by Loyd, Sandy
He never should have had that last glass of wine. The mellow effect wasn’t aiding his efforts to resist the lady sitting across from him. Thoughts of laying her down and smothering her with kisses kept roaming through his head, especially when he’d look up at some comment she made and see a spark of connection in her eyes. The feeling was surreal, but Claire was right. It was time to leave before he ended up doing something he’d regret.
“Come on.” He rose. “Help me close up the boat and I’ll get you home.”
In minutes, they were ready to leave. Both shot for the dock at the same time, bumping into each other in the confined space. She laughed, appearing nervous and unsure of herself as she backed up a step.
“I don’t scare you, do I?” He placed steadying hands on her shoulders.
“No,” she said too quickly, and glanced down.
“No?” A chuckle burst forth. “Not even a little bit?”
His playful comment drew her attention. She eyed him warily as her tongue took a journey over her lips. His eyes followed the movement with total absorption. He couldn’t look away. When she bit her bottom lip in consternation, a signal flashed to his groin, one that his mellow brain fought to ignore. Only his stirring awareness was winning, pushing common sense and all resistance aside.
“I must be doing something wrong then. Usually, I intimidate the hell out of people,” he teased.
Presenting a lopsided grin, he leaned against the railing in a deceptive manner and held out his hand expectantly. His entire body was primed and ready to strike, much like a snake, waiting for the exact moment in order to inflict the most damage.
Indecision flickered in Claire’s gaze. He watched a mental battle ensue before she moved cautiously toward him and took his offered hand.
He quickly forgot his resolve to bide his time. Her warm smile tugged at him, and he couldn’t stop himself from reacting.
The next moment, she was in his arms and his lips were melding with hers, kissing her as if he couldn’t get enough. He inhaled her essence as his tongue explored.
“God, you taste so good,” he murmured after endless minutes of sheer bliss, trailing kisses from those gorgeous lips to her ear. He took a nip before whispering, “I’ve been wondering all night what it would be like, and reality is so much nicer than conjecture.”
He went back to nibbling on her ear before working his way to her lips again, plundering further, giving her no chance to withdraw as he felt her doing. He smiled inwardly when he felt her surrender, when she opened herself to him and wrapped her hands around his neck to pull him closer.
The woman was intoxicating. He should have never touched her, because now he was fighting to stop. He wanted far more than kisses.
Finally, he pulled back, breathing heavily and fully aroused. Her stormy green eyes were filled with the same emotions that ran through his system. Desire laced with torment.
“I can’t do this.”
A twinge of regret nestled in the pit of his stomach at the soft sound of pain in her voice.
“Shhh,” he said soothingly as he kissed her cheek. “I know.”
“I’m a married woman,” she said in an anguished voice, as if she hadn’t heard him.
“He doesn’t deserve you.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t.” Her turbulent expression hadn’t softened when she whispered, “If you did, you’d know this is not about him.”
He sighed and pulled her closer to kiss the side of her head. “Shush. I do understand.” In an effort to soothe her, he gently rubbed his hand up and down her back.
Again, she didn’t seem to hear him. “It’s because of me. I can’t do this because of me.”
He felt her head move and he glanced down into those beautifully shaped sad eyes.
Another wave of regret washed over him at the pain in her voice as she said, “How could I be thinking of doing something like this when I know how it feels to be on the other side?”
What could he say to that? She wasn’t over the cheating bastard, and nothing could happen between them until she was.
“I’m sorry, Claire. Come on. I’ll take you home.”
They walked to the car in silence. The headlights flashed twice after he hit the keyless entry. Claire stood without saying anything, and waited for him to open the door. When he did, she put a hand on his arm. He felt the gentle touch all the way to his soul.
“Thank you,” she whispered before standing on tiptoe to place a kiss on his cheek. Then she quickly slipped inside the Mercedes as if not trusting herself to refrain from going further, or maybe it was him she didn’t trust.
Whatever it was, her actions threw him.
Chapter 12
“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”
Crystal Grayson heard the drawl and her back stiffened. Smoothing her features to show no emotion, she stopped her forward momentum and turned toward the voice.
“Jimbo.” She should have expected him to be lurking around the Ocean View since he was most likely still working for Jason.
Holding on to her fake smile, she acknowledged him with a slight nod and watched the tall, lanky, good-looking man saunter in her direction from the hotel lobby. She fought to ignore the feeling she got every time the guy stepped within ten feet of her. Jim O’Malley had the uncanny ability to make her feel as if he could see inside her, and Crystal had spent a lifetime working on ways to keep others from doing just that.
“Fancy meeting you here,” she purred, holding his amused brown gaze.
He would have to look like some renegade cowboy, all sexy and scruffy as if he’d just stepped off a billboard advertising men’s cologne. She pushed away the twinge of awareness that spread through her at the way his jeans hugged his rugged frame like a second skin.
“My thinking exactly, sweetheart.” His gait slowed until he stood in front of her, too close for comfort, invading her space.
