by Sybil Bartel
I despised the things. Who drinks through a slit? One, I like to see what I’m drinking and two, fifty percent of the coffee experience was the smell. Give me a good old-fashioned coffee mug any day of the week.
I sniffed at the thermos. “I can’t smell anything,” I complained.
“Open the valve, Sugar, it ain’t rocket science.” Talon tugged on the upper half of his full-body wetsuit, making it look easy. I hated him right now.
I looked at the bar thingy at the top of my thermos. I slid it and coffee steam started coming out of the slit. Oh. I might’ve smiled.
Talon burst out laughing. “You’re better than a trip to the zoo.”
“Screw you,” I grumbled, taking a sip of coffee. Ahhhh, light, sweet and strong as hell. Perfection.
“Go put your bikini on before I do it for you.”
“Not happening.” I sipped my coffee. This was all I needed for a perfect morning.
“Waves ain’t gonna wait on us all day, hurry up.”
“Go have fun, I’ll watch from the deck and cheer you on.” While I’m under a big blanket.
Talon went to the dresser and started riffling through the drawers till he found my suit. When he held it up, his face curled into a wicked grin and he dropped his voice to a sinister growl. “Now hold still, this won’t take but a minute.”
I squealed and jumped up on the bed. “Back off, I’ve got hot coffee!” I warned, waving the thermos.
“You couldn’t open that lid with both hands if you tried,” he taunted.
My eyes automatically went to the lid and Talon snorted.
“Sugar, you’re funny as hell.”
“I can open this lid.” I held it up so I could see the side. Shit, it just popped off.
“Good for you, darlin’, now get your skinny ass in your suit.”
“I’m not going surfing,” I protested. And why was he in such a good mood this early in the morning? It was inhuman.
Talon stared at me a moment. “Tell you what, you suit up and come out with me and I’ll do all the work. You can float your pretty little self on my board and keep me company.”
“No surfing?”
“Only if you want to.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. This was a trick.
Talon laughed. “Quit being so suspicious. Go. Get yer suit on, times awastin’.”
I climbed down off the bed. “Fine, but I’m not surfing. I’m not even agreeing to going in the water.”
“Get!”
“Alright!” I scrambled into the bathroom, shed my pajamas and threw on the suit. Twisting my hair up, I was back out in a minute flat.
Talon was waiting with the wetsuit in his hand. When I stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes dragged the length of me. Quicker than I could blink, he expression turned furious. “You fuckin’ losin’ weight on me? What the hell?”
I looked down. The suit sagged, just a little. I’d taken to running the beach with Talon after we got home from work each night. I’d always exercised, but beach running was hard. My legs had burned with the effort on more than a few nights.
“Give me the wetsuit.” I made a come here gesture with my hand.
“Oh hell no. Answer me. What the hell is going on? You weren’t that skinny when you showed up here.”
“Running with you.” I shrugged him off. What was the big deal?
“Fuck.” He kept staring. “Has Blaze seen this?” Every word was accusatory.
“Talon! Give me the fucking wetsuit! This isn’t a big deal!” I was not that skinny. Not even close.
“Fuck,” Talon said again, but handed me the wetsuit.
Irritated, I tried to shimmy my way through the heavy rubbery material. You didn’t need piece-of-shit contraptions like this in southern Florida. If it was too cold to swim, you waited a day. This was bullshit. I got one leg in and stopped. I sat down on the bed to sip some coffee and fortify myself for round two.
Talon stood watching me, looking royally pissed off. “I can’t even help you, I’ll break one of those twigs you call a limb.” He threw a hand out for effect, snapping his words at me.
It was instinctual. I kicked out with my free leg, intending to do him harm. Talon was quicker. He caught my foot, his nostrils flared and he dropped his voice to a deadly whisper.
“You think that’s a nice thing to do?”
“Let go of my foot,” I barked. I was in a bad mood now.
It happened so fast, I almost wasn’t sure how he’d done it. Talon pulled on my foot, I slid off the bed, his free hand caught my wrist and he pulled me to my feet. Snaking his other hand around my waist, he let go of my coffee hand and held the wetsuit out.
