She slid her hand down his pants. Just as she had the first time they met. His sharp intake of breath made her smile as she went after her prey.

"Now you are," he said through gritted teeth.

However, the sound of the huge study door opening penetrated their little world. Marlena sighed and reluctantly took out her hand. Steve sighed and b.u.t.toned up his pants.

"I can't help it if we can't find the right moment," she told him.

"Not from lack of trying," he taunted, lips quirking.

Marlena threw up her hands. "That's it. You're forbidden from talking to Tess anymore. Now she's got you playing her word games!"

Seize the moment. As a soldier, Steve knew that an instant could mean a lifetime. And that some moments were meant to be his alone.

The cops took their time, asking him a bunch of questions, but they would find nothing on him that would be suspicious. Besides, Marlena had mentioned that people like du Scheum didn't get negative publicity if they didn't allow it. It'd be a small blurb in the news, since no one of consequence had been injured.

Steve knew better, though. The guest list at this function wasn't something to ignore. He supposed that it was very usual in the political world to see lawmakers, arms dealers, and businessmen making deals in the same room. It went against every code he had been taught in the military, and his SEAL buddies wouldn't take too kindly to the notion of enemies partying with them. Yet here he was, transferred from one world to another, and not liking the new rules.

The cops weren't going to do more than procedural stuff. His own TIARA task force was too d.a.m.n slow. And Hard-On would be pushing to haul in Marlena soon. The more he tried to untangle this skein of events, the more knotted up the mystery. He glanced over at Marlena, sitting there sipping brandy, calmly answering the last of the questions. Much like the fascinating woman behind them, who was the biggest mystery of all.

They were finishing up. The cop interviewing Marlena was obviously smitten with her outfit, his eyes hardly ever on his notepad. Steve scowled, annoyed. Did every man get the same treatment? Did she put her hand down each one's pants, too?

At one point, sensing his scrutiny, she glanced in his direction and smiled. Then she caught sight of Tess sitting next to him. The smile stayed in place, but he discerned a slight hardening of her expression. Tess must have noticed it, too, because she placed a hand on his arm to get his attention; when he turned to her, there was a merry glint in those honey-gold eyes. Her elegant hand, decked with rings, squeezed him until he took his gaze away from Marlena.

"You're a troublemaker," Steve accused in amus.e.m.e.nt. "You seem to like riling her."

"It's a rule in my meetings with Marlena. I don't see her often enough."

Steve c.o.c.ked a brow questioningly. "You mean, since you don't see her that often, you have to make her mad at you?"

Tess nodded. "So to speak."

Curious, he asked, "Why?"

"Darling, Marlena is magnificent when she's mad." Tess squeezed his arm again and leaned closer confidentially. "Besides, you're going to get the brunt of it when she's done with that policeman. That's what lackeys are for, you know. Great to vent frustration at."

Steve didn't know how, but this tall, beautiful woman seemed to be able to read minds. She had somehow seen his inner frustration and was teasing him and Marlena. And helping him by giving Marlena a dose of the same frustration. There was nothing else to do but laugh and shake his head.

"You're something else," he told her. "Won't you tell me exactly who you are, or do I have to go find out myself?"

"Can't, darling. Here comes Marlena. She's giving me evil looks already."

Steve couldn't take his eyes off her. To him, she was the s.e.xiest woman alive, even when she was magnificently angry. As she stood up and spoke some parting words to the officer, her blazing blue gaze torched him for a few seconds, setting his blood on fire, and all he could think about was finally putting his hands on her and just forgetting about principles and codes for a while.

"Are you sure you can afford to?" Tess murmured.

"d.a.m.n, are you a mind reader?"

Tess chuckled softly. "Just another one of my talents."

"There will come a time when you'll have to answer my questions, Tess." Steve didn't need to elaborate. He had a feeling that Tess knew a lot about him.

"Au contraire, darling. There will come a time when you'll have to answer more important ones. Remember our conversation about selling and buying?" Tess's ringed fingers drummed lightly on his dark sleeve, the gems catching and reflecting the light. Her voice dropped a notch lower. "Will you sell what you want? Will you buy Marlena enough time? Can trust be bought? If I give you Marlena for information, how much is it worth? Hmm?"

Steve studied the woman beside him. One enigmatic woman on his hands was enough. He didn't think he could deal with two.

"You don't shop, too, do you?" he asked.

"Shop?"

"All this buying and selling," he explained. "It tires me out as much as the shopping Marlena loves."

Tess laughed, her enjoyment of his humor sparking interested glances their way.

"You two are enjoying yourselves," Marlena interrupted. She eyed Tess's hand sliding off Steve's sleeve as he got up to meet her. "I'm ready to go home now, Stash. Found something funny, T.?"

