The Heart Heist (28 page)

He pulled off the highway at the town and drove the deserted streets west. Beside the crickets, the motor of his FBI car was the only sound in the night. Gary pulled into the drive beside the Wilson house, crunching the leaves that had fallen from the sycamore tree hanging overhead. Cutting the motor, he turned to Kerrin. He needed to take care of the matter, and the sooner the better.

She turned to look at him. Her eyes were jeweled pools of dark amber in the half light from his porch. He nearly lost his train of thought, looking into them.

"Sweetheart?" His voice came out tight, strained. "I've got to ask you something."

Those eyes of hers softened, sending out a message he wished he understood. "What is it?"

Gary's throat moved in a deep swallow. "You'd never believe how I gave my teenagers hell about doing just exactly what I did to you tonight. Baby." He paused, nearly overcome by a wave of panic.
What would he do?
"Honey, what are the chances you might be pregnant?"

Her eyes continued to shine at him, glittering slightly as they moved over his face. Damn! He should have taken care of things. Just what Kerrin deserved was a baby out of wedlock with a guy who was in prison, a guy who couldn't do a thing to take care of her or the kid, who couldn't even give her a decent name.

"I would say," Kerrin carefully answered him, "very, very slim to none."

He closed his eyes with near debilitating relief. "Are you sure?"

"Well, the insert that came with the prescription was quite explicit about probability. I'm sure."

Gary abruptly opened his eyes again. "You're on the Pill?"

Now her gaze dropped. Her fine brows drew down as she studied the hands folded in her lap. "Um, well. I've had the pills for about a year, but I only started taking them, mmm...after you kissed me that time in the array." Her pursed lips gave her expression added bafflement as she lifted her head to stare out the windshield. "You see, I wasn't totally sure I was immune."

It was the relief, probably, but a silly grin worked its way onto his face. "You've had these pills a year?"

Shooting him an embarrassed glance, Kerrin raised her shoulders. "One never knows."

Wishful thinking. That was Kerrin all over. With a bark of laughter, Gary pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was a kiss filled with relief and a bubbling something more he didn't quite understand, never having experienced it before.

"Which isn't to say," Kerrin didactically added, "that I shouldn't have had you use a condom anyway." Her gaze turned severe. "Which you are going to do in the future, dear sir."

Gary's jaw dropped open. He closed it again, smiling. "You're very right to insist, sweetheart, as you'd better do in the future." He cleared his throat. "But as far as my own health goes, honey, I haven't had sexual relations -- of any kind -- in over five years. Besides which, they gave me a thorough physical before letting me out. I'm clean as a whistle."

"Oh." Kerrin's gaze turned mildly apologetic, and thoroughly relieved.

"Let's go inside," he said, opening the car door. "I'm tired of being two behind."

"Two behind?"

"You know what I mean."

Kerrin looked away with a nervous laugh. "I didn't know we were keeping score."

