She turned toward him and pressed her body against his. "Sure." She kissed him squarely on the mouth just for the pure pleasure of it. "Tell me, Nick. How do I fit into this little scheme of yours? Was it all just a device to get me to spend the night? And into your bed? Just for fun?"
"You misunderstand my intentions, mi vida. The scheme, as you put it, didn't originally include you at all. Then I found how perfectly we fit together. This is where we belong, Alex." He moved over her and molded his length to hers. "Just like this."
"Nick, listen. . ." She was pleasurably caught in the vise of his strong legs.
"I’m listening to your body, calling for me." He cradled her head between his hands and kissed her deeply. "You've pushed me too far, Alex. I can't go back. Can't think. Mornings are a beautiful time for making love," he murmured between kisses.
"Love? Are we making love, Nick?" she asked coyly.
"Yeah." He grinned devilishly as his hips moved sensuously. "This is love, isn’t it?”
“But will it last?" She moaned softly as he thrust into her, filling her with his passionate strength.
There was no answer to her mumbled question.
In a silent fury they rose to passion's ecstasy. The peaks seemed to be even higher than those they'd reached the night before, and Alex settled into a feathery never-never land encompassed by Nick's arms. "I love you ..." she whispered and drifted off to sleep again. With him.
The sun was high when they woke the second time. Alex nuzzled his chest, resting her head on the muscular expanse. What a pleasure to awake in Nick's secure arms, to know he was close, to make exquisite love with him. Was it love? Her heart told her yes. But her mind was still whirling with questions. "Nick . . . you awake?"
"No," he mumbled. "This is too perfect. I don't want to disturb what we have." "It's been too good." He caressed the arm she flung over him.
She pressed her palm to his heart. “Sometimes there’s too much of a good thing.”
“Never.”
"Nick, tell me about you? The truth, not this fake Nick down here in a trumped up business. I feel ... I feel almost as if I've gone to bed with a stranger because I don’t know exactly about you."
"Fake Nick?” he scoffed. “Was I fake last night? That was the real me.”
“That was just one aspect.”
“Well, what do you want to know?"
She felt encouraged. Now she would get answers to all those questions that plagued her. "I want to know everything about you, personally. Where are you really from? Do you have a family? If you have a wife somewhere, I’ll kill you!”
“Do you have a husband somewhere? He might be on my trail right now.”
“No, of course not. I was engaged once, but that didn’t work out. What about you? Brothers? Sisters? How old are you? How long have you been in Mexico? Why, really, are you here?"
His answers came readily and required no thinking. "I'm from Oregon. My parents still live there, on the family farm. My only brother lives on the adjoining property. I'm thirty-five. I've been in Mexico about a year . . . and I'm trying to find a little girl for a beautiful American woman!"
"But Nick, what are you doing in Mexico?"
"Running a helicopter tour service."
"Besides that."
"That's it."
"No it isn’t," she insisted. "I know something else's going on. Tell me. Trust me."
“I can’t.” He paused for the first time since her questions started. "I can't tell you."
"Why not? Is it illegal?"
He took a deep breath. "Now isn't the time to go into this. You'll just have to trust me, Alex."
She tightened inside. "It's hard when I have so many questions."
His hand rested on her bare shoulder. "I haven't deceived you yet, Alex, have I? Or given you reason to doubt me?"
"No, I guess not. But, I'm not satisfied with that. I want to know more. What did you do before you came to Mexico?"
"Ran helicopter tours over the Grand Canyon."
"Is that all?" She held her breath. Somehow she couldn't imagine Nick Diamond satisfied with merely taking tourists here and there, even in a helicopter.
"No." He shifted in frustration. "But don't ask. I can't tell you. Believe me, it's for your own safety, Alex."
She pondered the enigmatic answer for a while, then asked softly, "Were you ever married?"
