He picked up a women’s magazine on Julie’s coffee table and sat down on the overstuffed couch. He began flipping through the pages.
Out in the breezeway now, Susan could do nothing but gesture wildly and mouth unintelligible directions to Julie. Giving up, Julie gestured for her to go on, indicating she should stall everyone for as long as she could. Susan flung her hands out and shrugged her shoulders. Julie closed the door and faced her father.
He smiled over at her. “You sure you don’t want me to look at that toilet? Or check your utility closet for a bulb, honey?”
Julie clutched at the towel tucked in at her bosom. “I’m sure, Dad. You just sit right there and, for God’s sake, don’t move. I mean, don’t trouble yourself. And I’ll go get dressed.”
“Okay. If you’re sure. But first thing tomorrow, you call the office here and get the repair people over. That’s their job, you know.”
Julie fled down the hall, calling back over her shoulder, “I will, Dad. I promise.” In her bedroom, she closed the door none too gently and pushed in the lock button on the knob. Then,
standing in the. middle of the room, hands knotted over her heart, she swallowed hard several times, trying to force the lump out of her throat. Never again, she promised herself.
Okay—Mike. Going to the closed bathroom door, she opened and peeked inside. One glance revealed it was empty. Except for the toilet, sink and bathtub, of course. She whispered, “Mike?”
The shower curtain whizzed open. Julie had to stifle a screech. Mike stood there, serious, fully dressed, hands on his waist, looking like some avenging god. Who just happened to rule his domain from behind a flower-patterned shower curtain. “Are they gone?”
At least he’d whispered. “For the moment. Except my dad. He’s in there reading Cosmo—what are the odds? The rest of them went to your apartment.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Well, that’s perfect, isn’t it? I bet I’m not there. Why did you send them to my apartment?”
“I didn’t,” Julie whispered sharply. “Susan did.”
“Susan did? Because.?”
“Because your son is with them, Mr. FBI Agent with the Brilliant Plan.”
Mike stared at her, suddenly struck mute. He stepped out of the tub. Julie backed up to the vanity in the tiny room. Mike sat on the tub’s rim and rested his hands on his knees. He looked up at her. “Have you ever noticed how all the big moments in our relationship seem to revolve around bathrooms?”
Julie could only blink at him. He was right. And he was also still in her apartment. “You’ve got to go, Mike. They think you went for a walk to get doughnuts.”
He frowned, looking slightly addled. “What? Why would I do that? Why would I walk for exercise, only to go get doughnuts?”
Julie put her hands to her face and then to his. Yep. His was as hot as hers. “Look at me, Mike. You’d have to be a woman to understand that one. But what we need to concentrate on is getting you out of here—undetected. Are you with me?” She waited for him to nod. “Good. You can slip out the sliding glass doors here in my bedroom, okay? And then hurry to your apartment. Tell them there weren’t any doughnuts or juice, or whatever. You’ll think of something. You got all that?”
Blessedly, his eyes cleared. He stood up, pinning Julie between him and the vanity. “Yep. I got it. One problem.”
Julie slumped. “What?”
“Why am I dressed in the same clothes I had on yesterday?”
Julie stared at him, at his individual features, while she thought. “Because.you’re a guy and you’re a slob.”
“I am not a slob.”
“You are for today. Now, go!” She shoved him, but succeeded only in almost toppling herself into the sink behind her. When would she learn that he was as immovable as a mountain?
Mike grabbed her for a quick kiss, looked down into her eyes and said, “One day, we’re going to laugh about this.”
“Maybe when we’re ninety-five. Not a day before. Now, get out of here.”
MIKE DIDN’T WAIT UNTIL he was ninety-five to find the humor in the situation. It was barely ten hours later, and here he was vegged out. in his recliner, killing himself laughing. Especially when he thought about Julie’s bare but sweet little butt poked up in the air as she searched under her bed for his boots. Son of a gun, she was funny! And so damned warm and loving—in bed, as well as out of it.
Shaking his head for about the fiftieth time since he’d hightailed it back to his apartment to spout that stupid walking-for-doughnuts story to her family, he realized he was finding it increasingly difficult to remember what his life was like before he’d met Julie Cochran. And that probably wasn’t good. The day when he’d have to fish or cut bait was quickly approaching.
Not able to concentrate on the TV show he’d been ignoring, he clicked it off with the remote and wrestled his chair back to its upright position. Pushing himself out of its comfort, he figured he’d better check on Aaron. The big guy was way too quiet in his room. Which probably didn’t bode well for Popeye, his frog.
But just as he started toward the hallway, someone knocked on the front door. Jumping at the sound, Mike half turned around. Hell, no wonder he jumped. The last time he’d heard a knock on the door, he’d been naked in Julie’s bathroom. Anyway, whoever it was knocked like a girl. Probably Julie. He smiled, ignoring the effect that thought had on his.blood pressure.
Just then, a screeched “Come back!” coming from behind him, made him turn the other way. There stood Aaron in the hallway, naked as a jaybird. On the other hand, Popeye the frog was clad in a tiny action figure getup and was hopping madly, desperately down the hall toward Mike’s room.
