Lying Eyes Page 11

  Withdrawing her fingertip, she shimmied up his torso. Flattened her firm breasts on his chest, her lips to his sensitive-looking mouth and caressed his lips with the tip of her tongue, igniting fires everywhere his skin touched hers.

  The heat of his cotton-encased package nestled between her legs, setting off rockets in her core. Slowly, she rocked her hips, exponentially increasing her pleasure.

  "Be still, woman, or we'll have to call the fire department to put out this inferno you've ignited," Carlo warned, chuckling as he tried to still her.

  She lifted her head from his swollen lips far enough to ask, "You don't really want to be cooled off, do you?"

  He responded by pulling her closer.

  "I didn't think so." She rocked her hips again.

  "Allison..."

  "You adore saying my name, don't you?"

  "What else can I call you?"

  "I'm sure you could think of something better if you set your mind to it."

  He was silent so long she flattened his ear lobe between her teeth and gently nibbled it.

  "Allison, Honey, we can't—"

  "Who says we can't, the Captain, or your virtuous conscience?"

  "The Department has rules. I could lose my badge."

  Slowly Allison shifted her hips from side to side.

  Carlo groaned, his jaw tight.

  Then, his movement swift and sure, he clamped her buns with his strong hands and positioned her body exactly where he wanted her.

  Yes.

  Her core clenched.

  Right on all accounts.

  Releasing her hips, he used his fingers to memorize the contours of her curves, causing her to close her eyes in sensual pleasure as he caressed her soft, pliable skin.

  Then he kissed her ear, sending a sensuous chill skittering down her spine.

  I've won the first skirmish, but whether I'll be victorious is still in doubt.

  She moaned.

  "Am I hurting you?" he whispered, concerned.

  "Only when you stop."

  "Then I won't."

  To her unending delight, his hands became tantalizing tormentors, slowly pinching, squeezing, probing every indentation and crevice of her torso.

  Higher, Carlo. No, my breasts.

  Once more his hands slid right past her almost-weeping-for-attention nipples, his thumbs mere inches away from those needy crests.

  "Carlo..."

  "Need something, Sweetheart?" he asked, grinning against her cheek.

  "Yes, and if you don't give me what I've been longing for since the day I met you, I'm dumping you on the floor and going in search of Detective Hanson."

  Carlo chuckled. "You noticed."

  "That the undercover cop you put so much faith in can't keep his eyes off me? Yes, I'd have to be blind not to notice."

  "Don't even think about pulling a stunt like this with him. I'd lose one of my best friends."

  "Stunt? I thought we were making love."

  "We still may, if I don't wring your pretty neck first."

  "Detective Hanson is not my type," Allison said, shifting her hips to move things along.

  "Not alpha enough?" He flipped her onto her back.

  His eyes widened.

  "Is something wrong?" she whispered.

  "No. Nothing's wrong." His Adam's apple bobbed and his voice softened. "You have the most beautiful breasts I've ever seen. Pure perfection at my fingertips."

  Smiling in delight, she inhaled deeply, causing her chest to rise and one pouty nipple to almost touch his chin.

  When he didn't respond, she said, "Well, don't just drool. Taste them."

  "I think I will," he said and took her to another place. A place where dumb drug dealers and green gym bags didn't exist.

  Squeezing and plucking, sucking and nibbling, he made love to her breasts until she finally cried, "Uncle," and peeled off his underwear.

  He stilled.

  "It's now or never, Carlo. Man up, or I'm leaving your bed."

  "You drive a hard bargain, Honey," he said, wrapping her in his arms and entering her in one electrifyingly hard thrust.

  Stunned by his randy invasion of her sensitive parts, she momentarily stilled.

  New fires flared inside her.

  No way can I be still.

  She shifted her hips, allowing him to settle in her depths, and shifted again.

  More fires flamed, fanned by his first tentative thrust.

  She met his next thrust head on, and the next and the next until bucking, humping, and thumping, Carlo's explosive finish dragged the last panting breath from her lungs.

