Tattoo My Heart (Heroes of Seaside Point, Book 1) (19 page)

“Oh man, sucks for Agent Ramano.”

“He pretty much insisted.”

“Look at it this way. Until we catch the prick stalking her, she’s all yours.”

Casey swallowed a mouthful of tea. Maverick was right, Annessa wasn’t going anywhere without him for now.

And he planned to take advantage.

“By the way, why were we allowed to go out alone?”

“We weren’t.” Casey took a swig of his tea and popped a couple more peanuts into his mouth.

Mav frowned. “I’m pretty damn sure Travis drove that big ass fire engine with only me and Dane for company.”

“Trust me, you didn’t come alone.”

“No one followed,” Mav insisted. “In fact, no one’s followed me yet.”

Casey tapped his glass with a finger. “Sure about that?”

“Positive.”

He glanced at all three of his friends and then at the pool table just across the room. “Guess again.”

Dane steepled his fingers against his chin. “Bald guy, leather jacket at the bar.”

Casey nodded. “He’s one.”

Travis grinned. “And the muscle at the pool table.”

“I haven’t had a tail.” Mav’s crooked smile suggested he had Casey by the balls and Casey couldn’t wait to break the news.

“Blonde waitress, tight, black skirt.”

Mav released a low whistle under his breath. “No fucking way. I
know
I would’ve noticed her.”

Casey shrugged. “She’s your shadow, like it or not.”

Maverick stood and tossed several dollar bills on the table. “Someone will have to introduce me later. I’ve got an appointment with Dr. Thomas.”

It was Casey’s turn to frown. “You sick?”

“Nah.” Maverick chuckled. “The City’s making me take an insurance physical.”

Travis coughed from the other side of the table. “Verity’s doing your physical?”

Casey sucked in a breath as six eyes turned to focus on Travis.

“Yeah.” Maverick answered with a grin. “
Verity
gets to see me naked.”

Dane folded his arms across his chest and leaned back while he continued to study Travis. “Since when do you call her
Verity
?”

“I hauled her out of here stone-drunk, remember?”

“Did she remember?” Dane prodded.

Casey snickered under his breath. Watching Travis squirm was well worth drinking iced tea with peanuts.

“Where exactly did you haul her?” Dane pressed.

“Home,” Travis spat.

“Yours or hers?”

Casey knew one hundred percent she didn’t come home with Travis but kept his mouth shut. Maybe it was the cop in him but he waited to see if the other man would hang himself.

“Hers.” Travis tossed back his remaining tea. “She passed out on the way.”

“Too bad.” Maverick chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll be wide awake this afternoon.”

“Yeah, too bad,” Travis mumbled.

Casey raised an eyebrow. “What was that, Trav?”

“Nothing.” His friend shot him a glare and then stood. “I’ve got to get back to the station.”

“Right behind you.” Dane glanced at Casey. “I told Vanessa I’d meet her for dinner at eight.”

Casey nodded. “I’ll make sure Annessa stays put.”

“I’m sure you will, my friend.” Dane slapped him on one shoulder. “I’m sure you will.”

“Told ya he’d cave.” Annessa glanced at a storefront window and gave her sister a smug smile while Agent Ramano shuffled them both into a corner boutique.
Boudreaux’s, a connoisseur of pure seduction
.

“Thank God you’ve mastered the art of flirtation,” Vanessa mumbled.

“Yeah well, I needed some air.”

“Amen, sister.” Vanessa nudged her elbow then lowered her voice to a whisper. “Do you feel guilty making Agent Ramano suffer through this?”

Annessa moved her gaze around the boutique at the racks and displays of lingerie. Any size, material or color a girl desired. Naughty to nice, virginal to sex-kitten, Boudreaux’s had it all.

She gave the sexy cop a wink. “Does your girlfriend shop, Agent Ramano?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend, Miss Dupree.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Sister?”

“I do have one of those.” He flashed her a killer smile as he propped himself against a nearby wall. “She has a black belt in shopping.”

She giggled and urged her sister toward a nearby display. “He’ll be just fine.”

Vanessa picked up an emerald green nightie. “This would look beautiful on you.”

“I have it.” She bit back a grin and traded it for a pale pink teddy. “I know it’s customary to have one of these for your wedding night, but I’m thinking we should probably just invest in body paint or something.”

“And what exactly do you know about body paint?” Vanessa’s eyes twinkled with mischief as they moved to shop another rack.

“Nothing.”
Yet
. “I only meant that Dane will not leave one article of clothing on your body one minute longer than absolutely necessary.”

“Okay, you’re right. So, we’ll shop for you.”

“What makes you think Casey—”

Vanessa folded her arms over her chest. “Go on.”

“Never mind,” she mumbled.

“I would imagine your clothes fall off with one bat of his long, sexy eyelashes.”

Annessa snuck a glance at Agent Ramano who, thank God, appeared disinterested in the conversation. “Actually, it doesn’t even take that.”

Her sister burst into a fit of giggles.

“I’m so easy,” Annessa groaned.

“I know better.” Vanessa threw a black nightie over one shoulder. “You’ve never made anything easy for Casey.”

Annessa couldn’t have stopped the smile that split her lips if she tried. “And what fun it is.” She glanced back at their silent protection then back at her sister. “Speaking of fun, follow my lead.”

She approached the front counter and gave the silent agent a cursory glance before she spoke to the woman behind. “Latrice?”

The storeowner turned and gave her a smile while she rounded the counter to envelope Annessa in a tight hug. “Annessa, darling! It’s been too long!”

“Sorry,” Annessa mumbled. “But I plan to make it up to you.”

Latrice lifted an eyebrow. “You have something up your sleeve.”

