"Seamus, what are you doing down there? How much longer are you going to be? Should I come down and get my case? I think there’s a robe ... Yes, there’s a robe behind the door."
Hell, that’s all he needed--for Aislyn to see him pawing through her silk and lace underwear. Who would have guessed that Aislyn wore silk and lace under her clothes, next to her skin? He held up a lacey confection in blue, and then hurriedly thrust the silky apparel back into the case. Seamus gritted his teeth. Information he didn’t need, certainly not with his over active imagination.
"What are you doing?" The feminine screech of horror made his ears ring. Seamus looked up and knew his guilt was blazoned across his face. Caught--holding the evidence. He glared at the scrap of silk in his hand and thrust it out of sight under a woolly jacket.
"The damned strap holding your bag shut broke," he snarled.
Aislyn clattered down the stairs, the robe she wore billowing out around her legs as she moved. From his crouched position, Seamus saw the flash of slender legs and tanned thighs. He averted his gaze and reminded himself he was betrothed, but the vision played over and over in his mind, even when he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He shuddered and automatically kept picking up the scattered clothing. Man, this day kept getting worse.
The sound of footsteps ceased. Seamus sensed or rather smelt Aislyn had stopped on the bottom step, a few feet away from him. The delicate scent of freshly bathed female battered his senses, creating havoc with his good intentions.
"You’re creasing my clothes," Aislyn said.
Hell, he’d like to do more than that.
"I was going to soak in the spa, but I thought we should get the lay of the resort first. What do you think?"
What did he think? He thought he was the one in charge here and he made the decisions. That was what he thought. And that was all he thought! He sucked in a deep fortifying breath then puffed it out quick, before the scent of Aislyn snapped his fragile control. He raised his brows and risked a direct look at her. "You’re not going dressed like that?"
"Of course not. That’s why I wanted my case."
"Here." Seamus thrust the case at Aislyn and took a step back. "I’ll wait outside."
Two seconds later, he dragged in great breaths of Aislyn-free air. He glanced at his watch. They’d been here what? Forty minutes. And already he was as tense as a coiled spring. How was he going to cope with a week of being up close and personal with Aislyn O’Sullivan?
To be fair, Gill had volunteered for the assignment. However, Seamus knew his friend’s reputation firsthand and there was no way he was letting him loose with Aislyn. Gill had finally agreed to let Seamus pose as Aislyn’s husband, but his friend had worn a smirk ever since.
The sound of the cabin door opening made him freeze. The click of heels jerked him free of the spell. Move, Gallagher. Do something. Anything. Don’t let Aislyn rile you. He turned and almost knocked her over.
"I’m ready, sweetheart," she cooed breathlessly, wobbling a little as she fought for balance.
Seamus’s hands whipped out to catch her. He did a double take. Ready? She wore the shortest mini skirt he’d ever seen, teamed with a skintight lacy top and heels that made her legs seem endless. Oh, man.
"Well, are you ready? I want to explore, and maybe take a romantic walk on the beach."
His gaze caressed her legs. Walk? She had to be kidding. "You expect to walk along the beach in those shoes?" he blurted.
Aislyn lowered one eye in a saucy wink. "You’re nice and strong." She inched closer, and right about the time her flowery scent hit him, she reached out to trail one hand down his chest.
Seamus felt her touch clear to his toes. His gaze flicked from left to right, checking the vicinity. "We’re alone," he muttered, jerking back out of her reach. "You don’t have to keep the pretence up every single minute of the next week."
"But I’ve just read a book about method acting." She smiled and the smile held more than a smidgeon of craftiness. "I thought I’d give it a try. The process sounded so interesting."
Anger warred with plain old-fashioned lust. Seamus barely trusted himself to speak. He strode through the front door and away down the gravel path, intent on putting space and fresh air between them.
"Let’s go," he growled over his shoulder. He jerked his gaze off Aislyn and directed his eyes front. Hell, if Gill saw the way he was acting he’d die laughing. The thought of Gill reminded him that work lay ahead. Aislyn was right. They needed to reconnoiter. Unwillingly, he slowed his pace and waited for her to catch up. Maybe if he concentrated on the work aspect of this assignment he’d make it through the week.
