My mind went blank, and a swarm of dragonflies took flight inside me, their virtual wings tickling the undersides of my rib cage deliciously. I trembled slightly and licked my lips. Well, if anyone could take my mind off the emotional grenade Lucia had just lobbed my way, it was Allison. I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. I was too fried to think, and it didn’t really matter enough for me to try.
Self-consciously, I glanced down at myself. All I’d had available in my bag at the office had been a dark pair of indigo jeans, a black silk halter top that revealed just enough cleavage to get someone’s attention without being vulgar, and a pair of black, open-toed sling-backs. I’d piled my hair up into a loose, messy knot on the back of my head and made sure I covered the angry-looking scab on my forehead with some strategically placed wisps of bang.
Getting ready, I’d been grateful that we were still between summer and autumn when warm temperatures weren’t unexpected, so I wouldn’t need to go home to retrieve a warmer outfit or, worse, don work clothes. Now, however, I felt silly and a little exposed. Normally, I thought nothing of dressing up a little when I went out after work—I was a girl, after all, and occasionally I did like to doll up—but today I was afraid it might seem like I was trying too hard.
I drew in a tumultuous breath and swallowed as I waved to Allison. As I leaned over to open the door for her from the inside of the cab, my heart stopped beating when I glanced up and noticed her eyes flickering to what she could see of the tops of my breasts. A blaze ignited beneath my skin, but that couldn’t compare to the heat that rose in my cheeks when she lifted her eyes back up to mine and I recognized the flash of desire in them.
Allison held my stare as she slid into the seat next to me and then allowed her eyes to travel the length of my body. I felt that visual exploration as keenly as I would a physical caress, and it sparked an involuntary hum of arousal in me.
“Wow, Ryan. You look beautiful.”
That declaration robbed me of the ability to inhale, and I had to clear my throat. “I was actually just thinking the same thing about you.”
It was Allison’s turn to flush, as much as she was able with her complexion. “I feel somewhat underdressed.”
“You’re perfect,” I told her honestly. An all-encompassing need to kiss her suddenly seized me, an ache that throbbed dully in every cell of my body. Disregarding that impulse would be like ignoring the desire to breathe. Fortunately, she distracted me by speaking.
“Do you have a curfew tonight?”
“Nope.”
“Your better half isn’t expecting you?”
I grimaced in response to a searing stab of pain and managed to swallow the bile rising in the back of my throat. “I’m flying solo these days.”
Understanding flooded Allison’s expression, tinged with a hint of sympathy and something else I couldn’t readily identify. “So it was more than just a fight.”
“Yup.” I really didn’t want to get into this right now and hoped my short answer would discourage further discussion.
“Is it something that can be fixed?”
“No.”
“You okay?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Aside from the fact that the girl I was seeing slept with someone else and then broke up with me under the pretense that she thought I cheated on her, but I can’t stop thinking about you, and I still feel like an asshole because of it, I’m just dandy.
Allison shook her head, which caused stray locks of her hair to tumble down across her forehead. “Liar.”
I reached out before I knew what I was going to do and gently brushed those tresses out of her eyes, reveling in the slide of her silken skin beneath my fingertips. Allison blinked, obviously startled, but she didn’t appear upset.
The cab driver slammed on the brakes and screamed loudly, shattering the moment and catapulting me back into my senses. I jerked my hand from Allison’s face as though I’d been burned. What the hell was I doing? I really needed to get a freaking grip. Never mind the fact that I shouldn’t be touching Allison at all. Now was definitely not the time.
“So, where are you taking me?” Allison’s voice was light, her tone nonchalant, and I was instantly jealous. My own emotions were careening wildly out of my control, and I could’ve used a dash of nonchalance. Hell, even a pinch would have felt like a lot.
“Piper’s.”
Allison grinned. “You guys still go there for your wheels-up parties?”
