Red Shoes & A Diary

by Mia Zachary

  She watched Nick stride away, feeling let down. Ridiculous, since they were supposed to be nothing more than sex partners. But the rules were shifting subtly out of her control.

  The touch of his lips had been brief, but the effect of it stayed with her. His kiss had carried traces of tenderness and possession and…complications. She was fully aware of the attraction between them. Magic, he’d called it. She felt it, but resisted giving in to it.

  Meghan climbed the steps to tour the mansion built in 1855 by Florida’s first millionaire. She wandered though the high-ceilinged rooms, admiring the Tiffany glass windows, well-preserved antiques and ornate décor.

  An hour or so later, she stood on the widow’s walk plucking at her fuchsia tank top. From here, she had a view all the way to the water, but the slight breeze rustling the tree limbs had no effect on the humidity. After snapping some photos, she turned to go downstairs where it was cooler.

  A blur of red, white and green caught her attention and she recognized Nick’s shirt. He stood on the corner about one block up Caroline Street. He and his friend were having a discussion that involved a lot of agitated hand gestures and accusatory finger-pointing.

  If Meghan guessed accurately, their conversation wasn’t a pleasant one.

  “HAVE YOU LOST your effing mind?”

  Emelio’s voice was laced with disapproval. “You’re telling me that instead of leaning on Braga, you spent the night with some piece of ass?”

  Alex shot him a vicious glance, letting loose his own anger. “Don’t ever refer to Meghan like that again.”

  “I can’t believe you’d jeopardize our case like this. Come on, Alex. Didn’t you learn anything from my mistake?”

  “This is different, Em. She’s different—”

  “If Brent finds out you’re chasing some woman instead of Ramos, he’ll pull us off this assignment before we can kiss our badges goodbye.”

  Alex slid his hands into his pockets and frowned, defiance warring with uncertainty. The bottom line was that something finally meant more to him than the job. “I can’t explain it, hombre. We only met forty-eight hours ago and—”

  “And it’s too damn soon to know if she’s worth destroying your career.” Emelio studied his face. Whatever he saw had him reaching for his cigarettes. After lighting one, he tossed the packet over. “We’re running short on time, man. Easton has my pager number on speed dial.”

  Alex pinched the end off the cigarette. He inhaled deeply, welcoming the nicotine rush. “Have you found Ramos?”

  “You’d know if you were helping me with this damned investigation.”

  He took the hit, knowing he deserved it. “Have you found him or not?”

  Emelio huffed out a breath. “He’s lying so low he’s not even casting a shadow. On the plus side, the monitors we put on the local banks have paid off. We’ve been able to identify and flag some of Ramos’s deposit accounts.”

  “Excellent. Now to figure out how the cash is coming in and which offshore banks he’s liquidating it to.”

  “That’s where you’re supposed to come in. Think you can focus long enough to handle it?”

  “Back off, Em.” Alex let his voice take on a cool edge.

  His partner pushed anyway. “Keep your mind off this woman and let’s get it in gear, man. No evidence means no indictments and no jail time.”

  “I hear you, I hear you.” He ground the cigarette out with the toe of his boot, then picked up the butt to throw into the trash. “I’ve got to go and meet Meghan.”

  “Looks like she’s meeting you.” Emelio nodded his chin, his gaze narrowed beyond Alex’s shoulder. “Her driver’s license photo didn’t do her justice. She’s really hot.”

  “Watch it, Emelio.”

  His partner looked back at him. “How do we play this?”

  “I met an old friend.” Alex turned and Meghan waved in greeting as she walked up.

  She stood on tiptoes to plant a warm kiss on his mouth. He couldn’t help but grin. Just being near her sent ripples of pleasure through him. Every time their eyes met, he felt a warm, heavy ache in his chest.

  Yeah. She was worth it.

  “Finished touring the house already?”

  She pointed over her shoulder in the direction of the Curry Mansion. “I saw you from the roof and thought I’d come over to introduce myself.”

