“You compensate very well with other talents.”
“What talents are those, Angel?”
Vanessa took a long and admiring look at him, her eyes betraying her lust for the man who would become her husband in another three days.
“I think you know what they are.”
Joshua registered the breathless quality in Vanessa’s voice, the low, husky timbre cloaking and seductive. He sat motionless as he saw the smoldering invitation in her gaze. The air around them seemed electrified by their visual interchange, and he knew if he didn’t move away from her he never would honor his promise not to make love to her until they were married.
“If I’ve forgotten, then you can show me—on our wedding night.” Lowering his head, he brushed a quick, hard kiss across her mouth, not giving her the opportunity to come back at him. He stood up, pulling her up gently with him while she clucked her tongue.
“You have a one-track mind, Joshua Kirkland. I was referring to your facility with languages, and that you play a mean game of racquetball. Your lovemaking isn’t a talent, my darling, but an incredible gift.” Turning, she retraced her steps and walked back to the dressing room.
He stared at her departing figure, giving her an imperceptible nod. “Gracias, Angel,” he whispered.
They didn’t dance until the sun came up, but returned to their bungalow several hours past midnight, exhausted and euphoric. Joshua showered while Vanessa lingered in the bathtub, soaking her tired legs and feet.
She slipped into bed beside him, coming into his welcoming embrace. She inhaled the clean odor of soap on his bare flesh as she pressed her face to his chest.
He moaned as if in pain when her silken thigh grazed his hair-roughened one. “You’re not making this easy for me,” he whispered through clenched teeth in the darkened bedroom.
“What?”
“Not making love to you when you come to bed without a nightgown.”
Vanessa wiggled against him, trying to find a comfortable position. “I didn’t bring one with me.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t like them. If my coming to bed nude bothers you then you should put on pajamas.”
“I don’t own a pair of pajamas.”
She sat up. “One of us can sleep on the convertible love seat.”
Joshua pulled her down as quickly as she had sat up. “We’ve made a promise to share our lives, and that means we’ll share a bed.”
She wiggled against him for the second time, pressing her buttocks against his groin. “I’ve heard that a cold shower helps.”
“Stop wiggling and go to sleep or I’ll force you to take a cold shower with me,” he threatened softly. He didn’t tell her that cold showers did nothing to quell his desire for her, that he knew Vanessa was a woman he would never tire of.
Day Five—It would be another three days before he could claim the woman sleeping beside him as his wife.
The sun was high in the sky by the time Vanessa and Joshua wove their way through the charming streets of the pre-Columbian city. She lingered in one of the exquisite shops along the Galeria de Arte de Oaxaca, studying a tray of silver jewelry inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones. The expertly crafted replicas of pieces were designed by the Zapotec and Mixtec Indians, who had erected an important religious center in the Oaxaca Valley in 600 B.C. and the Tenth Century, respectively.
Joshua stood at the opposite end of the showcase, watching her intently. She was calm and relaxed, and as she asked questions of the English-speaking proprietor her voice was even and controlled. There was nothing about the interchange to indicate that the man was her contact.
She picked up an exceptionally beautiful necklace—a pendant with inlaid turquoise dangled from the links of silver that spilled over her delicate fingers like liquid water. “It’s exquisite,” she said, smiling at Pablo Mendoza, who hadn’t taken his gaze off her face from the moment she walked into his boutique.
“Would you like to try it on, Señorita?”
“Yes, please, Señor Mendoza,” she replied, handing him the necklace and presenting him with her back.
The proprietor leaned across the showcase and looped the necklace around her throat. His fingers lingered on the nape of her neck as he lifted several strands of hair and tucked them into the pins she had secured at the back of her head, then fastened the clasp.
She turned toward Joshua, giving him a questioning look. He nodded, smiling. Straightening from his leaning position, he closed the distance between them as her fingers traced the outline of the pendant.
“Do you want it?” he asked.
Slight frown lines formed between her eyes. “I’m trying to decide whether my sister will like it.”
“You’re thinking of buying this for your sister?”
“Yes.” Tilting her chin, she gave Joshua a steady look. “I never know what to buy Connie for her birthday.”
“Does she like silver?”
“She prefers it to yellow gold,” Vanessa confirmed.
He recalled The Shadow’s report that Vanessa had purchased silver jewelry for a female at Bazar Sábado in Mexico City, and wondered if that was also for her sister.
“Do you wear silver?”
“No. I prefer yellow gold.”
Joshua was suddenly alert, all of his reactions functioning on full power. Why was she buying more silver jewelry in Oaxaca, if she’d purchased several pieces in Mexico City?
Reaching out, he cradled the pendant in the palm of his hand, measuring its weight. There was no seam along the edges, eliminating its use as a locket.
“It’s a one of a kind,” Pablo announced confidently, hoping for a sale.
Vanessa managed a half-smile. “I’d like to think about it. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Pablo nodded. “I’ll put it aside for you. If you don’t come back by closing time tomorrow I’ll put it back in the showcase.”
Joshua removed the necklace and returned it to the shop owner. “Thank you for your time.”
