A Man to Remember (9 page)

As his lips closed over each taut pink nipple, his leg crossed hers, separating them. She responded with a flood of warm passion that rushed through her, leaving her heated and limp. His hand started down her body, admiring, tickling, brushing with rough fingertips. He paused at the delta of her femininity. And stopped.

It took her a minute to realize he had purposely halted. He stopped moving over her. He held his breath.

" Ohhh, Jake… come on." Alyse struggled from her passion-induced haze.

"Quiet," he directed.

Jake had heard the noise in the hall several seconds before she did. He bolted at the light knocking on their bedroom door.

The male voice from the hall was Spanish-accented and vaguely familiar. "Jake? We must talk."

Alyse could have screamed. The spell was broken. The magic between them was gone. And so was Jake.

Chapter Six

Instantly Jake was on his feet. He bounded to the end of the bed and dug furiously into his abandoned clothes. He hesitated just long enough to check the item he withdrew from his pants pocket.

The intruder pounded again on the door, louder this time. "Jake? Are you in there? You must come, pronto!"

With a stealthy sweep Jake's large, shadowy form moved to the door and stood with gun poised.

Alyse bolted upright. Gun? OMG! Jake had a gun! He held the gray steel weapon in a readiness position as if he were quite accustomed to doing so.

Alyse pulled the sheet up to cover her bosom and felt her heart pulse wildly through her entire body. It sounded like a bass drum in her ears, and for a moment she wondered if Jake could hear it too.

How many times had she read about situations like this in her mystery books?

Bristol Bordeaux flattened herself against the door, gun poised, waiting for the intruder
.

But that was fiction. This time it was real—and Jake was the one with the gun! Someone could get shot. If Jake had a gun, the other party probably did too!

Frozen to her spot in the bed, Alyse watched, trembling with fear. It didn't occur to her that she could be one of those injured if an altercation occurred.

Questions about Jake and the weapon he carried popped into her head. Why did he have that gun in their bedroom? When had he planned to use it? And why did he think he would need it now?

The knock on the door was deliberate, someone looking for him, someone coming just for him. Suddenly, she remembered his words of last night: "There are things about me that you would abhor." Now she knew one thing she didn't know before. He had that gun and she hated them!

Jake hadn't bothered to dress. He stood completely nude beside the door, the gun poised in his right hand. Damn hot! Even in her confused state of mind, Alyse observed that his body was lean, muscular, and extremely masculine. And he had almost been hers to take and enjoy.

His voice was a terse bark. "Quien es?"

"Jake! Es Emilio. Sorry to interrupt at this unfortunate moment, but this is an emergency. I have news you should know. Can we talk briefly?"

"Yeah, sure. Hold on." Jake moved across the room, ignoring Alyse, and began roughly pulling on his jeans.

Outside lights from around the compound reflected on his trim, hard body as he slid his legs into the jeans. She'd felt those legs on hers only moments ago, and she was still weak from the sensation.

"Jake, what is it? What's going on? And why do you have that gun?" Alyse watched anxiously as he tucked the pistol into the waist of his jeans. When he looked as if he would leave without explaining anything, she pleaded again. "Jake, please talk to me."

He looked at her, then caught himself short. Damn, he couldn't just leave her like this. With a heavy sigh he moved to her side. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Alyse. It hurts me more than I can say to leave you right now. But I must." His lips crushed hers in a swift, hard kiss.

"Could it be your aunt?"

He looked at her strangely for a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. It's probably my aunt."

"Can I help?"

"No!" he answered sharply, then gathered control of the situation by issuing orders in a commanding tone. "No, you stay right here, Alyse. I'll be back soon and let you know what's going on." His hand lingered to caress her face. Then he was gone.

Alyse sat there for a moment, rehashing what had transpired in the last few minutes. Her head swam with the confusion caused by the strange events and unanswered questions. She was frustrated that Jake would leave her so abruptly, and somewhat angry that he would abandon her at this particular moment. After all, they had been quite intimately engaged. Nearly there. So this must be damned important – or it had better be.

She was overwhelmed with curiosity as she listened to the two men's low voices receding down the hall. Soon there was no sound at all as they moved completely out of earshot.

So now she was supposed to sit here in bed, like a good girl, and wait for her man to return? Wondering what was happening all around her? Knowing Jake had taken the gun!

It was too much for Alyse Skye, who had never been very good at following orders or with patience. Bristol Bordeaux, her personal heroine, would never huddle in bed after her lover bolted. She would make sure it was damned necessary or maybe she'd do some damage… to someone.

Alyse slipped out of bed, determined to find out what was happening. Where were her shorts and blouse? Damned if she would let something exciting happen tonight, right here under her nose, and not be a part of it. She couldn't figure why Jake would take that gun. And why he would need it if the problem was with his sick aunt. If she was the actual problem.

Alyse heard men's voices again. She halted in mid-step. They were beneath her balcony. She tiptoed over to the half-open window. Ignoring the minor technicality that she was totally nude, she stepped out onto the balcony so she could hear them better. She recognized Jake's voice right away and figured the other was Emilio's.

"Where?"

"The man just came from Guaymas, straight across the Sea of Cortes. He says the army is looking for a deserter."

"How does he know?"

"He says they are relentless in their searching. They have questioned everyone who might know. They have turned the city inside out looking for this . . . this perpetrator."

"Do they have a description?"

"Si. Tall and blond. No beard, though. Maybe that funny color will save you, mi amigo. Who would ever suspect you would have a red beard?"

"Damn! How close are they? What do you think, Emilio?"

