Texas Sizzle Page 17

  “Excuse me?” Higgins whirled back to her.

  A saucy smile lifted her lips. That saucy smile Abel loved so much.

  “I wasn’t wearing the locket that Keith had given me. A locket’s a pretty common piece of jewelry—I already had a cheap one.” She shrugged. “Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where Keith subconsciously got his idea for a hiding place—I wore it on a few dates. And remember, I thought I was going to meet Abel. I didn’t realize Keith had cloned Abel’s phone number and sent the message. After we had nearly gotten mugged over the necklace last night, I decided to wear the cheap one instead,” she explained. “I couldn’t imagine Abel would care.”

  Was he hearing this correctly? Barksdale hadn’t gotten hold of the microchip after all? Abel fisted his hands, not really daring to hope.

  Poppy continued. “I tried to use Keith’s ego to buy time for Abel to catch up to us. He was so distracted bragging about his own brilliance, he didn’t realize it wasn’t the same locket.”

  “So, you still have the real locket?” Higgins asked.

  “I do. It’s back at my apartment.”

  “What are we waiting for?” Higgins said. “Let’s go get it.”

  They arrived at Poppy’s apartment a few minutes later. She went into her bedroom and came out with the locket, which she presented to Higgins.

  All three of them held their collective breaths as Higgins opened the locket. It was empty.

  Disappointment shattered the hopes that had been building.

  “Nothing,” Higgins said.

  “Keith said there’s a secret compartment in the locket,” Poppy pointed out.

  Higgins examined the locket closer. “By damn, there is a little latch here. You got a multi-tool on you, Black?”

  Abel produced a multi-tool from his pocket, passing it to his boss. He slipped a glance over at Poppy. She was watching him, but he couldn’t read the expression on her face. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

  Captain Higgins jiggled the pick in the locket and the secret compartment sprang open.

  “Son of a bitch,” he swore joyfully and displayed the black microchip—not much bigger than a grain of rice—on the top of his index finger.

  “That’s what all the fuss was about?” Poppy asked. “That tiny little thing?”

  “Lady, this tiny little thing could have caused the U.S. some major trouble. Thanks to you and your smart thinking, disaster has been averted.”

  “It was Abel’s idea,” she said.

  “Pardon?”

  “He’s the one who told me rich people wear duplicates of their fancy jewelry when they’re in dicey situations. If it hadn’t been for him, Keith would have gotten away with this.”

  Captain Higgins shot a speculative look Abel’s way. “I’m getting this back to the governor’s office right away. Black, I believe you deserve some leave time.” He inclined his head toward Poppy. “It’s effective immediately.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Captain Higgins left with the microchip. They went to change into dry clothes and met again in Poppy’s living room.

  Abel opened his mouth to tell her how much he appreciated her, how happy he was that she’d survived, how proud he was of her, but she jumped in first, cutting him off.

  “You lied to me.” Poppy’s blue eyes narrowed to slits. “I trusted you and you lied to me.”

  The expression on her face tore him up inside. He put out a hand to touch her shoulder. “I’m sorry. It was my job.”

  She yanked away from him, her bottom lip trembling. She blinked. “No. You don’t get to blame it on your job. You lied to me.”

  “Yes,” he admitted. “I lied to you, but—”

  He broke off. She was right. He was making excuses. His mistake wasn’t in keeping his identity a secret. That had been his assignment. No, where his sin had come in was in losing his head, breaking his own rules, and following his heart.

  He should not have gotten involved with her on a personal level, not while she was his target. He should not have made love to her. If he’d stayed in his apartment and simply watched as he’d been assigned, he would never have hurt her.

  “Poppy,” he said, stalling as he searched for the words he needed to apologize. He wasn’t a man who apologized easily. He wasn’t usually wrong. But he’d screwed up big-time. He’d hurt her. How he regretted hurting her.

  “I think it’s best if you left now.” She turned her back to him, staring out the window. She looked so incredibly sad, so breakable.

  “Sunshine, I—”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Please, Abel, just leave. Don’t make this goodbye any harder than it has to be.”

  Abel had had enough. He wasn’t going to let her push him away. He had to try and make amends, had to make her see how much he loved her.

  Love.

