Wild Card Undercover

by Kari Lemor

  “So you can go home in style,” he told her. Tears filled her eyes and her face crumpled. He was baffled. What was wrong?

  She took the few steps to where he stood wrapping her arms around him. “I don’t know why you’re being so nice to me but I appreciate it.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “Happy tears? Those are good. I can handle happy tears.” Returning the hug, he eased her back. He didn’t need her body so close right before he tried to sleep. “Go get in those pajamas. It’s late. You know I won’t allow you to sleep until noon tomorrow. Check out time is eleven.”

  Meg reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek warming him inside. How did she do that to him with something as chaste as that? Dangerous. He’d said that from the beginning.

  She turned around grabbing one of the bags then went into the bathroom. He used the sink in the room to clean up and brush his teeth then hung up his suit and slipped on sleep pants and a gray t-shirt. The bathroom door opened while he was deciding which bed he should use. That’s what was great about her; she wasn’t one to take forever to get ready.

  Once he saw what she was wearing, he wished she had. He’d said pajamas. He specifically had said pajamas. What she was wearing…well he wouldn’t call it pajamas. Scrap of lace around her top, swirls of silk ending right below her hips, maybe. Pajamas, no. He should have specified flannel, with feet.

  He attempted to pull his gaze away, not easy when a sex goddess was standing in front of him. Finally he managed, pointing to the beds. “Take whichever one you want. I’m uh, just…going to…um…”

  “Use the bathroom?” She smirked. Damn it. She was enjoying his discomfort. And why should he be uncomfortable? He saw her in a bathing suit every day. Heck he’d kissed and caressed her while wearing it. The bathing suit was for swimming though. This scrap of lace sure as heck wasn’t for sleeping. The thoughts of what it was for seared through him.

  Forcing a smile he mumbled, “Good night, Meg. Happy birthday.”

  He quickly ducked into the bathroom thinking he should take a cold shower. Settling for splashing cold water on his face and neck, he took his time hoping she’d be completely under the covers when he came out. Luck was with him, she was.

  She’d chosen the bed by the sliding glass door to the balcony. Moonlight crept in bathing her in a dusky blue glow. Her bare shoulders gleamed in the muted shadows drawing his attention back to what that nightgown was made for. He pulled all the resolve he could muster and slid into the other bed.

  “Chris.” Her sweet voice floated the few feet to reach him. “Thanks again for today. You have no idea how much it meant to me. The spa, clothes, and dinner, they were great. The best thing though, was that I had someone to share it with. Thank you.”

  There was a catch in her voice as she said the last words. What he’d actually love to give her was the last two years of her life back. That wasn’t possible though. He’d made her life a little easier recently and for that he was grateful. “You’re welcome, Meg. I was happy to share it with you. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  He stared at her silhouette as she adjusted in the bed, longing to hold her and let her know it would all work out. A few other things he’d like to do crossed his mind. But he wouldn’t. He’d already given himself the lecture. Facing away from her he closed his eyes wishing for sleep to come quickly, knowing it wouldn’t.

  Chapter 15

  Meg woke to sunlight warming her face though she knew it wasn’t the cause. Noise was coming from the bathroom, Chris must be up. She glanced at the clock, it was only eight. They had three hours until check out. Did he want to leave this early or would they be able to stick around a little longer? She had tonight off too. If she didn’t have to go back to Miami yet, she’d be happy. The resort was nice but it still reminded her of her mistakes.

  “Oh, sorry, did I wake you? I was trying to be quiet.” Chris exited the bathroom wearing lightweight drawstring pants and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. It was unbuttoned and she stole a quick glance at his chest. Not that she didn’t see it during the days they hung out by the pool, but she could never get tired of looking.

  “It’s amazing how early I can wake up if I haven’t been schlepping drinks until three in the morning.”

  Slipping out of bed, she moved toward him. He turned to fuss with something on the dresser but kept his eyes on her in the mirror. When she stepped closer his breath hitched. Apparently the nightgown was having an effect on him. She looked down to see what he was playing with, a napkin with writing on it.

  “What’s that?”

  He picked it up showing her. “It’s some information I got yesterday from an informant while you were getting primped and pampered. There’s a small building down here that we suspect is housing some of Moreno’s merchandise. I was thinking I might take a walk along the beach to check it out. From the road it’s only accessible by a long private drive.”

  “And you were going to leave me here while you did this?” She crossed her arms over her chest. Was this why he’d brought her here? He’d said no talking about work or the case but maybe that only applied to her. Was her birthday an excuse to gather more information?

  “I thought you might still be sleeping at this time.” He looked apologetic but she now began to wonder about his reasons for coming here. “If you want to sleep a little longer or soak up the sun, you can while I check this out.”

  “So a single guy walking along the beach is going to look less suspicious than a couple?”

  He glared at her. “I don’t know anything about this place other than the possibility of it being used by Moreno. There could be nothing there or it could be crawling with his men. I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

  “Right,” she snapped. “Like I’m in no danger every night dealing with Moreno. You know it will look less suspicious if a pair of lovers stroll the beach looking for a private spot than a single guy checking out a building. Admit it.”

