She moaned her satisfaction when he filled her and she lifted her legs around his hips. The shift in angle caused him to gasp and to thrust faster, causing her to explode unexpectedly into myriad pieces of heat and pleasure, her body clasping tightly around him in convulsive waves. He continued to move faster and faster until his whole body stiffened and he gave a muffled shout, surging inside her before he collapsed.
She fought for breath but he was too heavy. He shifted and rolled to his side, giving her a chance to draw in some much-needed air.
And then she smiled. She turned to face him. He lay with his eyes closed, which is when she noticed for the first time his long thick eyelashes. She wanted to touch him but didn’t have the strength necessary to lift her hand, much less her arm.
When their breathing quieted, Jude opened his eyes and saw her watching him. He sighed and pulled her closer to him.
“This wasn’t what this relationship was to be about,” he said ruefully.
“I didn’t realize there were rules we were following,” she replied. “I don’t see where anything has to change. If you’re tired of me and want to date others, I can accept that.”
He shook his head before she finished her sentence. “I’m not tired of you. It’s just that…I’m not looking for a long-term relationship.”
“Neither am I,” she quickly replied. “I’m ready to get out into the world again. I don’t want anything serious.”
“Ah.” For some reason, he didn’t seem particularly pleased with her explanation.
“I wanted to make love with you. It’s really no big deal.”
He pulled away from her and frowned. “Thanks heaps.”
She laughed. Whenever she tried to pause and explain a little better, she laughed harder. “I wasn’t talking about you!” she managed to say. “I thought you’d be reassured to know I’m not ready to settle down.”
“Oh. Well. I guess that’s okay.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She brushed her mouth against his chest. “I hope you don’t have to leave right away.”
“No, I can stay.” He got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go away.”
A little after six the next morning Jude quietly stepped into his kitchen from the garage. He figured everyone in the house would be asleep and he could slip upstairs without anyone knowing what time he got home.
He figured wrong. John, unshaven and with stubble on his face, stood in front of the coffeepot, watching the liquid drip into the carafe. They looked at each other in surprise. John was the first one to speak.
“I thought you were upstairs asleep.”
“Yeah, well, what are you doing up so early?”
He placed a clean cup beside John’s and waited until John poured them each some coffee.
“Haven’t been to bed,” John replied, sipping on the hot brew. “Looks like maybe you haven’t—” he stopped. “Never mind,” he said, and walked toward the hallway. “I’m going to bed.”
“John?”
John looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t say anything to the others.”
John grunted. “I don’t blame you. Since you’re the only one getting laid these days, we might become a little testy around you.”
“It isn’t like that.”
John turned and faced him. “Really. Then you didn’t spend the night with Carina.”
Jude pushed his hand through his hair. “It’s complicated, okay?”
“Yeah, I can see where it might be, since the only reason you’re seeing her is because of our investigation. She might be feeling a little used.”
Jude was tired—he hadn’t gotten all that much sleep last night—and he had to clamp down on his temper. “Look. We’re both consenting adults. She’s not looking for anything more from me than before. We know she’s not a suspect, so it’s not like I’m betraying anyone.”
“Sounds reasonable. And logical. The only problem with that is that you’re not thinking with your brain, Crenshaw, and we both know it. Sex changes things in a relationship. There’s no way that it can’t. Do you plan to tell Sam in your next report?”
“I doubt that he’d consider it any of his business.”
“Really. You don’t think he might be interested to learn that one of the men working for him has fallen for a member of the Patterson family?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t fallen for anybody, okay? I like her just fine. I enjoy being with her, just as she seems to enjoy being with me. This isn’t about the assignment and you know it. Maybe you should get out and get laid and then you’d—” Jude stopped and dropped his head. “Okay, that was way out of line and I’m sorry. Look. We’re both tired. Let’s get some sleep and we can discuss it later.”
John turned away. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing to discuss.”
Jude watched him walk away and momentarily considered saying something, but the truth was, John was right. He’d spent the night with Carina. Talking wouldn’t change that fact.
He’d slipped out of bed as dawn light filtered through the blinds. He’d looked down at her as she lay with her dark hair scattered across her pillow. The sheet had dropped away from her shoulders and her knee peeked out of the covers.
Jude would never admit to anyone how the night they’d just shared had affected him. Making love to Carina had been like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Or maybe his feelings had been different. He’d wanted her, sure, but he hadn’t been prepared for the intensity or the fact that all she had to do was to touch him and he was hard.
If somewhere in his mind he figured that taking her to bed would get her out of his system, he’d been wrong. Very wrong. While he took a shower before going to bed his mind repeatedly replayed making love to her, her soft and delicate skin, the erotic scent she wore and hearing the sweet noises she made when he brought her to a climax. And he wanted her again.
Once in bed, Jude punched his pillow and buried his head in it. All right. Maybe he was more attracted to her than he liked, but he’d get over it. As soon as he returned to Maryland and got back into his usual routine, all of this would be a dull memory.
That evening Jude met with the other three agents to see what they’d found out.