The grin he flashed was quick while his eyes scanned the length of her, ending at her face. Another surge of excitement rushed through her system. Jimbo spoke in a soft, lazy drawl that rolled over her ears. The sound seduced her with its simplicity, always making her think he didn’t waste energy on unimportant things like words or voice inflection.
“How about a drink for old times’ sake?”
She started to shake her head, but the denial stuck in her throat when she caught the challenge in his expression. Instead, she threw her shoulders back and jutted out her chin.
“Sure. I’ve got a few minutes to spare for old times’ sake.”
He chuckled.
Even his laugh sounded sexy. Having a drink with him might not be such a great idea, she decided as Jimbo nodded and placed his hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her toward the hotel’s bar.
While walking next to him, she struggled to ignore the sensations his presence caused. His hand barely touched her slacks, but she felt the connection as if a current ran from fingers to waist.
In the bar, she quickly sat on the stool he pulled out and exhaled a relieved breath when he grabbed a stool across from her. The small table worked wonders for adding the distance needed to still the crazy thoughts his nearness incited. Neither the man nor his languid Southern ways would affect her now.
“I’ll have bourbon on the rocks,” she stated in a cool voice to the cocktail waitress who put paper napkins in front of her.
“Same here,” came Jimbo’s amused drawl.
“I see you’ve been busy,” he said as the waitress scurried off.
Crystal shot him a curious glance.
He gave her his lazy smile, reminding her of why she found him so sexy. His lovemaking was as lazy and unhurried as the rest of him, and she swallowed hard at the memory of the last time he’d worked those slow hands over her. Too bad the guy made her uncomfortable, because he was delicious in bed. Since sex with Jimbo wasn’t in her best interest, she pushed away tho
ughts of doing sheet sprints with him.
“That’s nothing new. I’m always busy.”
“True, true,” he said. “But I was referring to your sexual exploits.”
“Spying on me, Jimbo?”
“No, darlin’. Working.”
“I see.” Crystal turned down the temperature on her smile.
“I’ll bet you do. Didn’t know you had a twin.” He turned to the waitress, who was placing drinks in front of them. “Thanks.”
“I thought Claire fired Jason.” Crystal took a sip of her drink, observing him through a narrow-eyed gaze.
“Maybe. But Jason told me to keep digging, and I hit some interesting shit.”
“Oh?”
“You’re incredible.” He brought the glass to his lips and took a long swallow. “You can sit there staring me straight in the eye without flinching and say oh, like it’s nothing? I’m amazed.”
“Think what you want.” Ignoring his taunt, she sipped her drink without breaking eye contact. “You always have.”
“I go by evidence and what I learn from ferreting out facts.” His face contorted in disgust. “Tell me you’re not having an affair with Carl Carter.”
“I must be, if that’s what the evidence points to,” she said, goading him. “I have to hand it to you, Jimbo. You do have a knack for ferreting out facts.”
Crystal finished her drink in one swallow and slammed the glass on the table before sliding off the bar stool in an easy move.
“Thanks for the drink. This really did feel like old times.”
She strode briskly away.
Chapter 13
Adrenaline pumped through the woman’s veins as she paced the boat, back and forth and back and forth.
She couldn’t still the nervous energy surging inside her system, so she shook her hands and used them to lift her thick hair off her clammy, sticky shoulders. Airflow had all but stopped except for the slight breeze stirred by the movement of the sailboat cutting through the calm water.
The hour was late, but even without the sun, moisture hung in the air and added to the cloying heat of the night. Sweat seeped from her pores and pooled into droplets before finally dripping off her chin to soak into already damp clothes. She was beyond hot. Hell might be cooler.
Halting in mid-step, she moved to take the helm and shut down the autopilot. She continually wiped her hands on her shorts to keep them dry enough for gripping the wheel.
Once docked, she’d be home free. It had been so easy. She’d get away with murder. Who knew killing provided such a rush?
Then her thoughts turned to Carl. She should have known better than to trust that lying, cheating scumbag. The bastard got his in the end, though—paid with his life. She almost wished he were still alive so she could kill him again for his treachery.
So he’d thought he could get away with changing plans in midstream and then charm her into easy submission? Ha! He’d underestimated her. Such a stupid, vain man. Always did think too highly of his sexual prowess. He’d even thought he could dismiss her from his life so effortlessly and go back to her. Carl’s precious Claire, so naive and trusting.
Well, he’d soon found out differently, and so would Claire. No one dismisses me.
She laughed. The sound came out in a brittle bark.
Intense hatred filled her as she thought of her nemesis. Poor, sweet Claire, who always got all the attention by being so soft and angelic, would soon feel her wrath. All she had to do was watch from the sidelines and add some sympathy.
Let things play out. That was all. And if they didn’t, she only had to give them a nudge in the right direction. She’d planned this for too long to let sentiment get in the way now.
Her new plan would work.
Chapter 14
“Hey, Roberts—you busy?”
“Trying to catch up. Why?” Jason smiled, recognizing Jimbo’s drawl on the phone on Friday morning, three days after his sail with Claire. He’d been swamped and had been meaning to give his friend a call to see if he’d unearthed anything in the mystery of the missing spouse.