"Years ago. I was a pilot in the Navy. Came back a changed man. But you couldn't do . . . what I did and not be changed. My wife didn't like what I had become. In fact, neither did I. But she didn't have time for me to get my head straight, and I had no choice ... so we called it quits."
"Any kids?"
"No."
“Was it awful, where you were?”
"What I’ve seen makes Mexico look like the Ritz." He chuckled. "I was a chicken hawk, a pilot. I’ve flown a chopper into the thick of battle. It was hell on wings, Alex, and that's why I enjoy what we have here. Every day is a pure pleasure, especially with you. You're soft and warm and . . . how about sharing that warm shower with me?" He shifted and swung his feet over the side of the bed.
She shrieked with happiness and joined him in the shower.
Later they found a lovely place for brunch of scrambled eggs and chorizo. Then they spent part of the afternoon walking on the beach, talking. Alex told him why she came to Mexico in the first place; how she applied to become an exchange professor after her love affair with Jack Kingsley fell apart. And how she fell in love with the country of Mexico, the culture, the people, and especially little Jenni. She talked about her disappointment in her precarious job situation and her fears about leaving before finding Jenni.
Nick draped his arm over her shoulder, and eventually they walked back to town. They ended up at a little sidewalk cafe. They ordered beer and nachos, thick with jalapenos.
“When are we going home?"
He smiled. "Soon, maybe."
She rolled her eyes. "Wonderful answer."
He shrugged. "It's the best I can do."
"What are we waiting on?"
“I can’t tell you that, either.”
The drank the beer, munched the nachos and ordered more beer. More waiting. Finally a boy appeared with a message. Nick left money on the table and didn't read the scribbled note the boy had delivered until they were inside a cab. He gave her an easy grin. "It's on."
"What? Home?" Alex didn't even know what the hell he was talking about but she smiled eagerly.
"Not yet. Later. After dark."
"Wait! What's on? Why after dark?"
"Can't tell you. But trust me. We leave tonight."
She groaned and slumped against the cab seat.
He moved to whisper in her ear. "Gives us time for . . . you know ..."
She giggled and turned away, looking at the brightly painted houses as they sped along.
They lifted off at dusk. Alex's spirits were high even though the trip hadn't produced her darling Jenni. She had gained something else, a new and exciting relationship with Nick—and she prayed it wouldn't interfere with the search for Jenni, causing Nick to lose interest in her plight simply because he'd succeeded in getting her into his bed. Oh, God, that sounded so crude, reducing the beauty they'd shared to mere sexual satisfaction. It wasn't like that between them at all. Nick wasn't that kind of man. At least, she hoped not.
Before the lights of Guaymas were fully behind them, Nick was setting the helicopter down again.
"Where are we? Why are we going down out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"Now, listen, Alex," Nick began patiently, "don't say a word. And ignore whatever you hear. Sit here until I tell you to move. Then you can help me load."
"Load what?"
"The, uh, cargo."
Her eyes peered sharply into the darkness below. "Cargo?"
"No questions, please, Alex. Just—" They bounced to a halt on the ground.
"I know," she interrupted with a groan. "Just be quiet and do what I
tell you."
"You've got it," he breathed low then hopped out into the darkness.
Alex could hear Nick conversing in Spanish. Others were there but she couldn't tell how many. Or who they were. She strained to pick up the exchange. Ignore whatever you hear, he’d warned. Damn! It was hard to quell her curiosity!
Soon Nick slid open the door to the rear cabin of the helicopter. "Come on and help."
"Sure, if it'll speed up the trip." She slid to the ground. "What is that awful racket?"
Nick cast a glance toward their simple cargo.
There were only a few crates but the noise coming from that direction was astounding. He pointed to three quiet boxes stacked on top of each other. "Let's get them first."
Alex eagerly bent to lift one end of the oblong box. "What's in here? Lead?"
"This must be the boa."
"Boa?" she squealed and dropped her end of the crate.
"Damn, Alex! Now look what you've done! One side is completely loose!" He lunged against it as the arm-sized monster inside slithered against the gaping slats.