Hal spoke first. “We’re booked on a flight that leaves in the morning. We’ll be in the terminal when the Pattersons get in. They’ve chartered a plane but still have to go through customs. We won’t let them out of our sight. If they split up, so will we. Once we find out where they’re staying we’ll place bugs in their rooms.”
“Is there any way you could place one somewhere on their clothing?” Jude suggested. “Say on a belt? Something they wear every day? I doubt they’ll take extras.”
“That’s true,” Ruth said. “Men have no style at all.”
“So what do you intend to take for the trip, Ruth?” John asked.
“The very latest in fashion wear for tourists…bright shirts and skirts, a couple of pairs of slacks and a dandy array of wide-brimmed hats to keep the sun out of my face, don’t you know.” She batted her eyes at him.
“I think I’ve found a lead that may get us where we want to go,” John said next. “One of the companies that the Pattersons pay monthly, listed under operating expenses, is a dummy corporation with several bank accounts. The money gets deposited to several accounts offshore. Now all I have to do is prove that part of the money went—or is still going to—Davies and Sullivan. If we can nail them on bribery charges, chances are they may break down and tell us what they know about the operation.”
“And about the agent’s death?” Jude asked.
“Let’s just say we’ll find out everything we need to know from them once they’re arrested. At that point, they’ll be eager to exonerate themselves with all kinds of explanations. A good one is ‘it was either take the bribe or die.’ Sometimes the choices are simple. But a good agent th
en turns around and reports it and gets the hell out of the area. These guys decided not to share their experience with the rest of the agency. It’s also possible that Gregg refused the bribe and his decision got him killed.”
“Let’s hold off arresting them once you have proof until we’ve got the Pattersons in custody,” Jude said. “If we get the date and time for the next shipment during your trip, we can be waiting in the warehouse when it comes. I definitely think things are heating up.”
“Sounds good,” John said. “I’m ready to wind this thing up, myself.” There was a general murmur of agreement. He looked at Jude and asked, “So what are your plans for the week, Jude? Not much for you to do until we get everything in place.”
“I may go spend a day or two with my family. It will be a good opportunity for me to do that while we’re waiting for information.”
Ruth said, “You aren’t going to suddenly deprive your lady friend of your company, are you?”
“I may need to tell her that I’m seeing someone else and let the relationship end.”
“That’s unnecessarily cruel, don’t you think?” she replied.
Jude had no idea how to end the relationship. “All right. You tell me. How am I going to end this thing without hurting her?”
“Well, that depends. I take it you haven’t declared yourself to her, promised her a lifetime of happiness or anything like that?”
“No, I’ve done my best to keep things casual between us.” He ignored John’s sudden need to clear his throat.
“Then you see less of her. Visiting family is a good way to do that. You’ll be out of town. Don’t call her as often; don’t ask her out as often and soon she’ll realize that you’ve lost interest. It won’t make it any easier for her because, let’s face it, our egos are always involved, and nobody likes to be dumped, but at least you’re not shoving her nose in it by telling her you’re seeing someone else.”
“Makes sense.”
Ruth looked at him for a moment and said, “Don’t tell me you’ve never broken up with anyone before because I refuse to believe it.”
“I’ve never gone into a relationship under false pretenses before. We always had a clear understanding of what we were looking for and what we wanted from the relationship. This is not the same.”
“Too bad she isn’t a part of all this. It might have been easier for you to arrest her!” Ruth said, half-kidding.
Jude shook his head in disgust. “That’s not close to being funny.” He looked at the other two. “Okay. We know what’s happening this week. Keep in touch. Let me know when you’ll be coming back. You have my cell number.”
The others went in to watch television but Jude was too restless to concentrate. Instead he got into his car and drove back roads until late that night, listening to his favorite kind of music and convincing himself that he needed to forget Carina.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Marisa asked when Carina answered the phone Wednesday afternoon.
“Good question. Would you like to see a movie?”
There was a brief silence before Marisa said, “You mean you don’t have a date?”
“Nope.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“Not since Sunday. My skilled seduction scene must not have impressed him all that much. Haven’t seen or heard from him since.”
“Oh, Carina, I’m sorry. I know you really like him.”
“Yes, I do, but I never had any illusions about the nature of our relationship. Didn’t you tell me about his reputation when I first mentioned him?”
“I thought this was different. He spent so much more time with you than he’s ever spent with anyone else, that I’d hoped he was getting serious.”
“Who can explain the way men’s minds work? I’ll stick with my music. I’ll be moving to New York in another few weeks, anyway. I really don’t need a relationship with anyone at the moment. He knew that at the very beginning and no doubt figures whatever we had has run its course.” She paused, took a big breath and slowly exhaled before she said brightly, “So. Wanna see a movie?”
“You know, I think I will. Al’s gone and my sister loves to keep the kids. It will be fun to have a girls’ night out.”
Once Carina hung up, she sat staring at the phone, irritated with herself. Since Monday, every time the phone rang she had dashed to pick it up in hopes that Jude was calling.
