Until Noon (5 page)

Tell me who you are. I promise to do the same. We owe it to ourselves to do that.

Wouldn’t you say?”

He was too kind. So gorgeous with a large dose of gentlemanly manners to boot. “I

agree. So here goes. The night we met I was out on the town with my two best friends

for the first time in nearly a year. I hadn’t gone out drinking or dancing or even to a movie in forever, it seemed, because I was recovering from a long-term relationship that had gone bust. When you and I had such instant chemistry, I was shocked. Delighted.

Maybe it was the schnapps talking, but I knew I connected with you long before we

ever physically hooked up. How’s that for getting to know me?”

“A good start.” He motioned for the waiter to bring them coffee. “Tell me more.”

“The man I was living with for nearly a year was in the same division as I. In fact,

he was my superior and our relationship was forbidden by EU regulations.”

“Then that’s the reason why you object to us being more than colleagues.”

He got it. “Yes. He and I lived together despite the rules. Sexual attraction

is…powerful.”

“Undeniable,” he said, his index finger stroking hers.

His touches chipped away at her reserve. “It ignores all rules.”

“So when you left me that night, what ran through your head?”

“That I had let myself be carried away again by animal magnetism. That it was only

my starved hormones driving me. Or that I couldn’t choose a man on the basis of

personality,” she said, gesturing to him, “only his to-die-for face and his killer abs.”

“Oh, well. I am more than my face and abs.” He gave her that lopsided grin again.

“Hey, don’t I know firsthand!” She ogled him playfully, and he had the good grace

to chuckle.

“Give me the chance to show you all the other things I am.”

She frowned. “I’m not a good bet for that.”

“Why?”

“I’m opinionated.”

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Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

“
That
I see.”

She chastised him with a sideways glance. “And impatient.”

“Oh, lady.” He guffawed. “I could hope!”

The heat of her blush set her cheeks ablaze. She put her hand to her face. “Don’t

tease me.”

He leaned across the table. “No, I won’t, honey. I’ll be honest. Even blunt. Are you

up for that?”

She raised her face, ready for the challenge, professional and personal. “I am. I’ll

even return the favor.”

He clapped a hand to his chest. “Be still my heart.”

“Get the check, big boy. We have a rug to cut.”

Within minutes, they strolled along the wide
Ramblas
arm-in arm. His hold was firm, his torso warm and solid. Her long skirt fluttered in the breezes and caught

between his legs so that they had to stop a few times to become untangled. To be this close to him was fun. It was also reassuring, refreshing and insanely appealing. He

seemed like a classical statue come to life beside her and she yearned to hug him close and feel each plane and curve.

“The tango club is to the left at the next corner.” He smiled down at her and she

shivered. “Are you cold? The wind has picked up off the sea. Here.” He disengaged

himself from her, shrugged out of his jacket and flung it over her bare shoulders. Then he pulled her in to stand flush against him.

God, he was a beautiful man. Long dusky lashes. Large heavy-lidded eyes. Sweet

sinful mouth.

His lips brushed hers, once, twice. And then his mouth possessed her own, stealing

her breath and her mind. “Pilar, I’ve watched you eat for hours. Seen these lips move over forks and spoons and been crazy with need. Forgive me, honey, but I had to taste you.”

In her low-cut gypsy blouse, she felt her breasts swell in need. Eager to be closer to him, she pulled him near. “Do it again.”

He checked her eyes, seeking the truth of her words, then cupped her face with his

large hands and took her mouth with his own. His possession set her floating on air,

wanting him.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him back. He was real, and she had questioned over

the years if she had imagined him. He was kind, and she had wondered if she had

simply ascribed that quality to him out of lonely fantasy. He was hot-blooded and now she was not afraid of how the sexual female in her craved him.

He tore his mouth from hers, gasping. With a curse, he backed her to the wall and

with gentle fingers, lifted her chin and devoured her mouth again.

Limp with desire, she kissed him god knew how many times.

24

Until Noon

Then he moved away, tugging her forward. His eyes were wide, the look of a wild

man about him. “Enough of that. Dancing is what we’re going to do.”

He smiled at her, securing his jacket around her shoulders. Her eyes flew wide

when someone bumped into them, pushing her against him. A thin street mugger had

fallen against them as he clumsily tried to rob an elderly lady strolling with her friend.

The thug tugged at the woman’s purse.

But he whirled on Raul, his arm around his throat. Raul bucked, throwing him off

and hurling him against the stone wall.

Pilar’s eyes widened as a body slid from the alley. A pickpocket with no skill had

created a diversion while a shadowy figure stole out of the alley and reached for Pilar.

She spun away.

Raul went for the gun in his pocket, one arm on his attacker.

Instinct ruled Pilar. She bent, lifted her hem and reached inside her boot. Faster

than Raul’s mugger could blink she extracted a thin knife and sent it zooming through the air. With a cry, the man sank slowly to his knees. Pilar’s dagger stuck in his arm at a one-eighty angle.

It was a testament to what people were inured to these days that hardly anyone

paid attention to the little drama on the sidewalk. Casting a glance at the tableau, they skirted the little group as if walking close would dirty their clothes.

Raul caught the man as he buckled and he and Pilar dragged him toward the alley.

The fake pickpocket was long gone. Pilar’s victim wailed, clutching his arm, blood

soaking his clothes.

“Honey,” Raul gazed at her with appreciative eyes, “you have a helluva lot to tell

me about your past.”

She gave him a jaded smile. “I will begin by telling you I am an expert with a

knife.” She pulled out her cell phone and speed-dialed a number.

He listened while she spoke to someone in rapid Italian then disconnected and

stashed her phone away.

“Someone will be here shortly to clean up the mess. Meanwhile we need to stay out

of sight. The alley is good cover. We don’t need the
Guardia
spotting anything and asking messy questions.”