  He sighed and she knew she had him. She smirked. “Don’t be that way. You know I’m always right.”

  “Fine, put something appropriate on for a morning stroll and let’s get going.”

  Digging through the bag she’d gotten from the boutique, she pulled out a light peasant-style dress. As she headed to the bathroom she turned back saying, “I better get a good breakfast out of this.”

  He laughed. “We can grab some pastry from the continental breakfast on our way.”

  They did and thirty minutes later were strolling arm in arm along a deserted stretch of beach, the surf washing over their ankles. He’d filled her in on what the informant, apparently the hot dog vendor from yesterday, had told him. She wouldn’t admit to jealousy that she wasn’t his only informant.

  “Up there.” His head tilted to the left. “It doesn’t look like more than a small fishing shack but I can see a few vehicles around it. You were right, having you along makes it far less suspicious.”

  She cleared her throat. “Um, always right. Told you.”

  He pulled her closer into his arms and she reveled in his touch. Another thing that would never get old. He leaned down nuzzling his lips near her ear.

  “Showtime. You know what to do, sweetie.”

  She did. Except she didn’t want it to always be a show. Someday she’d like to be with him this way without others watching. For now she’d take what she could get. Running her hands up over his chest, she slid her fingers into his hair and leaned in to kiss his neck. His arms tightened.

  They clung to each other for several moments, their feet inching closer to the shack. She nibbled on his earlobe. “Can you see anything yet?” Best keep his mind on the task at hand. Her mind was already wandering to places she had no right to be. One of them should do the job they were here for.

  “There’s only one window but I see movement inside. Can’t tell how many or what they’re doing.”

  She maneuvered
their position so she was facing the building, the waves surging over their feet. His strong hands held her waist then ran over her back. He pressed his lips on her neck and shoulder causing shivers to course through her. She vaguely registered a man leaving the shack they were watching. Until he stopped and she noticed what was in his hands.

  “Chris,” she croaked into his ear, her arms gripping him tighter. “One just came out and he’s looking straight at us. He has a gun.”

  Chris stiffened but never turned around. “Is he pointing it at us or walking this way?”

  “No, he’s just holding it at his side. Maybe we should appear even more distracted by each other. Pretend we have no idea he’s even there.”

  She twisted making them both fall to the sand with her leaning over him. Letting out a loud giggle, she kissed him passionately. He rolled to his side taking her with him, returning the kiss. When he broke off a few moments later, he kept his head buried in her hair.

  “He’s relaxed a bit. Got a big smirk on his face. Guess he likes the show.”

  “We should make sure he gets his money’s worth.” She rolled him to his back again as a large wave rushed in soaking them. “We could reenact the beach scene in From Here to Eternity.”

  “My mom loves that movie,” he laughed. “Not sure she’d approve of my doing that scene for an audience.”

  Seriously? “I’m sure you’ve done worse. Plus this is a case. We need to be believable.”

  They rolled around in the waves and sand, kissing and caressing, their breathing deeper and faster than normal. Heat built inside and it wasn’t from the sun, and she honestly didn’t care that they had a potential audience. The man had gone back inside but now several others came out hauling boxes from the shack to the cars parked nearby. Occasionally they would stop to stare.

  “We can’t let them think we’re even aware of their presence,” he said half sitting with her straddling his lap. Her arms were around his neck, his lips on her throat. “The first guy that came out keeps staring.”

  “Then we stay occupied,” she teased pushing him on his back and spreading her skirt out around her hips. “And we make him think we’re very occupied.”

  She allowed her hands to roam over the beautiful chest she admired, her hips moved from side to side, and her head dropped back while she whimpered in pleasure. It wasn’t much of an act though. His arousal throbbed hard and firm against her center causing desire to pulsate inside her. Yeah, he probably wasn’t faking it either. But if they stopped, the guys at the shack could get nasty quick.

  * * * *

  Chris gazed at the incredible beauty writhing on his hips trying to remember they were doing this to keep the thugs from knowing why they were here. Meg’s hands on his chest were stirring up desires he couldn’t hope to quench, certainly not here, and certainly not with her. She was his informant. How many times did he need to remind himself?

  Watching her gyrating pelvis was almost as bad as feeling her thighs against his hips. Then her hands left his chest moving to her own. Her head still thrown back, she slid her hands over her luscious curves squeezing and pulling.

  “God! What are you doing? Trying to kill me?”

  She leaned closer, her hair hiding their faces like a curtain. “Just making it look real, muffin. I don’t know about you but I have no desire to have a bullet in my head because we saw what these guys are up to.”

  He did have a desire right now and it also wasn’t for a bullet. He turned his head slightly seeing half a dozen men now blatantly staring at Meg as she continued to rise and fall on his manhood while running her hands over her breasts. Her dress, now saturated by the waves, was practically see-through, her nipples puckered with the cold water. She probably wasn’t aware of this.

  All these men ogling her sent his blood pressure skyrocketing. It was bad enough they did it at the club, he didn’t want it here. But they needed to keep up the pretense without these men wanting to watch. Flipping her over, he hovered over her and had a good view of the shack if he peeked carefully.