  Gasping, he collapsed on top of her. "Have mercy, woman. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

  Chapter Sixteen

  "Did you get in her room?"

  "No, but Security almost caught me trying to."

  "What next?"

  "Guess I'll give it another try when she goes to breakfast."

  "Too late. Kidnap the woman and call me the minute you have her. Demetri, too, for all I care. If I never see him kissing-up to the Captain again it will be too soon."

  *****

  Carlo woke first, grabbed the hotel phone, and quietly ordered a pot of coffee from room service.

  Even so, his conversation disturbed Allison. Groaning, she turned on her stomach and covered her head with a pillow.

  Turning to her, he ran his hand along her sheet-draped spine. "Sorry, babe. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

  She turned over with an impish grin. "Impossible. Not with those talented hands of yours caressing me."

  "What would you rather I do with them?"

  She grinned wider. "Brush your teeth."

  He chuckled. "And then—?"

  "Let me use your tooth brush. I don't want to risk waking Marsha by going next door for mine."

  "Sounds like you have a plan."

  "Darn tootin' I do, so get a move on."

  He kissed a rosy nipple and hurried away to heed her command.

  When he returned Allison was sitting up in bed, her long, tangled tresses cascading around her shoulders, the rumpled sheet at her hips.

  Stunned by her beauty, he stopped at the end of the bed. "Damn."

  "Is something wrong?"

  "You nearly gave me another heart attack. I don't think I've ever seen anything as beautiful as you are, sitting in my bed like a model for some Renaissance painting."

  She reached for his hand and kissed his palm. "Thank you, kind sir. Is it my turn?"

  "Only if you hurry back."

  Room service delivered their coffee before she finished brushing her teeth. When she returned, she glanced longingly at the coffee pot and at him and shook her head. "No, the coffee is still steaming, so it can wait. I want to light another fire under you."

  He sank into her open arms. "Did you sleep all right?"

  Her devilish smile warmed him. "Once you allowed me to."

  He chuckled. "Sorry about that. I didn't want to spend our first night together sleeping."

  "Then let's not waste time talking, either. I can think of a lot better things for you to do with your tongue."

  She showed him a few.

  When she finally peaked and he cried her name in triumphant completion, the sun was still low on the horizon.

  "Ready for that coffee now?" he asked.

  She rolled back onto her side of the bed, stood, and pulled on her night shirt. "More than ready," she said, reaching for the steaming pot.

  "Hey, turn back around."

  "Why?" She turned to him, her expression puzzled.

  "I'm a slow reader."

  Making her breast tingle as he traced an imaginary line beneath each word printed on her night shirt, he read the slogan out loud: "'Watch out, or you'll find your words quoted in my next book.'" He gulped. "I hope that's a joke."

  "Not always. How else can I make the scenes in my books real?"

  "Allison..."

  She laughed. "Relax, Carlo. It
wasn't research that sent me racing to your bed."

  "I know. The perp frightened you."

  "Momentarily."

  "And then..."

  "I gave in to the strong desire to feel your arms around me."

  "Are you saying you were no longer frightened? You seduced me?"

  "In a way. I stormed the fortress and broke through the invisible barriers you wrongly believed would keep me from spending time with the real you. Think about that while I shower and step into sexy jeans guaranteed to drive you right out of your mind. You are the one who should be afraid."

  "Not afraid. Wary," he said bleakly.

  "Why?"

  "I've been burned. On my last tour of duty in Kabul I established a relationship with a local woman who fed us information about Al Qaida's movements. The woman I believed willing to help our side. A woman I came to trust and hoped to build a future with once we secured the peace."

  He poured and slowly swallowed half-a-cup of coffee before he met Allison's gaze again. "One morning she walked into our encampment and set off a bomb. The explosion killed our lieutenant, the best friend a man in the military would ever have."

  He gulped more coffee before blurting, "I escaped without a scratch and still can't forgive myself."

  "So now you refuse to let any woman close for fear of being betrayed."