"We’ll wander around the main resort area. If we’re lucky, we’ll see either Watson or his bodyguard."
"And work out which cabin they’re in."
"Cross your fingers we get lucky--" Seamus paused, stricken by the unfortunate choice of words. His mind clicked into gear. A big bed, silken sheets, and Aislyn were the major stars in the moving pictures in his head. A long night of lazy loving followed by an equally slow wake-up call. He cursed under his breath. "What was I saying?"
"We need to find where Watson is staying in the resort," Aislyn inserted smoothly.
If it weren’t for the wicked gleam in her blue eyes, he would have thought she had no idea of the affect she was having on him. The twinkle gave her away.
Seamus stopped dead in the middle of the path. Aislyn halted too. The main part of the resort was hidden from where they stood. In the distance, Seamus heard the gentle curl of waves as they reached the shore and closer, he heard the click of an insect. The sounds should have soothed his troubled soul. They didn’t. They reminded him that he and Aislyn were consenting adults, alone together in a luxurious resort, staying in the honeymoon suite.
Well, hell. He stepped up close to Aislyn and grinned down at her.
"You had me going for a while there, but finally, I’ve worked out your game."
The little wretch batted her eyelids at him and managed a combination of innocence and beguiling beauty.
"What game?" she murmured in a throaty voice that made his hormones hop.
"This flirting thing--all that sexy lingerie and the come hither looks. You and Gill have a bet going. It’s the only thing that makes sense."
"Oh, Seamus," Aislyn said, and her lips formed into an adorable pout. "I can’t speak for Gill, but I would never play a trick like that."
Years of dealing with criminals had made Seamus an expert on body language. Except when it came to Aislyn. He frowned. Talk about mysterious feminine wiles. He had no idea what went on inside that head of hers. His confidence wavered. It had to be a joke. Aislyn didn’t think of him in that way.
But she kissed you in the lift.
Seamus glared. "I don’t have time for this."
"Good. I want to see the rest of the resort," Aislyn said. She captured his hand and entwined their fingers together.
Seamus started in shock. He glanced at their hands, thought about wrenching away, then decided to leave things as they were.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Not really, but I wouldn’t mind a drink."
They wandered down the gravel path toward the main resort area. Seamus steered Aislyn toward the bar by the swimming pool.
"You sit there, darling, while I get the drinks." He leaned closer to Aislyn and whispered, "Tell me if you see either of our men."
"I’ll have a glass of white wine."
The glint in her eyes challenged him to protest, but Seamus had had enough games. He merely nodded, before heading for the bar.
Aislyn whipped a pair of dark sunglasses from her pocket and put them on. Neither Watson nor his bodyguard were present however, the resort covered a large area. They would find him eventually and when they did, Aislyn would be in the thick of the action. After a quick glance around the people who were seated around the pool, she turned her attention to Seamus. Her husband. Probably as close as she would
ever come to marriage to Seamus, she acknowledged. At least she was pursuing her other goal of doing investigative work.
As she watched, Seamus grinned at the barmaid pouring his drinks, a slow easy grin that made Aislyn wish she were the recipient. With his dark hair, gorgeous gray eyes, and the muscular body that went along with the package, he attracted a lot of attention. Aislyn wondered about girlfriends--Seamus’ girlfriends in specific. She knew Gill had a parade of women through his life. But she knew nothing of Seamus’ love life. She’d thought he was interested in Christel, but the last couple of times Seamus had visited the colony he’d stayed for only a short time. He hadn’t had time to contact Christel.
He picked up the drinks and after smiling at the barmaid again, headed toward Aislyn. When he wasn’t snapping and snarling, he was a fun companion. Maybe she should stop baiting him.
"One glass of white wine," he said, and he placed the glass on the small table and dropped into the seat opposite.
"Thanks." Aislyn traced one finger around the rim of the glass and leaned toward Seamus. "Our men aren’t here," she murmured.
"It’s early days yet. The resort organizes trips out to the old goldmines, and I think they do bush walks too. There’s no law against our men playing tourist."
