by Molly Rice
“Until tonight, you mean.” It all came together for Dana, relief competing with pity and a sense of helplessness. This was the reason Nico had withdrawn from her after they’d made love and there was little she could say to argue against his resolve. Still she tried.
“Nico, we have Heather solely looking out for Krystal, and our being together, in bed or out, is protection for me.”
Nico shook his head. “Don’t you see, if I’m emotionally involved with you, I’m not totally focused on what’s going on “around you, not concentrating all my thoughts on unraveling clues. Not watching your back. If anything happened to you, I don’t know…” He gasped at the on slaught of foreshadowed -pain. “Don’t know what I’d do.”
Dana bit her bottom lip. There was no rebuttal. She could certainly understand his concern and if there was the least chance that he was right, she had to honor his feelings and cooperate with him.
“Come on, Scalia,” she ordered, “if we’re going to take vows of celibacy, we’re going to need all the strength a good night’s rest can provide.”
She was already out of the car and on the driveway when he called out.
She turned back.
“When this is over…”
She shrugged her shoulders and waved a hand airily in his direction. “We’ll see, pal. Who knows, it may be like quitting smoking, after a few days you may be out of my system.”
She was still laughing when she entered the house, hoping against hope she could make it to the privacy of her room before the tears came.
Chapter Thirteen
They drove to work together as they’d been doing all week. Yearling had arranged for Nico to use the empty office two doors down from Dana’s and it was agreed that if Nico was out of the office, Dana would stay in until he returned and could accompany her on any forays out of the department.
They were just turning onto the highway when Nico asked if something was wrong.
“Wrong? Of course not, why do you ask?” She fussed over a tiny bit of lint on the hem of her Black Watch plaid skirt, and adjusted the forest green blazer. Anything to avoid his penetrating gaze.
He laid a hand over hers and she twitched at the instant response her nerves made.
“You seem nervy, distracted, this morning. Is it your work? Not going well? You know, if there’s anything I can do to…”
“Thank you, no. I don’t need help and my work is going fine,” Dana said, abruptly cutting him off.
Nico shrugged, returning his concentration to the traffic in front of them. Dana pretended to be absorbed by the passing scenery. They sank into silence for a few miles.
Why should my feelings be hurt? Nico asked himself. She’s just a little edgy this morning. Happens to everyone now and then. Probably didn’t sleep well. I sure know what that’s like these days.
Surreptitiously he threw her a glance, just the sight of her enough to get his pulse revved. The act of looking at her felt like forbidden fruit, making him want to risk the danger of one more look and then another and another after that. And therein lies more temptation than I can handle, he reminded himself.
The view from her window was one long blur to Dana as her mind fretted over her mean response to his show of concern.
That ought to put the kibosh on any romantic feelings he might have been harboring for me, she told herself. Her inner imp reminded her that that was their agreement. So see, I’m doing him a favor, making it easier for him to keep to our agreement. And for me to keep to mine, she added, keeping the record straight.
But she dared a glance at his profile, her stomach lurching at the sight. He was one of the most arresting men she’d ever met with his dark hair, still damp from the shower and already beginning to curl around his ears, his straight nose, nicely shaped black brows, the perfect look of those sensuous lips under his full black mustache. Just gazing at that mouth made her own lips hum with remembered pleasure.
She turned away from his face before her survey led to more tempting memories.
Nico coughed and covered his mouth with his hand.
Such nice manners, Dana thought, reminding her of his family and how well-mannered and warm and friendly they all were. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was because they were used to Nico bringing women home.
She squelched that thought, adjusting her legs in front of her, raising a hand to test the firmness of her French braid, and lowering her window a couple of inches.
The crossbreeze carried Dana’s scent to his nostrils and Nico replayed their lovemaking and the way her fragrance played as much of an erotic part as the feel of her skin, her body closing around him.
He barely controlled the moan that threatened to escape and lowered his own window another couple of inches. He stuck his finger between his collar and tie to make breathing a bit easier, surprised to find it wasn’t what was choking him.
They both expelled great gusts of relief when the car pulled into a parking space in the ramp and Dana almost tripped as she hurried toward the elevator.
The elevator was crowded, causing Dana and Nico to stand close, pressed together.
Nico stared down at the top of Dana’s head, marveling at the wonderful blond hair that was already starting to form stray curls from the wisps that pulled out of her braid.
She stared at Nico’s tie, mesmerized by the way it moved as he inhaled and exhaled. He coughed again, struggling to get his hand free to cover his mouth, the back of it brushing against Dana’s cheek.
“You’ve caught a cold,” she whispered.
Somber brown eyes exchanged glances with worried blue eyes.
Nico shook his head. “Just a frog,” he whispered back, his gaze moving to her full lips.
She could feel his eyes moving across her mouth as if he were using the lightest pressure of his fingers. She swallowed with difficulty and inadvertently took a tiny step forward. The toe of her pump nudged the toe of his loafer. She could feel his sweet breath drifting over her face, could smell his aftershave, his shampoo, could even feel his heart pumping under his white shirt.