“Point your toes, put your foot through,” he said gruffly.
I might’ve growled but I did what he said. Once my leg was through, he helped me put my arms in and zipped me up. It was an instant sauna.
“I feel claustrophobic.” And itchy, but I figured one complaint was enough.
“You’ll feel gratitude when you’re in the water and not freezin’ your ass off.” Talon ushered us out of the house, grabbing a protein bar as we left. He shoved the bar into my hand. “Choke this down.”
I looked at the bar. No sugar, no carbs, no chocolate. This wasn’t food. Captain Crunch was food. “A Hershey’s bar would taste better.” In fact, I could totally rock some chocolate right now.
Talon took the bar from me, opened it halfway and put it back in my hand. “Eat.”
“Grumpy.” I stuck my tongue out at him.
Talon stopped dead in his tracks and got in my face. “Next time you wag your tongue at me, I’ll bite it,” he promised, fire burning in his eyes.
I shoved the bar in my mouth. “Mmm-mmm, delish-shish,” I said through a mouthful of nasty glue.
Talon stared at me a moment, his expression steel. “Good choice,” he finally said, and walked away.
I kept three paces behind him as he grabbed two towels from an outside cupboard then picked up the biggest of three surfboards standing along the side of the house. Tucking the board under his arm like it weighed nothing, he headed for the beach.
I had to admit, it was a beautiful day. Cool, breezy and all bright morning sunlight.
Talon stopped close to the water, dropped the towels in the sand and glanced at me. “Ready?”
Ah no. I shrugged, too afraid to say anything after his tongue comment. I wrapped the half of the bar I hadn’t eaten and put it between the towels. Talon must’ve taken my actions as consent because when I stood back up, he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the water’s edge.
When my feet hit the ocean, I yelped. “It’s cold!”
Talon waded in and set the board in the water. “Sit, I’ll push you out.”
Shit. This is not what I wanted to be doing. But I also didn’t want to incur the wrath of Talon if I stayed on the beach. Screw it, I took a few icy steps, hopped on the board, and sat on my knees with my legs tucked under me. I held the sides of the board for balance and grip, as I’d been taught.
Talon watched me but didn’t say anything. He held the board as he waded out chest high then glanced at the next wave and back to me. “Over or under?”
“I got it.” I went on my stomach and pushed the nose of the board under and let the icy wave crash over me. Damn, now I was awake. I used my arms to paddle forward so I could get past the breakers before the next heart-stopping cold wave hit.
Talon surfaced a few feet in front of me and shook his head instead of wiping water from his eyes. A grin spread across his face. “You’ve been holdin’ out on me, Sugar. This ain’t your first time.”
“I didn’t say I’d never been surfing, I said I couldn’t surf. There’s a difference.”
“Sexy, Sugar, sexy. I’m likin’ you on my board.” Talon swam a few strokes then went under the next wave.
I went under two more waves and made it past the breakers. Talon was waiting for me, treading water. I glided over to him then tucked my freezing hands un
der my head, hoping the body-to-body contact would warm them up. The sun on my back heating the black wetsuit felt heavenly.
“You ready to rip?” Talon angled the board so I was parallel with the shore.
“No, I said I wasn’t going to surf.” I closed my eyes.
“C’mon, show me what you got,” he said in a sing-song voice.
“Not happening.” Besides, I couldn’t do shit.
“You’re a pain in the ass, Sugar.” But he’d said it cheerfully.
“Yep.” I peeked at him. As predicted, he was smiling.
“Alright, I’m gonna swim. Don’t drift out too far.” He took off with a strong stroke, parallel to the shore.
The lazy motion of the ocean was soothing and the sun kept me warm as long as I stayed out of the water. My mind drifted to bits and pieces of this past week.
Buck hadn’t mentioned anything about us since that night and I was beginning to think he regretted telling me what he did. He didn’t act differently toward me but he had definitely toned down the physical contact. I could only take it to mean he wasn’t interested. I sighed and picked my head up to watch Talon. Life would be so easy with someone like Talon. You’d have sex and when his eyes wandered, you’d know it was time to move on. No strings, no attachments, no feelings.