Aislyn snorted. "Hardly likely though, is it?"
"Gill and I arrested a man for murder last year who went to a church meeting every Friday night, right before he’d meet up with his latest cyber date and rape them. Takes all sorts."
"Mmmm." Aislyn picked up her glass and took a sip of her wine. Tart and crisp with a faint hint of peaches, the wine slid down her throat. Much better than the wine at the pub, she thought, closing her eyes to concentrate on her next sip. A sudden noise made her eyes fly open. She found Seamus gazing at her with an intensity that sent her stomach swirling.
"How are the cat remedy tests coming along?"
"Fine." That was the reason for the attentiveness? "I received a new shipment three days ago."
Seamus grinned suddenly, just like he’d grinned at the barmaid, and Aislyn’s insides turned to mush. Her heart did a distinct flip-flop in her chest.
"Have any of the products worked so far?"
"Not exactly. I’ve tested two. The first one made Joe and I sneeze repeatedly. The second one was a type of siren." Aislyn shook her head. "It made every dog in the vicinity howl for a whole hour solid. Joe and I left them to it and went for a walk down at Mission Bay."
Seamus’s brows shot upward and he regarded her with a lazy smile. "You take the cat for a walk?"
"He hates being left in the flat on his own. If I don’t take him with me, he seems to know where I am or where I’m going to be and arrives there. I have no idea how he does it, but it’s easier and less distressing for both of us if I take him with me."
The smile widened to an outright grin. "You didn’t bring him to the resort."
"Well, no. But I explained exactly where I’d be. I left him with Gary. He seems to like Gary." Aislyn paused to chew on her bottom lip. "You know, Seamus, even the way I found him was strange. You don’t think--" Aislyn surveyed the nearest couple and to err on the side of safety, leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "You don’t think he’s magical?"
Seamus snorted out loud. "Hell, I can see the headlines in the colony papers now. Imagine the mass panic, if the colony inhabitants thought they were in danger from not only ordinary cats, but from a new strain of magical cats."
"Seamus, look to your right, about two o’clock. That’s John Watson’s assistant."
Seamus leaned over and brushed a casual kiss on Aislyn’s lips. "The big guy?" he asked in whisper.
"Yeah." The word came out as a soft breathy sigh. Aislyn couldn’t take her gaze off his lips. She wanted him to kiss her again, but instead of a quick, teasing peck, she wanted a real kiss--exactly like the kisses they’d shared while trapped in the lift.
As if he had read her mind, his lips brushed across hers again. "Which direction is he heading? I can’t see him any more, and I don’t want him to notice me staring."
Aislyn had to force herself to concentrate. "Ah, he’s heading to the reception desk."
"Stay here and finish your drink. I think I’ll go and inquire about the bush walking tours."
He leapt to his feet and was gone before Aislyn had a chance to protest. Irritated with Seamus leaving her out of the investigation, Aislyn sipped her wine and stewed. No doubt, Seamus would do this at every opportunity. She had to think of some way to circumvent him, but for the moment, her mind was blank.
Seamus returned a few minutes later. "I think they are staying in the two cabins nearest the beach. We’ll wander down that way now and with luck, he’ll pass us on the track when he heads back."
"Sneaky," Aislyn murmured. She wobbled as she rose to her feet.
Seamus gave her a surprised look, which turned piercing and direct when he saw her empty glass. "Did you eat before we left?"
"I didn’t have time. You told me not to be late."
"Never mind. Damn, he’s finished up in reception." Seamus propelled her into a quick walk. "Hurry or we’ll lose him."
"You go after him, Seamus, and I’ll go back to the cabin. How about if I grab your swim gear for you and meet you down at the beach?" Suddenly, all the high hopes she’d entertained about becoming closer to Seamus seemed pointless. He wasn’t interested in her. She was only kidding herself. He was focused on the case.
"Grab a towel for me. My swim shorts are right on top of my bag."
"I’ll find them," Aislyn promised. She watched Seamus hurry after the bodyguard and sighed. All work and no play....