Holding Vanessa’s hand, he led her out of the boutique, studying her expression for a sign that would indicate that her visit with Pablo Mendoza was prearranged. Her face gave nothing away, while he’d noticed that Mendoza couldn’t take his gaze off Vanessa.
They wove their way through a narrow alley lined on both sides with tiny shops boasting of authentic, locally produced handicrafts. Vanessa stopped to examine several handwoven baskets before she moved on to look at a stack of colorful blankets.
“Aren’t you going to buy anything for yourself?” Joshua queried.
“I am buying for myself.”
“I see you looking at things for your home and family members, but nothing for you.”
She stopped flipping through the blankets and gave him a long, searching look. “When I buy an article to decorate my home, it is for me,” she argued softly.
“What about jewelry?”
“What about it?”
“Don’t you want a necklace? Or a bracelet? The only jewelry I’ve seen you wear is a pair of earrings and a watch.”
“I have other pieces at home.”
“How would you like to take home a few more?” His voice was low, mysterious.
He cradled her face in his hands, caressing it gently. “I want to give you a wedding gift.”
Her gaze raced over his handsome face as a warm glow brought a flush to her body. “You’re my gift.”
“I want you to have something that’ll remind you of me whenever we’re apart.”
Suddenly she remembered what he did for a living, and she wondered how many nights she would lie awake wishing he was beside her when he had left her for a business trip.
“Okay,” she conceded.
He retraced their steps and led her into a jewelry store situated on the same street as the one operated by Pablo Mendoza. An elderly man greeted them in Spanish, and Joshua told him quickly what he wanted to see.
Vanessa sat on a chair, watching as Josh
ua was shown more than a dozen gold bracelets. He shook his head, explaining that it was to be a wedding gift. The proprietor shifted an eyebrow, disappeared into the back of the shop, then reappeared with a length of black velvet rolled into a cylinder.
He unrolled the cloth and Vanessa caught her breath, while Joshua smiled and nodded his approval. “Perhaps these will please the Señor?”
“Very much,” Joshua confirmed, taking a length of glittering diamonds set in platinum with eighteen-carat gold. He fastened the bracelet around Vanessa’s delicate wrist and secured the safety clasp tightly.
“I’ll take it,” he stated firmly, not waiting for her approval or disapproval. “And she’ll also need a ring.”
Vanessa was at a disadvantage because she didn’t understand what the two men were talking about, but when her ring finger was measured she knew that she wanted to be the one to select her wedding ring.
Twenty minutes later she decided on a band in eighteen-carat gold with channel-set diamonds. The band was narrow, not too ostentatious for everyday wear.
Joshua signed the credit card receipt, then tucked his purchases into the breast pocket of his jacket. “Let’s go, darling. It’s time for siesta.”
They returned to the rental car and Joshua drove back to the bungalow. Vanessa stared through the windshield behind her sunglasses, silent.
She had one more day as a single woman before she exchanged vows with the man sitting beside her.
I love him. I love him enough to give up my independence and share the rest of my life with him.
The silent declaration was enough to calm the anxiety that had surfaced when she least expected it to. She covered his right hand with her left, squeezing his fingers gently.
Joshua took his gaze from the road and stared at her before returning his attention to the traffic ahead of him. He felt the quickening of her pulse in her wrist as he reversed the position of their hands. His thumbs made soothing motions over her fingers until she relaxed and her pulse slowed.
When they arrived at the bungalow, she permitted him to carry her into the bedroom where he undressed her slowly, then himself, before they lay on the bed together.
Cradling her gently to his chest, he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I love you,” he confessed reverently.
Vanessa closed her eyes and let out her breath. He loved her and she loved him, but why did fingers of fear sweep over her when she least expected it, blanketing the happiness she should feel?
“Hold me, Joshua,” she pleaded. “I don’t know why, but I’m so frightened.”
He went still. “Of who? What?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice was muffled in his chest.
Easing away from her, he stared down into her eyes. “I promised to protect you, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” Her voice was low and breathless.
He smiled. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
I hope he’s right, she told herself.
He buried his face in her hair, silently cursing Vanessa for allowing herself to become involved in a game where the stakes were so high that if she made a single mistake she would forfeit her life as quickly as a blink of an eye.
Day Six—Vanessa had one more day as a single woman, and one more day to make contact with the Central American agent before she exchanged vows to become Mrs. Joshua Kirkland.
Chapter 14
Vanessa stood at the window in the bedroom, her body swathed in a lace-trimmed dressing gown, watching the sun rise. The deep gorges and valleys below the Sierra Madre del Sur were bathed in shadowy shades ranging from pink to violet, turning the entire scene into a breathtaking, picturesque still life.
She’d gotten out of bed before sunrise, unable to sleep because of the troubling, swirling thoughts disturbing the peace and joy she should’ve felt.
She had fallen in love with Joshua Kirkland, and she felt passionately that she truly loved him. But all of it had happened so quickly that it unnerved her. She’d rationalized that her period of self-imposed celibacy had enhanced her response to his commanding physical presence, but their promise to not make love until they wed had not diminished her desire or love for him.