He inhaled her shampoo and felt her breasts beneath the prim white blouse brushing against his pecs. He wanted to step forward, wrap his arms around her. The thought had his body responding in the most obvious ways. He turned slightly, badly needing air.
She felt him shift and then felt something against her stomach that brought a flush to her cheeks. She wanted to move closer, to wrap arms and legs around him. She swallowed a gasp which made her choke and begin to cough.
Automatically Nico put an arm around her and patted her back. Almost oblivious to their whereabouts, to the other people in the car with them, their heads moved, mouth reaching for mouth.
The elevator doors flew open just as the car jerked to a halt and they were pushed out by the crowd behind them. Dazed, Dana looked around and saw that they were on the fourth floor.
“Wrong floor,” she said. She turned to step back in the elevator and saw that it had emptied down to two people plus herself and Nico. She took advantage of the space to stand well away from him, willing her body to relax, her nerves to stop quivering.
He rested his back against the wall, and took deep gulps of the encapsulated air that seemed fresher now that there weren’t so many lungs sharing it. He looked across at Dana and saw that she was earnestly attempting to pull herself together. He winked and grinned, happy to know she shared his discomfort.
She read the message in his face and felt her own lips curving upward in response.
With fewer passengers aboard, the elevator car made a smoother stop at the next floor. The other two occupants stepped off and the doors closed.
“That was close,” Nico said.
“Yeah. Close.” She tucked her blouse more firmly into the waistband of her skirt and cocked an impish eyebrow at his briefcase.
His saucy chuckle told her he wasn’t feeling the least self-conscious. She liked that about him. Nico fit in the world most comfortably.
When they reached her floor, she was able to face her colleagues with no personal discomfort and she introduced them to Nico with just the right tone of professionalism.
They walked down the corridor to her office. “Would you like to get out for lunch today?” Nico asked as they stopped at her door.
“Sure,” Dana said, “I’m getting a little tired of staying in.” She added, with a grin, “I take it this is an invitation, not a question.”
He pretended to think that over. Finally he said, “I guess I can put it on my expense account.”
“Don’t bother,” Dana retorted, “I’m not that expensive.”
She went into her office and closed the door. He could hear her laughing and he had a smile on his own face as he crossed the short distance to his own door.
THREE HOURS LATER, after a productive morning of work, they were seated in the tiled patio room of Skip’s, skylights allowing rays of sunshine to illuminate each table as if they were spotlighted.
“I’m going to do my own surveillance on the Lake Street warehouse,” Nico said, reaching for the basket of rolls and offering her first selection.
Dana took a roll and placed it on her bread and butter plate. “Why?”
“There’s been such conflicting information concerning the action there, I want to see for myself what’s going down. And since Yearling has put me officially on your team, I don’t feel I can do this during office hours since it really doesn’t concern one of your current cases.”
Dana sat back as the waiter set a plate of chicken salad in front of her and immediately sat forward again when he moved away. “You’re going to do this at night?”
Nico thanked the waiter and stuck his fork into the soup plate heaped with spaghetti alfredo. “Yes,” he admitted as he twirled pasta around his fork. “It will be late at night though, and you should be perfectly safe with Heather in the house.”
“I know I’ll be safe,” Dana said, putting a forkful of salad into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed and gave him a benign smile.
“Because I’ll be with you.”
Nico almost choked on the mouthful of creamy pasta as he tried to swallow and speak at the same time. He took a big gulp of his iced cappuccino and wiped his eyes with the heels of his palms.
“No way,” he said. “You’re going to be tucked in bed, safe and sound and—”
“No,” Dana cut in. “If you’re going to do a stakeout, I’m going to be with you. And before you try to spoil our lunch by arguing with me, let me remind you that in this matter, you are my employee and this investigation is my personal baby.”
Nico slumped back in his chair and stared at her. He could see by the jut of her chin, the set of her shoulders and spine, the defiant gleam in her eyes that she wouldn’t back down.
Disgustedly he threw his napkin on the table and stood.
“Whatever you say, Boss. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call the agency and arrange to pick up some special surveillance equipment.”
Dana grinned and reached into her purse. “Care to use my cell phone?” she asked, holding it out to him.
“No thanks,” Nico said with a petulant glare. “I prefer privacy in these matters.”
Dana dug into her salad with renewed relish, still smiling as she chewed. She was thinking about things they’d need, like a thermos of coffee, a blanket in case it got cold—they couldn’t risk turning the motor on for heat— and sandwiches against late-night hunger.
A shadow obstructed the ray of sunshine that fell across her right shoulder. She looked up into the smirking face of Charles Donegan.
“What an unexpected and unpleasant surprise,” Dana said, grimacing at the man who seemed as much enraptured by his vision in the mirror across the room as he was by his encounter with Dana.