"They have traced this unknown deserter as far as Guaymas. He says they are sure of it. Presently they are searching along the coast. No stone unturned, as you say."

"I'd like to talk to him."

"Si, I thought so. He is in La Paz, a bar located near the waterfront. ..."

The two men moved out of Alyse's hearing, and she dashed back into the room. Furiously she pulled on her clothes and ran down the hall, nearly tripping on a rug in her rush. She slipped through the kitchen and out the back door, frantically hunting for Jake. Hurrying across the lower patio, she didn't even glance at the pool shimmering in the moonlight. And she didn't see the dark eyes that followed her.

Where was Jake?

She looked back at the hacienda, searching every window. Everything was in darkness except for the faint hall lights. If his aunt was having a crisis, there should be a hub of excitement and lights everywhere. She scrutinized the smaller buildings of the compound. Every building was black. The only illumination came from an occasional spotlight strategically located through the villa.

Apparently whatever had alarmed Jake was not his aunt. It didn't make any sense to Alyse, but she was determined to find out the truth. Maybe someone was trying to break into the compound. But what about that strange conversation she had heard between Jake and Emilio? Was the army deserter trying to break in and hide there? No, that was improbable. But what did the army deserter have to do with them?

Then there was the remark about Jake's beard camouflaging him. Was he the deserter? Impossible! They were talking about a Mexican national deserting the Mexican Army, weren't they?

She heard men's voices again and dashed across the road toward the sounds. She reached the small storage shed that housed Jake's valuable art inheritance. Could they be after someone who was trying to break into the shed? When she heard another noise behind the building, she started blindly toward it.

Before she could reach her destination, Alyse stumbled and fell. She tried to muffle a groan as she grabbed her foot and rolled against the building. Sharp pains shot through her foot and lower leg for a few minutes while she waited for them to subside. Dammit! In the darkness she'd stepped on a sharp cactus with her bare foot.

Would Bristol Bordeaux have been so stupid as to leave a room in the middle of a desert without shoes? No! Alyse moaned in a low tone as she extracted the sticker from her foot. She took deep breaths against the pain and eventually proceeded toward her mission in the back. She reached the end of the building, heart pounding with excitement, and just as she cautiously rounded the corner, someone grabbed her from behind!

A vise clamped around her waist roughly and a hand clasped her mouth. Caught between surprise and fear, Alyse could hardly get her breath, much less scream. She was lifted completely off her feet and carried, her slender body bouncing against a large male's bulk. Instinctively she began to squirm and kick. She would not make this easy for her abductor! As she twisted, she managed to get her teeth around one stubby finger clamped over her mouth and bit with all her might.

"Aaiee!" Her assailant uttered a rash of Spanish expletives and tossed her away from him. "This one is part wildcat! Cuidado!"

She landed on the hard earth with a thud.

"Alyse! What in hell are you doing here?"

She looked up into the furious face of Jake Bronson. He was bending over, looking at her as if she were a bug.

"I. . . I'm trying to get my breath if you'll tell your goon to quit manhandling me! Anyway, I hurt my foot on a cactus." She grabbed her foot and looked around accusingly at the other man, the one who'd grabbed her so viciously.

Emilio pointed at her angrily. "She bit me, the little—"

"You keep your hands off me, you big—"

"Okay, you two. Cool it." Jake lifted Alyse to a standing position none too gently. "Were you the one following me?"

"Who did you expect?" She shook her hair back in a defiant gesture. "The Mexican Army?"

"What do you mean by that?" His hands gripped her forearms, and he jerked her off the ground. "What do you know about the army?"

She stared up into his dark face. For the first time he frightened her. Just a little. "I . . . would you put me down so I can think straight?"

He glared at her, breathing deeply and slowly, then lowered her until her toes touched the earth. But his hands kept their grip on her arms. "Don't you know you could get hurt sneaking around like that?"

"I did. I hurt my foot. I should have worn shoes."

He shook her slightly. "Dammit, Alyse! You shouldn't have left the room. I told you to stay put!"

"Hey, I'm not used to obeying orders! Especially from you!" she replied with flashing eyes. "I just want to know what's going on around here. I heard you talking under my balcony about an army deserter. And I want to know what this is all about. Your aunt isn't sick. It has nothing to do with your aunt!"

He looked at her wildly for a moment, then gave the other man an apologetic look. "She's sorry about the biting incident, Emilio. You're okay, aren't you? It won't happen again, I swear. Would you leave us alone for a few minutes? I need to get some things straight with her." He shrugged helplessly.

The act infuriated Alyse. "What do you mean by that, you macho chauvinist!"

Jake ignored her reaction and looked over her head to Emilio. "She's all right, amigo. She knows nothing."

"Sure, sure, Jake. I'll get the car for you."

"I'll meet you around front in a few minutes, Emilio. Gracias."

Alyse propped her fists on her hips. "Jake, what the hell is going on here?"

"Look, Alyse, I can understand your being a little upset with me."

"A little?"

He ran a hand roughly through his tousled hair. "Bad timing, I'll admit. But it couldn't be helped. Please try to understand, darling."

"Don't you 'darling' me! I want to know what's happening. Where were you two heading? And why—"

He held up a hand to halt her. "Listen up, Alyse. I'm not sure what's going on yet. I have to check it out. But I can assure you of this. It has nothing to do with us. You and me. Or with our deal to get out of here. Everything is still go."

Alyse could hear the car's engine roar to life. Emilio was taking it around to the front of the hacienda.

"What were you talking about under my balcony? That wasn't about your aunt's illness."