“Of course.” Raul nodded. “Meanwhile, would you please explain how you honed

your skill with this thing?”

“My grandfather was in the circus. His trick was to ask for a volunteer from the

audience, back them up to the wall and then surround them with knives.”

“Wonderful,” Raul said. “Remind me to never make you angry.”

She grinned. “Something for you to keep in mind.”

In less than five minutes a small car turned off the street into the alley. Two men in dark clothes jumped out, nodded to Pilar, lifted the injured man into the back of the vehicle and without a word took off.

25

Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

“Nice cleanup job,” Raul said.

“It was necessary.” Her smile disappeared. “We can’t be certain that attack was not

connected to our investigation.”

“True. Will your buddies do an ID on that man?”

She winked. “Quick as bunnies.”

He nodded, rubbing his arm where their attacker had clutched him. “That was no

random attack.”

“I think you are correct. Did you notice if we had company tonight?”

“Someone following us?” Raul shook his head, his frown fierce as his growing

headache. “I didn’t notice. I should have. I am—distracted.”

“Me too. We must be smarter.”

He curled her close to him. “We’ll make a point of it. All our passion will be

between the four walls of your condo.”

A rush of outrage shot through her. She had let him affect her so deeply that she’d

forgotten where she was? Terrible. Catastrophic. “We must.”

“We’ll take this as a warning and be smarter about this. Tomorrow we need to meet

with the head of Roca Oil. Together. Trust me on this, Pilar. We’ll do much better if we work with each other rather than against. Two heads are better than one.”

“You’re right.” She sighed. “It’s just that—”

“That you like to be the lone wolf. That you’re not used to trusting anyone.”

“Right again.”

He took one of her hands in his, his flesh warm against her icy skin. “Trust me this

one time. I won’t let you down and I won’t betray you.”

She studied his face in the light from the street lamp. She saw nothing there that

told her he was playing her.

“All right,” she said at last. “At least let’s start together. And see where it goes.”

“Meanwhile,” he told her, “I think we need to get out of the street.”

26

Until Noon

Chapter Four

They were both quiet riding up in the elevator to Pilar’s condo. Raul kept his arm

around her, even when it was just the two of them in the little golden cage. Regardless of how strong and independent the woman might be, he had an innate protective streak

that he couldn’t shed.

“I need to make a couple of phone calls,” she told him, taking her cell phone out of

her purse and tossing her bag in a chair.

“I hope you aren’t thinking of asking me not to listen,” he warned. “Or to wait

while you closet yourself in another room.”

When she glanced at him he knew that was exactly what she had in mind.

“Don’t even consider it,” he told her.

She sighed. “You’re right. If we’re in this thing together we don’t have time for

secrets.” Flopping into a big wing chair, she speed-dialed a number. “Me,” she said

when someone answered on the other end. “Thank you for taking out the trash

tonight.” She listened to whoever was speaking, nodding. “I agree. But you should

know that Raul and I will be working together on this. It only makes sense.”

Thank you
, he mouthed.

“Of course, of course,” she told the person on the other end. “Regular reports as

always. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.” She disconnected the call and ran her fingers

through her hair.

He arched a brow in query.

“My supervisor. Checking up. He knows about our attacker.”

“And does he know the men who took that man away?”

“Of course.”

“Good,” Raul said, his dark eyes on hers. “I worried.”

“Don’t. I’m acting within the law.” At the curve of his lips and the light in his eyes, she chuckled. “Just barely. But still, that was not the best ending to an evening. Would you like some wine? I think I could use a glass myself after that little episode on the street.”

“After,” he told her with a brilliance dancing in his eyes.

She turned to him, one eyebrow quirked. “After what?”

“After this.”

She had haunted his dreams so often, the image of her sensuous naked body

dancing seductively in his mind. No other woman had ever affected him that way. Now

that they were here, together, again, he had to see if he had just imagined how good it 27

Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

was or if it was real. Tomorrow they had nasty business to attend to, but tonight?

Tonight he had a different agenda.

He hauled her into his arms, her body warm and soft against his, her perfume a

tantalizing scent. She tried to pull away from him but he tightened his hold on her. She was not getting away from him. He had wanted her every night since the last they’d

spent together and now he would see what they really had between them. Chase away

whatever demons that made her put up a wall. Threading the fingers of one hand

through the thick mass of her hair, he cupped her head, tilted it just so and took her mouth with his. It tasted just as he remembered, an erotic blend of flavors that

permeated his senses.

He nipped her lower lip, grazing the plump flesh before soothing it with his tongue.

When she sighed at his touch he let his tongue sweep inside her mouth to taste every

delicious inch of it. Her tongue danced with his in a passionate tango, just the touch of it making his cock harden and his balls ache. She still had the ability to turn him on instantly. No other woman had ever excited him this way. No wonder he’d never been

able to get her out of his mind.

He broke the kiss when they were both gasping for breath and slid his lips along

the soft line of her jaw. She clung to him, molding her body to his, her lush breasts pressing against the hard wall of his chest. The hard points of her nipples pressed

against him through the layers of their clothing.

He slid a hand the length of her back to the curve of her ass while his mouth teased

the sensitive spot behind one ear. Her breath was warm against his neck, her mouth hot as a flame as she pressed it against his skin.

“We have too many clothes on,” he growled, breaking their contact. “I want to see

every inch of you. Taste it. Kiss it. Touch it.”

“Yes,” she breathed and took his hand, capitulating at last. “This way.”

She led him into her bedroom where a bedside lamp on low gave an amber glow to

the room. When she reached for the buttons on her silk blouse he batted her hands

away.

“My job,” he insisted.

Very slowly, as if unwrapping a package, he undid each button, pulled the