“Of course. They take really good care of us. Oh, but I should warn you. I got a call from the thundering horde while I was on my way here. They sounded like they’d been at it for a bit. I can’t imagine they can maintain that pace much longer.”
“Good.”
Surely I imagined that Allison’s tone contained an undercurrent of satisfaction mixed with desire. Right? It had to be. It was a classic case of seeing—or in this case hearing—what I so desperately wanted.
I forced myself to focus on paying our accommodating, if slightly suicidal, driver and deliberately avoided Allison’s intense gaze. But the fire burning in my cheeks spoke volumes.
A slight tug on my arm forced me to stop my trek to the pub’s entrance, and I turned to face my captor with a vague wringing sensation just below my rib cage.
Allison’s eyes were bottomless as she stared at me, and I felt myself falling. I glanced down to my feet to make sure the pavement was still solid beneath me. Allison recaptured my attention by resting a hand on my shoulder, making me return to myself and fly apart all at once.
“I’m going to make sure you forget everything tonight.”
Promises, promises.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The place had a good-sized crowd considering it was a Monday night, but Allison and I didn’t have much trouble making our way to the bar. I’d predicted correctly that the guys were all well and truly in their cups, so I wasn’t surprised that the bartender, Sean, spotted me first.
“What’ll it be, Ryan? The usual?” His voice still held a trace of a true Irish brogue, though he’d been in the States for years, and his smile could charm a leprechaun out of his pot of gold. “I hear you’ve something to celebrate.”
Keith must’ve caught Sean’s words because his head snapped around in my direction. Had he been sober, that might not have been a problem, but his inebriated body wasn’t quite up to speed with his wildly swiveling head, and he nearly fell off the bar stool and onto Allison. It was a good thing Allison saw it coming and reached out to steady him, or he’d have ended up on the floor. A good thing for all of us, really. Keith was a big boy. It would’ve been tough to haul him back up again. I knew. I’d done it many times.
“I’m sorry,” I mouthed to Allison when she glanced at me. She smiled back at me, and I almost melted.
Keith’s face broke into a huge grin as his unfocused eyes finally sent the message to his alcohol-soaked brain that I’d arrived. “Hey, Ryan, you made it. ’S about damn time.” His words were a little slurred.
“Yup. Told you I would.” I turned to Sean to answer his question. “The usual would be great, thanks. And a Tanqueray and tonic, please, with a lime and two maraschino cherries.”
“No, no, no!” Keith shouted, slamming one giant paw down on the bar. Some of the guys snickered and nudged one another, but he was undaunted. He turned his faux wrath to the bartender. “Ryan gets an Irish car bomb. On me.” His tone was insistent.
Sean cut his eyes my way, as though checking to see whether the change was okay. I shrugged. “I’ll drink it. But just the one. And keep the Tanqueray and tonic.”
“Coming right up.”
Now that he’d gotten his way, Keith turned his back on me and busied himself making certain everyone else had a drink. Sean set my Guinness and shot on the bar next to the Tanqueray, which I immediately handed to Allison.
“One Irish car bomb.”
“Isn’t that a little politically incorrect, Sean? I thought we weren’t calling them that anymore.�
��
It was Sean’s turn to shrug. “I tried to get them to stop, but after a while, the fight just went out of me. You know how hard-headed cops can be.”
I grinned and nodded as I tossed some cash on the bar. “Yeah, we’re all pains in the ass. Thanks, Sean.” I turned so my right side was nestled against the bar and picked up my shot.
Keith stood on the rungs of his bar stool so he towered over everyone and held up his glass. “Way to go, Ryan. The Big Guy went out the same way he came in. You managed not to get him killed. Good job.”
I exchanged a quick glance with Allison, who grinned at me and lifted her glass in a mock salute. I rolled my eyes. The rest of the guys chimed in their own raucous comments, and glasses clinked as they toasted.
I protested. “Hey! Why do you all sound so surprised?”
