I'll Take Forever Kobo

by Barbara McMahon

  Jenny found it hard to remember. 'We went to Lake Tahoe, The Silver Moon, right on the lake.'

  'I'm glad you didn't stay late.'

  'Well, we ate, then drove back.' What more should she have expected?

  'He didn't want to come in? Or didn't you ask him?'

  'I did, but he said another time.' Jenny experimentally tried pulling back her hand, but he held it fast. 'Do you think it suspicious that George kept asking questions about you?'

  'Do you?'

  'Yes, I do. George isn't the type to ask questions like that ordinarily.' She was silent for a long moment, thinking, turning things over in her mind. ‘At least I don’t think so. I don’t know him that well. But the other evenings we’ve gone out he didn’t ask so many questions.’

  'Do you think he could be involved in the marijuana field?' Kyle asked.

  ‘No! Good heavens you suspect everyone.’

  ‘Not you.’

  ‘George and his family have lived here for generations. He has a boatload of money, no need to do drugs.’

  Kyle shrugged. 'Right now almost anyone could be involved, or no one we've seen.'

  Jenny was silent a minute, praying it was someone she didn't know. She didn't want anyone in Palmer to be involved. She realized it was wishful thinking on her part, that things didn't always turn out the way someone wanted. Wishing didn't make it so.

  She looked up at him when he tugged gently at her hand. His other hand came up to her neck, his fingers warm and caressing, tangling in the soft hair at her neckline. Slowly Kyle pulled her to him until they were only inches apart.

  'I want you, Jenny,' he said softly, his eyes warm, gazing deep into hers, dark and hungry.

  She stiffened and would have pulled back, but his hand was firm against her neck.

  'Maybe not tonight or even tomorrow. But soon, sweetheart, we’re going to stop this ache I have for you.’

  Her heart lurched with his words. For one sweet moment Jenny let her imagination run riot. To envisage lying with Kyle in a bed, feeling his skin against hers, legs tangled, his hands giving them both hours of pleasure. Kisses and caresses throughout the night.

  She grew warm with the thought, the longing almost tangible. Then she shook her head to deny the dream, to deny him. To deny herself.

  'Oh, yes, sweet Jenny, before I go.'

  He brought his lips to hers, shifted on the sofa and released her hand to take her in his arms.

  Whatever George had lacked, Kyle didn't. His mouth brought Jenny alive, his lips against hers seemed to light up her entire body, his tongue igniting the flame that consumed her. Her bones seemed to dissolve and turn to molten fire. Sensations never felt swept through and lifted her to heights only dreamed of.

  She reached to encircle his neck, bringing her soft breasts against his rock-hard chest, moving against him as she felt her breasts swell, grow firm. Kyle pulled her tightly against him, shifting again to lie on the sofa, Jenny following him down.

  His tongue traced the soft inner lining of her mouth, rubbed her teeth, teased her tongue, invited it to follow to his mouth. She kissed him eagerly, yearning for more, knowing the madness must stop soon.

  His hands molded her body to his, repositioning her to lie on top of him, his hands on her back, moving slowly to her waist, her hips, back along her spine. Jenny felt the desire in him rise, matched by the longing she felt. This was insanity, sweet craziness.

  He pulled his mouth away to trail hot kisses along her jaw, to the warm pulse in her throat, up the column of her neck to her earlobe. Slowly he unzipped her dress, to find her bra. She stiffened slightly when the zip moved.

  'Relax,' he murmured lazily. 'I'm not going to do anything you don't want. I only want to touch you, feel your skin, not your dress.'

  Placing his hands on her bare back, he traced patterns that seemed to feed her desire even more.

  Jenny moved seductively against him, her body responding automatically to the slow rhythm of his touch. Kyle found her mouth again as his hands pressed her tighter to him. Her senses swam with blurred delight as his kiss deepened, thrilled, excited.

  Kyle's hands rose to tangle themselves in Jenny's soft hair, moving her head back and forth as he drank deeply of the kisses she gave.

  Then, with a ragged breath, he lifted her head.