"Sure we are." Gary grinned. "And I'm gonna take you all the way home, baby. Just you wait and see."

~~~

Dawn was merely a grayish pink idea at the top of the Panamint Range. Its soft light filtered in through Gary's sheer curtains, gently illuminating Kerrin's sleeping face. Bending an elbow, Gary propped his head on the heel of one hand and simply looked at her. She had her arms under his pillow, her body curved like a child's.

His sexual boast had turned out to be completely empty. By the time they'd reached the bedroom, he'd found himself so exhausted, both mentally and physically, that he'd been able to do nothing more put his arms around her sweet body and fall asleep. He'd drifted off with the gentle sensation of her fingers sifting through his hair. This kind of tenderness Gary had never experienced, not even from a woman. Remembering it created an upwelling of a very similar emotion in his chest as he now looked down at her.

Kerrin's delicate facial muscles twitched. She opened her eyes. They looked lazy, half asleep. "You're still here," she groggily observed.

He slid a finger down her nose. "Where else do you think I'd be?" Indeed. He was eager to take care of the promise he'd made the night before.

Kerrin shut her eyes again, tightly, casting back for sleep. "Ensenada," she mumbled. Suddenly she went still. Her eyes opened wide, fully awake. "Gary, maybe that's where you should go."

"Ensenada?" He was torn between laughter and the desire to shake her.

"I'm serious." Propping herself on one arm, Kerrin frowned at him. "If somebody's going around shooting at you -- Mexico is probably the safest place for you to be."

"Forget it." The urge to shake her took precedence, or at least the urge to get her supine. Rising, he took her by the shoulders and firmly lowered her to the mattress. Her nightgowned breasts lay just beneath his naked chest. "I'm not running away."

Her eyes shone up at him. "But Gary -- "

"Now I'm the one who's serious." He let his weight pinning her down give her an idea of just how serious. "For one thing, I'm not leaving you holding the bag."

"Oh." She studied him carefully, too carefully. He lowered his lids and bent to kiss her. It wouldn't do for her to figure out the other reason he couldn't leave town. If he cut out now, there might not be much of the town left once Mr. Holiday got through with it.

"Gary?" Kerrin's soft hands reached around his back as he lifted the nightgown over her head, thus keeping her body close to his so he couldn't see her naked front. Huh. She was still shy about those breasts of hers. He was going to have to teach her to get over that. Which was fine. He liked teaching.

"Yeah, what is it, babe?" He pushed a knee between her legs. His hand smoothed down her body, soaking in every silky inch of it.

Her head swept to the side as she bit back a moan of desire. It gave Gary a giddy feeling, the way he could take her from skittishness to pleasure. Excitement rose in him as he thought about leading her to the ultimate pleasure.

"What's the other thing?" Kerrin breathed out.

"This," Gary said, and kissed her.

She melted under him. She was so soft and sweet it drove him crazy. He wanted to be with her, just right in her. But he was going to even the score first. Oh, he desperately wanted to show her how good this could be. Dancing his fingers over her breasts, he felt her writhe, wanting more. So, she'd already learned to like that much.

"Gary."

"With me. Stay with me, honey." He lowered one hand, smoothing it over her belly.

"Oh, Gary," she moaned. "That feels so -- " She stopped on a gasp as his fingers threaded through the blond curls above her thighs. Every muscle in her body tensed as he tapped her sensitive button.

"Good?" Gary asked. He kissed her lightly, gauging, and sensed the wall of nerves he'd previously conquered rising again.

"I don't know. I -- " The nervous whisper turned into a low groan as he circled her with his finger. The touch had made her defensive walls lower once more. Oh, it made him high when he got her to reach for sensation, instead of shy away from it.

"Good," Gary answered for both of them. He wanted to give her every sensation, as much pleasure he could.

"Mm." She clung to him, and even widened her thighs as he played her further. This was beyond lowered walls. It was invitation. Gary took her up on it, teasing her nub while he pushed a finger inside her.

Her hands dug into his arm. "Mm," she said again, louder.

"Mm," Gary agreed. The tart scent told him he was on the right track, as did the moisture sweetly dewing his fingers. She was completely responsive. He was hard as a rock.

"Oh, my goodness," Kerrin whimpered. "I think I need -- "

"I know, baby." Gary moved between her spread legs.

"Yes," Kerrin breathed.

"Easy," Gary muttered, more to himself than to her. She moaned as he pushed into her, and pulled him close with her hands on his back.

Heaven. Soft and hot and tight. The woman was pure heaven.

"Oh, my," she groaned, and twisted against him. "I need -- "

"Yeah, yeah. I know." He needed it, too. He needed to feel her come under his hands. He needed her to trust him enough to let herself go. He wanted her to trust him like she'd never trusted another man.

He withdrew, then thrust, tuned to her response, reacting to it.

