by Blaire Edens
“Have a seat.” She pulled an extra chair over to the small desk.
Sitting next to her, her scent, something tropical with a hint of both coconut and lime, wafted over to his nose, and he felt himself harden.
How can I be so turned-on and pissed off at the same time?
“Look at this,” Lucy said, pointing to the blown up image on the computer screen. “There are two things that clued me into the hoax. One, these prints are too perfect. Two, there’s this mark on the outside of the instep that’s straight as an arrow. That doesn’t typically happen in nature.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s a hoax.”
“Yes, it does. It’s a textbook hoax.”
He hated that word. What he’d seen was real, one-hundred percent real. “Then I’m not the responsible party.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why would anyone else do this?”
“No idea.”
“I appreciate the business, but I can’t help you. This is a hoax. Plain and simple. I wish you the best of luck in finding your father but, like I said, in the beginning, a PI is your best bet.”
Spencer wasn’t letting her give up so easily. “What I saw was real. I know you only met me yesterday and that you have no reason to trust me, but I didn’t make those tracks.”
She closed the lid of her laptop. “I’m heading home in the morning.”
“I’ve already paid you for five days, and I expect you to honor your side of the contract.”
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a fool, Spencer. I am an academic, and I don’t appreciate you hiring me under false pretenses. You had the whole scenario planned. I mean, we magically found the tracks in no time flat. That wasn’t an accident. The tracks, along with your eyewitness account, are fake.”
When she put it that way, he understood why she might believe her version of the story. “I never thought about it that way.”
“What do you mean?” There was still a hard edge in her glare.
“I did see the Lizard Man. I did not plant those tracks. Scouts honor.” He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.” He prayed she’d believe him, believe the truth.
She softened. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because I’m telling the truth. Just one more trip into the swamp. We’ll camp out there, spend one night and see what happens. Maybe we can get some photographic evidence.”
“Of what? There’s nothing unusual out there.” She wasn’t giving an inch, but he had to convince her.
“There is a Lizard Man out there, and I intend to prove it. I hired you to help me, and I expect you to thoroughly investigate the matter instead of making a decision on one set of tracks. That’s not science, that’s opinion.”
Lucy chewed on her bottom lip. Judging by the expression on her face, he’d hit a soft spot. “I don’t know.”
“If we find nothing, you leave with the money, and I’ll hire a PI and face the idea that my dad and Bette are in Daytona chasing early bird specials.”
“Last attempt?”
He stuck out his hand to shake. “Last one.”
When Lucy took his hand, electricity shot up his arm. He wanted to use the connection to pull her closer to him, into his arms, but he restrained himself. She’d done nothing to encourage him to think she was interested and he didn’t want to make assumptions, but he’d be damned if he didn’t want to taste her. He’d been craving a kiss since the moment she’d walked into the Bloomsbury.
If she hadn’t looked at him with those eyes, he might have been able to control the urge, but they were so blue and she was so close. The tropical scent tickled his nose again and it was tripping all his circuits.
The next thing he knew he’d pulled her into his arms and his lips were on hers.
All the tension, all the frustration disappeared and for the first time in a year, he was completely present in the moment. There was nothing but her, here, in his arms.
At first the kiss was soft, exploratory, but it quickly morphed into something entirely different. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth and felt himself harden. Lucy went with him, pressing her lips against his, letting her tongue flicker against his, pushing him even further.
She nibbled on his bottom lip, and it threatened to send him over the edge. If he didn’t stop soon, he might not be able to stop later. He pulled away from the kiss and looked down at her. In the soft lighting of the room, she was even more beautiful than he’d realized.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me.”
She smiled. “I kind of liked it. Maybe it will come over you again.”
While he’d love that more than anything, she was here on a job for him. He didn’t like the idea of mixing business with pleasure. Once he figured out what happened to his dad, he could consider something with Lucy. Not before.
“You never know,” he said, trying to sound as light-hearted and non-committal as possible. “Let’s plan to leave here around noon tomorrow. I’ll get all the gear together and meet you in the lobby.”
“That’s abrupt.” She let go of his hand and showed him to the door.
He shrugged. “We’ll both need solid rest tonight.”
“Okay, then,” she said, and showed him to the door. “I know when a man is blowing me off. Pick me up at eleven. I want to see the equipment beforehand.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“Not with my ass.”
* * *
Lucy got very little sleep. She replayed the kiss dozens of times, and every time, it got better. While she knew Spencer wasn’t her type, she wasn’t opposed to a fling. After all, it had been a long time and without some sort of major break, like discovering Bigfoot, she wasn’t headed back to academia and Jacob anytime soon.
Something in his plea for her help made her believe he was telling the truth about the tracks. Maybe they were authentic. She wouldn’t have kissed him if she’d still believe he was a liar.
I’m so confused.
In a couple of days, she’d back in Cheldron and she’d probably never see Spencer again. It wasn’t like they ran in the same circles.
What was the harm in a little fun?
