by Myla Jackson
Joe stuck with him throughout the inspection, noting the best places to run his canines through to check for bombs. Bacchus had been eager to set his nose to the task and would have inspected the entire building by himself if Joe had the time to do a thorough sweep.
As they returned to the front entrance, Arthur and Preston stood to one side, talking about camera angles. Joe was telling Wyatt more about the animals he’d bring the next day when a flash of red hair caught Wyatt’s attention.
Fiona stood with a man in a maintenance uniform pointing at the lights in the ceiling.
“Wyatt, have you heard anything I’ve said?”
A hand waved in Wyatt’s face and he turned to stare at Joe as if he’d just noticed him. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
“You completely zoned out there for a minute.”
Wyatt’s gaze didn’t remain on Joe long. Not when Fiona was so near and gorgeous in her soft gray pencil skirt and orange sherbet blouse.
The wolf whistle next to him yanked him back to Joe.
“Who’s the babe?” Joe asked.
His brows furrowing, Wyatt shot a narrowed glance at Joe. “That’s our fearless leader, Ms. Fiona Allen.” The woman he’d be sleeping with in a couple hours if he could convince her it was a good idea.
“This gig just got better.” Joe clapped his hands together and took off toward her, glancing back at Wyatt. “Aren’t you coming? On second thought, don’t. You’ll cramp my style.”
Wyatt loped to catch up as Joe stuck out his hand to Fiona. “Joseph Goodman.”
Fiona turned a full, captivating smile on him and her entire face lit up.
Someone could have punched him in the gut the way the air left his chest and he couldn’t seem to bring any back in.
“Wow. You’re really pretty,” Joe said, holding her hand longer than was necessary.
Her smile widened and her cheeks flushed. “Well, aren’t you the charmer?”
A stab of something that felt oddly like jealousy knifed through Wyatt’s heart. What the hell? She hadn’t made any promises. She wasn’t his to be jealous about. One kiss did not mean she’d committed herself to him, or him to her.
Then why did he feel like beating his chest like a gorilla and then pounding his friend into a pulp for holding Fiona’s hand longer than was necessary for a friendly greeting?
“Joe here was about to leave. Weren’t you, Joe?” Wyatt gripped his friend’s elbow and tried to steer him away from Fiona.
Bacchus growled and bared wickedly sharp teeth.
Wyatt dropped Joe’s arm and Fiona backed away, her eyes widening.
“Heel,” Joe said. “Don’t worry, Ms. Fiona. He won’t hurt you. He must think Wyatt’s being too aggressive. Bacchus is very sensitive and picks up on others’ emotions.” Joe smiled at Wyatt, though the smile was a bit forced. “I’d love to talk to you more about the sweep I plan to do with the dogs tomorrow. Do you have plans for dinner?”
“As a matter of fact, she does.” Wyatt stepped up beside Fiona and faced Joe. “She’s having dinner with me.”
Fiona’s brows rose high on her forehead. “I am?”
“Yes. Of course you are. We need to go over the details of the convention center security and talk about the hotel.”
“That’s an excellent idea.” Fiona gave him a brilliant smile that made his insides flip. “It would be a great opportunity to put our heads together and get security of our convention goers nailed down so that we don’t have any international incidents.” She turned to Preston, Joe and Arthur. “Of course we’d need the whole team in on the discussion. Would you three please join us for dinner? I’ll also have my assistant attend.”
Wyatt’s stomach dipped. Dinner with a crowd was not what he had in mind. He tried to make eye contact with Joe to let him know he didn’t want him to accept the invitation.
The man didn’t even look his way. “I’d love to.” Joe grinned like a fool, making Wyatt want to knock all his teeth out. “We can talk through my plans to run the dogs through the convention center.”
Preston glanced at his watch. “I can come for a little while, but I have to coordinate with my team before the morning.”
Wyatt watched his chances to woo the pretty Fiona slipping through his fingers. He’d hoped to get to know her, and let her get to know him a little better before they slept in the same room, and hopefully in the same bed.
