Until Noon (9 page)

“Well, he would not have shown this morning and they would bill for his failure to

appear. A fee of some size. When they do, you must call me. Or
Señorita
Terrasona. It doesn’t matter but we must know who this is and precisely what Tony wished to

survey.”

Pilar silently applauded Raul. Though she might not yet fully trust him, here was

more proof that taking that step might be possible. He wanted to share evidence. For

that, she owed him her own cooperation. Rhys had been opportunistic. Could she

punish Raul—and herself—by equating one man with the other?

With promises to see Tafoya tomorrow, the two headed out of the building, silent.

As they descended the broad front steps, his hand on her arm, Raul smiled. “I think

you ruffled his feathers,
cara
.”

“I’ll do more than ruffle his fucking feathers if he doesn’t stop irritating me,” she snapped, uneasy about what Raul would say about her disclosures in the meeting.

But Raul threw back his head and laughed as he opened the car door for her. “A

woman with spirit. I love it.”

When he had climbed into the SUV and buckled his seat belt, he stared at her,

sobered. “We have a few angles now to pursue.”

“We do. Tony’s need for a map of the harbor. My disclosure about the Russian

mafia. The man who attacked us last night. All are new bits of evidence.“

He crossed his arms, his lips thin, his view straight ahead on nothing but his

displeasure with her. “You’ll tell me about it, right?”

She winced, glancing out at the bustle of the docks, the stevedores loading crates,

the trucks and lorries filled to the brim with goods. “I will. I’ll apologize first and say I misjudged you.”

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Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

“Good to hear.” He pointed to a café at the end of the nearby dock. “Let’s get

something to eat and talk.”

“I’m hungry, yes. But let’s not talk in public. I want to tell you what I know and

have you really understand that my suspicions of the Russians aren’t crazy. I didn’t just pull them out of thin air.”

He frowned. “I’m not arguing with you, Pilar. Just saying—well—never mind.”

“Never mind what?” He was backing out? Was her assumption about them

together wrong? “Maybe this working together might not be such a good idea after all.”

Maybe it would blow up in her face like the last time she’d—

Stop. Don’t think of that.

He twisted in his seat and cupped her face with his hands, his eyes heated as they

looked at hers. “You are so rabid about this. I want you to tell me what justifies your reaction to this and what causes this fear you have of me betraying you. I don’t believe we’re at odds, and I hope you don’t either. I’m not dismissing what you say. Or your

research. We’ll look at everything. But that means you have to share everything also.

Can you do that?”

She hesitated a moment then nodded. “All right.” She blew out a breath. “Agreed.”

“For sure?”

They stared at each other for a long moment. She was the first to glance away. She

could hardly think when he touched her. How was she supposed to function efficiently

under those circumstances?

“Don’t look away.” He cupped her cheek in his strong hand. “And don’t toss away

what’s happening between us. We’ll handle this together. But you must throw yourself

into this,
us
, body and soul.”

She sighed. It was so difficult for her to resist him. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

He narrowed his eyes. “It happened before,” he said. “And ended badly.”

She nodded her head once sharply.

Raul edged nearer and skimmed his thumb over her lower lip, then slid his fingers

over her chin and her throat to cup her aching breast. “Who was he, this other man who stands like a ghost between us?”

“A liar.”

“Something I’m not,” he promised her. “But you have to give me a chance to prove

it.”

She bit her lower lip and looked down at her hands. “I don’t…I can’t…” She sighed.

“I just don’t know, Raul.”

“We are so good together,
cara
. You know that.”

He released the catch on his seat belt and shifted in his seat.

She frowned. “What are you doing?”

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Until Noon

“I haven’t made out in a car since I was a horny teenager,” he told her with a

frustrated laugh. “But I’ll do my damndest because I don’t think I can wait for a more appropriate place to let you see again how you affect me.”

“I can’t,” she began.

“Yes you can. Let me show you.”

She tried to push him away but he brushed her hands aside as he freed her seatbelt

and rearranged her in her seat so she faced him. Impatiently opening her coat, he

cupped a breast and brushed the diamond-hard tip through the cotton blouse, making

her flesh rise and harden. He knew just what to do to make her want him, she realized, lost at once in his touch. He was obviously determined to wipe away the memory of

any other man,

“His name?” he demanded.

“Rhys,” she sighed against Raul’s mouth.

He used his tongue to tease the center of her upper lip, then dart inside her mouth

enthralling her in his desire for her. “Why did you love him?”

“Not love.” But it had taken her a long time before she’d realized that. “But I

thought it was and he betrayed me. Used my job to benefit himself.”

The pain of that betrayal had lasted a long time.

“And you think I would do that to you?” He shook his head. “My body will tell you

that that’s the last thing on my mind.” His hands coasted over her again, firing nerves.

And suddenly she wanted to wipe every trace of Rhys from her mind and lose

herself in these moments with Raul. Whatever happened afterward, happened.

Moving clumsily in her seat she tugged at his coat. “Get rid of this. I want to touch you too.”

A breathy laugh escaped her throat as elbows bumped glass and knees banged

against the steering wheel in his effort to comply. She shifted clumsily in her seat until she could wrap her arms around his firm torso, his warmth, his strength, his honor a

mighty lure. “Lust.”

Raul growled, using one hand to sweep her closer to him as he let his other hand

drift along her knee, her thigh, and his fingers skimmed up her thigh to thread through her pubic curls. He sent one into her empty, needy pussy. “Did you want him so much

that you wore no panties?”

“You are a devil.” She grew sweaty, her pussy walls swelling, yearning for him to

fuck her. Now, here.

He stroked her, chuckling. “
Cara mia
, did you want him anywhere?”

“No. No.”

Raul slid two fingers inside her creamy core. Then he kissed her lips, a crushing

claim. “Did he take you on the dock in broad daylight?”

