A Trick of the Moon

by Melinda Barron

  “Behave, or I'll send you back to Albuquerque on the next bus.” Dario looked up at him and Declan gave him a look that he hoped conveyed the words, Keep your eyes off Maura's tits.

  “I don't think that's your call,” Dario retorted. “I'm still on the payroll, right boss?”

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  They both looked at Maura, and Declan was happy to see she was still smiling, and still blushing. “I might dock both your pay for interoffice fighting if you don't straighten up. Besides, it's getting late in the day and we need to start back so we can make it to the Moon before the sun goes down totally. The area's pretty flat, but there's always the possibility of snakes or hungry coyotes coming out of nowhere.”

  “The trickster,” Declan said, as he took the rope from Dario and turned toward the horses. “Definitely something we don't want to meet up with.”

  Declan heard Maura and Dario shuffling behind him and he resisted the urge to turn and see how closely together they were as they walked. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to bring his handsome friend along with him. If he screwed up this chance to let Maura know how he felt about her, he'd kick himself for the rest of his life.

  That meant he needed to make a move quick, maybe even tonight. He just needed the right moment to give her more than a kiss on the cheek.

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  Chapter Four

  Maura stepped into the kitchen and sniffed the air appreciatively. Declan had started the grill and the wonderful smell of charcoal filled the air. She'd had the meat for the fajitas marinating since last night. All she had to do was get it out of the refrigerator, drain it off, and take it to him to cook.

  The rice was almost done, and the beans had been in the pressure cooker for the last eight hours. Now she needed to take them out, mix in some spices, and mash them, and dinner would be ready.

  Her “employees” would have to make do with store-bought tortillas, since she hadn't made any homemade ones in quite some time. This afternoon had been very fulfilling. Declan had confirmed her suspicion that the kiva was old, although whoever was using it now might be damaging its historical value. She couldn't wrap her mind around why someone would use it.

  Kivas were places that had high religious value, true, but who around here still believed in the old ways? She had eight employees on the ranch, and all of them were native. But as far as she knew, all of them were Christian. They wouldn't be using a kiva to perform rituals. Or at least she didn't think they would.

  But then again, did you really know the people you worked with? You saw them for a few hours a day, and then they went about their regular lives. And unless you were good friends, their regular lives didn't generally include you.

  That gave them lots of hours during the day to be doing things that you had no clue about.

  Thinking about that made her remember Declan. In college, they'd been great friends, seeing each other every day, eating lunches together, and going A Trick of the Moon

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  to movies. After college their time together had lessened, until they saw each other a few times a week, and then it was once a month.

  Then it been even less than that. She'd missed him, and sometimes she called just to talk, but the relationship she'd always hoped would blossom hadn't sparked. Now she had a second chance, but there was one major problem. Dario. Declan bringing along a friend could mean one of two things, as far as she was concerned. He was either bringing him as a cop who could help him investigate the kiva and what was happening. Or he'd brought him as a shield, to keep Maura from hitting on him.

  She certainly hoped it wasn't the latter, because she'd thought about hitting on Declan for ages. Unfortunately things just hadn't worked out that way. Thinking about getting physical with Declan also made her think about Dario, which was another unexpected problem. He was just as gorgeous as her friend, and he stirred her senses. They both did.

  Maura closed her eyes and imagined herself between the two of them, two sets of lips on her shoulders and neck, two sets of hands roaming over her breasts and thighs, gently caressing her, tweaking her nipples and seeking out her clit, making her body writhe in passion.

  She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging her body close as she imagined the two of them making love to her. Their bodies would be hard and sweaty as they licked, kissed, caressed, and sucked. Declan would kiss her first, and then Dario would claim her lips while Declan's traced down her stomach, coming to rest in that sweet spot at the apex of her thighs, his tongue finding her clit and…

  “That's a lot of food.” Maura gasped and wheeled toward Dario, her face burning with excitement from her vision and embarrassment at being caught daydreaming about the two men who were now basically her employees.

  “Do you think?” She breathed in and out through her mouth, trying to get her breathing under control. She turned back to the counter, praying he didn't notice how flushed she was, and glanced at the four chicken breasts and three 32

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  flank steaks. Last night she'd worried that she'd gone a tad overboard in marinating. She knew Declan was a big eater from their time in college. But she hadn't been sure about Dario.

  Now that she'd met him and learned that he was a large man, she was sure he had an appetite to match Declan's.

  “I figured you guys would be hungry.” She looked back to where Dario stood, studying her. His body was still damp from his shower, and a tight T-shirt clung to his chest and upper arms.

  “I'm always hungry,” Dario said, winking at her. His dark hair hung in wavy, wet ringlets around his face, emphasizing his expressive eyes and the deep grin that now rested on his face. “What about you, boss? Are you hungry?”

  Hungry for what? she wanted to ask. The tone of his voice made it sound as if he were asking if she was hungry for more than the food they were discussing. But she didn't want to go there. Not with Dario. She wanted Declan. Not Dario.

