Black Satin (LS 675) Read online

  A moment passed, then Cole placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed very gently. Kira felt a sudden burning behind her eyes at the reassuring gesture. Coming from Cole, it was doubly sweet. She had a sudden fierce wish that he’d pull her into his arms and let her lean into his sturdy frame for comfort and support, but she didn’t dare initiate the contact. And for some odd reason, that infuriated her.

  Kira stepped behind Cole and turned to lower herself down the short ladder to the platform. She needed comfort, and she sought it with the dolphins. She whistled a light shrill cadence, then knelt and leaned out over the water. Seconds later two smiling bottlenose dolphins broke the surface a mere inch from her outstretched hand.

  Cutter emitted a rapid set of clicks and whistles while Old Joe swam in closer, looking for a possible treat.

  “Sorry, fellas, I’m empty-handed.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she added, “Just needed some company.” Cutter nudged Old Joe aside for his share of attention. He pressed his melon against her hand, and she stroked the protruding forehead gently. “How’s your buddy out there?” As if they understood, both dolphins responded with a series of clicks and squeaks. Kira smiled, enchanted as always by the mammals’ openness and affection. But despite their ever-present smiles, their rapid clicks and whistles told her they knew something wasn’t right. She wished she could reassure them. “Would you tell Rio for me that I’d appreciate it if he’d eat a bit?”

  It took several moments before Kira realized that tears were streaming down her face. Before she could shift her weight in order to wipe them away, a firm hand under her elbow lifted her to a standing position.

  “I’ll get him back, Kira.” Cole ran a fingertip across her cheek as fresh tears edged over her lower lashes. “Tell them they’ll have their friend back very shortly.”

  Kira sensed that Cole wasn’t simply placating her. He knew something she didn’t know. Her hands curled into fists, and she thumped him once on his chest. “You found something out and you didn’t tell me right away?” Where the fury came from she didn’t know; possibly she’d reached her stress limit. She didn’t care why, only that she felt an overwhelming need to pound on something, and Cole was a very convenient target. She clenched her fists even tighter, the hands-off rule forgotten.

  He caught her fists an inch from his chest. “What’s gotten into you? I’m here to help, remember?”

  Kira didn’t back down. “Are you telling me that you don’t have any information? That instead of telling me straight off and relieving me from the endless minutes I’ve spent going out of my mind, you deliberately took your sweet time doing other things like kissing me and, and—” She broke off as she realized how ridiculous she sounded. Letting the tension go completely, she would have swayed against Cole had he not been gripping her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” she said roughly. “It’s just been a long couple of days, and then I thought you weren’t coming, and when you finally do show up, I don’t know what to expect one minute to the next.…” She turned her gaze away for a moment to collect herself. “Never mind.”

  Cole turned her face back to his with a finger under her chin. “This your way of saying you missed me, sweet lips?”

  It couldn’t exactly be called a smile, but the slight curve to his lips made her insides flip-flop and her heart speed up. “No. Dammit.” The last was said with a reluctant grin. Her smile slowly faded as they stared at one another in silence. Even the dolphins had stopped their nervous chattering. “You have a plan, don’t you?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  “Yeah.”

  “What? When? How?”

  “Whoa, slow down.” He turned her away from the edge of the platform and stepped over to the ladder. Without warning, he gripped her waist and lifted her to sit on the edge of the shoulder-high pier. With grace and strength that left her slightly openmouthed, he placed his palms on the scarred planks next to her and levered himself up, angling his body till he sat next to her.

  “Neat trick,” she said, unable to refrain from commenting.

  He shot her his patented semismile. “First thing they teach in smuggler school.” His voice was a bit lighter than usual.

  His expression flattened as her smile broadened. “Do you want to hear the plan or not?” he asked gruffly.

  Thoroughly intrigued by the idea that Cole could be teased, Kira tucked her smile and the thought away for the time being. “Yes, I do. Have you found a way in?”

  “I think so.” His voice was all business now, but he kept his eyes trained on the cove. “I made a few inquiries, and I think you had the right idea about going in at night. His weakest security is just past the cove that fronts the main house. It’s also the most direct route to P.J.”