"Yes," Tess replied, still laughing. She got up lazily, totally unperturbed by Marlena's watchful gaze, and gave her a light goodbye hug. "Now I know why we're in the business we're in, M. We both like to shop. Call me if you need help with...your packages, darling. I'll see you both later."

Steve smoothed a hand down Marlena's back and was reminded immediately about certain items underneath that dress. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes, let's get out of here."

That wasn't what he'd meant. He was ready to find things out his way. Recent events might be confusing, but there was one thing about which he was very certain. He wanted Marlena Maxwell more than any woman in his past. Before, he had kept his relationships on a casual level because of his monetary situation as well as his high-risk career. No need to pull anyone into the mire of debt he was trying to pay off. Not to mention the inherent frustration and pain of not knowing where he'd disappeared to most of the time.

He'd had his fair share of frustration but he had learned to deal with it. This time was different. Marlena was a source of frustration as well as challenge. His current job required him to not make a move, but he sure wished he was back in the jungle right now.

There, hidden among trees, away from civilization, he dealt with frustration in various ways. Ultimately it honed a sense of determination in him to find a way around a problem. When pushed to the limit, he couldn't just sit there and wait. He had to vent the frustration before it took away his ability to think things through. He was used to stalking and hunting.

Marlena. She pulled at him like a magnet.

Steve sighed. She had been wrong about the word games. He'd started that obsession all by himself without any help from her friend. Marlena, my magnet.

He had told himself for months that his new life didn't have any jungles. That he couldn't vent his frustration the usual way. Violence was a temporary cure, anyway. The adrenaline gave a high that a soldier could get too addicted to. One became seduced into believing that one was unbeatable, indestructible.

Steve watched the policeman come over and take Marlena's extended hand, shaking and holding on to it a moment too long. Her blue eyes shone with sincere friendliness before she freed her hand. He didn't doubt that she had an excellent alibi and had persuaded the poor man that she was an angel.

Angel, his a.s.s. She was his mermaid. And if he chose to live life like he was still in the jungle, who was going to stop him?

He watched them through narrowed eyes.

He had misjudged that sailor. He hadn't thought a mere uncouth man who'd never set foot in surroundings like this would thwart his plans. McMillan was smarter than he'd thought, reacting to that b.u.mbling servant act. Quick with a knife, too. He had wanted du Scheum out of the way. He was getting too close to the truth. d.a.m.n it. What had given his man's ruse away?

Now there would be questions about the hit man, something he shouldn't have to deal with. Good thing the man was dead. Not that he couldn't handle the problem, of course. He always had backup plans. He just hadn't thought that Steve McMillan would best him.

Being up close to Marlena Maxwell tonight was strangely exciting. What a fascinating creature, able to live in light and shadow with ease. So much like himself, in fact. Leather and guns one night and drop-dead sophistication the next. A powerful combination.

He wanted her. When she had exchanged greetings with him, the smile she gave seemed to have a personal promise to it. He wondered whether she made love as well as she seemed to kiss. He already knew she liked kissing too much, after watching her with...He frowned at being reminded of his problem.

He hadn't thought about how to get her to work with him side-by-side. She was smart, having frustrated those on her tail all these years and gaining the reputation of someone who delivered. He just knew that they would be perfect together. He with his connections and she with hers. As partners they could gain so much power. Or at least he would. And she would shield suspicion from him because he was ready to branch out to bigger things, and needed someone else to handle all the sensitive matters to pa.s.s along. Why, with her social skills she would have a grand time negotiating and dancing with all of them.

He smiled. Yes, they were alike in that respect, able to enjoy themselves with their victims and business a.s.sociates. He thought about his own power and manipulation of his underlings. Yes, they were totally alike.

He remembered the way she swayed to the Latin rhythm, her head thrown back with the pa.s.sion of a sensual woman. And that smile! It was something special, lighting those deep blue eyes with a secretive promise that had his body responding in a way that had surprised him. It had been years since he'd reacted so freely to a woman to whom he hadn't yet spoken a word.

He looked forward to having her. Maybe he would ask her to dance the next time. Something slow and intricate, like a tango. He was sure she would like partnering him. His smile turned into a sneer. Unlike her date tonight, who wouldn't even dance.

It didn't matter that his plan had gone off course tonight. By the time Marlena finished her errand for him, that interfering fool of a sailor would be in deep enough dung that he would wish he was back in those stupid, thoughtless, gung-ho operations in South America that didn't need any finesse. The likes of him-blind, obedient, uniformed robots-could never compete with him in this world. He would have to devise a way to separate the two of them soon. As for Marlena, when she finally saw his wonderful plan come to fruition, when she finally met and recognized him for the genius he was, she wouldn't waste another thought on Steve McMillan. There was simply no comparison.

Chapter Nine.