  Alex glanced down the street, careful not to let his reaction show. Shit. They’d been careless about meeting in the open. If Braga had seen them, he would have recognized his partner for sure.

  “Hi! You must be Emelio.” Meghan reached out to shake his hand. “You’re even better-looking than Nick said.”

  With a startled chuckle, Emelio closed his hand over hers then looked at Alex. “I like her—she has good taste.”

  “That why she’s with me, hombre.”

  It was ridiculous to feel jealous. He draped his arm over Meghan’s shoulders anyway. She slid her hand down his back, her face all innocence as she patted his butt.

  Nope. Nothing to worry about.

  “So did you guys have a chance to catch up?”

  Emelio shoved his hands into his khakis and forced a smile. “Yeah, it was great to see Nick and rehash the good old days.”

  “Really? From where I stood, you looked pretty intense.”

  Alex knew enough to recognize the slight tightening around his friend’s eyes. Not only had Meghan seen them together, but she’d guessed the nature of the conversation. Em was going to give him a raft of shit about this later.

  He lied smoothly in an effort to throw her off. “It’s an old argument about a bet and a practical joke.”

  “Now there’s a story worth hearing.” She glanced up at Alex and back to Emelio. “Why don’t we all go somewhere and you can tell me about it?”

  “Thanks for the offer, Meghan, but my cruise ship is only in port for the day. I’ve got to get back.” Emelio turned to bare his teeth and offer his hand to Alex. “Good to see you again, buddy. Keep in touch.”

  The grip was crushing and Alex tried not to wince. Em was seriously pissed. “Take care, pal. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Meghan exchanged goodbyes with Emelio before he walked away, supposedly heading for the cruise ship pier.

  “Well, Nick, where should we go next?”

  His eyes followed his partner down the street. He’d better make things up to Em. His partner had been doing all of the work these past two days. First, he needed to hook up with Braga. Next he needed to push for information about—

  “Nick?”

  Alex looked down at Meghan, concentrated on her question. “Whatever you want to do is fine.”

  “Let’s go back to the resort, then. I need a nap. After.”

  “After what? All we did was sightsee, eat and shop…” His voice faded away when she wrapped her arms around his waist. She slowly rubbed her breasts over his chest, then bumped her hips once against his thighs.

  She spoke slowly and distinctly. “The nap comes after.”

  11

  The blindfold feels strangely erotic as I wait eagerly for my lover’s touch. He comes to me in darkness, in silence, intent on possessing me, body and soul….

  “I DIDN’T THINK you could move this fast.” Meghan struggled to keep pace as Nick pulled her from the elevator.

  “We’ll slow down when we get to your room. Otherwise, I’ll take you right here in the hallway.”

  Her body reacted to the rough timbre of his voice, but she laughed at the outrageous suggestion. Even Elise wouldn’t have sex in public. Oh, wait. They’d sort of done that in the museum. Meghan grinned. She was definitely a bona fide Sex Goddess.

  Once they reached her suite, Nick started unbuttoning his ghastly floral shirt before the door even closed behind them. She strode past him, yanking the tank top over her head as she went. In the bedroom, he flung his boxers to the floor next to his jeans and her denim shorts. Her panties landed in another pile with his socks and her bra.
r />   Gleefully naked and crazy with need, Meghan threw her arms around his neck. Her hands fisted in his hair while his mouth claimed her lips. His kiss sent hot flames of desire zinging through her body.

  “Now. Right now,” she demanded.

  When she tried to get to the bed without breaking her hold on him, their legs tangled. She stumbled toward the dresser but Nick put out a hand to brace her fall. Then he looked down and his lips curved into a seductive smile. Her gaze followed his to the silk scarf under his fingers. He slowly lifted it, a devilish gleam in his eyes.

  “There’s something I’d like to try, if you’re not afraid.”

  Meghan inhaled sharply. Was he thinking what she thought he was thinking? She’d written a couple of fantasies about mild bondage, but never dared to try it.

  “Well? Are you?” He drew the material leisurely over his palm, then twisted the ends around his fists.