The next morning, Lucy packed everything she’d need for an overnight into her backpack and walked down to the lobby. She was on her second cup of coffee by the time Spencer showed up. “Got everything?”
He nodded. “I went to my house last night and got everything we might need.”
“Let’s put it in the truck and go.” The sooner she could finish this nonsense, the better. They transferred everything from the trunk of his Infiniti to the bed of the Dodge. After looking over the stuff he’d brought, Lucy was impressed. Despite his Brooks Brothers tendencies, he was obviously a competent outdoorsman. In addition to a tent, he’d packed tarps, flashlights and plenty of protein bars. There was more stuff than they’d even need for less than twenty-four hours, but it made her feel better that she wasn’t going to be the only one who’d ever slept in a tent. Only the food looked new and that, too, was a relief. She was a big believer in well-tested equipment.
“You’re signing off on the gear?” Spencer asked.
“Looks good to me. Want to drive?” She didn’t normally let anyone drive her truck but she’d seen the way he admired it and she thought it might smooth things over a bit, show him that she did trust him.
He flashed a Christmas morning smile. “I’d love to.”
She tossed him the keys and got into the passenger seat. The truck was hers, and she never let anyone drive it. Sitting on the right side of the bench seat seemed strange.
So she scooted over until her left leg touched his right. After spending most of last night thinking about the kiss, Lucy was ready to see what else could happen with the two of them alone in a tent in the middle of a sweltering swamp.
Her view of romantic was clearly different from that of most women.
After parking in the same place they had yesterday, they divided the gear into
their packs, and Spencer grabbed the machete. “Let’s go.”
His gait was confident and self-assured and sexy as hell.
They went past the bald cypress tree with the initials carved on it. “About half a mile from here, there’s some higher ground where we can pitch the tent.”
Lucy wiped the sweat from her forehead and adjusted her backpack. “Sounds good.”
By the time they got to the higher ground, her clothes were stuck to her like another layer of skin. The humidity was so oppressive, it was like trying to breathe through cotton balls. She pulled her water bottle from the side of her backpack and guzzled some down.
“Why didn’t we do this in December?” she asked.
“It’ll cool off tonight,” he said, placing his pack on the ground and pulling out the small tent. He placed a tarp on the ground and tossed the tent on top.
“Eighty-five at midnight isn’t my idea of camping weather.” She bent to help him insert the poles in the tent.
“It’s better than twenty-five.”
“That remains to be seen.”
A few minutes later, they had the tent set up and they were sitting on the ground eating protein bars. “I wonder what the chances of seeing him are,” she said.
“We’re pretty close to where I saw him. Being on higher ground, it might make it easier if he’s active.”
Lucy adjusted her baseball cap. “I’m guessing he’s diurnal. If he’s mostly lizard, then he’ll be cold-blooded and he’ll need the warmth of the sun to keep him active. After dark, he’s probably holed up somewhere.”
“I saw him in the evening.”
“I say we stay here twenty-four hours,” Lucy said. “That way we won’t miss him because of timing. We’ve got plenty of food, and I brought a book.”
“Am I that boring?” he asked, teasingly.
“Depends on how you choose to entertain me.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
“It might be.” She wiggled her eyebrows and they laughed, but it wasn’t exactly light-hearted; there was no denying the tension between them, especially after last night’s kiss. Before she realized what was happening, she’d leaned into Spencer. Their lips were less than an inch apart.
There was nothing soft about this kiss. It was harsh and demanding. Their lips crushed together, Lucy wrapped her fingers in his hair in an attempt to pull him even closer. He nipped at her bottom lip, and she responded by running her tongue along his top of his. He groaned, heightening her arousal.
“Let’s take this inside the tent,” he growled.
“What if the Lizard Man shows up?” She didn’t believe the creature existed but if he did, she didn’t want to be naked and vulnerable if he decided to crash the party.
“We’ll hear him. Trust me.”
The sexy grin on his face made the decision easy. “I hope you’re right.” She reached behind her and unzipped the tent.
The two of them, still touching, tumbled inside. She tore at his clothes, desperate to feel the heat of his skin. Her lips never left his. She had a hunger deep inside her, and it blazed with white-hot intensity.
“Spencer,” she whispered against his lips.
He tugged at her tank top and she both dreaded, and craved the moment when she had to pull away from him to tug it over her head. He unfastened her bra in one deft motion. Spencer nudged her onto her back. He nuzzled her neck and kissed his way from her collarbone along the top of her breast, used his tongue to trace the underside of her breast.
It’s been way too long.
Lucy gasped when he took one pert nipple in his mouth. He tugged on the other nipple with his hand, until both were as hard as diamonds. She felt her muscles tightening with arousal. She threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer to her.
She moaned his name again, and she felt him grow even harder.
He moved down her body, kissing a line down her stomach while he tickled the underside of her breasts with his fingers. When he reached the waistband of her cargo shorts, she raised her hips so he could slide them down. He threw them aside and licked the line of flesh right above the sheer fabric of her panties. His tongue lifted the flimsy elastic making her moan again. He removed her panties slowly, kissing the inside of her thigh, nipping, nibbling.