  She opened her eyes a little to gaze down at him. He looked amazing. She never wanted to look away.

  'This is as far as I can go if you don't want to sleep with me tonight,' he said, hoarsely.

  Of course she wanted to sleep with him, tonight, tomorrow night, every night! Then sanity returned. There was a limit to the nights: it would be just until he left. He had said it himself.

  Jenny's eyes widened and she scrambled up in confusion. She wasn't as modern as she'd thought. She still believed in old-fashioned virtues. She didn't consider herself a prude, but she did want more than casual sex, more than a few nights together, no matter how wonderful. She wasn’t the type for one-night stands.

  'Goodnight,' she mumbled, and fled for the stairs and the sanctity of her room.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The next few days flew by. Kyle spent more and more time away from the house, not telling Jenny where he was going, no longer taking her with him. When she asked once or twice, he refused to tell her, saying only that it didn't concern her.

  Jenny wanted more after that evening on the sofa, but Kyle became more distant than before. She knew things were coming to a head. There didn’t seem to be anything she could do but watch as he spent more and more time away.

  She wondered once or twice if he was seeing Naomi, but she didn't think that was the reason for his long absences. Naomi had returned to San Francisco so, unless on vacation, she would not be in Palmer during the week.

  On Saturday, Kyle asked Jenny to drive them to Strawberry. They met Stuart Brownley for lunch there. He had brought a motorcycle for Kyle's use.

  'You aren't going to ride it, are you?' Jenny sounded horrified when she saw the big black Harley. She could just envision a real motorcycle accident.

  'Of course, you don't think it'll get itself to your place, do you?' Kyle asked.

  'But your arm! You shouldn't be driving around on that machine. It's not safe.'

  'It's fine. Good transportation and easily hidden. Don't fret, Jenny,' he said impatiently.

  Stuart Brownley turned to hide a smile at their exchange.

  They ate lunch at a local cafe. The men chose a table near the back and both sat so they could see the door. Stuart and Kyle talked shop, Stuart brought Kyle up to date on different assignments others in their group were working on without revealing anything sensitive to Jenny. He started to say something once about Kyle's assignment, but Kyle stopped him.

  'Later.' He glanced at Jenny.

  'I'm not going to tell anyone,' she said indignantly. She was the reason they had such a foothold into Palmer. Did they believe now they couldn’t trust her?

  'I like to operate on the need-to-know basis. You don't need to know. Besides, you have a very expressive face. I don't want you to inadvertently give something away,' Kyle explained.

  Jenny glared at him, then turned away in haughty disdain when both men roared with laughter at her look.

  After lunch they walked Jenny back to her car, Kyle opening the driver’s door for her.

  'I'm going to go over some things with Stuart. I'll be back for dinner,' he said as she got in the SUV.

  Jenny, still annoyed with the laughter at lunch, nodded stiffly and put the key in the ignition.

  'Don't sulk, baby.' Kyle leaned in to turn her head, giving her a quick kiss. He then slammed the door.

  She met the amused look on Stuart's face, and frowned. Glaring at Kyle, she nodded again. 'Drive carefully on that fool bike,' she said.

  It was the first time he'd touched her since their night on the sofa. She ran her tongue lightly around her lips, wishing he'd given her a real kiss her and not a brush of lips. Impatiently she jerke
d her thoughts back. He was not for her. She put the car in gear and headed for home.

  ***

  ‘Is that serious?’ Stuart asked as he watched Jenny drive off.

  ‘I don’t make long-range plans, you know that,’ Kyle said, his gaze also on the departing car.

  ‘Things change. You’re not getting any younger. Maybe if you met the right woman, you’d want to settle down and raise a family.’

  ‘Bring kids into this world with all its problems?’

  ‘Hey, we’re doing our part to rid the world of vermin.’

  ‘It’s like whack a mole, take down one grow site and two more spring up.’

  ‘They might have sprung up anyway and then we would have had three,’ Stuart countered. ‘Which is why we do what we do.’

