Lucky Charm

by Valerie Douglas

  Her expression became more serious and she laid her palm against his cheek.

  “I think we’re past that.” She swallowed hard. “At least if I’m with you…”

  She would know, at least she would be there. She couldn’t say it. Her heart twisted. Suddenly the fear was back, swamping her, washing away the tiredness.

  “I can take care of myself, Ariel,” he said, drawing her closer, looking into the shadowed pools of her eyes.

  Her arms tightened around him. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t voice her doubts and fears against the rush of remembered pain and grief. If she took this chance, if she lost him, too… It would destroy her. She didn’t know if she could survive that again. That danger was there and it was real.

  Matt watched her mobile face, saw the emotions chase across it, felt the shiver that went through her. For a moment, he simply held her, stroking her hair.

  “Will you tell me about it?”

  She took a deep breath, let out a gusty sigh.

  “My fiancé.” Scott. She couldn’t say his name, not here, not now, but saying it brought back the memory of his face after so long. “We’d just gotten engaged. He was a police officer. He pulled a car over for a speeding ticket. A drunk driver hit both him and the car.” She took a shuddering breath. “I was in Atlanta when it happened, traveling on business as usual. His father called me. He was hanging by a thread, they said, he was dying. I tried to get home in time but I was too late. By the time I got there, he was gone. I couldn’t tell him… I never knew…”

  She hadn’t been able to tell him she loved him. She’d never known if he knew she hadn’t been there in his last hours or how hard she’d tried to reach him.

  Matt could hear the old grief in her voice. He held her tightly, one hand cradling her head against his chest.

  Oh, hell, he’d been a cop, so he’d known how to take care of himself, too. In the end it hadn’t made any difference at all.

  “I’m not going to die, Ariel,” he said, his cheek against her soft, black hair. “I’m not. After all, you’ve saved me at least twice. You seem to be my lucky charm.”

  Maybe three times, if you counted Moe. Matt probably could have handled it but he still couldn’t believe she’d done it. She had guts, he had to give her that but he’d known that from the moment she’d picked up the piece of two-by-four all those weeks ago. That, though, hadn’t taken as much courage as this had, letting him get this close.

  He could see it in her eyes, just as he knew she held some part of herself back, tucked away behind the fear. Drawing her close against him, he pressed his mouth to her hair.

  “I have no intention of dying, Ariel,” he said, quietly.

  No one did and there were no guarantees in life. Ariel knew that but she curled into the warmth of his body, breathed in his scent in reassurance. He was here now. All she could do was take it one day at a time and fight the fear.

  With her cheek against his shoulder, Matt held her close, his hand cradling her head against him.

  A fierce rush of emotion filled him.

  Where had that come from? He knew. It came from the weeks of watching her. Her warmth and her charm, her courage and her fear. It would take him some time to conquer that last but somehow he would find a way.

  Here, at last, was the chance to find the answer to the mystery of Bill’s death. To do that, he would have to put this tough yet fragile woman in harm’s way. Someone else he cared about and didn’t want to lose. He wouldn’t. Whatever the cost, he would keep her safe until they had answers.

  Soon, he would know what Marathon was hiding. Soon he would have the answers to Bill’s death.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ariel woke first and lay for a moment looking at Matt. Just looking at him made her heart twist. His green eyes were closed, the thick, straight, blonde hair mussed from her hands and sleep was striking against his tan. He had a handsome face, rugged, with strong features. Straight nose, firm mouth. Such lovely things he’d done to her with that mouth. His body was amazing with all those firm muscles, those broad shoulders and strong arms. She loved his chest, the tight muscles in his abdomen and the solid muscles in those long legs.

  It had been years since she’d slept with anyone, much less awakened with them. There was a sweet comfort in it. He was curled around her, one arm around her waist. Parts of her ached deliciously, reminding her of their lovemaking the night before. Warmth swirled through her, while desire tugged low in her belly.