Back in the cabin, Aislyn hunted through her bag for the bikini she’d purchased while out on a shopping jaunt with Gary. The man was certainly knowledgeable when it came to ladies fashions. Aislyn had fallen in love with the hot pink bikini and decided she had to have it. She changed into the bikini, mindful of Seamus waiting. She pulled her dress back over the top and dug a pair of sandals out of her case.
Seamus’s bag sat in the middle of the spacious living room. She jerked the zipper open and grabbed out the pair of swim shorts as instructed. Then froze, in the process of closing the bag. The edge of a photo poked up the inside of the bag. Aislyn hesitated, knowing she was being nosy. She glanced over her shoulder, her heart pounding, as she fought intense curiosity. It was none of her business. Taking a deep breath, she gently pushed the photograph clear of the zipper and shut the bag.
Aislyn grabbed two of the large beach towels provided by the resort and hurried down the stairs. Halfway down, she stopped. She had to know who was in that photo.
Glancing at her watch, she tried to decide how long ago she’d left Seamus. Ten minutes? Fifteen? She wasn’t sure. Too bad. Aislyn turned and retraced her steps. Without giving herself time for further thought, she opened his bag and pulled the photo out.
A woman.
She grimaced. Of course, it had to be a woman--and a gorgeous one at that. A brunette, with long hair that reached halfway down her back, she was tall with all the requisite curves.
Renee--the elegantly scrawled signature read.
A sharp pain jerked her back to the present and she realized she’d been chewing her lip. Aislyn shoved the photo back, wishing she’d never seen it.
Seamus had a girlfriend.
The thought made her feel queasy. Even though she’d told herself repeatedly she had no chance to win Seamus, she’d still hoped.
Aislyn picked up the towels again and trudged down the stairs. She locked the door after her. Nothing like reality to bring you back to earth with a thump.
After three minutes of brisk walking, the trees gave way to a clearing and the path ended. Aislyn smelt the sea before she saw it--the distinctive salty scent that she would find difficult to describe if she tried to tell her mother. It would be difficult for her mother to envisage such a large expanse of water when she had never seen anything bigger than Lake McGregor in the col
ony.
Huge gnarled trees clung to the bank and the cliffs that ran along the beach to her left. They were Pohutukawa trees, she recalled, and according to Gary, they had bright red flowers around Christmas time. She hoped she’d be around to see the trees bloom.
Aislyn bent to remove her shoes, eager to feel the sand beneath her feet. At the far end of the beach, Seamus waved at her and sighing, she headed in that direction. After seeing the photo, she needed every ounce of the acting ability she’d boasted of. She walked down to the water’s edge and paddled along the beach in Seamus’ direction, careful to keep the towels from trailing in the water.
Aislyn dragged in a deep breath and forced herself to concentrate on the surroundings and the job at hand.
A small boat was moored out to her right. The people on board were fishing. They held poles and occasionally raised their lines to check the bait.
Further out, in the distance, she saw the faint outlines of a couple of the offshore islands. She had no idea, which was which and made a mental note to ask Seamus later and check on a map.
She glanced the other way, wondering where the other cabins were. She hadn’t paid attention during the walk down to the beach and mentally kicked herself. A fairy force recruit should know better.
Aislyn waded from the ankle deep water and stepped toward Seamus.
"You took a long time," he said.
"Sorry, I couldn’t find my bikini top." She handed him a towel and his swim shorts.
"It wouldn’t matter. The beach is private. We have it all to ourselves."
"Seamus," Aislyn said, outraged yet a little intrigued at the idea of topless bathing. Fairies didn’t do that sort of thing in the colony.
He shrugged off his shirt. "Just a thought. An inappropriate one--sometimes I forget you’re from the colony." His hands went to the button on his trousers. "If you want to spare your blushes, you should look away."
Aislyn turned to scan the horizon. She tried to concentrate on the scenery and her assignment, but the sounds of Seamus undressing were loud and distracting. His zipper whined as he yanked it down. The soft material of his chinos rustled noisily. Heck, Aislyn imagined she heard his breathing. Her hands tightened on the towel she carried, her breathing quickened.
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