She writhed, the feeling of his fingers, his tongue making her so wet. He moved back her stomach, her neck and then back to her lips.
When his tongue touched hers, an electric spark traveled through his body, leaving her panting for breath and wanting more. Much more.
Their lips never separating, he ran his hand along the length of her body, slowly exploring every dip, every curve. Her skin burned against his palm.
Spencer unbuttoned his pants and slid them, along with his boxers, to the floor.
He reclaimed her mouth. Got greedy. Demanded. She answered with the same intensity.
Lucy placed her hands on his biceps, digging her nails into the skin. She slid underneath him, urging him on top of her.
Skin to skin. Heaven.
His body fit perfectly against hers, and she loved the weight of him. The sultry heat of the tent made everything more primal, more passionate.
“Spencer, I can’t wait,” she breathed the words against his neck. “I need you. Now.”
She heard him fumbling with a foil wrapper. “Need help getting it on?”
“I’m almost ready.” He slid into a condom and then he was inside her, filling her up completely.
Lucy wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him even deeper into her. He eased into a slow rhythm, syncing with her. She dug her nails into her shoulder, unable to get close enough to him.
It felt so damn right.
So damn perfect.
Lucy began to move faster; her climax closer and closer until she was floating. Bells. Whistles. Fireworks. Hot and cold and sweet and salty.
His release came soon after hers. He collapsed beside her and pulled her into his arms.
“I don’t know what. . . ” she began.
“Shhh,” he breathed against her hair. “No talk.”
While it would have been nice to take a nap afterwards, they were here on a mission, and inside the tent it was roughly the temperature of the surface of the sun. “We should get back to work,” Lucy said.
Spencer ran his index finger along her abdomen. “That was amazing.”
“We should do it again. When we’re off the clock.”
“And we have A/C.”
“Amen to that.”
After they dressed, they stepped back outside the tent and set up the camping stools they’d packed. Other than a few woodpeckers and a lone Whitetail buck, the place was still. Lucy read a few pages of the book she’d brought while Spencer wove two reeds into a necklace.
“I think it’s a long shot,” she said, just as the sun began to set.
“Maybe we’ll see him in the morning. Hungry?”
Lucy shook her head. “It’s too hot to eat.” Sweat ran off her in rivers, and she was sure that she smelled terrible. No deodorant in the world could perform in this heat.
Spencer was whittling on a piece of wood when she heard it.
“What is that?” she whispered.
The noise came again, closer this time. It was low, like a tuba mixed with an old-school Godzilla movie track.
“It’s him.” Spencer pointed toward the direction of the sound.
Lucy watched the tree line while Spencer pulled out his camera. “Be ready.” She saw movement about twenty yards away. The rest of the swamp was still, no breeze, no wind, but in the area ahead of them, the bushes were tossing to and fro. There was definitely something in there, and it was moving toward them.
Spencer aimed his camera at the movement and clicked.
When the Lizard Man stepped clear of the trees, Lucy’s mouth dropped.
Reading about the creature was one thing, seeing him in person was another. Despite the heat, goosebumps popped up on her ski
n. She’d dreamed of this moment, seeing an animal that most people didn’t even believe existed, and now the moment had arrived and she was too scared to make good observations.
Take mental notes. Precise ones. This is once in a lifetime.
“Damn it. Fucking start already,” Spencer cursed.
Easily seven feet tall. Muddy greenish brown. Tail. He was like a juvenile dinosaur. Just as fierce and just as terrifying. He threw back his head and roared again. His teeth were pointy and sharp, much like what she’d expect from an alligator. Definitely reptilian. She picked up her binoculars and looked at him. He appeared to be covered in the black hair Spencer had mentioned.
Weird. Very weird.
“Are you getting this?” she asked Spencer.
“Trying. My record button is still stuck. Hang on.”
Her anxiety level ratcheted up. There was no way to tell how long the creature would stand there. If he started to move closer, Lucy had no idea what they’d do. He was large and powerful, and she was quite sure he was a lot faster than her. If he advanced or charged them, Lucy was willing to leave all their gear behind. She tapped the outside of her pocket and was reassured by the lump of keys.
“Got it yet?”
“Damn it!”
Guess not.
Her phone was in her backpack, and she feared that any movement might draw the creature’s attention. She wasn’t going to risk it, no matter how desperately she wanted evidence of this encounter.
After one more roar, a much less sinister one, the creature lumbered back into the trees, and Lucy took the first deep breath since he’d appeared.
“I can’t believe I missed that,” Spencer fumed. “Son of a bitch.”
“You didn’t get anything?”
“Nothing.”
Lucy sighed. It was a tough break, but at least they’d seen him while they were together and there was no doubt that he was real. It wasn’t a man in a costume, it wasn’t a figment of her imagination, or Spencer’s.
The Lizard Man was officially a thing.
“Should we pack up and head out?” she asked.