  Keeping her touch very light, she ran her hands over his smooth skin. She needed to touch him, to caress him. Very lightly, she bent her head to kiss the dark center of his flat nipple, her tongue barely touching it but it tightened. Feather-soft, with only the tips of her fingers, she ran them over the silky hardness of him, stroking, curling around him. Beneath her fingertips, she could feel him stiffen. Warmth of her own gathered, at the thought of what she was doing to him. At the thought of what he might do when he woke. Carefully, she slid down beneath the sheets, trailing soft kisses the length of his body.

  A very pleasurable warmth gathering deep within him brought Matt slowly awake. Gentle touches were arousing him. He was hard and getting harder. Then he felt a warm moist mouth move over him. His groin tightened as he hardened, pulsing and aching. That felt so incredibly good. He groaned, his hands in her hair as her lips moved on him, closed around him. Opening his eyes, he looked down but she was hidden beneath the sheets.

  He flipped them back.

  Ebony hair spilled across his abdomen, slid across him seductively. Her mouth was so warm on him, around him. It felt intense, so wildly erotic. If she didn’t stop soon... Need and desire swamped him. He wanted her, wanted to be inside her. Now.

  Awake and rampant, he pulled her up and pounced on her, driving her onto her back. He thrust into her, ramming so deep into her as her tight, moist warmth enveloped him. Those slender white legs wrapped around him, her hips rising to meet his as he slammed into her. So good, she felt so good. She cried out with the pure pleasure of feeling him pump into her, hard, driving into her. That cry unleashed him as she clenched around him. He stroked deeply into her, erupting into her as she bucked beneath him, taking more with her own release.

  Dazed and sated, braced on his arms, he looked down into her lovely elfin face. She smiled up at him, her blue eyes sparkling impishly.

  “Good morning,” she said, as he collapsed bonelessly on top of her.

  That was an amazing way to start the day.

  He looked at her. His heart was still pounding. She looked very pleased with herself. She should have been. Dear God, that had been good, he thought. No one had ever awakened him that way before. It had been incredible.

  “It’s a very good morning,” he agreed, giving her a long, lingering kiss by way of thank you.

  They ordered breakfast from room service.

  “So, where do you live, Matthew?” she asked as they settled in to eat.

  Curiosity had been eating her up. They’d known each other for weeks in a way and there was so much she didn’t know about him, so much she wanted to know.

  “Phoenix,” he said.

  Her head came up. “Really?”

  That was an interesting reaction. Her eyes had lit up.

  Smiling, Matt said, “Really. Have you ever been there?”

  With a shake of her head, she said, “No, although I wanted to. I was looking forward to seeing Marathon’s office there. It’s on my agenda, here, Houston, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Las Vegas and then the California offices. I was going to spend the weekend in Phoenix, though, sightseeing.”

  Surprised, he said, “Why Phoenix? Do you know someone there?”

  A friend? Male or female? He felt an odd spurt of envy…or jealousy…at the thought.

  With a shake of her head, she said, “No. I wanted to see what it was like. I’ve always been attracted to the southwest for some reason, the desert, the heat and the atmosphere. From everything I’ve read, Phoenix seemed more
like what I was looking for.”

  “So,” he said, “you were going to wander around the city alone?”

  Waving her hand, she said, “It’s not the first time. Like I was doing here.”

  “As it so happens, I know someone who could show you around a little,” he said, with a grin.

  Grinning back, blue eyes sparkling, she answered, “Do you, now?”

  “I do,” he said, nodding.

  She gave him a doubtful look, cocking her head but her eyes were twinkling. “I don’t know, should I trust this guy?”

  Shaking his head, he replied, “Absolutely not. He’s very charming but he’ll probably try to talk you into going out to his place, with less than pure motives.”