  “Strange. Are you sure?”

  Cole cut his eyes toward her. “Yes.”

  He didn’t say anything else. Kira waited for a few moments, thinking he’d explain. Stupid assumption. She wondered how long it had been since someone questioned his word. She glanced at him. Forbidding, very forbidding. “That scowl might work on other smugglers, but I need a bit more information. I’m not doubting you, Cole. But you have to admit it’s a bit unusual to leave such an easy entry unguarded. Could it be a trap?”

  “You’ve read too many spy novels. Juan Carlos is a very arrogant man.” Kira snorted. Cole lifted an eyebrow but continued blandly. “Except for the beach of the cove, the rest of the key is mostly reef and coral-edged. But the front of the main house is well lit and mostly glass. A man with his reputation takes precautions, but he also believes that no one would be foolish enough to approach him head-on.”

  “But we are.”

  “No.”

  “But I thought you just said—”

  “We aren’t. I am.”

  Kira turned to face him. “Oh no, you don’t. No way will I let you go out there alone.”

  The crooked smile returned. “Worried about me?”

  “No,” she shot back, lying and not caring. “Men like you always land on their feet. It’s P.J. I’m worried about. You don’t know the first thing about dolphins, much less how to retrieve one.”

  “Men like me? What am I, Kira?”

  “A survivor.”

  Cole flinched, an almost imperceptible move, but he knew she’d seen it. One of these nights he was going to have to stop provoking her. His expression bleak, he looked over at her. “Yeah,” he said softly, “I am that.”

  She leaned toward him, then pulled back slightly. Cole was stunned by how much he wanted her to reach out and run her hands over him. The need was so strong, he had to actually fight the urge to shift away, to stand up and walk as far from her as necessary until the wanting and the needing stopped.

  “Cole, you can’t do this alone. You need me.”

  He gripped the edge of the pier to keep from grabbing her and shaking her. He wanted to shout at her to stop looking at him. To stop looking into him. Didn’t she know she was killing him by inches? Each softly spoken word, each aborted move to comfort was like tiny knives slicing deeply into his gut. Into the depths of his soul.

  But she was right, dammit. At least in this, he needed her. He took small consolation in the thought that her need for him was greater.

  “If you go, you stay on the boat.”

  “Impossible.”

  Cole swore and slapped the pier between them. He ground his teeth when she lifted her chin. “I won’t let you get close to Martinez’s house, so just forget it, Kira. If you need to be in the water to help get P.J. onto the boat, then fine. But no following me, Kira.” She either played this his way, or he didn’t go.

  If she insisted in putting herself in danger, then she could do it alone. He wouldn’t be there to watch. Never again would he be forced to watch.

  “When do we do this?”

  Cole watched her warily. She hadn’t exactly agreed to his demands. But she would. “Wednesday night. Juan Carlos will be off the island for several hours. It’s our best shot.”

>   “That’s only two days before the investors’ program.”

  “I know. But it’s the only way. Will P.J. be able to work that quickly?”

  “I don’t know. It depends on his attitude and how he’s been treated. We have a specially designed boat that we use to do physical checks on some marine mammals in the wild. We can transport him back in the sling, and I can examine him without having to involve anyone else.” Kira paused and looked down at her hands, twisting restlessly in her lap. “Right now I don’t care if he’s able to work with the kids for the investors’ meeting. I just want him back safe and sound.”

  “If he’s in the cove, and my information tells me he is, then we’ll get him back.”

  Kira looked up. “Just where did you get this information?”

  Cole’s expression became shuttered, and she silently cursed. Didn’t he realize that it no longer made a difference to her what he’d done, or who he’d been?

  “I reestablished a few contacts.”

  Kira’s eyes widened at the unexpected tidbit of information. She studied him for a moment. “There’s something you’re not telling me. If it concerns me or the institute, I have a right to know.”

  “You sure about that?”

  A chill slithered down her spine at his ominous tone. But she had no choice. “Yes.”