  A wild excitement filled her as she glanced from his face to the scarf. Would Elise try it? Oh, yes. In a heartbeat. The sense of forbidden longing was a complete turn-on. She cocked her head and rested a hand on one naked hip. “Do I look afraid?”

  “You look incredibly beautiful.” His eyes, clear and intense, glowed with an inner fire. Admiration and something unfathomable mingled in his expression. Nick draped the scarf in front of her face, surprising her by tying it securely behind her head.

  She closed her eyes beneath the fabric, unnerved by the sudden heightening of her other senses. The air between their bodies was charged with anticipation. His large hand stroked her hair, his touch light and reassuring, but he didn’t speak again.

  The silence was electric. She breathed in the soap-and-water smell of his skin when he swept her into his arms. For a moment she was disoriented as he carried her across the room. He laid her down on the cool bed sheet, then moved away.

  Wearing nothing but the blindfold, she suddenly felt vulnerable, exposed. Meghan draped her arms over her waist. She crossed her legs and uncrossed them again. Finally she forced herself to relax. Eagerly awaiting whatever happened next, her heart hammered in her chest.

  Unable to see, only to feel, she became acutely aware of the sound of her own breathing, the dampness between her thighs, the soft breeze billowing over her naked body. It was so much like what she’d written—the darkness all around, her lover ready to possess her body and soul—familiar and yet different.

  The mattress dipped under Nick’s weight and she sensed him shift toward her. When he placed a hand against her shoulder, she startled at the unforeseen touch. She identified the faint smell of cinnamon and waited for the taste of his lips.

  His mouth was hot, his kiss soft and drugging. Her entire being focused on his lips and tongue, the only place their bodies met. The heat of his kiss sent flames of lust straight to the juncture of her thighs. A moan escaped her throat.

  Then suddenly he retreated, leaving her frustrated. Her earlier inhibition completely disappeared. She reached out blindly, searching for him, desperate for him. Not hearing a sound and fearing he might have left the room, she knew a second of alarm, alone as she was in the utter darkness.

  Fantasy and reality merged, intensifying the thrill of the unknown. Then some primal instinct told her of his presence. She pictured him, motionless by the bed, silent and smug. A smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. He wanted to watch? She’d give him something to watch.

  “Elise” brought her hands up to her breasts, kneading the soft flesh and pinching her nipples. Her skin felt hot beneath her fingers. She stroked her hands lower, letting them slide down over her body. Her fingers moved between her legs and she touched herself the way she wanted him to touch her.

  Nick growled deep in his chest, giving himself away. She laughed, low and throaty, realizing she’d been right. The blindfold was supposed to put her at a disadvantage. Yet she’d managed to wrest control from him by indulging her true self.

  In an instant, his hand covered hers, both guiding and encouraging her movements. She moaned when she felt his fingers delve inside her. The rush of trembling heat his touch created sent her hurtling toward release. Then Nick pulled both of their hands away, denying her satisfaction.

  “Oh, please, I—”

  She smelled the heady scent of a rose just before sensing the silky petals against her lips. Almost as soon as she felt it, he moved the bloom away. Then the velvety petals caressed her knee, her hand, her throat. Meghan quivered with impatience, not knowing where the rose would touch her next or when his fingers would replace it.

  Nick trailed the flower over her shoulder and along her arm, then over her right breast. Her nipple puckered at the silky touch and excitement rippled in her belly as he took the other one in his mouth. She reveled in the feel of his lips and tongue and teeth against her sensitive flesh. Her body ached for him, for a different kind of touch. The rose, now warm from her heat, glided along her abdomen to the dewy flesh between her thighs.

  He followed the flower’s path, leaving gentle, moist kisses in its wake. A guttural cry escaped her as she arched her hips to meet his mouth. His lips ravished her hungrily and she reveled in his expertise. Then he stopped again, playing a game of exquisite torture.

  “Nick!”

  “Shh. You’re not ready.”

  “Yes, I am!”

  “Shh.”