Alex's fear quickly reached the panicky stage and she wailed, "Oh, my God, Nick! It's going to escape!"
"Not as long as I'm holding this box together! And since I'm occupied, you'll have to get me the hammer. In the chopper, Alex. Go!"
"W-where?"
"It's in a tool box, just inside the sliding door. Next to the paper bag with the whiskey. You might even take a swig if you're feeling too jittery. Bring it over here too. Along with the canteen of water."
"Oh, no, you don't. I want you to keep a clear head to get us out of here!"
"Get the hammer," he intoned impatiently. "The whiskey isn't for me. It's for them." He nodded his head toward the squawking crates.
"Chickens?" she asked incredulously.
"Exotic tropical birds," he expelled angrily. "Will you please get me that hammer before I have this thing draped around my neck? And bring extra nails too!"
Alex hurried to the helicopter and returned with the requested items, including the paper bag of whiskey. Handing him the hammer, she held the nails out to him in a shaky, sweaty palm. "How did I get mixed up with a deal like this? What's going to happen next, Nick Diamond? First we pretend that we're married and looking to buy a child. Then we have to spend the night unexpectedly. Now you're hauling boas, for God's sake! And chickens or birds or whatever is squawking over there. Not once did you ask if I minded. Nor did you tell me what you were doing or why or even when. You just made the announcement and expected me to trail along like a little puppy. I came over here for a reason and it sure as hell had nothing to do with birds! Or with boas!"
He took the last nail from her hand and tapped it into the crate. "There. That should do it."
"Should? What if it doesn't hold that . . . that slimy creature in? What if—"
"He isn't slimy. Here. Touch."
She jumped away like a frightened toad. "Are you completely out of your mind? I wouldn't touch that thing if my life depended on it!"
Nick folded his arms and stared into her face. "Are you finished with your tirade? I don't think I can stand listening to you and those damn birds at the same time!"
"Dammit, Nick, I'm tired of this crazy stuff. And scared. And I want to get out of here."
"So do I. But this won't cut it. I have work to do. Now, if you aren't going to help, go sit in the chopper. I'll do this by myself. I'm not leaving without the cargo."
She wheeled about, her first instinct hurling her back to the safety of the helicopter.
"But if you want to speed this process up a bit, you could help."
She turned back around with a deep sigh. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"
"First, shut up. Then, help me carry these crates."
Alex gritted her teeth together and lifted one end of the crate. They hauled the three quiet boxes to the helicopter and she tried not to look inside. She could tell that all of them contained some kind of reptile. She shuddered as Nick threw old rags loosely over them, hiding them from view.
"Now, the challenge." He motioned to her. "Where's the whiskey?" Nick poured a few drops of the intoxicating liquid into a half-rusted tuna can, then added some water from the canteen. "Okay, you little squawkers. This'll make you mellow and quiet. Bottoms up." He opened one end of the crate and slid the can inside for the birds to drink.
One particularly aggressive parrot with a brilliant red head and lime-green body slithered past his hand. "This one's getting away. Catch him, Alex!"
Without even thinking, Alex lunged for the bird. She clamped her hands around the wiggling feathered body. Just as she smiled in satisfaction at Nick, the bird brandished his only available weapon, his beak.
"Ow! Damn!"
With a desperate fluttering of wings, the bird escaped into the blackness.
"Hell, Alex, you let him get away!"
"He bit me, Nick!"
Nick looked at her in exasperation. "There goes money on the wing."
"Looks like a little Mexican parrot to me," she jibed. "A free Mexican parrot." Alex grasped his arm. "Please, Nick. Let them all go. I don't know what you're doing or why you're doing it, but it doesn't look good. It just isn't right to keep them penned up like this, and give them whiskey, for God's sake—" She drew a frantic breath. "Oh, Nick, let them all go free."