  He didn't respond for a while. "I no longer trust myself to separate the truth from lies."

  "So you even push well-meaning women away."

  "I have to, to keep my sanity."

  She kissed his palm. "Don't you ever get lonely?"

  He inhaled deeply and slowly let out a breath. "Not until recently."

  He tried to avoid the intense blue gaze determined to pierce his protective shield.

  He failed. Miserably.

  "Oh, Carlo," she said with passion, heading for the connecting door. "It's way past time for you to trust in yourself again."

  Chapter Seventeen

  His cell phone rang.

  Ignore it. I know the score.

  There are more important things to do than listen to a blackmailer whose threats were beginning to fall on deaf ears.

  If I fail today, I'm dead.

  *****

  Dressed in a slinky blue tunic and the pricey, form-fitting jeans she'd purchased especially for the conference but hadn't yet dared to don, Allison knocked on Carlo's door.

  "Ready?" she asked, pulling on her other boot.

  "Yeah, come on in. We need to talk."

  Okay, talking is good.

  Carlo glanced up from the notes on his desk and blinked as she stepped into his room.

  "About what," she asked, smiling sweetly.

  "The Captain's plan for today."

  "Oh. That."

  "Yes, the plan to keep you alive."

  "No, your plan is to keep me alive. The Captain's plan is to use me as a decoy. Admit it, Carlo, the risk involved is what's eating you alive."

  "Damn straight."

  She pulled out a chair and sat. "Let's hear it."

  Carlo sighed. "For however long it takes to coax the perp out into the open, you're going to sit in the lobby, guarding this green bag stuffed with shredded paper."

  She shrugged. "Doesn't sound all that hard."

  He chuckled. "Trust me, it won't be easy. You haven't sat still for five minutes since you checked in."

  She rolled her eyes. "You mean I can't even glance around?"

  "Don't try to be cute, it makes you sound stupid. Listen."

  She gave him a cocky military salute. "Yes. Sir."

  "About every fifteen minutes or so, whoever sits beside you is going to leave you alone. Don't panic. At least ten pairs of eyes will be trained on you at all times and some other undercover cop will soon move in and occupy the empty seat if the perp doesn't."

  "I know. We went over all this last night."

  "Repeating the plan is intended to calm your nerves."

  "You're the one who's unnerved."

  "Allison..."

  "I've got it. I'm to sit. Talk with whoever stops by, whether I've met them before or not."

  "Yes, and it's okay to smile. Pull out a book and talk about what you're reading if you want to. Chew gum. Act relaxed, even if you're not. Remember, you're waiting for a friend who promised to meet you. Glance at your watch. Read your email. And don't forget your favorite pastime, checking out the latest fashions parading by. Just don't get up and move around unless you need a break. If you do, tell whoever you're sitting with, unless it's the perp."

  "You're serious, aren't you? You really believe this is going to work?"

  "It has to, or my disappointed team will have put in a lot of man-hours this weekend they could have put to better use. You want me to go back to Central with egg on my face?"

  "Am I ever going to get to eat?"

  Carlo scowled. "Lunch?"

  "No, Knucklehead. Breakfast. I don't know about you, but an hour of hot sex just before dawn and only one cup of coffee has left me weak."

  The tips of his ears turned red. "Sorry. The best hour of lovemaking I ever experienced swept all thought of eating from my mind. Ready to go? Are your suitcases packed? What time do you board the train home?"

  Carlo would remind me I may soon be leaving town with unfinished business with him and the perp.

  "Yes, I'm all packed and my luggage is waiting by the door for Marsha to see it properly stored. I think I heard her go to Susan's room. The only thing left for me to do is arrange for the hotel to pack and ship home my workshop displays."

  "Good. You can take care of the shipping once this is over. Grab the gym bag and we'll go down. Play it by ear and don't forget to smile. I won't be eating breakfast with you, but you can be certain I don't intend to ever let you out of my sight."

