by Radclyffe
“Everyone is always leaving.”
It must feel that way sometimes, Reese thought. Your mother. Caroline. Me. Bri’s face was turned away so that Reese couldn’t see her, but she didn’t need to to know her blue eyes would be clouded with misery. “Caroline came back. So will I.”
“I know. Sorry,” Bri mumbled.
Reese pulled away just enough to let Bri stand on her own, but she kept her arm around her. “I’m going to miss you something fierce.” She tapped Bri’s chin. “Look after yourself.”
Bri nodded. “I know you’ll be really busy, but maybe sometime—”
Reese patted her chest pocket. “I’ve got a list of important e-mail addresses right here. Yours is on top.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Bri straightened. “So I’ll be talking to you.”
“You will.” Reese bent down and hefted her duffel. “Ready?”
“Yes ma’am.”
*
Carter heaved herself out of the deck chair where she’d been sitting most of the night. After Rica had left, she couldn’t sleep, so she’d opened another beer and returned to the deck, trying to sort out her thoughts. Allen was playing the odds as far as Rica was concerned—betting that because Rica was the only child and the presumed next in line to head the Pareto family that Rica was actually involved in the business. It was a reasonable assumption, but there was very little hard evidence to substantiate the theory. A few surveillance photos showing known mob affiliates entering Rica’s gallery, making purchases or deliveries, was hardly proof of anything. Rica was on a first-name basis with some pretty heavy hitters, but her primary interaction with them was at family gatherings, precisely because they were friends of the family whom she had known since she was a child. Not damning in itself.
Despite having gotten close to some of Pareto’s highly placed captains, Carter had yet to hear anything suggesting that Rica was giving orders or involved in any of the Pareto enterprises.
“Christ, I’ve been at more important meetings then she seems to have been,” Carter muttered. At some point when she had finally admitted that she just couldn’t face her empty bed and her tangled thoughts, she had gotten up to get a jacket. She’d sipped her beer, watched fingers of clouds flirt with the moon, and replayed the feel of Rica’s mouth against hers.
Despite the cold, she’d dozed on and off, and now the first blush of pink teased along the horizon. She went back inside, changed into shorts and running shoes, and headed toward Herring Cove. She needed to run off the beer and sweat out the heat that Rica’s kiss had stirred in her belly, because she had a feeling it might be a long time before she got that close to the elusive Mafia heiress again.
*
Rica struggled beneath Enzo’s suffocating weight. His breath was hot on her neck, his hands rough on her skin, his hard lust bruising her flesh. She jerked her face away from his mouth and came awake with a gasp.
Shivering, she threw the covers aside and pulled a robe from a nearby chair. Wrapping it quickly around herself, she opened the French doors to her deck and stepped out into the dawn. The sky flamed purple and orange as the sun rose over the water. She braced her hands on the wooden railing and breathed the crisp salt air, letting it cleanse her. Closing her eyes, she touched her lips and remembered the soft glide of Carter’s mouth.
For just a moment, she regretted not sleeping with Carter the night before. If she had, she would not have met Enzo and been reminded of his unwelcome touch. If she had let Carter complete her seduction, she could have lost herself for a few hours in the comfort of shared desire. It wasn’t something she allowed herself often, and usually she limited the liaisons to women she knew only casually. Somehow Carter felt like more than that already.
As the erratic beat of her heart steadied and the queasiness left her stomach, Rica took in the peaceful vista that stretched from below her home to the ocean. A lone runner jogged along the footpath that snaked through the dunes on the water’s edge. In the distance, a needle-thin red kayak crested the waves, headed toward Race Point. Overhead, a small twin-engine plane climbed into the sky on its journey to Boston.
Alone on her deck, Rica felt an inexplicable connection to those solitary souls as they shared the beauty of the dawn.