  Kyle shrugged and turned back to face the man. ‘I don’t want Jenny to know what I’ve discovered. She truly has an expressive face and thinks the best of everyone.’ He fished out a small notebook and handed it to Stuart. ‘I could find out a lot, some of the things I need help with are listed there. Let me know when you get some answers. Things are going down soon, I think. The crop is about ready to harvest.’

  ‘Your cover still strong?’ Stuart asked.

  ‘Rock solid. No one would suspect Jenny of any clandestine activities. She’s still the perfect choice.’

  ‘Just don’t go messing with her life. She has to live there when we pull out.’

  Kyle nodded. ‘Thanks for the bike, it’ll make things a lot easier.’

  He enjoyed the feel of the machine beneath him as he headed back to Palmer. He needed to pull back from depending on Jenny’s car. It was too distinctive. A motorcycle could be pushed into the brush and not easily spotted.

  He almost smiled when he remembered Jenny’s disapproval of the bike. He wouldn’t want her to worry. But he couldn’t help feeling just a bit of warmth where his heart should be that she would care.

  By the time he reached Jenny’s house in the late afternoon, Kyle wasn’t thinking of her, but planning what his next step was. Until Stuart had the information he wanted, he was playing a waiting game.

  He ate dinner quickly, glad Jenny seemed content to leave him to his own thoughts. Once finished, he went to her small den, pulling the phone in from the hall and closing the door. He spent the evening there, on the phone with men at the office in Sacramento. By the time he finished, he had all the information he needed.

  ***

  With the advent of the motorcycle, Jenny scarcely saw Kyle. He left the house early each morning, often before she was up. The few mornings he stayed for breakfast, he'd bolt as soon as it was finished. In the evenings, Jenny was usually in bed when the muffled roar of the big Harley announced his return.

  Jenny felt shut out. She recognized why Kyle operated under the need-to-know theory, and his reservations of telling her everything but, after all, she was providing him a base of operation, had provided the background information he needed for the assignment. To now be totally excluded from the project hurt.

  Did Kyle feel her usefulness was at an end? Maybe she could still help. If she could provide some further assistance, maybe Kyle would take her into his confidence, know she could be trusted, spend more time with her.

  Going into the den, Jenny looked for the topographical map he had used. If she could locate the marijuana field on it, identify the fire road that ran by it, she could offer to watch it to see who used it.

  The map wasn't in the den. After only a moment's indecision, Jenny went up to Kyle's room. It must be there. The door was open and she walked boldly in. Traces of his aftershave lingered in the air and she stopped for a moment, almost feeling his presence.

  A stack of papers sat on the dresser. She rifled through them, finding the folded map; poring over it, trying to pinpoint where her house was located, the way they had walked through the hills and where the field might be.

  She found a couple of possibilities, and both near a fire road. The next step was to drive out and see. Telling Shasta to guard the house, she went for her SUV.

  Once on the dirt road of the fire trails, Jenny drove slowly, carefully. She kept a close watch in her rear-view mirror, to make sure she wasn't being followed. If this was the correct road, she had no desire to be found on it by the growers.

  Jenny had marked on the map where she thought the field was, and she tried to equate what she saw with what was on the map. She should have gone over the trail and tried to find the road that way. Twice she stopped, climbed out and scouted along the north side of the road. She hadn't seen the road Kyle had mentioned when he made his circle around the field, but she knew the field was on the north side, not too far from the road. She drove further, stopping again.

  She pushed her way through a small cluster of trees and burst through to the marijuana field. She'd found it! It lay before her gently sloping upward, silent in the hot sun. She could retrace her steps and park near the fork, watching for anyone to drive by.

  'What the hell are you doing here?' Kyle's angry face blazed down at her. She turned and almost bumped into him, his face tight with anger. 'If you've messed up this bust, I'll bust you!'

  Two men came silently out of the shadows from the perimeter. One walked warily, the other had a big grin on his face. Jenny recognized him as Jason Sperry from Kyle's office.

  'Mac, drive the car this lady came in up the road about a mile, try to find a hiding place. You come with me.' Kyle jerked the keys from her hand and tossed them to the first man. Grasping her arm he marched her into the trees.