“Aaron, what the—” The repeated knocking caught his attention again. Aaron darted around him, obviously intent on playing naked butler. Mike grabbed for him, nearly losing his balance. Too late. He should have seen that one coming. “Aaron, don’t you dare, you little pip-squeak.”
Aaron ripped open the door…maybe three or four inches. Thank you, safety latch. A couple yards from the door, and unable to see who it was, Mike grinned. Teach you, big guy. But then, Aaron stilled, as if mesmerized, and turned his black, wide-eyed gaze on his father. Frowning at the implications of that look, Mike went for the door.
Aaron startled him by squealing as he poked his nose, and probably other exposed parts of himself, out through the crack. “Open the door, Daddy! Open the door! Hurry! Her’s back!”
Her’s—she’s back? He could only mean Julie. Mike called out, “Hang on, Julie. Let me get the chain unlatched.” At the same time, he pulled Aaron back and closed the door. “You march right back into your room, soldier, and don’t you come out until you’re in full-dress uniform.”
Aaron poked his bottom lip out and jumped up and down in place. “No. I want to see her now. I don’t want my clothes.”
This “no” stage of Aaron’s was making an old man out of him, Mike decided. He called out again through the closed door. “Hold on another sec, Julie. We have a tactical problem here.” Hearing a feminine, muffled “all right,” he turned his serious-father face on his son. “Let me put it this way, buddy. No clothes, no company. Now, I don’t think you really want Julie to see your bare butt, do you?”
Aaron’s expression went from defiant to confused to pleading. “No! Not her, Daddy. Not Julie. Mommy. Mommy’s outside. Her can see my bare butt, huh?”
7
MIKE WATCHED from the doorway to Aaron’s room as Victoria sat on their son’s bed, getting reacquainted. He kept his gaze on the now-dressed Aaron, hoping to figure out what this sudden visit from his mother might do to the kid’s head. Not to mention his little heart. Aaron looked.what? Shy? Like he was holding back, somehow, even as he identified for her the treasures he’d laid out for her inspection.
But Mike wasn’t surprised. Victoria, to Aaron, wasn’t much more than postcards and presents and telephone calls from far away. Still, he couldn’t help but compare how Aaron acted when he was with Julie, to how he was acting now with his own mother. Night and day. With Julie, Aaron was his completely quirky, little stinker, three-year-old self, always laughing and hugging her. He did none of those things with Tory. Or Caroline, come to think of it. Interesting.
“Tory,” Mike suddenly called out. She looked up at him. He shifted his weight as he leaned against the doorjamb. “You’re through goat-roping in Guatemala, I take it?”
“Oh, that’s cute. I was hang-gliding in Holland. And, as you can see, I didn’t fall to my death. I know you’re disappointed.” With that, Tory turned back to Aaron. “Here, baby, put your little things away while I go get your presents. I brought you some really neat stuff from Holland. Do you know where that is?”
Aaron shook his head as he solemnly picked up his prized treasures that his mother had barely looked at. Watching still, Mike forced himself to concentrate on his breathing. Maybe that would relax his stomach muscles. No. They constricted tighter when Tory swept by him in an impersonal cloud of very expensive but overpowering perfume. Mike struggled not to wrinkle his nose in distaste. He then winked at
Aaron and turned to follow Tory outside, completely unmoved by her slender, elegant form.
Of course, a rented Jaguar. Mike knew before she ever stopped at it that the maroon status symbol was hers. Always first-class, always me-first. Tory went to the rear of the car and opened the trunk. She reached in and began handing Mike package after package. When she spoke, her voice held a hint of coolness. “You didn’t notify me of your move here, Mike. That made you pretty hard to find. Was that your intention?”
Mike narrowed his eyes at his ex-wife. “All I did was move across town. If I didn’t want to be found, Tory, you wouldn’t find me.”
“Oh, that’s right. Government agent and all that.”
Mike frowned. No way in hell was he going to let her get to him. He eyed her critically. She hadn’t changed much from a year ago, the last time she’d shown up. Chestnut hair that fell to her shoulders in soft waves, green eyes, perfect figure, perfect skin, perfect clothes. Suddenly, he couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “What are you doing here, Tory?”
She gave him a look that clearly said she found him lacking in social graces. “My, that was abrupt.”
“So answer me.”
She crossed her slender arms under her cashmerecovered bosom. “I already told you. I came to see my son.”
“Your son?”
Tory leaned toward him and put a cool hand on his arm. “Relax. This is a short visit, nothing more. I do have something I want to talk over with you while I’m here, but it’s not horrible. For now, I’m simply between assignments, and I want to see my son. Please, Mike. It’s been a year.”
Her hand on his arm, as much as her words, chilled him. She could plead, and she could reassure, but he knew her better. The only thing she could want to talk to him about was Aaron. FBI training helped him keep the shard of fear that ripped through him off his face and out of his voice. “You don’t have to beg. I’ve never tried to keep Aaron away from you. But when are you leaving?”
She laughed, a high-class purring sound. “But I just got here. You hate me, don’t you, Mike.”
A Man In Demand Page 9