He gazed at her stricken face. Maybe it was a mistake, after all, to bring her along. She was so honest and sympathetic. Her sense of justice was so straight down the middle, she was idealistic. She knew nothing about the harshness of the real world. Could he trust her to keep her mouth shut about this?
"I can't let them go, Alex. I have to do it. More rests on this than these few crates of birds. Now, if you can't help me, get back in the chopper. I'll do it alone. But I'll do it." His dark eyes looked hard with determination and the rest of him blended in with the darkness around them.
He was suddenly a frightening sight. Alex wondered if she knew him at all. Was this man with the evil eyes the same one who made love so wonderfully? She shuddered and looked away. She had no alternative. Begrudgingly, she helped him.
Those birds that seemed listless were taken out of the crate and laid out individually. All were then hidden with canvas and the rags Jose had included. Finally they were ready to lift off, loaded with an impressive variety of exotic birds. Large groggy scarlet macaws, elegant snow-white cockatoos, small gray cockatiels with bright orange cheeks, and common red-headed and green-bodied Mexican parrots kept company with the boas. The cargo was now quiet.
As they flew back under cover of darkness, Alex's head whirled with confusion. Just when she thought she knew Nick Diamond and could trust him, he popped up with another crazy scheme that seemed damn close to being illegal. Smuggling! That was the rumor in Hermosillo about him. At this moment, she was damned if she didn't believe it. What else could she think? Why else would he be transporting all those exotic birds? And boas, of all things! She knew there were quotas on bringing animals into the States and she supposed it held equally for birds. There were quarantine periods because of diseases and inoculations and tariffs.
But why would Nick do such a thing as smuggle birds? For the money? After all, he had said of the escaping parrot, ‘there goes money on the wing’. Why, he was as bad as that awful Raul who found a baby for them to buy, from his own family.
She gazed sideways at Nick. His angular face was half-shadowed, his dark eyes steady and looking straight ahead, his chin set. Could he be involved in illegal activities? He'd told her no, but was he telling her the truth? Even though some of her questions had been answered during this intimate weekend with Nick, a hundred more had surfaced.
Jose met them at the airport and had a cab waiting for Alex. He conferred briefly with Nick while she scrambled out of the helicopter.
"Alex." Nick reached her side before she could climb in the cab. "Alex, I know this is hard, but you'll just have to trust me. Can I . . . depend on you to—"
"Is that what you think?” He moved closer to her. “What about last night? Don’t you trust me yet?"
She looked down, feeling crushed. "I ... I don't know what to think. I just know I can't deal with your cynicism. I don't understand it."
"No more than I can reason with your idealism."
"Not idealism," she countered with an upraised chin. "Sense of fairness. It isn't fair, what we saw yesterday with that baby. Even tonight . . ." she gestured futilely.
"That's idealistic nonsense."
"How can you say that? You're an American too. Fairness and justice are what our country is based on."
"Justice? Fairness?" he scoffed. "You forget about my military service in countries that stone women and hire suicide bombers to kill innocent people. Tell me what’s fair about that? What were you doing while I was watching my buddies die?" He turned away from her sharply. He hadn't intended to explode about all that pain.
"Nick . . . Nick?" She took his hand and brought it to her cheek. "I . . . I'm sorry."
He took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have said all that. You had nothing to do with my life."
"But I do now. Or you have something to do with mine. I haven't decided yet if our involvement was one of my more foolish acts." She reached for the cab door but Nick's hand closed over hers.
"Alex . . ." He paused as she looked up at him. "I hope you decide it wasn't for nothing."
"For a while I thought it was wonderful."
"It was." He bent and kissed her quickly. "Come to the office tomorrow after work. There's been a new development."
She was suddenly alert. "About Jenni? What?"
He shook his head. "Tomorrow. You get some rest tonight." He opened the door and gave instructions to the driver.
When Alex arrived home, her phone was ringing. "Hola?"
"Alex, where on earth have you been? I've been trying to reach you for two days!" Rosemary’s voice was high-pitched and excited.
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