She shrugged. “Well, since Van and I can’t play dress-up today, we wondered if maybe you could line up a couple models for us?”

“You are so bad.” Vanessa swatted her with the black nightie.

“Of course!” Latrice motioned toward the dressing area. “Anything particular line you’d like to see?”

Annessa bit back a grin. “Nearly Naked.”

“My pleasure. Give me a few minutes.”

Annessa approached the agent, whose eyes never left Latrice as she swayed around the store, plucking lingerie from racks on the way. She couldn’t fault his captivation. Latrice Boudreaux attracted attention everywhere she went. Her slim, curvy body, complete with olive-tinted skin and long, wavy blonde hair, stopped both men and women in their tracks, but it was her smooth, soft French dialect that sucked them in. That, coupled with her hypnotizing, deep blue eyes held one captive for hours. As a shrewd businesswoman with a distinct flair for making all of her customers feel sensual and beautiful, Latrice spread magic like a fairy godmother with a golden wand.

Annessa let a slow grin split her lips. “Have you ever been here, Agent Ramano?”

“You can call me Nick, Miss Dupree.”

“Okay, Nick. Have you?”

“No ma’am.”

“Well, then.” She giggled. “We have two choices. We can go upstairs to the private viewing room or in there.” She pointed at a sofa in the dressing area.

He nodded and pushed off the wall. “In there. I’m right behind you.”

Annessa leaned to whisper in her sister’s ear as all three of them sat on the sofa. “This ought to be interesting, huh?”

“Oh yeah.”

She only had time to release a mischievous grin before the first model appeared in front of them wearing what Annessa assumed to be a definite turn-on for most men. The scarlet red boudoir set featured a sheer bra tied beneath the woman’s full breasts and a matching thong.

Latrice stood next to the model, explaining the sexy features of the ensemble, lifting the woman’s breasts to show the ample support measures and tracing the curve of one hip to outline the shape of the thong.

Goosebumps danced on Annessa’s arms as she mentally exchanged places with the model and replaced Latrice’s fingers with Casey’s. Her nipples tightened at the thought of his large hands cupping her breasts, squeezing, kneading, stroking his thumbs over each nipple before pinching the tender points between his thumbs and forefingers. And she knew he wouldn’t stop there. He would lift one of her legs and drape it across his hip, granting him easier access to the hidden treasure lower on her body. His hands would slide easily over her skin, his touch light as a feather and burning each and every nerve ending as he moved his fingers over one hip, under the strap of the thong, and then down the vee between her legs.

Annessa swallowed hard and crossed her legs. “Pretty, don’t you think, Van?”

Agent Ramano cleared his throat beside her and shifted.

“Lovely,” Vanessa agreed. “What’s next, Latrice?”

Their hostess signaled the next model who appeared before them dressed in a black bustier that squeezed her breasts tight until her stiffened nipples darn near penetrated the material.

Annessa glanced at Latrice. “Leather?”

Latrice nodded and then began to point out several sexy attributes of the lingerie. Seven tiny hooks were the only thing keeping the model from being naked. No straps, no zippers, just hooks.

Although the woman wore a thong, it wasn’t much of one and Annessa wondered why she’d even bothered. Besides, the black thigh high hose pinched by two hooks on the bottom edge of the bustier provided plenty of distraction. Annessa tapped her bottom lip. Maybe Sheriff McIntyre needed another distraction,

“Yes,” Vanessa whispered beside her.

“I’ll take one of those, Latrice.”

Agent Ramano coughed and then mumbled something that sounded strangely like “
I need to get out of here
.” She opened her mouth to tease him and then remembered someone else listened on the other end of his earpiece.

“Ladies, we should probably head back to the house.”

“Okay.” Annessa stood and motioned to the cash register. “It will only take a minute for Latrice to package our things.”

Vanessa released a giggle. “Meanwhile, I’m going to the ladies room.”

Annessa noticed the agent flinch.

“I’ll be fine,” Van told him. “You stay here and hold Annessa’s lingerie.”

Annessa bit her lip to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. Apparently, her twin’s engagement had morphed her into a brazen, confident … tease. She shook her head and headed to the front counter. Yeah, good sex tended to do that to a girl.

She glanced around the boutique, taking mental inventory of the stock on the shelves. Boudreaux’s was already a favorite to many of the brides Annessa consulted; Latrice provided exceptional personal service with her flair for seduction. If she were to move her own business to Mourning Dove Harbor, she’d still have Latrice’s expertise. And perhaps the sexy sheriff would appreciate a private viewing of his own.

She stifled another giggle while Latrice wrapped their packages and then moved her gaze back to Agent Ramano who shifted impatiently from side to side beside her, almost to the point of annoying.

“Would you rather wait in the car?” she drawled.

“Your sister’s been in there longer than I anticipated.”

Annessa frowned. She, too, wondered what kept her sister. “I’ll go check on her.”

Agent Ramano paused only a second before Vanessa’s high-pitched scream filled the store.

“Everybody out!” The utter calm in the bodyguard’s tone cleared the few customers from the store but did little to stop the terror that climbed Annessa’s spine.

“No!”

She lunged to run to the back of the store, stopped by the tight hold Agent Ramano had on her waist. Before she had time to argue, he shoved her behind him.

“Out the front, Miss Dupree,” he ordered.

Black dots danced in her vision as Annessa peered over his shoulder to see two men drag her sister across the dressing area.

Agent Ramano drew his gun. “Freeze!”

She opened her mouth to scream again when both she and Latrice were whisked out the front door by another agent. A third turned the lock before disappearing from view.

Annessa beat on the glass until her knuckles stung and it was only when her body was lifted into the air did she stop screaming.

“Annessa.”

Casey stroked her hair while he tucked her against his body, hoping to warm her enough to stop shaking.