Allison leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I’m not.”
The sensation of her lips brushing softly against my skin mingled with the heady scent of her perfume made me shudder. My head swam, and a tendril of molten desire snaked its way toward my gut. “You’re not?”
Allison grinned. “Nah. I knew you’d keep him alive. I was taking bets on whether he’d be in one piece though.”
“Ha, ha.” I wrinkled my nose at her and moved to drop my shot into my beer. “Very funny.”
Allison laughed, and the sight of her mirth lifted my spirits.
“Hey, Ryan, wait! Let me get my watch ready.”
I paused and turned to find Rico Corazon grinning at me wickedly. The shouts from the guys nearest to us reached a decibel level that made me wish I had earplugs, and I knew I was in serious trouble. I glanced to Allison for assistance, but she was conveniently engaged in conversation with one of the other guys she knew from before she went to D.C. and pretending not to notice my silent pleas for help. Traitor.
“Wait, wait,” someone else was shouting. “Let me get one, too. I wanna race.”
Several other voices chimed in, echoing the call to Sean to set them up with another round. The rest of the guys started placing bets.
I shot Rico a mock glare. “Thanks, buddy.”
Rico laughed, showcasing his dimples and revealing a dazzling smile. He shrugged his broad shoulders and hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans. With his caramel-colored skin, thick black hair, and deep-brown eyes, Rico was stunning. You know, in that brawny, male kind of way. Like drop-dead, mouth-opened, drooling-on-yourself gorgeous. He also happened to be a really nice guy. If I were into men, he’d have totally been my type. Hell, as it was I sometimes found myself studying him a little too closely and giggling like a schoolgirl whenever he teased me.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“To be my own personal menace?”
Rico’s grin grew. “Exactly.”
“Great.”
“I put fifty bucks on you,” Rico informed me. “You’d better win.”
“Bite me.”
“Okay, okay,” a new voice shouted. “We’re all ready. Let’s go.”
“Sean, call it,” someone else chimed in.
Sean made a show of raising his hand in the air the way I was sure only people in bad movies about drag racing did. He grinned at us and counted down. “Three…Two…One…” His hand fell, and the race was on.
We all dropped our shots into our beers and started chugging. Somehow, I managed to avoid spilling mine down the front of myself, but it was a struggle. I slammed my glass triumphantly down on the bar and noted I’d finished well before any of the guys. Pleased with myself, I turned to find Rico beaming at me.
Cheers and groans erupted from the watching throng, followed by some good-natured ribbing of the guys who’d just been beaten in a drinking contest by a girl. I laughed and motioned to Sean to get me my Harp and a glass of water.
Though the number of women in law enforcement was steadily rising, it was still mostly a man’s world, and a lot of men, unfortunately, continued to have trouble sharing the field. I’d found two surefire ways to gain their respect and acceptance: kick someone’s ass or drink them under the table. It helped a lot if you could do both. I was much better at the drinking part, but I wasn’t above fighting dirty in either arena, especially if it meant I was going to win. However, I’d noticed most of the guys handled it better when I outdrank them than when I beat them up. Go figure.
“I knew you could do it.” Rico threw one arm around my shoulder and squeezed.
I shoved him playfully. “That wasn’t fair, and you know it. Why’d you goad them all into a bet they couldn’t possibly win?”
“Hey, it isn’t like you’re a secret ringer or anything. It’s their own damn fault if they overestimate their own drinking abilities and bet against you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Ryan!” a high, musical female voice squealed.
A petite blonde launched herself into my arms and nearly knocked the wind out of me. Then two deceptively strong hands mashed my face, and someone kissed me rather soundly on the lips.
“I’m so glad you’re finally here,” the woman exclaimed, snuggling up next to me. “I’ve been waiting forever.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Allison staring at us with an odd expression, but when I turned my head to look at her fully, she’d already glanced away. I hooked one arm around my assailant’s shoulder and glanced at Rico.