  Jenny stumbled, then recovered as she tried to match his long stride.

  'Your dumb old bust is fine. No one followed me,' she grumbled, overcoming her surprise at seeing him. So much for trying to surprise him with the identity of people using the road, he obviously had another plan. Which she would have known had he told her!

  'Not on the road, maybe. But you don't know whether they come by that road. Duck down.'

  They crouched down and entered a thicket of scrub, madrone, cottonwood and mesquite. Blankets, food and camera gear were carefully stacked to one side.

  'What's this?' Jenny asked in surprise.

  'A stakeout. Why are you here, Jenny? What's going on?' Kyle's voice was laced with anger.

  Jason followed them in, picked up the camera again, and smiled at Jenny. 'Hi,' he said.

  'Hi, Jason.' Jenny stalled.

  Kyle recognized the tactic. 'Jenny!'

  'I was trying to find the road, so I could watch to see who used it. I wanted to help. I didn't know you already knew about it. I didn’t think the growers trekked through the forest every time they came here.'

  His face softened just a little as he shook his head. 'If I'd known you'd try a fool thing like this, I'd have told you what we were doing. This isn’t a game. I don’t need someone helping out who hasn’t been trained. It’s damned dangerous.'

  'I know, the need-to-know principle.'

  Jason threw her a quick grin. 'Kyle's favorite axiom.'

  'Watch the field,' Kyle said drily.

  'At least now I understand why you asked for this assignment,' Jason murmured irrepressibly, turning back to the field, camera held ready.

  Jenny looked puzzled for a moment, then turned back to Kyle, her voice low.

  'Why are you doing a stakeout now? I thought you were going to catch them when harvesting.'

  'Change of plan. We want to destroy this field now, before harvest. If we can get a line on who's interested in it now, and a few pictures, we'll arrest and destroy now. Sooner or later someone has to come to turn on the water. It’s been hot the last few days. My guess is soon. The plants are starting to wilt already in the heat. Once they come, we'll snap their pictures and wrap it up.'

  'Catch them in the act.'

  'Right.'

  Jenny sat quietly, thinking through the implication of his comment. If they accomplished it soon, Kyle would be leaving soon. While she had known he wouldn't stay forever, she
had thought he'd stay longer, until the marijuana field was harvested. Now, it could all be over soon, in days, not weeks. She caught her breath at a small dart of pain. She had known his being here was temporary, but she had thought she had more time. It was ending too soon.

  She glanced at him under her lashes, remembering he'd said he'd sleep with her before he left. Did he remember, too? She looked at her hands. Did she want him to? She’d never had a one-night stand–would it come to that?

  One night of ecstasy. It would be a memory to last her all her life. Was it worth it? She took a deep breath. Time would go so fast.

  'How long have you been here?' she asked softly.

  'Since Stuart brought me the bike. Jason and Mac are staying in Strawberry.'

  'But only to sleep,' Jason grumbled quietly. 'We're here from dawn till ten or so every night. Don't know when they'll come to check on their precious crop. I wish they'd hurry up. It’s boring as hell sitting here in the heat. We just need them to visit–we'll get them when they do.'

  Jenny looked again at Kyle. His brooding gaze was fixed on her. Nervously she looked away.

  'Now what?’ she asked.

  'You can stay here for a little while, with us. You wanted to find out what I’m doing, now you have.'

  Jenny refused to look at Kyle. He was angry she'd come. If she had known that would be his reaction to her attempt to help, she wouldn't have tried. She didn't want to make him angry. Squirming back to lean against a tree, she tried to relax. And not think.

  Time and again she let her gaze move to Kyle. He’d resumed watch on the field and seemed to ignore her. So much the better for allowing her to gaze at her heart’s content without him catching her.

  It was peaceful in the thicket, sheltered from the hot sun—quiet and restful and very warm. A slow contentment gradually stole over her.

  Once or twice during the afternoon, Jason glanced over to Kyle or Jenny, then back to the field, camera always ready to go. Mac was hidden part way up the hillside, ready to signal if the growers came from another direction. They didn't talk, just watched.