A Man to Remember (14 page)

She folded her arms and taunted him. "Perhaps it's out of sight, but I should think that under a mattress would be the first place anyone would look for stolen jewels."

"They aren't stolen. Anyway, what do you know about this sort of thing?" He dismissed her opinion.

Alyse gave him a smug look. "Don't underestimate what I know about clandestine activities, Jake. Don't you know that I'm a great mystery lover? And as any mystery reader knows – "

He held up his hand. "Spare me what every mystery reader knows. Are you talking about what you've learned from those Bristol Bordeaux adventures you read? That's junk, not the real thing."

She lifted her chin defensively, daring him to attack her heroine.

Instead, he just shook his head. "They can't possibly be applied to real-life situations, Alyse. That's just fiction, and it isn't anything like the real thing."

She didn't care what he said. He didn't know the depth of reality portrayed in those stories. She'd spent a great deal of time reading about the breathless adventures of Bristol Bordeaux and how to deal with the criminal mind.

In Bristol's Heresy in the Sahara, the sheikh had escaped across the Persian Gulf in a yacht. While aboard, he had hidden forged documents deeding numerous oil claims to himself. And he certainly didn't stick them under a mattress. His trick was a tiny nook in the boat's head, which Alyse thought was a very clever hiding spot. But damned if she'd tell Jake. He was so self-assured and secretive, let him find out for himself.

"Now, I'm going out to talk to dock manager about refueling." Jake paused. "And you stay put. I'm not going far, and you'll be in my sight the entire time."

Alyse gave him a mockingly sweet smile. "Why, you don't have to worry about li'l ol' me. What do I know about escaping?"

"Hmph," Jake grunted, and made his way across the deck.

When he returned, Jake angrily paced the small space between the settee berths. "Dammit, the manager says we can't refuel until tomorrow."

"I'm not surprised. Haven't you noticed it's now dark outside? Down here they don't believe in working until midnight like the crazy workaholic Americans."

"I guess this means no supplies tonight. No food or water."

"You've got it. This isn't some metropolitan city with all-night grocery stores and filling stations."

"Okay, Alyse, I get the picture without your sarcastic remarks to emphasize your delight in my misery. Looks like we're stuck until morning." Finally he slumped down on the settee opposite her. "You hungry?"

"Yes. Starved."

"Me too. We've hardly eaten all day. Tuna and crackers doesn't count. Let's go find something. Surely restaurants are open at this hour."

"You mean the captive gets to eat?"

"The captive is going to get more than she bargained for if she doesn't shut her smart mouth."

"Like what? Gonna beat me up, Jake?"

He cast her a vicious look and grabbed her up in his arms. "Don't be so caustic, Alyse. It doesn't become you." His breath was hot on her face.

"You going to force me to bed with you, Jake?"

He shoved her aside, and she fell against the padded settee. "I'll never force you into my bed, Alyse. Surely you know me better than that by now."

"You're forcing me to travel with you."

"That's different. It isn't intimate."

"We'll be living together in one tiny room for days, and you think that isn't intimate?"

"It isn't the same as going to bed with a person."

"Going to bed with you was extremely personal. We became friends and lovers because I trusted you. I was willing to be intimate with you, Jake Bronson, believing every lie you fed me. And you have destroyed that trust. And that intimacy."

"I don't have any regrets, Alyse. Do you?"

"Regrets?" She spit the words. "Oh, yes! Somewhere in everything we shared, I thought you cared about me. Damn, was I wrong."

"I do care. I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Something has already happened to me. Look what a mess you've gotten me into! I thought I knew you. What a fool I was."

Jake looked as if he'd been slapped. And he felt even worse. She was right. He'd taken unfair advantage of the attraction they both felt, taken her to bed, and lied to her like crazy. And he'd just lied to her because he regretted all of it. This woman was different, and he had known it from the beginning. Dammit, he should have left her alone.

But he couldn't do a thing about that now.

He motioned to her. "Come on, Alyse. Let's go get something to eat." He climbed the companionway ladder and waited on the aft cockpit for her to join him. When she didn't come out right away, he leaned down through the opening. "You coming?"

"No. Suddenly I have no appetite."

"Oh, come on, Alyse. You've hardly eaten all day."

"No, thank you. I don't care for the company. Gives me indigestion."

"Damn! You're damned stubborn!" he muttered. "If you think you're going to pull any cute tricks, like taking off, don't bother. I have both sets of keys. Plus I'll have somebody keep an eye on you."

"Make sure they have binoculars strong enough to penetrate the curtains!" she said hotly. "But you don't have to worry, Jake darling. I won't leave this ship. Not that your weak threats scare me anymore. Where would I go in this crummy little town after dark?"

"I'm sure you'd find something. Like a church sanctuary."

"Hmph!" She folded her arms and turned away from him. "Anyway, you're right about the Skye Command's being my responsibility. I intend to see her back home. Then no one can doubt my abilities, especially when people hear everything I had to endure to get her home safely."

His answer was a low grunt. He wouldn't trust her completely. But it would be easy enough to pay someone to watch the boat.

Sullenly she listened as Jake walked the entire length of the pier. Then she lit the pilot light under the water heater. She felt like taking a shower, even if it meant using every last drop of water in storage.

Methodically she closed the curtains, then cut the lights altogether. She didn't want anyone watching her shadows as she moved around the cabin.