Fiona clapped her hands. “Well, good. It’s all set then.” She glanced at the clock on her cell phone. “If we could meet at the hotel at seven o’clock, we can find someplace to eat along the River Walk.”
“I’ll be there,” Joe said a little too eagerly.
Wyatt refrained from elbowing him in the gut…just barely.
Preston nodded. “Seven o’clock. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do before tomorrow.” The man hurried off.
“I’d better get back to the video display room.” Arthur shook Fiona’s hand. “I’ll have to check with mi esposa before I commit to dinner tonight. I’ll let you know.”
“I have work to do as well. Since the governor couldn’t get here on time, I’m greeting the Mexican Prime Minister at the airport in less than an hour.” Fiona smiled at Joe, not Wyatt. “I’ll see you two tonight.”
When she’d gone, Wyatt glared at his friend.
Joe’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I meant to have dinner with her. Alone.”
A chuckle rumbled in Joe’s chest and then grew into a full-bellied laugh. “I loved the look on her face when you announced you were having dinner with her.” He rubbed tears from his eyes. “There is no secret to getting a woman to go out with you. You do have to ask, not assume she’ll agree. You’re lucky she didn’t throw it back in your face.”
“Seems as though she did. And I would have asked, but I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“If you want to make points with Fiona, you’d better have her as your main focus.”
Oh, he did. That was the problem.
“Look, if you want me to back off, say the word.” Joe held his hands out, palms up. “I’ll tell her I have a sick dog and can’t make dinner.”
“No. Preston will be there and I’ll be damned if I have to make conversation with him. He’s pretty tight-lipped.”
“I noticed. Should be an interesting evening.” Joe continued to smile. “That Fiona is one hot cookie.”
“She’s not a cookie.” Although she was very hot.
“I know, but it’s really fun pushing your buttons.”
Wyatt crossed his arms. “If we’re done here, I’d like you to check out the hotel where most of the dignitaries are staying, including me. If anyone is going to target a building, it’ll be the hotel or the convention center.” He didn’t add that he’d be staying in the same room with Fiona. Joe didn’t need to know that.
“You really think someone will try something big?”
“In this day, when terrorists bomb marathons and fly planes into buildings, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything.” He started toward the parking lot and turned back to his friend. “You coming?”
“Yeah.” Joe hurried to catch up, Bacchus trotting at his side.
Wyatt spent the rest of the afternoon going over every entrance to the hotel, the security that was in place, and reviewing the camera angles and identifying blind spots in both the electronic surveillance and the personnel assigned as security guards. The hotel had only token security. Wyatt made a note to talk to Fiona and Preston about his plans to beef up the security staff. At least he’d have something to talk about at the dinner table with Joe, Arthur, Preston and Fiona.
The only thing keeping him going all day was the thought of sharing a room with Fiona that night. He’d have to bone up on his seduction skills. Fiona would suffer no fools. If he wanted to get inside her panties, he’d
have only one shot at it. He was damned if he’d blow it.
Fiona was a spitfire with attitude and determination. She’d let nothing stand in the way of making the convention a success. Even him.
After meeting the Mexican delegate at the airport, and a long afternoon of drinking cocktails in the barroom of the hotel, Fiona was counting the minutes until she could escape to her room and take a long, hot bubble bath. By the time she could get away, it was nearing six o’clock.
Hurrying to the elevator, she passed Wyatt with a towel slung around his neck, wearing shorts and flip-flops, probably on his way to the pool or sauna.
Perfect.
She hustled up to the room, showered and changed in record time, half expecting Wyatt to walk in naked like he had before. Her heart rattled in her chest, leaping at every sound.
Rather than get caught nude again, she’d brought all her clothing into the bathroom and dressed there. Every noise, every bump or thump, she jumped and peeked out the door.
Wyatt had yet to return.