  Matt had a sudden, very vivid image of her in his pool, naked, with the greenish light of the water dancing over that pale ivory skin. She would look like a water sprite with her elfin eyes and ebony hair. Depending on what they found here, maybe she would get to Phoenix sooner than she thought. He suddenly wanted to show her his ranch, he wanted her to see the city, to know what she thought of it. His home, the place he loved.

  In mock horror, Ariel said, “Oh, dear. Do you promise?”

  “Promise,” he answered, with a grin, “I have a ranch out there in the foothills.”

  She blinked. “A ranch? As in, with horses?”

  “As in with horses. Don’t get too excited, it’s not that big. Nor is it exactly a working ranch, I only have the three horses. I inherited the place from my father, he died when I was young. I’ll take you out to see it someday. I think you’ll like it.”

  Ariel laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t get my expectations up but I’d like that very much. What was it like growing up out there?”

  It seemed he’d been right about her on that, she seemed more curious than impressed. He was more than a little relieved.

  He told her all of the old stories, a lot of them with Darrin and Bill in them. It didn’t seem real, the thought that Bill was gone but telling some of those old stories was like a requiem for his buddy, for the guy that had stuck with him and stood with him through everything. She told him some of her own stories of growing up in the farm country of Pennsylvania, before she’d moved to Ohio.

  They went down to her room to get her things. He wanted to do that in daylight when there was less chance of surprises. He did a reconnoiter of the hallway first.

  Leaving her in there, then, he did the same thing for her hotel room, to be certain someone hadn’t found some way inside. As with his own, it wasn’t very big but he checked the bathroom and closets to be sure. He wasn’t letting her in until he was certain it was safe. Once he was, with a sweep of his hand, he gestured her grandly inside.

  She grinned at him but he knew she was reassured at the precaution.

  A glance in one of the mirrors was enough to make Ariel wince.

  The sundress she’d worn the day before was crumpled and rumpled, looking more than a little the worse for wear. Stains spattered down the front, blood from her still slightly swollen lip or the cut on her forehead. At least she and Matt had showered upstairs but she found the idea of putting the dress back on distasteful.

  “It will be such a relief to get this off,” she said as Matt stretched out on the bed watching her.

  He eyed her suitcase. Only a few items were hung on the hangers. “Didn’t you unpack?”

  With a shake of her head, she reached for the hem of the sundress and pulled it over her head. “No, with as much as I travel, it takes too much time and effort to put things out then put them back in again.”

  Matt watched as, without the least trace of self-consciousness, she stripped off the battered dress from the previous day and her bra before bending to fetch clean underwear out of her suitcase. She wore only her high-heeled sandals.

  A hot shot of lust went through him.

  She had such a lovely body, from the long slender lines of her back, to her firm round perfect bottom, her long, white and shapely legs, with a glimpse of her full breast with the rosy nipple tip-tilted up. Beautiful. His jeans were suddenly too tight. They’d made love only this morning and he couldn’t believe he wanted her again. Yet he did.

  Something, maybe his sharp intake of breath, made Ariel look back over her shoulder at him to see the look on his face. The brightness of his green eyes. The heat there. A swirl of liquid warmth unfurled inside her. She loved the idea that he wanted her so much.

  Matt looked at her as her blue eyes warmed and softened. So did her mouth.

  She straightened a little and as he went to her, pulled her back against him. The image in the mirror was incredible. Her white body against his tanned. One tawny hand was low on her abdomen, holding her tightly, while the other curled around one breast. His hands looked so dark against her ivory skin. He realized she was up on her toes, the muscles in her calves and thighs taut. She smiled, looking at the two of them in the mirror. His eyes met hers there, appreciating the view as well. They looked beautiful together, a contrast of golden darkness and light.

  Ariel curled an arm up around his neck to run her fingers through the wiry hair at the nape of his neck, her white skin against his tan, her breasts rising with the movement.

  Looking at that image in the mirror, Matt sighed. “I can’t get enough of you,” he said, softly in her ear.

  Her voice was pleasure-roughened, a little hoarse and unsteady. “I can’t get enough of you, either.”