Chapter Twelve
Carter stopped in the nearly empty parking lot at Herring Cove to catch her breath and to watch the last of the sunrise. A few RVs and a Jeep Cherokee were the only vehicles in sight. As she bent forward slightly, breathing deeply, inhaling salt and spray and the indefinable taste of the sea, she watched a kayaker paddle to shore. The kayaker climbed out into the surf when the craft was a few feet from shore, stumbling a little before grabbing the edge of the cockpit for balance. Carter saw then that the kayaker was a woman, and it looked as if she was having difficulty getting the craft onto the beach.
Carter started across the sand, and, as she came closer, realized that the moisture on the woman’s face was more than sea spray. She was crying.
She was also very beautiful. Waves of auburn hair fell to her shoulders, surrounding an oval face with delicately arched cheekbones, a fine straight nose, and a sculpted jaw. Despite the early hour and the predictable chill, she wore shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt beneath her PFD. When she stripped off the vest and tossed it into the cockpit, her damp T-shirt clung to her high, full breasts. Her arms and legs were nicely toned and the rest of her figure followed suit. She had some kind of brace on her right ankle. Carter lifted a hand in greeting. “Can I help you with that?”
Tory blinked and brushed at the tears on her cheeks. When she’d seen the taillights of the cruiser disappear into the dark and realized that Reese was really gone, she’d known she wouldn’t sleep. She had bundled up the baby and taken her to Jean and Kate’s. They were used to her showing up at all hours when she had an emergency call and Reese was working, so they had taken Reggie and spared her any questions. Kate had given her a long look, and maybe whatever she had seen in Tory’s eyes had been answer enough. The tears had been very close to the surface even then.
Once out on the water and settled into her rhythm, she had been fine, really. When the plane had lifted off and climbed slowly in a low arc above her head, she had watched, paddle resting across her bow, and imagined Reese looking out the window. “Be safe, baby,” she had whispered.
Even on her way back she’d held on to some of the harmony she always achieved when her mind and body became one with the sea. It wasn’t until she’d scanned the parking lot, unconsciously expecting to see Reese’s cruiser as she had almost every day in the years they had been together, that the vacant spot where Reese should have been waiting blossomed inside her chest to leave her feeling hollow. And she had lost her battle with the tears.
“I’m sorry,” Carter said gently and started to back away when she got no answer. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“No,” Tory said hoarsely, “that’s all right.” The churning waves dragged at her kayak as she awkwardly pulled it higher onto the sand. “You’re not.”
Carter reached for the strap on the nose of the kayak. “It’s pretty cold out here. Aren’t you freezing?”
“I’m still warm from paddling. I’ve got a jacket in the car.” Tory held out her hand. “Tory King.”
“Carter Wayne. Hello.” Carter took note of the gold wedding band, still wondering about the tears. Since she couldn’t think of any way of asking that wouldn’t be awkward and embarrassing, she kept silent as they carried the kayak the rest of the way up the beach and lifted it onto the roof rack of the Jeep Cherokee she had passed in the parking lot.
“Thanks. I’ve got it from here,” Tory said as she looped the tie-down straps through the front and rear handles and secured them to the bumpers.
“Okay. Nice meeting—” Carter stopped when a police cruiser slammed to a stop behind the Jeep and a young woman in uniform jumped out. Carter wasn’t sure why, but the look on the officer’s face was decidedly
mistrustful.
“Everything all right, Tory?” Bri said.
“Yes. Bri, this is Carter Wayne. Carter, Officer Bri Parker.”
Parker. The sheriff’s daughter? Carter extended her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m an attorney here in town. Just getting moved in.”
“Hi,” Bri said, her attention on Tory. “Reese said you’d probably be here. She said she’d call from the base when she gets in if she can.”
Tory smiled. “Thanks.” She glanced at Carter. “My partner. Her Marine reserve unit was just called up.”
And there goes half my backup. Carter looked from Tory to Bri, who still regarded her suspiciously. “That’s tough.”