  “Of course.” She picked up a green pepper and an onion. “I still have some preparation to do. Why don't you take the meat out to Declan and see if he's ready to start grilling. Tell him I'll have the vegetables out in just a few minutes.”

  “You got it, skipper.” He leaned over to pick up the bags of meat, his body brushing against hers as he did. Electricity zinged through her and she tried to keep herself from responding. This wasn't what she had planned.

  She watched as Dario walked to the back door, letting it thump shut as he went through. The noise made her think of banging, as in being bent over the kitchen counter while Dario banged into her from behind. She closed her eyes and imagined Declan leaning against the doorjamb, watching her before he came over and lightly caressed her back.

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  You look so beautiful, he'd whisper. You don't mind if we share, do you? Oh no, she didn't mind. This wasn't exactly what she'd had planned for this little excursion. But then again, plans changed, and lots of times those changes were for the better.

  “Maura! Bring the veggies.” Declan's voice rang out from the patio and sent shivers down her spine.

  “Cut it out,” she whispered to herself. “You're acting like you're a teenager and he's your date to the prom.”

  She quickly cleaned the green peppers, cut them in half, then dumped the seeds. She sliced the onions into rings, then piled them on a plate. After wrapping the tortillas in tinfoil, she went to the back porch, where Declan was putting the last of the meat on the grill. He looked good enough to eat as he stood there with the tongs in one hand and a bottle of hot sauce in the other.

  He liberally sprinkled the sauce on the meat, then turned to give her a wicked grin.

  “Nice and spicy, just like you like it!” He winked and her knees felt as if they would buckle out from under her. Oh yes, she liked it nice and spicy, in more ways than one.

  “You remembered. I'm flattered.” She put the plate with the veggies on the tr
ay next to the grill, then stepped back, afraid she would give in to the desire to rip his clothes off if she stood too close. “Do we have everything we need?”

  “Looks that way.” Declan waved the tongs to indicate the grill and the table. “For the cooking, that is. Everything else is in the fridge?”

  “Yup. I'll bring it out after we're done.” She glanced at Dario, who was taking a swig from a beer bottle. “What do you think?”

  “I think I'm starved, and it all looks delicious.” He took another swig, then stretched out his legs in front of him. “So spill, I want the whole story.”

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  “Story?” Maura frowned as she moved around Declan and put the foil-wrapped tortillas on the outer edges of the grill so they could warm. “I don't know the story. That's why you're here, remember?”

  “I'm not talking about the kiva,” Dario said. “I'm talking about the two of you. How did you meet? I want the who, what, where, when, why, and how.”

  “Isn't that what a journalist asks?” Declan turned toward his friend.

  “I'm taking lessons from Sorcha, my sister-in-law. She's helping me to learn to get to the bottom of things. Think of this as practice.”

  Maura didn't want to be the first to go. Would Declan remember the first time they met, or the second, or even the third? The first time was burned in her brain, but if she recited that story and heard Declan say, Really, I don't remember that, she would just die of embarrassment.

  “We were in the library.” Relief flooded her as Declan waved the tongs in her direction. “Someone was reaching for a book on Shakespeare, and it just so happened to be the one I was looking for. She wouldn't let me take it either; she tore it right out of my hands.”

  “I had it first,” she replied, wrinkling her nose at him.

  “If you'd had it first, then you wouldn't have had to tear it out of my hands, would you? As I told you that night, I had it first. If I remember right, that was the meaning behind our second encounter, at the checkout desk downstairs.”

  Maura batted her eyes innocently. “Yes, and the clerk agreed with me, didn't she? Because I had the book.”

  She leaned closer to him. The air smelled of soap and shampoo, mixed with the spices coming from the grilling meat and veggies. She took the tongs from his hand and flipped the foil-wrapped tortillas so they wouldn't stay in one place too long and burn.

  “Yeah, that's what happens when you steal something. You have it in your possession.”

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  “It was a library book. How did I steal it?”

  “You took it right out of…”

  Maura opened her mouth in astonishment, then started to talk right over him. “I did not. It was on the shelf and…”

  Dario snapped his fingers, and they both turned to him. “I didn't mean to open an argument that's obviously never been settled. If you fought during your first encounter, how did you get to be friends?”

  Declan turned the meat, and Maura laughed. “We met at a party a few nights later, where oddly enough, Declan was complaining to a friend of mine about a pushy woman who took the library book he needed for his term paper.

  Turns out we had the same class, just at different times. So I did the nice thing and invited him to my house the next afternoon, which was a Sunday, so we could share the book.”

  She gave Declan a meaningful glance. “Emphasis on the word 'share.' He came over to the apartment a few times after that, and we used it to get what we needed done. We even helped each other out on our papers, and thus was born our friendship.”