Alyse crawled up onto the large forward berth and, lifting the mattress corner, drew out the wooden box from its hiding place. She propped a small flashlight on the table and dug into her makeup case. Shaky with the excitement of doing something forbidden, she set the box under the small beam. Inserting a bent bobby pin into the tiny lock, Alyse wiggled it around a few times, and—bingo—the lock clicked open.

She sucked in a quick breath. There! That wasn't so hard. Just as Bristol Bordeaux had done hundreds of times.

Slowly lifting the carved lid, Alyse directed the light toward the contents. As Jake had claimed, it contained sparkling jewels and a few gold coins. Why would she expect anything different? On a black velvet bed lay fine quality pearls, jade, sapphires, gold, and a pair of diamond earrings.

The big question remained, were they legitimate and legal in his possession? Of course, that question spawned others. Where had he got them? And why was he so upset that she'd taken them today? Sure, they were worth a lot, but so was her cruiser. And she'd been willing to leave it today.

She realized now what a foolish move that was. If anybody left, it should be Jake. Fat chance of that's happening now, though. He was too much in command.

When Jake returned an hour later, she had showered and was already in bed. And she had taken care of the carved jewelry box.

Wearily he tossed something onto the table and picked up the flashlight she'd left out. He shone it over her slender form, which was outlined by the white sheet.

"How can I sleep with you inspecting me every few minutes?" she growled.

He flicked the light off. "Sorry to wake you. I just wanted to make sure you were here. That you hadn't left a dummy under the sheets."

"A dummy IS under the sheets! Don't give me any bright ideas!"

His slight smile was hidden in the dark. "I brought you something to eat, Alyse. It's on the table. Also a beer. I know you're hungry. You have to be."

Alyse thought about the food for a few minutes, and the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. She was starved. And the aroma was heavenly. When the temptation was too strong to resist, she got up and popped the top on the beer and chomped down on the shrimp tacos he'd brought.

"This is delicious. Thank you."

"You haven't had much to eat today. I didn't want you to get sick."

"Yeah," she drawled cattily. "It might slow you down."

He didn't answer, but she could tell by his maneuverings in the dark that he was undressing. He stripped off everything, and in the faint, scattered light she could make out his muscular flanks and back. He didn't even bother trying to hide himself. Well, he probably figured it didn't matter. She'd already seen him in all his erotic glory in the golden sunlight. And she had known the complete fulfillment his body could give hers. But it didn't matter because all that was in the past.

He slid into bed, and she imagined how that sheet clung to the planes and crevices of his body.

When she finished eating, Alyse crawled back into her berth. The two of them lay in silence with only the sounds of the water gurgling around the bow crooning to them. The boat rocked gently.

Jake's voice rumbled in the black velvet night. "Alyse? I'm sorry about how everything's turned out. Sorry about the lies. Sorry I got you involved."

Alyse's heart beat faster. She could hardly believe he was actually apologizing. "I have to take some of the responsibility for getting involved, Jake. You were intriguing. At first I thought the whole thing was exciting. Then I got cold feet and wanted to back out."

"I can understand that." He sighed heavily. "You don't really know what's going on. I wish I could take back the lies."

"You could explain them."

"There are some things I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Too dangerous for you to know."

"You want to keep me innocent? Don't you realize that in the eyes of the law I'm an accomplice, Jake? I've been harboring you for days now. That makes me a participant in your activities."

"You are innocent, Alyse. I'll swear to it. And that's exactly the way I want to keep you."

She sighed. "You know you can be extremely infuriating, Jake Bronson."

There was a silent distance between them. "I know. You keep reminding me."

"Are there some things you can tell me?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Tell me the truth about yourself, Jake. Are you still married, or conveniently separated?"

"Hell no. I'm divorced, like I told you. Have been for about four years now. My former wife is remarried and lives in L.A."

"And your children?"

"Riana, is eight. Sloan, five. They live with her. I have visiting rights."

"Do you bring them to your home for holidays and such?"

"Not much. I send money. That's all they want from me. It's what I'm best at giving."

"I doubt that, Jake."

"My former wife is not my best ally. She tells the kids what she wants them to believe about me. It's hard to fight it."

"They are your children, Jake. That's undeniable and… most important."

"I know."

"So the part about your immediate family was true," Alyse said. "But the rest of it isn't?"

"You must realize by now that the villa belongs to Emilio."

"Not even a relative," she said.

"He is a . . . friend. Very good friend."

"Then there is no aunt? Funny, but that part, strange as it sounds, seemed most real to me. Maybe it's because I wanted to believe it. But you seemed to care about her. And I know how funny the Mexican government is about foreigners owning land and removing their national wealth."

The night was very dark and quiet before he said, "I had to convince you that I had a legitimate reason for getting this stuff out of the country, so that part was based on fact. Several years ago my aunt, Dad's sister, married a Mexican landholder. A few years later, they both were killed by insurgents. Or so we were told. Their murderers were never caught, no one punished, as far as we know. Her American family was completely helpless to do anything. The Mexican government claimed it tried to find the guilty ones. But it came up with nothing. Of course, the government eventually took over all their possessions or whatever was left after the insurgents looted the place. We got nothing."

"That's a tragic story, Jake."

"Sometimes the truth is worse than anything made up."

"And sometimes we can't admit the truth about ourselves."

"It's in your best interest not to know too much, Alyse."

"That goes against common sense. It's my boat you're using. I should know everything."

"Well… that's your opinion. Mine's different."