“Been busy too. Don’t think you’re going to like what I’ve uncovered, though.”
“About the absent husband?”
Jason swiveled his chair to look out over the water. He purposely hadn’t told Jimbo of Claire’s dismissal. He wanted the investigator to continue with his digging, mainly out of curiosity. This phone call meant one thing. Jimbo had hit pay dirt.
“Yeah, I pretty much finished my report on Carter. I meant to call last night, but got sidetracked with another job.”
“Okay. I’m all ears.”
“Not over the phone. In person, so let’s go to lunch.”
“It’s a little early for lunch.” Jason glanced at his watch. It was only ten a.m.
“Not that early, and this is worth it. I’ll drive. Meet you in ten, downstairs.”
“All right.” He sighed. “But this better be good.”
“It is.”
• • •
“Where is she, Amy?” Jason’s abrupt voice cut through the air as he stalked up to Claire’s assistant’s desk after noting the nameplate.
Clearly startled, a baffled expression crossed Amy’s face.
“What?” she said. “Who?”
“Claire Carter.”
“She’s not here.” Her back stiffened and her expression closed. “If you’d care to leave a name and number, I’ll make sure she gets the message.”
Jason leaned forward on the desk and said in a menacing tone, “Skip the message. I’ll deliver it myself. Just tell me where she is.”
“Look, buddy—”
“Jason Roberts. And I expect an answer. Now.”
Amy definitely took notice of his name while chewing on her bottom lip and eyeing him as if contemplating her next move. Finally, she heaved an exaggerated sigh.
“She’s at home, but you may miss her because she’s planning on going to the marina. She took the afternoon off to clean her boat.”
“Thanks.” He turned and headed for the elevator.
Jason didn’t remember much about the drive to Claire’s house, situated on the Intracoastal Waterway south of Boca Raton and north of Fort Lauderdale, nor did he take the time to notice the lush, manicured surroundings as he jumped out of his car and strode up to her door.
“What the hell’s going on?” he said as he pushed past her when she answered the door. “You couldn’t be bothered with at least giving me a courtesy call?”
“What?”
Damn. The woman’s surprise was genuine, making him realize she was twice as cunning as Crystal. Her innocent expression sent his blood pressure spiking as he strode into the immaculate house.
“I received an interesting call today. My investigator gave me an update.”
He stifled an urge to hit something as he paced the length of her living room, not seeing the furnishings in front of him that could grace the pages of any decorating magazine. His voice held none of the fury he was feeling, his words flowing out in a deceptively controlled, low tone.
“Would you like to take a gander at what the update said?”
“I don’t have a clue.” Claire pivoted away from him to finish packing a small bag resting next to a bucket filled with cleaning supplies. “Besides, I fired you, remember? I’m rather busy right now, so can we have this conversation another day?”
“I don’t believe this.” He shook his head and walked over to the wall of windows, where he stood staring out at the water before he spun around. “Carl Carter was alive and well two days ago. And guess who was seen going into his room at the Ocean View Resort?”
Jason studied her, looking for a reaction. Except for the stiffening of her back, there was none. She continued packing without meeting his gaze. Once done, she headed into the kitchen.
He followed. “Why didn’t you tell me you saw him?” he shouted when she ignored him as if he weren’t there.
His question stopped her
in mid-stride.
“So?” Her chin inched upward as Claire glared at him with stormy green eyes. “I can’t believe you’re upset because I didn’t tell you.”
“You didn’t think this information might interest me?”
“What difference does it make when he’s alive and I told you to stop looking for him?”
She moved to open the freezer, pulled out the ice bin, and took it over to a cooler sitting on the floor. As she emptied the ice into the cooler, she said, “It’s no longer your problem.”
“I thought the other night meant something. I thought we were friends.”
“Carl has nothing to do with our friendship. I found out where he was staying, and I confronted him.” She turned to place the bin back and closed the freezer door. “I’ve decided to file for divorce.”
This news floored him. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”
Shit! This couldn’t be happening. Jason raked a hand through his hair in an effort to still the urge to wrap his hands around her neck and twist for not telling him that little detail either. He stared at her for a long moment. When she ignored his question, he asked one more, hoping to rattle her.
“Did you know Carl also had another visitor?”
Claire continued putting items in the cooler as if he hadn’t spoken.
“One who just happened to be your sister,” he yelled, incensed with her actions.
Jimbo had learned that Carl Carter was holed up a room at the Ocean View, and the PI had staked it out. In the course of two hours on Wednesday afternoon, two women had paid him visits—Claire Carter and Crystal Grayson.
“Crystal?”
“Don’t bullshit me. You knew damn well he was seeing her.”
That was also part of O’Malley’s report. He’d uncovered evidence of an affair with Claire’s sister, as well as evidence that Claire had known about it. The room at the resort had been reserved and paid for with a credit card in Claire’s name. The clerk behind the counter identified Claire’s picture as the woman who registered for the room. Since Claire probably didn’t reserve the room, Crystal was the only one who could have.