M arlena sighed. Well, who was she to say no? There was a tall, dark, and handsome man framed at the doorway of her bedroom. The backlight from the living room made it difficult to see his expression, but the indolent outline of his body, striking the cla.s.sic masculine pose of a man on the hunt, sped up her heart rate. He leaned one shoulder against the door jamb, with the tuxedo hitched over his other. She imagined his s.e.xy half smile, that hooded watchful gaze. From where she stood, he looked very male, very territorial.

Possibilities and probabilities. Conditions and consequences. All of Marlena's rules flew out the window where Steve was concerned. If she had time to sit down and consider carefully what she was about to do, she might come up with a good argument. She shouldn't be standing in the velvet darkness of her bedroom with this man. Not when she was still reeling from the sudden fear of losing him. Not when she wanted to tell him things best left unsaid.

"I should ask you to go," she murmured.

"And if I don't follow orders?" Steve reached out and clicked on one of the switches in the electronic panel. Muted recessed lighting slowly brightened the room to a soft glow.

Marlena blinked as her eyes adjusted. The dried blood on his torn white shirt only emphasized the danger in getting involved with this man. "With your problem with obedience, how do you work in a team, I wonder?"

She baited him on purpose, trying to give herself a chance to escape from her emotional needs. He came to her silently, eyes daring her to retreat. She didn't. He dropped the tuxedo and placed his hands on her shoulders, slowly sliding them under the front of her dress. Her skin tingled hot and cold where he touched. She caught her lower lip to stop a moan. There was still time. She could still back away, if she chose to. She didn't.

"There's a problem to consider," he said.

"What?" He was so close she had to tilt back to stare into his eyes. Why did his scent make her want to lean forward and kiss him all over? "What problem?"

"We aren't a team," he answered, and with a swift, easy motion, pulled the dress off her shoulders, trapping her arms at her sides. Silence. She couldn't breathe as she watched his eyes travel possessively down the front of her body. He gazed at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s for long moments, until her nipples ached from the seductive heat in those dark eyes, and when he finally looked up, the hunger in them propelled the rest of the fight out of her. The corner of his lips lifted slightly, and he whispered, "Unless you're saying we're one?"

But Marlena was no longer in the mood to talk. Desire emanated from his body, drawing her even closer. She wanted to slake her own hunger.

Her eyes were half closed as she lifted her mouth up as a silent offering. "Kiss me."

"You realize I won my bet," he mocked, his hands sliding the dress lower.

"Which one?" As if she cared. She wanted more than his eyes on her. With her hands freed from her sleeves, she pushed off his chest and fell backward onto the bed behind her. When she landed with a soft bounce, she stretched her arms above her head sinuously, lifting her b.r.e.a.s.t.s invitingly. "You going to stand there and look all night?"

Steve undid the top b.u.t.ton of his pants. Thank G.o.d there was no zipper because he didn't think he could free himself without serious injury. He probably had permanent zipper track marks imprinted down there as it was.

The light caught the red fire in her hair, the luminous blue in her eyes. Her skin gleamed like expensive silk against the dark red sheets and with her dress bunched together from her waist down, folds of blue and green and silvery colors concealing her long limbs, she resembled the very mermaid he'd been calling her.

She looked between his legs and blew him a kiss. The happiest part of his body responded instantly, insistently pounding against the confines of his pants, like an overeager puppy seeing its mistress. She licked her lips, then moved a suggestive finger to touch one of those coral-colored nipples that fascinated him. He unb.u.t.toned in record speed. Then fell on top of the mermaid on the bed. His hips surged forward in automatic antic.i.p.ation, already wanting to claim his prize. All his. All night.

Her laughter was that of a smug woman who knew how desperate she had kept him. He smothered that laugh with a kiss, pushing his tongue inside that delectable mouth. It was as if he'd traveled a long journey to this moment, tasting and not finding what he was looking for, until now. His hand cupped the rounded swell of her breast and he swallowed her gasp of delight, pushing her deeper into the bed as he explored the silken secrets of her mouth.

Marlena was on fire. His kiss was demanding and cajoling at the same time. There wasn't any question who was in charge here. His tongue devastated her mouth with a seductive skill that left her clinging helplessly to his shirt. She arched into his hand, trying to get him to put all his weight on her, but he held off as his hand explored lightly.

She ripped his shirt apart. He softened the kiss, nibbled at her lips. She ran restless hands all over his hard chest, moving insistently lower. His hard need burned through the bunched up material around her hips, and she wanted the barrier gone. Muttering against his lips, she tried to remove her dress with her free hand.

"Relax. I'll do it," he murmured, still kissing her lips lightly. "My way."

He kissed her chin and the hollow in her neck. He bit her shoulder and slid lower. She moaned when he gently laved her aching nipple, playing with one breast, then the other, as if he couldn't decide which one to feast on. Her head went back and forth as she impatiently pulled his hair. It was surprisingly soft.