  “Martinez did have inside help. I’ve tried every other scenario, Kira. It had to be one of your people.”

  Kira rubbed her hands on her arms to ward off the sudden shiver that raced over her skin.

  “Who is it, Kira?”

  Kira immediately pictured Paul. Smiling, laughing, incredibly loyal Paul. It just couldn’t be. He’d have no reason to do it. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. She wondered if it sounded like a lie. It sure felt like one.

  “Protecting the person puts everything you’ve worked for at direct risk, Kira. Juan Carlos might not appreciate being outsmarted. He might come back. Only this time …” Cole stopped when he realized Kira had turned a shade paler than death. “Aw hell.” He slid over and pulled her into his arms. “Sorry,” he mumbled against her hair. She balled up his T-shirt into her fists and pounded against his chest. This time he let her.

  “I’m so scared.” The words were spoken in the barest of whispers.

  “I know.” Cole wrapped one arm around her waist and pushed the other into her hair, cradling her against his chest as she cried. “Show me what to do, Kira. I’ll get him back. Just show me how.”

  Kira didn’t want to relinquish her spot in his arms. For the first time in many years someone was worrying about her and not the other way around. He’d taken her burden and put it squarely on his broad shoulders. She felt protected and cared for. It was intoxicating, addictive.

  Her tears slowed, then stopped. Not ready to leave the sanctuary of his arms just yet, she maintained her grip on the front of his T-shirt. What she really wanted was to snake her arms around his waist and hold on to him for dear life, but she didn’t dare. That he’d let her grab his shirt in the first place surprised her, and she knew she shouldn’t push it. But she was feeling very vulnerable and very alone, and she freely admitted to herself that she wanted—no, needed—his strength and warmth.

  She also realized just how much she wanted the right to reach out and touch him whenever she wanted, to hold him when the need arose, as he held her. Holding his shirt wasn’t much, but it was a start.

  She could feel his heart beating steadily under her fist. His body was hot under her bare legs, his shirt damp from her tears. Her senses were tuned to an almost painful pitch. She felt very much alive. And suddenly not so very alone.

  “Kira?” His breath stirred the air near her forehead.

  “What?”

  “If you think you’re up to it, I’m ready for my first lesson in Dolphin Rescue 101.”

  Kira smiled against his shirt. He was teasing her. Not badgering her, or provoking her, or trying to seduce her. Cole playful? She’d never have thought him capable of it.

  She leaned back in his arms and looked up into his eyes. The corner of his mouth was actually curving into the closest approximation of a real smile she’d seen since that first night in the parking lot at Repo’s.

  “Okay, Sinclair. First thing you have to do is strip.”

  The curve deepened until an even row of white teeth flashed at her. “Sweet lips, I thought you’d never ask.”

  Kira almost fainted. One of these days she’d learn not to tease him. Lord, when he smiled like that, the man went from dark and dangerous to downright devilish.

  Cole shifted her off his lap and stood, pulling her up beside him. They weren’t touching, but she was so close to him, she could feel his heart beating.

  “I don’t suppose you’re planning to get naked with me?”

  Still trembling from the aftershocks of that sinful grin, Kira didn’t dare voice the response that immediately sprang to her lips. She wouldn’t provoke him further.

  Would she?

  She turned and headed for the equipment shack. Half a dozen steps later she swung around, continuing to walk backward down the pier, and said, “As a matter of fact, I am.”

  Her eyes widened in disbelief when Cole clutched the fabric stretched across his heart and fell backward into the cove, sending a geyser of water shooting into the air. Laughing, she started back toward the spot he’d just vacated but decided it might be wise to change into her suit while he was otherwise occupied. Besides, she thought, a wide grin on her face, if he wanted to meet the dolphins, literally dropping in on them was a surefire way to do it.

  Kira closed the door to the equipment shack behind her, pausing a moment before twisting the lock. The night air was still muggy, and with the recent heat wave the water in the cove wouldn’t be too chilly. Still, she was tempted to put on a diving vest. Not because she’d need it in order to swim with Cutter and Old Joe. Actually, the material most dive suits were constructed of made it difficult for the dolphins to use their sonar. They preferred bare skin or porous material. But the diving vest covered more of her than the ancient bathing suit she stored in the shed for emergencies.