  Lifting the empty-feeling gym bag, Allison said, "Hang on a minute. I'll be right back," then hurried into her room and examined the contents of the bag.

  These hefty jogging shoes should add sufficient weight to the bag.

  She stuffed the shoes inside and zipped it.

  As she strode back through the connecting door her head filled with ideas she could use in the coming hours to drive her uptight shadow right out of his unsuspecting mind.

  *****

  Carlo rode on the elevator with her and disappeared about the time Allison tried to load a breakfast tray while juggling her tote bag and the gym bag.

  She couldn't, she realized.

  "Here, let me help," Stonewall offered. "Looks like you could use a hand."

  "I'd welcome an extra pair of hands," she whispered. "Carlo insisted I never put this bag down. Would you mind holding my tray while I spoon some melon onto my plate?"

  "That's what I'm here for. How is your day going so far?"

  Allison sighed. "It's too quiet. I hope something happens soon and brings an end to all this waiting."

  "How about some eggs and sausage?"

  "Yes, and one of those blueberry muffins, please."

  He gave her generous helpings of each.

  "Thank you. I see a vacant table. Would you mind putting my tray on it while I pour my coffee?"

  "Consider it done. Have a great day."

  Another great day of waiting?

  I sincerely hope not.

  She carried her steaming coffee to the table with her tray and took a seat.

  At a distant table a strolling musician was stroking the strings of a violin with loving care, reminding Allison of the way Carlo had stroked her spinal column numerous times the previous night.

  How soon will he be able to do it again?

  She cut a sausage link in two and ate a bite. Sausage was one of her favorite foods. Carlo's, too.

  She smiled to herself as she watched a female undercover security officer fill a coffee cup and head for her table.

  "Good morning. Mind if I join you?" the attractive woman asked.

  "Please do, Sal. I hate eating alone. You're not eating?"


  "I ate hours ago. I'm just taking a break. How's the sausage?"

  "To die for—Oops," Allison said. "I've been told I have to stop saying that."

  Her companion laughed. "By Detective Demetri, I imagine."

  "Good guess."

  "I heard you did a commendable job of dissecting your primary watchdog in your workshop on alpha males. Good work."

  She and Sal exchanged hi-fives.

  "Carlo's beginning to annoy me."

  "I heard that," Carlo said in her ear.

  "What's the detective done now?" Sal asked, askance.

  "He's being his usual uptight self, I suppose, but I already have a mother. I certainly don't need two."

  Sal laughed. "He's giving you a hard time, isn't he?"

  "Yes. I know I shouldn't resent it, but I do."

  Sal thoughtfully sipped the rest of her coffee, and set the cup aside. "Tell your detective he can mother me any time he feels the urge."

  "Sorry, Sal, you'll have to take a number."

  "Good talking to you, Miss Marble. Take care."

  Sal rose and strode away while Allison finished her muffin.

  As she bused her tray she glanced around for a conspicuous place to settle next and noticed an unoccupied sofa near a potted palm.

  Feeling friendly eyes upon her, she prowled the lobby for a few minutes, swaying her hips and grinning to herself.

  Unless I miss my guess, these new jeans have Carlo sweating beneath his stiff collar.

  Deciding she may as well take a seat and give him a chance to cool off, Allison headed for the unoccupied sofa.

  "Mind if I join you?"

  Allison glanced into Detective Hanson's eyes and smiled back at him. "I was hoping you would. Are you as tired of the lack of action as I am?"

  His expression sobered. "Lack of action is not always a bad thing."

  "It will be if this stakeout doesn't come to an end soon. I have a train to catch."

  He shrugged noncommittally. "From a police standpoint, you're probably right. On the other hand, you'll be out of here, and safe at last."

  "Not you, too."

  "Not me, what?" Hanson asked, his expression troubled.

  "Harping on my safety. Frankly I'm tired of all this concern. Do you really believe some bad guy is running around this hotel carrying a gun with my name engraved on his bullets?"

  He cleared his throat. "If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't have volunteered for this stakeout."