By the time she was dressed, her nerves were hopping and she could barely catch her breath. What was wrong with her?
Her hair in place, her makeup just right and having spent as long as she could in the room before heading for the lobby, Fiona finally gave up at a quarter to the hour. Dressed in a slim-fitting pastel green tank-dress that hugged every inch of her body like a glove, she slipped into high-heeled strappy sandals that emphasized her tight calves. She looked more confident than she felt as she headed for the elevator.
When the lift car arrived at her floor, her breath caught and she waited. The door slid open to an empty car. The air left her lungs in a whoosh.
Where the hell was Wyatt? He’d be late if he didn’t get a move on. Then again, good. She wouldn’t wait, if he didn’t show up by seven then she wouldn’t have to sit across from him, wondering what it would be like sleeping in the same room with him later that night.
Yeah, right. That thought had been on her mind all day to the exclusion of all else. She didn’t have time to daydream about a man. She needed focus.
Fiona checked at the front desk to see which of the delegates had arrived, marking them off the list she kept on her cell phone. So far everyone who was supposed to arrive by now had.
With five minutes to spare, she stepped into the lobby.
It was D minus twenty-four. The kickoff started at seven o’clock the following evening with all the major players for this convention milling around, meeting, greeting and networking. Everything had to go exactly as planned. No hiccups. No distractions. No security issues and no thinking about Wyatt Magnus sleeping in the nude.
There she went again. Fiona closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Thinking about me?” a warm deep voice whispered against her ear, melting her like chocolate in the hot Texas sun.
For a moment Fiona leaned toward Wyatt until she realized what she was doing. She pulled herself together and faced him with her best, no-nonsense poker face. “Of course not.” She frowned. “Weren’t you just in the sauna?” Her gaze swept his length.
His hair was damp and his clothes were clean and dry. And he was as sexy in khaki slacks and a polo shirt as he was in shorts. Damn the man.
Wyatt grinned. “I brought my clothes and showered down there to give you some space.”
“Oh.” She blinked, pleased at his thoughtfulness and at the same time, a little disappointed. The latter emotion surprised her. She shook it off and got down to business. “I’m going over the itinerary of the next twenty-four hours.”
“Including who gets the bathroom first tonight?” A grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “I don’t even know if you snore.”
“That’s it.” She started toward the reception desk. “I can’t do this.”
“Wait.” He snagged her arm. “I checked before I hit the sauna. They were scrambling to figure out where they’re going to put the other double-booked guests. I promise, I’ll behave. You won’t even know I’m in the room. And as far as I know, I don’t snore. We’ll be okay. Scout’s honor.”
She gave him a narrow-eyes look. “Were you even a scout?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” He grinned. “My father made me join to keep me off the streets. I was a very active child and he saw what kind of trouble I could be at an early age.”
“I can see that.” She sighed. “Very well. Looks like we’re stuck with each other. But understand this, I have too much riding on the convention. I don’t need any distractions.”
He raised his hands. “I wouldn’t dream of distracting you.”
Yeah well, you already are. Fiona bit down on her tongue to keep from saying it out loud.
“Fiona, there you are.” Maddie, dressed in a summery, floral dress in soft pink, yellow and green, hurried through the front door of the hotel. “I thought I was going to be late.” When she spied Wyatt, her eyes widened. “Well, well, who do we have here?”
Fiona’s teeth ground together as Maddie’s gaze swept Wyatt’s length from gorgeous brown eyes down to the tip of his cowboy boots.
“Maddie Wells, meet Master Sergeant Wyatt Magnus, on loan from the Army to Homeland Security. He’s been placed in charge of the security of this convention.” After making the introduction, Fiona held her breath, waiting for Maddie to gush.
Wyatt took Maddie’s hand and lifted it to his lips. “The pleasure is mine.” He winked at Fiona as he pressed his lips to her assistant’s fingers.
A pretty, rosy blush rose up Maddie’s neck into her cheeks. “You didn’t tell me he was so handsome and charming.”