“Why, Mrs. Harper, I would have expected better manners from a lady of your stature.”
“Let’s not bother pretending we’re dance partners, Charlie,” Dana snapped. “What are you doing here and what do you want? I had hoped never to have to see you anywhere but in court.”
He leaned down and said in a low voice, “You have more to lose than I have, Mrs. Harper.”
It was the last straw. Dana banged her fist on the table and stood up to face off with the pompous, self-involved man.
“Now all three of you have been accounted for, you jerk,” she growled.
Donegan took a step back and then laughed and sauntered away.
Nico came up behind her and grabbed her arm.
“What was that all about?” he demanded.
Dana plopped down on her chair, the breath exploding out of her lungs. She looked up at Nico and shook her head.
“That was Charles Donegan. He just delivered the third face-to-face threat.”
Nico frowned and seated himself. “Third,” he said, puzzled. “Who was the second?” She recalled that she’d never told him about being followed by Marcus Caprezio and the incident that ensued.
He jumped up again, his face mottled with rage.
“Where are you going?” Dana asked, frightened by the barely contained fury that seemed to come off of him in waves.
“First of all, I’m going after Donegan to knock some civility into him and then I’m going to find Caprezio and teach him a more in-depth lesson.”
“Wait.” Dana held fast to his arm. “You don’t know what a can of worms you’d be opening.”
She breathed easier as Nico reluctantly sank back onto his chair.
“I’m listening,” he declared, his voice and eyes steely.
“The County Attorney’s Office can’t afford a media circus at this point, Nico. We don’t want the press trying our cases on network TV and maybe even orchestrating the outcomes.”
He didn’t look convinced. She placed her hand on his arm, gently squeezed, and softly added, “I can’t afford any bad press, either, Nico. The bottom line is that it would ultimately affect Krystal, you know.”
That got him. She could see the tension of determination leak out of him. He drank deeply of his iced coffee and waved the waiter over.
“Can you give this a jolt of microwave,” he asked the man, pointing to his plate, “and refill my glass, please?”
They resumed their meal in silence punctuated here and there by brief comments on the meal, the ambience of the new restaurant and the good service.
As Nico put his credit card on the check tray, he looked around the room. “A lot of lawyers here,” he commented.
For the first time Dana studied their neighbors at adjoining tables, recognizing many fellow attorneys. She smiled and waved at a few who met her eye.
“Lord,” she said, leaning toward Nico, “I hope they didn’t notice my little scene.”
“Or mine,” Nico reminded. He brushed a wayward curl off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. It was a casual, tender gesture and Dana put her hand over his and held it to her cheek a moment.
“Thanks, Nico,” she whispered.
“Nada, love,” he whispered back. Only a heightened awareness of propriety made him remove his hand and stand to imply that lunch was over.
Chapter Fourteen
The street was dark except for the streetlamp on the corner of Lake Street and the light at the back of the warehouse. So far there had been no visible activity at the building.
They had drunk most of the coffee, eaten the sandwiches, and spread the blanket across their laps as the night temperature began dropping.
Every now and then Nico opened his window a few inches to let in a little fresh air, but it was too cold to have it open for long, even with the blanket over them.
Nico found himself frequently glancing over at his stakeout partner, still bemused by what had taken place as they were leaving the house.
They’d been at the door, ready to leave when Dana had called to Nico to wait up.
She’d gone to the front hall closet and lifted a box down from the top shelf. Setting it on the console, she’d r
emoved a police-issue service revolver.
“Hey,” Nico had yelled, “what do you think you’re doing with that?”
She was already loading it. “I’m loading it.”
“I can see that, but why?”
She was sighting down the barrel, holding the gun with both hands, like a pro.
“For protection,” Dana’d calmly retorted, shoving the revolver in her bag.
“Dana, honey, you don’t need that, you’ll be with me. I’ll protect you.”
She’d put the box back on the shelf and walked to the front door. She had started out and then halted, speaking over her shoulder.
“I know you’ll protect me, Nico. This is for me to protect you.”
Nico snickered now at the memory.
“What?”
“Just thinking about you and that gun,” Nico said, grinning at her. “You looked like a kid planning to play cops and robbers with a cannon.”
Dana gave him a disdainful look. “For your information, Scalia, I’ve had police training and certification, I can probably outshoot you.”
“Maybe at target practice,” he scoffed, “but how about in a live hostage situation or with a gun aimed at you, or for that matter, in the case of a moving target.”
She kept forgetting he’d been a cop. He probably could shoot rings around her. She decided to bluff it out by just changing the subject.
“Doesn’t look as though we’re going to get any action tonight.”
“You’re right. Let’s give it another half hour and if nothing goes down, we can come back another night.”
He got the thermos from the backseat and held it up. “Want to share the last cup with me?”
For some reason the air between them seemed to shimmer as their eyes met. Dana had meant to say she’d had enough coffee, but suddenly she couldn’t speak, couldn’t tear her gaze from his.