  “They’re too busy checking out your gorgeous figure, sweetie. They need to get back to work. Maybe in this position they will.”

  Lifting her knees around his hips caused her skirt to fall exposing her long legs. He settled into the apex of her thighs, his erection right back where it had been a few moments ago. A groan escaped before he could successfully muffle it. Damn imp grinned. She knew what she was doing to him. Perhaps was even enjoying it herself.

  She slipped her hands under his waistband pushing his bottoms down a bit. He nipped at her lips scowling. “You’re exposing my backside to the world, sweetie.”

  “I know, muffin.” Her eyes twinkled with glee. “We have to make it look like we’re duly occupied. So I suggest you start moving in that age old rhythm or the guys by the shack won’t be buying anything from us. They’ll wonder why we’re just lying here with the ocean rolling in around us.”

  Another wave crashed over their bottom half as she said this. She was right. Not that he’d tell her, she’d simply gloat. He lowered his lips to whisper above hers then started moving his hips. “I’m going to need a very cold shower after this,” he muttered as her hands gripped his butt tighter. She was enjoying this, the little minx.

  He kept his eyes darting to the shack as his hips rocked back and forth against hers. It became more difficult the longer he did this, passion rolling through him to the point he couldn’t focus on anything but the pleasure he was getting from her. The whimpers erupting from her mouth attested to her pleasure as well. Either that or she was a damned fine actress.

  The crew near the building continued moving their wares as he and Meg thrust against each other. Even with thin fabric between them he knew he was close to losing it. The friction, along with his recent abstinence, wasn’t a good combination. He found her incredibly sexy and that didn’t help either.

  Her hips rose again as he pushed toward her. He grabbed for control but Meg arched her back, cried out, shudders racking her body. His control was shot to hell. He clamped his mouth to hers, tongues entangling then thrust against her a few last times. His grip tightened as his climax rocked him down to his toes. She clung to him, their breathing heavy.

  A larger wave crashed over them, letting him know the tide was coming in. He also hoped it cleaned away any evidence of what he’d done. What they’d done. The sound of engines gunning had his head whipping up. The three cars that had stood outside the building were now leaving a trail of dust behind them.

  “Guess we were convincing,” she said, her voice husky and low.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “But I thought we were doing From Here to Eternity not the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally?”

  Her laugh was awkward her breath still shaky. “Damn believable, huh? You picked the right person for your little undercover mission then.”

  He sat up pulling her next to him. She couldn’t have been pretending, or could she? Or like him, had she gone over the edge? He could hardly ask her. She’d never admit to something like that. Of course he wouldn’t either, so it was a moot point.

  “Let’s go check out the building. See what’s inside.” He pulled her up, grateful to change the subject. Discussing sex with her was more dangerous than any of Moreno’s men.

  They casually walked up to the shack in case anyone else was around then peeked inside the windows. The door was locked when he tried it. He hadn’t expected it to be open but it was worth a try.

  “I don’t see anything inside,” she commented, her hands shielding the glare from the sun.

  “They must have moved everything in there to the cars. It wouldn’t have mattered if we’d gotten here sooner. A guard would have been on duty. At least we know it was being used for storage. Wish we could have gotten a license plate number.”

  “I got the one on the blue sedan,” she informed him then rattled off a series of letters and numbers.

  How had she
done that? He’d kept his eyes on the building and the men but knew his mind hadn’t been functioning at any level to memorize a license plate. Had she been faking it? God, how pathetic did that make him?

  “Great,” he croaked trying to be enthusiastic, feeling like an idiot. “Let’s head back. We both need to shower off the salt water before we check out. We won’t have much time if we hang out here any longer.”

  He started walking and she fell into step beside him. Her dress was still molded to her figure, enticing him to grab her for more of what they’d done. Reprimanding himself he walked faster. Business arrangement. Don’t forget it. There was too much at stake. If he was being honest he’d admit what was at stake wasn’t just the case, it was also his heart.

  * * * *

  “Did they tell you what happened?” Meg’s voice squeaked as she and Chris got out of the rental car. He shook his head entering the hospital, his hand on her back.

  “Doolittle only said Tina was found beaten and in bad shape. She won’t say anything to the cops though. She’s afraid of something. Probably the person who did this.”

  She followed him into the elevator thinking of her friend. Chris had gotten a call while at Key Largo that Tina had been found early this morning injured. The local PD hadn’t gotten any information from her yet. They were hoping Meg could get her to talk.

  “You think it was Moreno, don’t you?” She swallowed her own fear at the thought.

  “I think it’s a distinct possibility. If it was, that’s another nail in his coffin. But Tina has to make a statement. Do you think you can get her to tell us what happened?”

  She shrugged exiting the elevator. “I don’t know. She’s the closest thing I have to a friend but it’s not like we hang out after work. She’s got her little brother to take care of. She spends most of her off time with him.”

  Their footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway as they approached the room. The antiseptic smell heightened the fear that was spiraling through her at the thought of Tina being hurt. It could have been her. She left the club quickly most nights since the incident with Gunther and Sonny. No way was she giving them an opportunity to repeat the performance.