“I can be, when I want to.” He straightened, holding Maddie’s hand far longer than Fiona deemed necessary.
Her chest tight with a flare of unbidden anger, Fiona stepped out to greet Preston and Joe as they entered the hotel lobby.
“Preston, Joe, glad you made it. Arthur called and said his wife had plans for him, so he won’t be joining us. Shall we go find a place to eat?” She hooked her arm through Joe’s and stepped through the doors leading directly out onto the River Walk.
Preston, Maddie and Wyatt followed.
Fiona tried not to think about Wyatt behind her. But the nape of her neck tingled as if she could feel his gaze on her backside. She hoped her dress wasn’t hitched up in her panties. And if she put a little more sway in her hips, she chalked it up to the high-heeled, strappy sandals. They almost always made her walk like a model on the runway, one foot in front of the other.
They settled on one of the Tex-Mex restaurants with patio seating overlooking the river and a band playing an eclectic mixture of Latin American and soft rock music in the corner by the bar. As the sun set, the twinkle lights adorning the trees and bridges along the River Walk blinked to life. With the soft lighting, the background music and the warm summer night, it would have been a perfect evening for a romantic dinner for two. Glancing across the table, Fiona caught Wyatt’s gaze on her. A perfect evening for two if she wasn’t working through dinner, and if she didn’t have a convention to keep on track.
After everyone had placed an order, Fiona pulled out her work tablet and started the discussion. “Are we set for tomorrow?” Without waiting for a response, she turned to Joe. “The dogs will start through the convention center at nine in the morning, complete by two in the afternoon, at which time you’ll bring them to the hotel.”
Joe smiled. “That sounds about right.”
Wyatt turned to the supervisor of the hired security team. “Preston already has people in place, augmenting the convention center permanent staff.”
Preston nodded. “I’ll have additional staff at the entrances when the vendors arrive tomorrow and the day the convention starts. I’ll also have eight of my personnel at the function tomorrow night. They will be dressed as wait staff or businessmen, to keep it from appeari
ng too obvious.”
Fiona stared down at her tablet, her list of notes blurring as she internalized the schedule. “The meet-and-greet is at seven o’clock tomorrow night. Maddie, you and I will arrive in the hotel ballroom an hour early and stay until the last person leaves.”
“Got it, boss.” Maddie gave her a mock salute.
“Which leaves you.” Fiona stared across at Wyatt. “Mr. Magnus, what exactly will you be doing during all this time?”
Wyatt’s eyebrows dipped and then smoothed. “I’ll be looking for weaknesses.” His lips tilted upward on the corners. “And you?”
A shiver of excitement rippled across her. She had to swallow hard to loosen her vocal cords. “I’ll be circulating through the meet-and-greet and then through the convention center the next day. Some of the delegates have a known propensity for drama. I want to curtail any scenes before the press gets wind of it.”
“You can’t be everywhere at once,” Joe said.
Fiona nodded. “Precisely. That’s why Maddie will be assisting me in circulating. Each one of us will be equipped with a radio headset. If anything happens, we’ll be able to call on each other immediately.” She smiled at Joe. “I’m not certain you’ll be there throughout, but if you are, you will be rigged with radio communications as well.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Joe grinned at Wyatt. “It’ll be like on active duty, only our teammates will be dressed to the nines, not covered in sand and smelling like last week’s sweat socks.”
Maddie turned to Joe. “What branch of service, Joe?”
“Army Special Forces.” His chest puffed out. “Three tours to the sandbox, and I was lucky enough to live to tell about it.”
Wyatt’s jaw tightened as his gaze rested on his friend.
“What about you, Preston?” Fiona turned her attention to the man beside her. “I understand you are prior service.”
Preston’s gaze narrowed. “Yeah.”
“What branch?” she pressed.
“Marine Corps,” he answered, his voice clipped, a frown settling between his brows. The man obviously didn’t want to talk about it.