Part 8 (2/2)

The world tilted, then it didn't exist anymore as Blu pulled her away from the wall and his big hands cupped her backside and curled her more firmly against his lower body.

The black box that had become their safe haven grew smaller. Hotter. But even then, even when the Blu Devil's roused pa.s.sion lay stiff and pulsing against her belly, Kristen couldn't stop her own desire, or the longing this man's heat ignited.

It was the first, she mused. The first time she had ever lost herself in a man's kiss, to his hot touch. At least, that she remembered.

Chapter 7.

He wasn't going to mention the kiss. And sinceshe had refused to even look at him since they'd left Lema's ,Blu figured it was safe to say the entire episode was going to die a slow death-a very slow death because he was still smoldering from the waist down.

The kiss had been a way to keep her quiet. He'd acted before he'd thought. No, that wasn't true. He'd been dying to kiss her. Only he'd never expected her to give back the way she had. He'd never expected her to feed the fire that had sent him so quickly out of control.

”You're sure he didn't follow us?”

She sounded a little breathless, tired of the pace he'd set. Blu didn't break his stride as he ushered her onto DuBay Pier where theNightwing rode the gentle tide. ”I can't guarantee that. But we're not going to stick around and find out.”

She stopped.”Meaning?”

Blu spun around. ”Meaning, we don't have time for this right now. We're s.h.i.+pping out.” He started walking again, hoping she would follow. He'd give her fifteen seconds and then she'd be over his shoulder whether she liked it or not. He heard her start after him. She was smart, he'd give her that. h.e.l.l, he'd give her more than that; that little mouth of hers could be the CIA's best secret weapon if they ever found out about it. He'd never experienced so much localized heat storming his groin all at once in his entire life.

His body hadn't wanted to stop, and even the night air wasn't doing much to settle him down. The sight of Angel dressed in one of Lema's sarongs wasn't helping, either. In the moonlight, even in the wig, she looked like some erotic sea witch he'd pulled from the ocean. But it was over now, and to remind himself of that fact, he noticed she had grown as skittish as a cornered spider crab. With good reason, he admitted. Things had gone too far in that closet, he'd touched her in places he shouldn't have. h.e.l.l, fully clothed, he'd d.a.m.n near made love to her in a two-by-two closet.

When they reached the cruiser, he hurried aboard, then turned to help her over the side. Only there was no need, she leaped onto the cruiser's deck with seasoned agility, again reminding him that she was no novice where boats were concerned. Not even the red-and-purple, ankle-length sarong affected her deft coordination.

It made him question himself another time. Did he know her? Was he supposed to? If she had lived in the area three years ago when would he have met her? Where? He studied the sarong and how it outlined her curves. Three years ago she would have been fifteen or sixteen. Seventeen at the oldest.

While she had changed into the sarong, he'd glimpsed more bruises on her body. He'd agreed to step out of the curtained room, but as she'd turned her back to shed her ruined blouse, he had watched her through the open edge of the curtain. He'd seen dark marks along her fragile rib cage and the length of her spine.

”Is that you, Blu?”

The call came from below deck. Blu answered, ”It's me. Get on up here,mon ami.”

”Who's that?”

For the first time since they'd left Lema's, Angel was looking him straight in the eye. ”That's Mort,” he told her. ”He works for me, and sleeps on the cruiser sometimes.” Mort scaled the stairs two at a time. The teenager was sixteen, as thin as Angel and no more than two inches taller. But the experience that showed brightly in his clear blue eyes made him look much older, and years wiser. ”What's up?” he asked.

”I want you to bunk in with Brodie for a few days.” Blu glanced toward the waterfront. There was still no one in sight, but he wasn't willing to take any chances.

Mort c.o.c.ked his head and eyed Angel. ”Who's she?”

”Never mind.” Blu's voice bit hard as his gaze locked on Mort once more. ”Just round up your stuff and take off.”

Mort grinned. ”Not a problem. I'll be out of your hair in five minutes.” Good at his word, in record time the teenager was back on deck with a small duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

”Tell Brodie, until he hears from me, he's in charge of the fleet.”

Mort leaped to the dock, then spun around. ”Why?”

”Never mind why. Tell him I might be out as long as a week.”

”A week!” Mort glanced at Angel once more, then back to Blu again. ”You've never taken any days off since ... since we met.”

”Well, I'm taking some days now.”

It was true his routine for the past eight years had been well established, but Blu didn't question his decision, and he didn't like Mort questioning him, either. ”Hightail it so I can shoveoff.”

Once Mort was gone, Blu turned and found Angel glaring at him. ”What?”

”You were rude to him.”

”We need to get moving.” Blu untied the boat from its moorings.

”Do you always boss people around?”

”I've never given it much thought.” Blu headed for the helm.

”Well, maybe you should.”

”This is my boat.” He turned over the engine. ”I'm the boss.”

”You're not the boss of me,” she snapped.

Bluturned to look at her. ”At the moment, I'll have to disagree.”

”Because you're bigger and stronger?”

Blu backed the cruiser away from the pier. ”Can we talk about this later? Right now we need to get out of here.” With that, he left the pier behind with a burst of speed. ”We won't gofar,” he called over his shoulder, ”there's a place at River Bay. It's about a mile from here.”

Ten minutes later, Blu nosed theNightwing into a congested marina overrun with boats in all shapes and sizes-from sailboats to houseboats to luxury yachts. ”There's only a handful of people who would look for me here,” he told her, mooring the boat to the dock. ”But no one you need to worry about.”

She was at the railing, searching the quiet maze of boats docked around them. ”Do you think Salva's man contacted him?” She faced him. ”Do you think they're searching for me right now?”

The growing fear in her eyes was hard to watch. ”We can't be sure that guy got a good look at you. But there's no sense taking chances. You'll need to stay out of sight for a while. And this is a good place. Finding someone here is next to impossible, that is unless you know what you're looking for. And they don't.” Blu double checked the ropes that secured them to the dock. When he turned back, he caught Angel scanning the waterfront with more interest than he thought she should. ”Don't be stupid,” he warned. ”This is a perfect hiding place for you.”

”Isit,really?”

”Yes.”

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