  “A friendship born out of thievery,” Dario said with an exaggerated sigh; the sound was one a man made when he was making fun of a woman telling a romantic story, and Maura narrowed her eyes at him.

  “It wasn't thievery,” she said.

  “Hey, I'm a cop, and if I'd been taking the report, I would have called it that. He had the book in his hot little hand, and you took it from him. Case closed.”

  Maura didn't want to tell him he was right. She'd always put forth the idea the book was on the shelf, when in actuality Declan had been reaching for it and had it in his grip as she'd taken it from him. At the time she remembered hoping the handsome man with the long hair would look her way. Instead he'd made a fuss about the book, and she'd kept it, to make up for the fact that he 36

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  hadn't really noticed she was a woman, just a fellow English student competing for research material.

  That story made her remember that in all the years they'd known each other, Declan had not made one move toward her in a sexual manner. He'd had girlfriends, and she'd had boyfriends, and they'd talked about dates and breakups and other things that went along with relationships. But he'd never ever made a move to kiss her. Until this afternoon, when he'd kissed her cheek.

  He'd hugged her, but that wasn't sexual. His lack of movement in that direction let her know he wasn't interested in her sexually. The thought hurt her, and it was reinforced by the fact that he'd brought a friend along on this trip.

  No problem, she tried to convince herself. Sex does nothing but get in the way of friendships anyway. If we'd had sex, we probably still wouldn't be in touch, and she couldn't stand the thought of losing Declan as a friend, even if she didn't see as much of him as she wanted to.

  How many former lovers did she see? None, not on a social basis anyway.

  She may have seen a few around town in Albuquerque, but that was always an awkward situation. They'd nod at each other and act like they were making small talk, when in actuality they were all, including herself, trying to figure out the quickest way they could get away without sounding rude.

  What was it about physical intimacy that made people so uncomfortable?

  Her parents had taught her there was nothing wrong with it, yet she still found herself pulled into the “fuck and run” category that kept her from establishing a meaningful relationship. And as much as she wanted to connect with Declan, doing so would probably put a wedge between them that she couldn't live with.

  That meant it was a very good thing he'd brought Dario with him. This way there would be no sex, just three friends working to solve a little mystery.

  Declan put the vegetables on a plate and handed it to her. “The meat's almost ready. Will you cut these up, please?”

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  Maura took the veggies to the table and cut them into strips, then checked to make sure they had everything else they needed. She needed to concentrate on food and not on the two gorgeous men on her patio, men whom she wouldn't be able to do anything more with than talk with. It could prove to be a long visit.

  * * * * *

  “No chick flicks.” Dario leaned back in his chair, lifting the front two legs off the patio floor. “I vote for a good action flick. Do you have any of those?” He tried not to stare at Maura as she stacked the dirty plates and made a pile of leftovers to feed to the two dogs, which sat patiently waiting at the edge of the concrete.

  They'd decided on movies tonight, and that was just fine with him. He hoped they would take his mind off the fact that he'd been rock hard for the last hour, ever since he'd pressed against Maura as he'd reached for the food.

  That had been a bad move. He'd been attracted to her the minute he'd walked through the door, but he hadn't planned to act on it, knowing how Declan felt about her. Feeling her body against his had only increased the attraction he felt, and made all the blood in his body rush to one spot, and tonight he couldn't think with his little head. The fact he'd have blue balls by the end of the night wasn't something he was looking forward to.

  Declan wasn't making a move toward her, which was a bad thing as far as Dario was concerned. His friend was shy in some respects, and maybe just a little afraid of rejection. Dario didn't think that would be a problem, though.

  From the way she laughed and joked with them as they'd e
xchanged words at the site, he didn't think she was the type to back down from sex. In fact he was sure she'd enjoy it, very much.

  But with Declan it was much more than that. Dario didn't want to do anything that might get in the way of his friend letting Maura know exactly how he felt.

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  “What do you have other than chick flicks?”

  “Do I look like the chick-flick kinda girl?” She was standing near the table now, frowning down at him.

  “All women are the chick-flick kinda girl,” Dario retorted. “They may not admit it, but deep inside them they want the flowers, candy, and 'I love you; let's live happily ever after' speech at the end of the movie.”

  “Really?” She sat down in the chair next to him, focusing an intense gaze on him. “Did I expect it in Terminator? No. What about Mortal Kombat or Kill Bill?”

  “Which volume?” Dario grinned at her and was gratified to see a smile replace her earlier defensive look.

  “What about Bond?”

  “Bond? There's lots of love in Bond movies,” Declan put in, leaning his elbows on the table.

  “There's lots of sex in Bond movies, or at least the earlier ones,” Maura replied. “There's a difference between sex and love, as you well know.”

  Dario saw Declan open his mouth, then close it again without saying a word.

  “There's nothing wrong with sex,” Dario said. “Although, I might point out as per your earlier words, that this discussion could be termed as sexual harassment, skipper.”

  “We're off the clock,” Maura replied. “And why are you calling me skipper?