Steve punished her with a small bite. Under her right breast. And another. He kissed the sensitive flesh of her ribs and held her down as she squirmed. He licked her belly b.u.t.ton and went lower where the jeweled brooch glinted in the light like some guardian to the treasure trove.

He slowly sat up so he could unhook the ornament. Antic.i.p.ation thrummed through him. He wasn't sure whether he was breathing. His hands were trembling slightly. Absolutely useless if he were to aim right in combat. He paused at the ridiculous thought. Surely he wasn't nervous. This wasn't combat. This wasn't life and death. Yet it felt just as important somehow. He hesitated, trying to grasp some sort of truth.

Her hands covered his, sliding them out of the way. Her hands, elegantly tapered, unhurriedly sought the little b.u.t.ton that released the jewelry. It fell away. His whole attention focused on those hands as they parted the dress in a gradual striptease. Soft, silky flesh beckoned. And adorned like an offering, strings of pearls glowed like tiny milky stars nestling in curls that teased him to touch. Slowly, inch by inch, she opened her legs. Another loop of pearls fell between her thighs, as if showing him the way to heaven.

Hooyah! Steve forgot about truths and combat. He leaned forward on his elbows, taken in by the erotic sight of pearls sliding against silky skin blushed with arousal. He caught her scent and growled in satisfaction. This was no combat. He dropped down for a taste, running his tongue along the already glistening wetness where pearls and heated flesh met in the middle. She jerked against his kiss, and he heard her gasp.

"Easy," he murmured, twining one waterfall strand of pearls around his fingers. She tasted different here. He licked again, probing a little harder this time, nudging her legs apart. The length of pearls moved away, hiding between her feminine folds. Determined, like a knight after treasure, he went after it with his tongue. Not combat. Just the lovely, tasty, wonderful, heavenly spoils of victory.

Marlena clung to the sheets by her side as control slipped inexorably away. His tongue, slow and deliberate, branded her as he painted a landscape of sensual need. His brush-strokes were bold, long sweeps that arched upward until she undulated with antic.i.p.ation, and his descending detail so languorous and feather-light, she vented sighs of frustration.

She felt his fingers moving over her thighs, under the loops of pearls, ma.s.saging the sensitive inner sides. "I like these things," she heard him whisper. She bucked when his teeth sc.r.a.ped her lightly, sending ripples of tingling electricity orbiting through her.

"Stash..."

"Mmm." He was busy.

Harder. Please. That was what she meant to say. But only soft moans escaped her lips when he continued to a.s.sault her with satisfying quick, upward strokes of his tongue, building her desire to a feverish pitch, which he stoked by slowing ever so tortuously as he brought her back down. She gasped at each lightning stroke up, and moaned at each seemingly endless caress.

"I like them," he said again. "I can do things with them." He pulled on the strings of pearls like a master puppeteer, manipulating the beads to slide wetly between his tongue and her budding fiery need.

"Ohhh..." Every logical thought drifted away when his tongue played with the pearls, rolling them against her. He pushed each bead into perfect position, so that every movement of his magical mouth was followed by the runaway chain.

The gems tumbled like a waterfall when his fingers loosened and slid sensuously back up when he pulled, all the time maintaining intimate contact with her straining flesh. Her whole body became a slave to his mastery, twitching helplessly as his tongue played its ruthless game, running skillfully with the pearls, then nudging them delicately where it felt so...good. She moaned again. She realized now that he was keeping his promise to her. He was giving her the kiss of a lifetime.

Still playing with the strands of pearls, he kissed up her body, until he reached her mouth. "Tighter?" he asked, as he reined in the strands. Her body tightened, about to explode. "Or should I let go, like this?" Her body screamed for the release that wouldn't come.

She couldn't answer. There was only that sensation of being controlled. Each slide of that necklace only made her hotter. She closed her eyes, giving in to the master puppeteer.

Steve liked it. Power over a strong, spirited woman was intoxicating. Her responsiveness excited him, and he wanted to continue holding her there on the edge. Her strong legs curled around his flanks, flexing insistently as little mewls of pleasure escaped her lips every time he pulled at the necklace. He let out a laugh of satisfaction. Her eyes opened for an instant, and he'd never forget the look in them, a deep blue s.e.xual invitation, a gleam of hidden secrets in a depthless ocean. A hot pulse beat in his loins. The urge to follow her won over.

Leaning forward, he kissed her eyes and her half-opened lips as he positioned over her. Her hand came between their bodies all of a sudden and touched him, and he almost lost it, as she tested his whole length with one long stroke.

"I'm ready, don't worry," he told her, half amused and thoroughly aroused.

"Not as ready as I am," she panted. "See how hot I am for you?"

She showed him, moving her hips. He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her. Slick hot honey. She shifted, and her parted legs tightened around him, holding him still with her hand.