  She turned her head to look up at him directly and lifted her mouth to his. It was sheer heaven. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this elated.

  Moving his lips to the spot a little below her ear, he nuzzled.

  “Don’t forget your swimsuit, we could go swimming if you’d like,” he suggested.

  Her breath shivered out of her at the feel of his mouth there. Goosebumps trailed over her arms and legs delightfully.

  They went swimming but spent most of it talking about anything and everything.

  Afterward, they walked to the casino, his arm securely around her as he scanned the wandering crowd. For all the difference in their heights, his hand seemed to settle naturally at her waist.

  Ariel was surprised at how comfortable and safe she felt with that strong arm around her.

  He steered her firmly away from the buffet, his green eyes intent.

  “Nope,” he said, firmly, “I’m treating you to a proper dinner.”

  Despite their casual attire – though Matt looked positively edible in a crisp, white western-style shirt, dark blue jeans and boots and she was wearing another of her sundresses – they were taken to decent seats. Looking over the clothing of some of the other patrons, Ariel understood why none of the serving staff even blinked. A casino accepted all kinds and there were people here wearing everything from suits to shorts.

  Draping an arm over the back of the next chair, Matt stretched his long legs out from under the table. His long lean body a little slouched, he was a damned attractive sight to see. A warm curl went through Ariel as she looked at him, remembering their love-making from the night before and the feel of him that morning. It all seemed vaguely unreal.

  Curious, Matt asked, “So, how did you wind up at Titan? You don’t look like any computer geek I’ve ever seen.”

  She laughed. “I get that a lot. More or less by default. I started working for a finance company but the office manager hated computers and we relied on them. So I became the office ‘expert’. No one else wanted to do it. It was interesting so I started taking a few classes to learn how to do it better. When they changed software companies, I helped install the new software and trained the employees. The new software company was so impressed they offered me a job at nearly twice what I’d been making. It turned out I was good at it. Et voilà, I became a geek. How did you become a private detective?”

  The waiter came to take their order and Matt waited to answer until they’d finished.

  “The job was there,” he said easily, with a
smile, “waiting for me. Darrin – my stepfather – always wanted me to follow him into it. Neither of us ever thought anything different. A lot of people have problems with their stepparents but not me. Darrin was the best thing to happen to my mother and me. It damned near tore him up when I got in trouble. He called in a lot of favors and pulled a lot of strings to get me the chance to clear my record. He’s the one who suggested a dual major, getting my degree in accounting – I’ve always been good with figures and a lot of fiddles are done in the bookkeeping – as well as criminal justice. As it happens, it worked out for the best. The time I spent in the service served me there pretty well, too.”

  Somehow it didn’t surprise her he’d carried two full loads of curriculum.

  “You and Darrin get along well then?”

  He nodded. “He’s my stepfather but I count him as much a friend as father and boss now. Although we’re actually partners.”

  With a wry smile he shook his head.

  “What?” Ariel asked, smiling in return.

  “You’d think with my degrees, I’d have been smarter but I never saw what he was doing.”

  She waited as the waiter delivered their salads and Matt sat up a little, shaking his head at the memory.

  “He snuck it by me,” Matt said, grinning.

  Intrigued and amused, Ariel said, “Snuck what by you?”

  “The business. We’d talked about it more than once but Darrin was offering me a full partnership without any strings. I wouldn’t do it that way, I wanted to buy in but with all the cases I was working I kept putting it off. Without letting on, he started deducting money from my paychecks. I was too busy working to worry about it. Me, with the accounting degree and I wasn’t checking my own paychecks. Sneaky bastard. Of course, it was Darrin so I never even considered he’d rip me off. The few times I might have questioned it – a check that wasn’t as big as I’d expected – all I had to remember was that this was Darrin I was talking about, there was no way he’d do anything underhanded. The man is as honest as the day is long.”

  Matt chuckled, remembering.