“Well, it was sudden,” Tory agreed. “We’re just getting adjusted.” She touched Bri’s cheek gently for a second. “I’ve got to get home and change. I’ll be at the clinic later. Reggie is at Kate’s.” She opened the car door and smiled at Carter. “It was nice meeting you. Welcome to Provincetown.”
“You too.” Carter met Bri’s steady stare and nodded. “Officer.”
Bri touched her cap and climbed back into her cruiser. Through the open window she said, “Have a nice day.”
Carter kept her smile in check as the cruiser backed out and sped away. Parker wasn’t a rookie, but not far from it. And with Reese Conlon out of the picture, she’d have big shoes to fill. Great. Nelson Parker is a desk jockey and Parker the Younger is hardly seasoned. And she looks like she has a temper. Terrific.
Carter clenched her jaw, becoming increasingly uneasy about the entire assignment. It just didn’t feel right. The target didn’t feel right. Well, actually, she did. Too right, and that was part of the problem. Because Rica wasn’t the first woman Carter had needed to get close to while undercover, but she was the first that it bothered her to lie to. And now her primary contact had just taken off for parts unknown. She took a deep breath and tried to dispel the feeling that something was off. She glanced up at the million-dollar houses sitting on the overlook facing the bay. Rica lived up there somewhere. She wasn’t certain which house was hers from this vantage point, but she caught a glimpse of movement out on one of the decks. She squinted in the sunlight but was barely able to make out the figure of a woman. Her heart kicked in her chest and her stomach tensed as she felt the heat of Rica’s mouth again.
“Get a grip, Carter. Jesus.” With a shake of her head, Carter looked away from the shadowy figure and started to run.
*
“Hello?” A sleepy voice said when the phone was answered.
Rica smiled. “Hi, Ang. What are you doing?”
“It’s six thirty in the morning, Rica. What do you think I’m doing? I’m sleeping.”
“Alone?”
“At the moment, yes. Three hours ago, I wasn’t sleeping. And I wasn’t alone.”
“Was he worth losing sleep over?”
A sound that was half purr, half moan came through the line. “Oh, yeah. Big broad shoulders, big strong thighs, big thick—”
“I get it,” Rica said, laughing. “Was this a regular or just a one-time side dish?”
“I don’t know. He’s got the potential to be a steady menu item.” Another lusty sigh, and then Angie said, sounding much more alert, “So what are you doing?”
“Remember those super high-powered binoculars you got me for bird watching when you knew I was moving here?”
“The ones you informed me you would never use because you never go bird watching?”
“Those would be the ones.”
“I remember.”
“Well, I’m using them to spy on people instead.”
“Really?” Angie said with interest. “Who?”
Rica leaned her elbows on the railing and held the powerful Zeiss binoculars to her eyes with one hand and the phone to her ear with the other.
“At the moment, I’m watching a very sexy woman run along the beach. Great shoulders, excellent thighs, and a nice tight—”
Angie’s laughter interrupted her.
“Well, she’s worth whatever you paid for these,” Rica murmured.
“Do you know this woman or are you just turning into some kind of peeping Thomasina?”
“I don’t actually know her.” Rica watched Carter disappear into the scrub at the far end of the parking lot where the bike trail started its course through the dunes. “But I can tell you that she’s a great kisser.”
“Whoa. Back up. You don’t know her, but you’ve kissed her?”
“I met her at my father’s house a few weeks ago, and I had—almost had—dinner with her last night.”
“Rica, you’re not making any sense. How can you almost have dinner? And since when do you date family friends?”
“We’re not dating,” Rica said, her attention still focused on the dune trail where she expected to see Carter reemerge. “I told you, we barely know each other.”
“But you’re watching her at six thirty in the morning through binoculars. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing to tell.”