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Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

“I would never let him do…oh!” He had found her clit, rolled it, stroked it, urged

more thick cream from her cunt. “You make me
loco
,
Señor
Cordona.”

“Show me,” he whispered, his fingers pumping her to distraction.

Mindless, she wiggled, trying to spread her thighs wider in the confines of the car.

“Please,” she begged, “I have to have you inside me.”

He pulled away, his mouth wet with her kisses, his fingers still loving her, stroking her. “Let me love you, satisfy you with my hand.”

“No, I want all of you,” she said, frantic to have his cock buried inside her. Shifting her body to give herself room. She yanked at his zipper. Reached inside. His penis

sprang free, long and thick with rigid need. A pearl of his cum formed on his slit. “My god, Raul, you are beautiful.”

“I am for you, Pilar.”

“Kiss me, fuck me,” she pleaded as she tried to move over him.

He would not let her. “A condom. My pocket. Get it.”

He leaned back against the window as she dug inside his trouser pocket, came up

with a foil packet and tore it open with her teeth. In a flash, she had it out, rolling it down over his impressive hard length.

“Later, I want to suck you.”

“Much later.”

They were a tumble of clothing, half-dressed and she impatiently pushed as much

out of the way as she could. He chuckled, harsh and wild, as he lifted her to straddle him, one leg bumping the dashboard, the other pressed against the back of the seat. She braced her hands on his shoulders as he lifted her and guided her to sink her wet core over his rod and slide down, down, down to an ecstasy of fulfillment that had her

throwing her head back and gasping at the feeling of being possessed by him.

“God, woman,” he hissed through his teeth as he held her hips and helped her ride

him. “You burn me.”

She captured his lips then, invading his mouth with her tongue, dancing with him,

luring him to a raw, sweet union of hot flesh.

They rocked together, the SUV shaking violently as they rode the fury of their

orgasm in a swift crescendo, groaning their pleasure. Together they drifted down to a quiet solace. When she lifted her head from his shoulder, she kissed his cheek.

Two teenager boys who strolled past the vehicle tapped on the steamed window,

gave Raul two thumbs-up and giggled.

Her cheeks heated with embarrassment at the thought they’d been seen.

“A scandal,” she mused, needing to separate her body from his yet hating the idea.

“An afternoon delight,” he teased and slapped her affectionately on the ass. “Get

up,
cara
, and we’ll return to your condo and find new ways to pleasure each other in the comfort of a broad bed.”

46

Until Noon

Shifting them both with great care, he lifted her from his cock and placed her back

in her seat. He removed the condom and put it in a plastic bag he extracted from his

glove compartment for later disposal.

His cell phone buzzed, but he didn’t answer, just winked at her as he tucked in his

shirt and zipped his fly.

She searched his gaze while another ring announced a message. He didn’t answer

that one either, and she smiled at him. “You don’t mind that we just made love in front of hundreds of people?”

“Hundreds?” He grinned as he watched her buttoning and straightening her

clothing. “I think only a few. But you have to admit you rather liked it?”

She blushed so furiously her cheeks seemed aflame.

He hugged her and kissed her forehead, then set her back in her seat so he could

make his own clothing presentable. “This—shall we call it, interlude? This only affirms what I have suspected for more than a day now.”

“What’s that?”

“I haven’t made love to you in all the ways possible yet.” A hand to her nape, he

dragged her close again and kissed her desperately. “I need to begin because I have no idea how long it may take me. But I think we need to find a place much more

comfortable than this vehicle. My elbows and knees will never be the same.”

She could only hope his lovemaking lasted longer than this investigation. And if

she cared for him after it was over? Would she call that love? Or call herself crazy?

47

Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

Chapter Six

With swift precision and not a small amount of delight at their sexy exhibitionism,

Pilar settled into her seat and checked her hair and makeup.

Raul slid properly into his seat and dug out his phone. “Good timing. Enrique

Petron invited me to police headquarters. Hmm. Wonder what’s going on? Hope he’s

found something.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, noting the confusion on his face.

Raul leaned forward to survey the parking lot and beyond to the shoreline.

“Raul? You’re making me nervous. Who was that? What are you looking for?”

He cursed roundly. “We’ve been followed.”

She whipped around to scan the same terrain Raul had. “How do you know?”

With a grimace, Raul handed over his phone. “Read the text yourself.”

If u r finished w/ “conversation” in car, come to headqtrs. Ask for me at door. Bring Snrita
T. w/u. Both need to see this.

The sender was Detective Petron.

Pilar felt hair on the back of her neck rise as she continued to search for whoever

had tracked them here. It was one thing to put on a show for nameless passersby, but

quite another to know that someone might spread unkindly words about their sexual

exposure. “Over there in the black sedan by the restaurant. He has binoculars. Damn.

One of Petron’s men?”

“Must be.”

“How did they find us?” She was pissed. She may have gotten off on exhibitionism,

but not for the police department.

“Does the City have surveillance cameras down here on the docks?”

“I don’t know. I—I’m not aware of that, no. I’ll learn though. As if that would do us any good now.”

Raul squeezed her hand then turned the ignition. “Don’t worry,
cara
. Enrique is discreet.”

She sat back. Discreet, perhaps Petron was—but most likely only in personal

matters. Why would he call Raul down to his office? Why allow Raul more access to

evidence of this case? As far as Petron knew, Raul was merely doing a favor for his boss when he’d gone to the crime scene yesterday. Plus, up until a few minutes ago when

Tafoya had said he would hire Nemesis to work for Roca, Raul had not been officially

involved in any way.

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Until Noon

Raul had driven them off the docks toward the center of the city when he shot her a

look. “I see you are worried. Asking yourself those pesky questions again that divide us? What can I tell you to comfort you?”