It was never him. And after three days, she needed to admit that she’d probably seen the last of him.
Was she really that bad in bed?
He’d seemed to enjoy her at the time. More than enjoy, considering the fact they got very little sleep that night. His stamina amazed her. She blushed at some of the memories from that night.
Her first disappointment Monday morning was when she woke up to find that all trace of him was gone. She’d looked for a note, something, to say he’d call her later, but found nothing.
The next day she’d tried to think of a reason to call him but realized that he would see through whatever excuse she might use. She needed to come to terms with the fact that he’d taken what she so freely offered, but their night together obviously didn’t mean anything to him.
What had she expected, anyway? She’d wanted to make love with him. She’d made love with him. What more did she want?
She refused to look at possible answers to that question. Instead, she got ready to meet Marisa.
For the past three days Jude had picked up the phone to call Carina more times than he could count. Now it was Wednesday. He hadn’t heard from Hal and Ruth since they’d arrived in Mexico and he was wearing out the rug in his bedroom.
He wanted to call her. Hell, he needed to call her and to see her. Was she all right? What was she thinking about the way he’d left her asleep without a word or a note? No doubt she was royally ticked and he couldn’t blame her. He was convinced this was the better way. She’d probably be so angry by the time he called her that she’d refuse to see him again. The truth was that there was no graceful way to end the relationship. None of the usual reasons made any sense.
He decided to drive to the ranch and visit with his family for a few hours.
Being in the Hill Country always managed to soothe him. The two-hour drive helped him to detach from his present assignment, and by the time he turned into the entrance of the ranch, he was smiling in anticipation of seeing everyone again.
He eventually reached the main ranch house where Jake and Ashley lived. Once parked, he sat and stared at the home where he’d grown up. The thick, cream-colored adobe walls and red-tile roof had housed several generations of Crenshaws. It had been modernized over the years and despite its size, had a comfortable air about it.
His mom and dad had built a smaller home on the ranch five miles or so from Jake when his dad retired from ranching several years ago. Jude was glad that someone had been willing to stay home and run the ranch because he certainly didn’t want to. He’d had enough of hard labor, blistering heat, dirt and blowing sand and sweat running off his face while he was growing up.
Of course he’d experienced hard labor, blistering heat, dirt and blowing sand and sweat running off his face many times while he was in the army. However, he had much preferred the military to riding horseback, trying to herd cattle or worse, attempting to herd sheep.
Jude opened the car door, got out and stretched. Then he walked toward the patio nearest to the kitchen. When he stepped on the concrete slab, he heard the door open and saw Jake in the doorway with a huge grin on his face.
“I can’t believe it! You actually tore yourself away from all your fun down in San Antonio to come see us.” He stepped outside and greeted Jude with a big hug. “It’s great to see you. Do the folks know you were coming?”
“No. I wasn’t sure if they were back from their latest trip.” He stepped back and eyed Jake. “Looks like you survived your son’s birth. How are he and Ashley doing?”
Jake opened the door and waved Jude throu
gh. “They’re both doing great. They’ve been home a few days now and we’re learning how to deal with an infant’s schedule. Ashley will be thrilled to see you.”
Once inside, Jude helped himself to the coffee that was always ready. He held up the pot in a silent question and Jake shook his head. “I’ve had enough. We were up at one-thirty this morning and again at three. I’ve probably consumed a whole pot of the stuff since then.”
Now that Jake mentioned it, Jude noticed his brother’s bloodshot eyes for the first time. In the past he would have figured that Jake was suffering from a hangover. Now it was because of his newborn son.
Time has a way of changing all kinds of things in a person’s life.
As though he were talking to himself, Jake mumbled, “I’m amazed that something that small can make so much noise. He could wake the dead when he’s hungry.”
“Guess you’re going to have to take catnaps during the day to keep up with him.”
Jake snorted. “Oh, sure. I can see that now, can’t you? I’ll give the crew their orders, then curl up beneath a tree somewhere and snooze while they work. That’d really go over.”
“Where’s Ashley now, asleep?”
“She was nursing him when I came downstairs. She’s worrying that her milk may not be rich enough to satisfy him.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. That’s way more information than I need, bro. Now you’ve got me thinking about Ashley’s breasts. Let’s don’t even go there!”
Jake smiled wryly. “Remember, all this is brand-new to me and I’m having a crash course in being around an infant. I didn’t see Heather until she was almost four. These tiny guys are a complete mystery to me.”
Jude leaned against the cabinet and sipped his coffee. “I can tell you’re loving every minute of being the father of a newborn, aren’t you?”
Jake laughed. “Yeah, I am. Do you want to see him?”
Jude shifted in alarm. “Not if he’s feeding.”
“I’ll make sure you aren’t scarred for life by seeing an infant breastfeed, okay?”
Jude put his cup on the counter and followed Jake into the large foyer where the wide staircase gracefully curved up to the second floor. As they walked down the hallway, Jude said, “I just realized what’s different about the place. I don’t hear a little girl talking nonstop. Where’s Heather?”
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