The heat from the sun warmed her face through the glass while another source of heat seeped into her body. Without turning, she knew Joshua stood behind her. He’d been so silent that she hadn’t heard him leave the bed or detected his approach.
Curving his arms around her narrow waist, he lowered his head and kissed the nape of her neck. “Why did you get up so early?”
Vanessa leaned back against his solid chest. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Don’t you feel well?”
“I feel well enough.” Turning in his embrace, she smiled up at him. “I suppose I’ve been thinking too much. I think I’m experiencing premarital jitters.”
Her dark gaze lingered on his mouth, then inched up slowly over his features. In less than thirty-six hours she would become this man’s wife, and it was as if she were seeing him for the very first time.
What she had acknowledged as attractiveness was passionate male beauty. His lean face with the elegant ridge of high cheekbones, straight, narrow nose, and firm, sensual lips, was hypnotic. The pale hair, close-cut and coarse, lay against his scalp without a hint of curl, and that shocking silver hair highlighted the deep, rich gold undertones in his mahogany brown face. He stared back at her as the rising sun slanted over his face, illuminating his dramatic, electric green eyes framed by long, charcoal gray lashes.
Joshua smiled down at her. “You will make a beautiful bride.”
She returned his smile. “Speaking of becoming a bride—I have a ring, but no dress or shoes.”
Joshua rolled his eyes upward, shaking his head. “More shopping, Angel?”
“Don’t you dare complain,” she scolded in a soft tone. “I came to Mexico to shop, and shop I intend to do until I board that flight to return home.”
“Do you shop this much in the States?”
“No,” she replied shaking her head woefully. “Unfortunately I don’t have the time, with my increased workload at GEA. It’s taken nearly two years for my house to look lived in.”
He brushed several strands of hair away from her cheek with the back of his hand. “GEA?”
“Grenville-Edwards Aerospace. Have you heard of it?” she questioned when his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Who hasn’t? GEA, as you call it, has become quite a giant in the field of aerospace. How long have you worked for them?”
“Almost three-and-a-half years,” she replied without hesitating.
“Do you like working for GEA?”
“I like what I do,” she replied honestly.
Bending slightly, Joshua swept her up in his arms. “Let’s go back to bed and talk.” He made his way to the bed and lowered Vanessa onto a mound of pillows; he lay down beside her, cradling her to his bare chest. “Just what is it you do?” he asked smoothly.
“I’m one of three assistants to the chief financial officer. I head the contracts division.”
“Who do you contract to?”
She went completely still, her body rigid. Joshua was asking a question she couldn’t answer. “I can’t reveal that.”
“Why not?”
Although his voice was quiet, Vanessa did not register the ominous quality in his query. “Because it’s classified.”
Releasing her, he rose on an elbow and stared down at her, meeting her direct stare with one of his own. Neither of their gazes wavered.
“Are we going to begin our life together with secrets?”
A slight frown marred her smooth forehead as the tension between them increased with every second that she refused to answer him. It appeared that even before they married there would be dissension between them. He wanted her to divulge classified information, while he worked for a foreign-based corporation she knew nothing about.
“There won’t be any secrets between us if you’re able to get a Ju
stice Department security clearance,” she stated tersely.
He wanted to tell her that he did have clearance from the Justice Department—clearance, and the authority to investigate and gather evidence that could possibly indict her. She could spend the remainder of her life in a federal prison.
Leaning over, he brushed his mouth over hers in a comforting gesture. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t want you to compromise yourself—not even for me.”
Vanessa exhaled audibly, smiling. “Thank you for not making me choose.”
“Choose between what?”
“Whether to compromise my ethics or not marry you.”
His eyes paled to a transparent green. “Are you saying that if I pressure you to tell me about your job, you won’t marry me?”
She flinched at the tone of his voice, but she wouldn’t back down. “Yes.” The single word rang with finality.
“What about love, Vanessa?”
“What about it?”
“I’m asking the questions,” he shot back.
Vanessa sat up, her temper rising quickly. “Don’t you dare talk to me as if I were a child.”
The silence that ensued was deafening, punctuated only by the sound of their labored breathing, and Joshua saw Vanessa in a whole new light for the first time. What he saw was a woman who was a lot stronger than she appeared, a woman who wasn’t easily frightened or intimidated, who refused to disclose to a man she’d promised to marry that she was involved in the sale of classified military components to a foreign agent.
He cursed to himself because she had trapped him. He’d disobeyed orders and become involved with her; he had also exacerbated his involvement by falling in love with his target and offering marriage.
And now it was down to a race against time. They had only two more days in Mexico before they were to return to the States. Two days during which he’d report his findings to his superiors, and disclose that he had married Vanessa Blanchard.
He wanted her to trust him enough to confide in him. What she didn’t know was that only he could protect her from prosecution. More importantly, he knew that he couldn’t afford to alienate her—not before or after they married.
“I’m sorry, Vanessa. I had no right to speak you that way. And you’re right. You’re not a child.”
Vows Page 13