Yeah, okay, that was kinda depressing. I’d had no-strings sex and it had sucked. I wasn’t going for a repeat. Why the hell was I even thinking about sex? I should be worrying about Miami and the fact I had no plan for my life. I couldn’t hide out at Talon’s forever. Each day that passed without incident added a level of anxiety that felt like a ticking bomb.
Talon hadn’t said anything more about what my father had gotten himself into. There was no sign of Miami and neither Buck nor Talon mentioned being closer to an ID on him. I’d spent years thinking my silence would keep me alive. Now I had stolen millions to contend with. It was only a matter of time before they found me.
Talon’s head popped up next to me and I yelped in surprise.
“Sorry, Sugar,” he chuckled.
“Have you heard anything from down south?” I asked, still lost in my previous thoughts.
Talon’s face went instantly serious. “Besides Lara having a six-foot-two shadow everywhere he goes? No.”
I didn’t know that. “And that’s not bothering you?”
“I can’t force the wheels of justice to spin faster, darlin’. But yeah, it’s startin’ to bug me. It’s too quiet. And I’m reluctant to fish anymore at this point. I’m not ready to tip off our location or who we are until I know who Miami is. But if I don’t get more information soon, I’m gonna poke the bear.”
Jesus. “Lara said he had recordings of voices, can’t you get those? I could listen to them and we’d know, right?” Even though the thought filled me with anxiety, I was ready for something to happen.
“Workin’ on it, Sugar. Problem is, we don’t know why your parents’ murder went unsolved. There’s lots of loose ends that coulda been followed through on but no one’s doin’ shit. I can’t say for sure if there’s a problem in the state attorney’s office or if the police were on the take, but someone somewhere along the line got greased. Evidence doesn’t just vanish into thin air. Even the security footage from the high rise your father’s office was in disappeared. We have to tread lightly.”
“The waiting is killing me.”
Talon’s grin returned. “Don’t like hangin’ out with me?”
I wasn’t going to touch that. “Buck’s going to have to leave soon.” I couldn’t stay with Talon once he left for Afghanistan.
Still treading water like it was nothing, Talon eyed me. “You’re worried I’ll kick you to the curb.” It wasn’t a question.
“I can’t live with you forever.”
Talon looked like he was carefully formulating what he was going to say. “I’m not askin’ you to, Sugar. I’m askin’ you to stay until we get this sorted out. I would never throw you out but I understand you stayin’ is your choice. Give us a little time. Let’s see what shakes out. Then we can revisit this whole conversation. Whatdaya say?”
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “Thanks.” I nodded.
“Nothin’ doin’, Sugar.” He smiled. “Let’s take this beast in.” He swam to the back end of the board and gracefully climbed on. Sitting up, his legs in the water, he began to paddle us in.
I shifted to my knees and used my tired arms to help.
“Good thing you’re in that wetsuit, Sugar. Don’t think my heart could take the view otherwise.” Talon chuckled.
I splashed water behind me but got it back tenfold. Talon’s laughter was almost louder than the waves. I thought we’d just paddle in but Talon angled the board just so and I felt the shift as he stood up. A second later his hands slipped under my arms and I was on my feet. I wavered.
“Whoa, whoa, darlin’, center yourself, bend those knees.” Talon gripped my waist.
I put my arms out and suddenly we were flying across the water. Talon held my waist and subtly shifted his feet to keep us on top of the wave. It was amazing. Exhilarating and free and over before I blinked.
Talon brought the long board off the wave and we floated almost to a stop. He jumped off and held the board steady while I inched myself back down. Looking at the huge smile on Talon’s face, I realized I was grinning ear to ear.
“Again?” Talon asked.
“Yes!”
Talon spun the board around.
A few minutes later we were riding in again, only to paddle back out and catch another wave. Talon kept the balance and I enjoyed the ride. He was an incredible surfer and a great teacher. He issued directives, laughed through my mistakes and encouraged me the whole time. After about ten rides, I was completely exhausted but getting up by myself. When we went to paddle out again I thought my arms would fall off.