  Hoping the sun-bleached blue maillot still fit, she unbuttoned her shorts and let them drop to the floor.

  “Am I in time to help?”

  It was Kira’s turn to grab her chest, only in her case, she wasn’t playacting. She spun around to confront him, her ankles twisting in the shorts still puddled at her feet. Arms flailing, she grabbed the counter for support and barely managed to right herself before smacking chests with Cole. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

  He’d steadied her with one hand but let it drop to his side when she spoke. “I thought you were impressed with my breaking-and-entering skills.”

  “Not when I’m on the opposite side of the door. You should have knocked.”

  “Should have. Don’t you know by now that we smugglers don’t play by the rules?”

  Kira looked away from the grin curving at the corners of his lips. He was getting the hang of that smiling stuff way too quickly for her peace of mind. Biting back the urge to tell him to cut it out, she solved her problem by turning her back to him instead. “Do you mind?”

  “What? Watching you undress? Never.”

  His smoky voice raised goose bumps on her skin. She shot a quick glance downward and blanched when she realized her tank top did little to cover her cotton bikini briefs. She’d certainly worn less on a public beach—but not in front of Cole. Her tightened nipples underscored the difference.

  He made no move to leave, and she wished for the nerve to nonchalantly strip in front of him. It would serve him right. After all, he’d managed to do it in front of her. An image of his tightly muscled backside flashed across her mind. For some odd reason it just now occurred to her that his buttocks had been just as tan as the rest of him. A secret smile crossed her lips.

  She wondered what he’d do if he saw that hers were too.

  Emboldened by her train
of thought, she kicked her shorts loose and bent to scoop them up. Letting them hang from her hands in front of her thighs, she turned and gave him a smile. Her mouth went dry, and whatever she’d been about to say became a distant memory. While she’d been daydreaming about his magnificent tush, Cole had managed to shuck his sodden T-shirt and jeans without a sound. “Is that another smuggler thing?” she asked, her voice breathy.

  Cole glanced down at the black briefs clinging damply against his skin. “Is what a smuggler thing?”

  Kira kept her eyes firmly on his as she spoke. Good Lord, was there a part of the man what wasn’t magnificent? “The ability to do just about anything without making a sound?”

  “It has come in handy once or twice.” He shifted away from the counter and stepped toward her.

  Kira clutched her shorts to her chest, suddenly unable to draw in a breath, much less move away from him. She studied the swirled pattern of black hair on his chest as if it contained some mysterious clue that her life depended on deciphering.

  He leaned closer, crowding her against the counter. “Don’t worry, Kira. When it counts, you’ll always hear me coming.”

  She choked on the sudden gulp of air, then ran her tongue over her suddenly parched lips. A low noise escaped his lips. Half groan. Half growl.

  “If you won’t let me help you with your clothes, maybe I can solve the problem you’re having keeping your lips wet.”

  Kira shivered, but not from a sudden chill. Then his mouth was on hers, hot and hard. Powerful tremors forced her to grip the counter for support. Cole lifted her by the hips and sat her in front of him, moving between her knees without waiting for permission. His lips never left hers. He slid his hands from her hips up her waist, bunching up her top as he went. His fingers were hot on her skin. He stopped just as his thumbs brushed the curve of her breasts.

  Kira moaned, shifting restlessly but unable to break her grip on the Formica edge, as if she’d slip completely into unreality if she let go. Cole shifted his hands to her arms, not bothering to straighten her shirt as he slid them upward until his rough palms framed her head, his thumbs rubbing over her cheekbones. His eyes, black as coal but lava hot, held hers captive as he took the kiss deeper. When her lips parted on another moan, he invaded her mouth, raiding it, robbing her of any thought. He kept at it, seducing her mouth, her lips, her tongue, until she no longer cared that he was doing all the taking without letting her give in return.