Was there? When Rica had first glimpsed the runner, she’d gotten the prickly sensation that she recognized the figure. Just out of curiosity, she’d found the binoculars she’d tossed into a kitchen drawer and taken a closer look. When she had seen it was Carter, she couldn’t look away. The little interlude on the beach with the very attractive kayaker still left her mildly…perturbed. She’d followed Carter on her trek down the beach, and then back up in the company of the woman carrying the kayak. And then the little conversation by the Jeep. Carter had leaned against the vehicle, all tight-bodied and wind-blown, looking spectacularly sexy.
Since Rica couldn’t tell anything from the body language and she couldn’t read lips, she was left to imagine the conversation. It was perfectly clear that Carter was being gallant, and what woman wouldn’t enjoy that kind of attention from someone as good-looking and charming as Carter? If they were anywhere else in the world, Rica might not have thought anything of it, but this was Provincetown and two women lingering together on a beach at sunrise most often spelled mutual attraction.
And what of it? She’d already made it very clear to Carter that she wasn’t interested in pursuing anything of a personal nature with her. Well, not anything beyond a pleasant interlude. Or two. Still, the image of the other woman smiling at Carter kept intruding on her thoughts.
“Rica?”
“Hmm? Sorry, what?”
“I said it sounds like this one has gotten under your skin.”
“Not at all,” Rica said with certainty.
“So what’s the story with the kiss?”
Rica sighed. “Oh, it was just one of those things. She was just testing the waters.”
“And did you invite her in for a dip?”
“No,” Rica said with a laugh. “I informed her that I might be interested in something casual. And the operative word was might.”
“How long has it been since you’ve had a serious relationship?”
Rica frowned. Angie might be her best friend, but Rica still didn’t like to be interrogated about her personal life. It had been hard enough as a teenager trying to have friends when they learned exactly what it was her father did for a living. She had been embarrassed by her friends’ curiosity and the need to offer explanations. As an adult, intimate relationships were even more problematic, and it was just so much simpler to avoid them. But she wasn’t thinking about a relationship. She was thinking about Carter in bed. “More to the point, how long has it been since I’ve had sex.”
“I take it she’s at least a good candidate in that department?”
“If the kiss is any indication of the rest of her skills, most definitely.”
“So? Why don’t you do something about it?”
“I don’t know,” Rica mused. “If I hadn’t first seen her at the house, maybe.”
“Well, you’re not in Boston now, so why don’t you just think of this as a little side trip. You can kee
p it separate from everything else.”
“That’s a nice fantasy, but you know it’s impossible.”
“I can’t remember the last time you mentioned a woman who even interested you. This one sounds like it’s more than that. Take a chance.”
Rica shook her head ruefully. Taking chances was exactly what she couldn’t afford to do. “Are you coming out to visit soon?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“You noticed.”
Angie laughed. “As soon as I can. Call me with updates. I want to hear everything.”
“I’ll call you, but there won’t be any updates.”
When Rica hung up, she scanned the dunes with the binoculars again, but she saw no sign of Carter. Take a chance. When was the last time she’d done that? When was the last time she’d wanted to?
On impulse, she hurried inside.
*
Carter swiped at the sweat on her brow with her bare forearm and stared at the woman walking toward her on the side of the road. She slowed and tried not to appear as if she were short of breath.
“Is this just a lucky coincidence?” Carter asked.
Smiling, Rica shook her head. “Actually, no. I happened to notice you when I was standing out on my deck.”
Carter turned in a circle, frowning. “Where?”
Rica gestured to the hill behind them. “There.”
Carter whistled, even though she had known that’s where Rica lived. “Nice view.”
“At times.”
Grinning, Carter said, “I hope this morning was one of them.”
Rica did another of those slow sexy scans, starting at the top of Carter’s head, moving down over her sweat-stained T-shirt to the expanse of long, lean bare legs. “It had its memorable moments.”
“So are you heading to the beach?”
“No. I realized that I was a terrible guest last evening and I thought I’d make up for it by offering you coffee and something to eat this morning.”