“One more, Sugar, c’mon, you can do it,” Talon coaxed.
So we went. Talon let a few waves pass then gave the command to paddle. At the last minute, he dove off. I barely had time to glance back at him before the ocean took hold and carried the board.
“Stand up!” Talon shouted behind me.
I stood. And I was surfing.
I rode the wave all the way in, never once worrying I would fall. Too chicken to jump in the cold water, I sat back down on the board and waited for Talon. As soon as he swam up beside me, he pulled me off the board and into a hug.
“You did it, Sugar!”
“I did it!” I squealed with laughter and Talon spun me around. I didn’t even notice the ice cold chill when he set me down in waist deep water. I was too busy staring into roguish green eyes.
Chapter Sixteen
Talon and I cleaned up and he took me to what he called a proper breakfast, except it was afternoon. We’d walked to a place near his house that had outdoor seating overlooking the beach. The day had warmed up just enough and when Talon ordered us mimosas, I knew why we’d walked. I was starving and I wasn’t much of a champagne person so by the time the food came, I was feeling the alcohol.
The huevos rancheros I ordered on Talon’s recommendation were delicious and the third mimosa went down like water. Talon and I chatted in between the stream of waitresses who came to flirt with him. The more I had to drink, the more they pissed me off. None seemed to even notice I was sitting across from him. The fourth waitress walked off shaking her ass after not so discreetly leaving her number.
I looked at Talon as he drank his mimosa and tried to see him objectively. He was gorgeous, there was no doubt, but he was a total player. Who wanted to put up with that? It had to boil down to one thing.
“You must be amazing in bed,” I blurted.
Talon froze, drink midway to his mouth. A smile curved his lips and he slowly took a sip. His eyes bright with mischief, he watched me as he set his drink down. “I’m guessin’ that wasn’t an invitation, Sugar.”
“Do you perform circus tricks or know some special positions no one�
�s ever heard of?”
“You really wanna have this conversation?” He cocked one eyebrow sexily.
Or maybe... “Did you do something amazing to one girl and she told all her friends and now you’re like the orgasm king of Daytona?” My vocabulary should’ve tipped me off. Champagne and my socially acceptable conversation filter did not mix. I picked up my third, or fourth or maybe it was my fifth mimosa and took a long drink.
Talon’s face took on a knowing look. “How’s that champagne treatin’ you?”
“Super great. So do you pencil them in, in shifts? Like Vixen gets eight to ten and Red gets ten to midnight, but Sugarbelle gets the swing shift? Hey!” Ohmigod, it made toootal sense. “Are you a swinger? Is that it? You hit the swinger circuit and now the secret’s out, Talon... Ha! I don’t even know your last name. I’m living with you and I don’t even know your last name,” I snorted out through tears of laughter.
Talon casually stood up, fished out his wallet and threw some bills on the table.
“Wait! Don’t use your credit card, I might see your last name.” Howling at my own joke I didn’t see Talon reach for me. I was just suddenly on my feet.
“Sugar, you and champagne are not friends. Now, you gonna come all quiet and nice like or am I gonna throw you over my shoulder, fireman style?”
I dissolved into a fit of giggles. “Is that the trick? You play fireman? Does Blaze know?” Tears were streaming down my cheeks. I was the funniest person I knew right now.
Watching me for a second like I was a parlor trick, Talon shook his head. “You could make a preacher cuss.” Then he ushered me out of the restaurant.
The nasty stares from several women only made me laugh harder. When Talon put his arm around my shoulders I stage-whispered to him.
“You should stop it, you’re ruining your chances with Pretty Napkins and Honey Plates.” I pointed at one of them. “Look, she’s pissed off.” I finger-waved at her as Talon hustled us past.
“I’d tell you to watch that pretty mouth of yours because you’ll regret this when you’ve had a chance to sober up, but truth is, I know you won’t.” He might’ve shaken his head.