"Gary." It was pure plea. She was beyond inhibition now, moving with him. "Oh -- "

He said nothing. He couldn't say anything. The beauty of it was beyond him, her body clenching around his, her growing pleasure and expanding need feeding his. He had her. Oh, how he had her.

"Please." She clutched him even closer, like she'd never let him go.

Don't let go, he silently urged her.
Never let me go.
His lips pulled back as he moved faster, feeding her, feeling showered by her pleasure.

"Gary." Her voice was high, disbelieving.

Gary prayed she was close. He was about to go over the edge himself.

"Kerrin," he groaned.

"Yes! Oh-h-h...
yes
."

He felt her convulse; her sweet contractions around him sent him into the stratosphere.
Kerrin
. Did he think it or say it, her name like a prayer?
Kerrin, Kerrin, Kerrin
. He held her tight, wanting this fabulous sensation of union, striving to keep it as long as possible. This -- this -- was all of his dreams rolled into one.

"Oh,
Gary
." Kerrin's arms clung. "That was so -- I had no
idea
."

As the otherwordly sensation began to subside, Gary started to chuckle. He raised onto his elbows to grin down at her. "Now you know why I was keeping score."

Kerrin's expression of utter wonder transformed into a grin of her own. "Yeah, I guess so." She reached to brush a lock of hair out of his eyes. "Oh, Gary, I'm so glad you didn't go to Mexico."

Gary closed his eyes, the feel of her tender touch arrowing through him with as much force as the sexual climax. Perhaps the unexpected power of his need reminded him of one harsh fact. "But I am going away, honey."

Her hand stopped, then lowered. "Oh." She paused, bit her lip, eyes glittering. "Just how long do we have?"

The question sent a different kind of arrow through him, a painful one. "At the outside, a couple months." He shook his head. "Kerrin, I don't know if we're doing the right thing here. Maybe I should have more self-control, but I don't. So let's work with what we've got. Let's just enjoy what time we have left without...without banging our heads against the wall trying to change the future. Can you do that?" He looked down at her earnestly. He needed her to do this, to help him avoid counting too much on whatever was going on here.

But her lips curved into an impossibly serene smile. "You're asking a leopard to change her spots. I can promise you I'll enjoy what time we have together, Gary, but I'm putting my faith in the future. You know my motto. Anything -- "

"Oh, enough!" Gary cut her off with a swiftly placed and long-drawn out kiss. Maybe if he made it long enough and deep enough she'd forget the rest of the sentence. Unfortunately, he wouldn't. It would echo and taunt him forever.
Anything is possible.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"The truth is in the details. That's what my Dad says, anyway," Matt pontificated.

Elaine stood in the open doorway of Matt's bedroom, aghast. A sea of tiny pieces of paper covered the floor. 'Details.' That's how he described this mess. She thought of reminding him of their deal, that he'd promised to clean his room. Her gaze stole from the papers to Matt.

He sat on the floor with his back against the wall. His shoulders were broad, already manly, and the rest of him tapered down to a pair of long, long legs. Matt would have been tall, if he could have stood up. His golden brown eyes looked up at her, apparently innocent, actually challenging. The rebuke died on her lips.

But she didn't let their eyes meet for too long. She remembered what had happened in class that one day. The memory threatened to raise a blush all by itself.

"All right, Matt. You explain." She gestured over the sea. "What is all of this?"

His face lit with eagerness. "You'll have to come inside. And close the door."

Inside his room. He'd once yelled at her for doing that. But Matt had been acting a lot friendlier since that day, as though he knew she existed. Or maybe he just still felt guilty about yelling.

"You have to come in," Matt insisted. "This is a secret."

She met his gaze again, briefly. Elaine didn't kid herself Matt might have any kind of
interest
in her. Besides, she'd just finished cleaning the house and she looked like a mess. Shrugging, she stepped inside -- and closed the door.

He waited until the latch caught and then gestured her to step closer. "It's research," Matt explained. "You've heard of Mr. Holiday?"

Mr. Holiday? She blinked and tried to think. Oh yes. He was this insane person who'd been going around blowing up dams and things. She hadn't paid much attention to the news stories. Now she looked out over the papers. Evidently Matt had been paying attention. Close attention. And now he was sharing the results of that attention with her. She began to feel a small warmth inside.

"Right," Matt said. "What you're looking at is eight months' worth of research. I've put every scrap of information I know about the guy onto these pieces of paper. Those are the details. Now I'm looking for a pattern."

Elaine dropped to a squatting position. Matt was taking her into his confidence. She had no idea why, but that warm something inside began to grow. She squinted down at a scrap of paper by her foot. It read 'remote detonator bombs.' "The Holiday Bomber," she murmured, moving her eyes up to the next note. It said, 'FBI ?' "These aren't in any order," she observed.