  Her belly quivered as rose petals fell like summer rain onto her bare skin. Then Nick covered her, surrounded her. The smell of sweat and shampoo mixed with the scent of the flowers. She spread her legs and wrapped her ankles behind his knees.

  His penis lengthened, hard against her delicate flesh. She pressed her mouth to his throat, her hands gripping the hard muscles of his back. His heart pounded in rhythm with her own as his ragged breath warmed her face. Her body wept in preparation of his claiming her.

  The sudden tensing of the muscles in his arms and thighs was her only warning before he plunged himself into her. His first thrust had her gasping. The next had her crying out his name. After that, she could only call on the supreme deity.

  Passion built within her like a storm while she heaved beneath him, moaning and whimpering. She lifted her hips, crying out at the power of her climax. He slipped his palms under her, pulling her closer still, and groaned his release.

  Tremors rocked his body in the aftermath and the room filled with the sound of their labored breathing. As she caught her breath, a sense of peace and contentment came over her. Eventually, Nick lifted his weight, rolling her with him until he lay under her on the tangled and sweaty bed sheet.

  He removed the scarf from her eyes, drawing it over her head before dropping it to the floor. Meghan blinked against the light. Then his beautiful mouth caught her attention. After tracing the outline of those soft, full lips, she leaned down to give him a tender kiss.

  Relaxing in his arms, her ear against his chest, she could hear his heart thundering. She felt him whisper something into her hair, but couldn’t make out the words. It didn’t matter. The message in his embrace was unmistakable.

  Nick had imprinted himself on both her body and her heart. Her instinctive response to him was too powerful, the emotions too strong to question. As incredible as it seemed, she was helpless to deny the obvious.

  I’m in love.

  She couldn’t even begin to describe how she felt. It was as if she was feeling it for the first time. I love Nicholas Alexander. Instead of being satisfied after the intimacy they’d shared, she wanted more. She wanted forever.

  ALEX LEANED one hip against the railing on his balcony, smoking his third half-cigarette, not caring that it defeated his effort to quit.

  He’d left Meghan a note saying he needed to change clothes for tonight and would pick her up at seven o’clock. Then he’d spent the next couple hours hunting in vain for Braga. It made him damned uneasy that his contact had become as elusive as his boss, Ramos.

  He dragged on the cigarette impatiently. His focus was totally divided between duty and desire. M
eghan deserved better than what little he could give. He wanted her to be a part of his life. But what the hell did he have to offer her? Weeks away from home. An occasional telephone call.

  More secrets and more lies.

  He crushed the cigarette butt in the ashtray on the table. Alex cursed the continued need for deception. No matter what, he had to return that journal. While he couldn’t be completely honest with her, he could at least come clean about the journal.

  Dammit! Why couldn’t he be a regular guy who’d fallen for an incredible woman? He felt trapped and angry, but there wasn’t much he could about it. Once he and Emelio wrapped up this case, he’d tell Meghan everything and pray she still wanted him.

  ALEX ADMIRED the body-hugging fit of Meghan’s long red silk dress as he watched her hips sway. She was finally wearing the red “seduce me” sandals. The shoes looked just as sexy as he’d imagined and they added an extra swing to her walk.

  As they headed for Front Street, a balmy gust teased the flowing skirt, offering him a brief glimpse of her bare legs. He had to be in love if the sight of her ankles turned him on. He’d better start buying looser pants.

  “You look beautiful tonight, Trouble.”

  “Thank you, Nick. I wish I could say the same, but you’re wearing that green-and-gold nightmare shirt.” She rolled her eyes dramatically while he laughed. “Where are we going anyway?”

  “I promised you something special and it’s almost time.”

  “Everything about the past three days has been special.” She smiled at him, a look of tenderness in her eyes that added to his guilt.

  Meghan’s face lit up when they reached Mallory Square. A hundred or so people milled around the food carts, craftsmen and street buskers. Music drifted above the babble of vendors hawking their wares. Comedians and magicians showed off their talents while children chased each other over the cobbled terrace.

  “Oh, Nick, this is some kind of festival!”

  “Best of all, it happens every night.”