“How much has she had to drink?”
Rico shrugged, his face split by a sly grin. “I don’t keep track of my wife’s alcohol consumption. You know that. Makes it easier for me to take advantage of her.”
“Clearly.”
“Hey, you can take advantage of her, too.” Rico grinned lasciviously. “As long as I get to watch.”
I backhanded him lightly in the stomach. “Pig.”
“Yup.” He seemed proud of the label.
“Hey, Paige.” I allowed myself to make a lingering examination of the woman. “You look absolutely gorgeous. I might actually make a move on you tonight.”
Paige beamed, all pearly white teeth and sparkling blue eyes, and I knew my comment had had the desired effect. Okay, I’ll admit it, I was flirting. But that had absolutely nothing to do with threesomes or getting laid. I swear.
Rico and I had been partners back when I was in the Counterfeit Squad. We’d been undercover together on what’d turned out to be the biggest investigation of the year. Not just for New York, but Service-wide. And when I say “together,” I mean we’d posed as a couple at a posh Latin nightclub, whose owner had been suspected of printing counterfeit bills in extremely large numbers and giving them back as change, as well as selling them to other people to use however and wherever they wanted.
The assignment had translated to a lot of nights when Rico didn’t go home until the wee hours of the morning, and Paige had apparently been jealous of all the time Rico and I were spending together. In what he’d deemed a move of pure brilliance, Rico had decided to diffuse his wife’s insecurity by having her meet me.
Working in a male-dominated field for as long as I had, I’d gotten used to women being suspicious of all the time I spent with their men. I found it laughable. I had less than no interest in men in general, let alone their men specifically, but I couldn’t blame them for being wary. Not with the rumors circulating in the public about what goes on in this agency.
More often than not, the women calmed down as soon as the guys explained I was irrevocably gay, but in a few cases, it’d taken a bit more than that. Trial and error had taught me that flirting with them would effectively reassure them I had absolutely no designs on their mates. It was a fine line to walk, and I could take it further with some than with others, but the tactic hadn’t failed me yet.
While I had to use varying levels of attention to placate all the wives or girlfriends I’d encountered, Paige actually flirted back. Mercilessly and with great enthusiasm.
Now she favored me with a coquettish smile as she slowly looked me up and down. “Dressed like that, I th
ink I might let you.”
“Tease.”
She blew me a kiss. “You love it.”
“So, how’ve you been? I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”
Paige made an impatient motion with her hand. “Ha! Like I was gonna miss your big celebration.”
“Paige, it’s not that big a deal, really.”
Paige’s stare indicated she thought I was being an idiot. “Your first PPD visit as counterpart? It’s a huge deal. Rico and I are gonna buy you a drink.”
“You’re just trying to get me drunk.”
“Damn right I am. You play hard to get when you’re sober.”
“How do you know I’m easy when I’m bombed?”
“Wishful thinking.” She turned to Rico. “Baby, can you get us some shots?”
“Sure. What would you ladies like?”
“You pick,” I told him.
Rico grinned evilly, and Paige let out a low groan. “We’re going to end up with Wild Turkey now.”
I grimaced. “No way. Pick something else.”
Rico ordered Paige and me kamikaze shots instead, in deference to what he called our “girly-ness,” and we downed them after a sloppy toast. He signaled Sean to set us up with another round, and I made a mental note to myself to be careful. Despite my earlier vow, I’d concluded nothing good could come of me getting smashed.
I glanced around to see where Allison had gotten to. She met my stare and favored me with her heart-stopping smile. I smiled back and silently motioned to her drink. She nodded.
I placed the order with Sean, adding another glass of water for her, and turned back around to find Paige eyeing me.
“Who’s your friend?” She lifted her chin and cut a pointed glance toward Allison, who was now laughing at something one of the guys was saying to her. Of course, she was absolutely stunning, and for a long moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Actual Stop Page 17