  There it was. The word he’d been barely able to think, much less say. All along he’d been falling in love with her. Probably from the very first minute he watched her doing naked yoga. He thought of all they'd shared. The long talks, the walks on the beach, surfing, the wagon train. He thought of all the things they could share. The Sunday morning paper. Chicken soup when they were sick. Thanksgiving. Christmas. A home. A family.

  His gut tightened. He wanted all that with her. Wanted her to be the mother of his kids. Wanted to love her for the rest of his days. “I can’t leave until you at least hear me out.”

  She sighed, dropped her arms, and turned to look at him. “You have five minutes starting now.”

  “I’m so damned sorry I lied to you. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you. I put my mission in jeopardy, put your life at risk.”

  “It’s true then, you regret getting involved with me?” She raised her stubborn little chin.

  This was a no-win situation. The hope he’d been clinging to slid away. She wasn’t going to forgive him, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. He might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t a quitter.

  “I don’t regret making love to you. Not for one second.” He growled. “What I regret is the timing. I shouldn’t have made love to you while you were under my protection.”

  “I never asked for your protection.”

  “No,” he agreed, “you got caught in the back draft of our investigation of Barksdale.”

  “Admit it. You hold the fact that I was involved with Keith against me.”

  That chapped him. “I do not!”

  “You think I follow my heart too easily. That I go for flash over substance. That I let a pretty face keep me from seeing what kind of person Keith was beneath it.”

  “That isn’t my judgment of you.”

  Her nostrils flared. “Isn’t it?”

  “No. Never. It’s your own judgment of yourself.”

  Poppy’s eyes widened and he could see that she finally got it. Her big heart was never the problem. What kept tripping her up was her own self-judgment.

  “You’re trying to be something you’re not,” he said. “Perhaps it’s a backlash against your mother. You don’t want to be like her. I get that. But having an open heart is a wonderful thing, Poppy. It’s what I love most about you.”

  “Love?” she whispered.

  “Yes, dammit, love.”

  She was trembling all over, her knees quaking. “What are you saying, Abel?”

  “I’m saying I’m in love with you, Poppy St. John. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’ve fallen in love. I’m saying that while it was my assignment to watch and catch Barksdale if he showed up, I violated my ethics and allowed myself to get involved. Your open heart opened my heart. Before you came into my life, I never knew I could feel this way. I heard people talk about love but—other than the love I feel for my family—I didn’t get what all the fuss was about. I never understood how someone could come into your life and steal away a piece of your heart forever.”

  A smile tipped her lips and tea
rs misted her eyes. “You’re saying I stole your heart?”

  “Took it right out from under my nose.”

  “Abel,” she said his name on a sigh.

  He reached for her then, and this time, she didn’t pull away. He tugged her into his embrace. “Forgive me, for being a dumbass.”

  “You’re forgiven.”

  He dipped his head and peered deeply into her eyes. “You rock my world, Poppy. Before I met you, I thought I was the best I could be. Living up to a moral code, being a good investigator, toeing the line, following orders.”

  “You are pretty awesome.”

  “Not as awesome as you are, sunshine. You showed me how shut down I really was. How I was hiding behind my principles because I didn’t want to face the truth.”

  “What truth is that?”

  “That I’d become inflexible and uncompromising. That I was so determined not to let my heart rule my head that I almost missed the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “You.” He tightened his grip around her. “Until you, I’d never felt like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Shout-it-from-the-mountaintop exhilarated. It’s like the sun finally came out after a month of rain. It’s like I was Rip Van Winkle and I just woke up and the world looks amazing and brand new and full of possibilities and it’s all because of you.”

  “Me?” Her voice sounded high and reedy, as if she didn’t quite believe him.

  “You,” he confirmed and put both hands on her shoulders.

  “Just shut up and kiss me,” she said.

  “Is that an order?”

  “Yes.”

  “I try never to disobey orders.”

  “Good for y—”

  He kissed her hard and long. Showing her with his lips just how much he wanted and needed her. Communicating in the best way he knew how, with action instead of words.

  She kissed him back with equal fervor, giving as good as she got, matching his tongue stroke for stroke, taking him to the clouds with her, his spontaneous, free-spirited woman.

  The heat of their bodies scorched him to his soul. He wanted her, needed her. Not just for now, but forever.

  “Abel,” she murmured against his lips. “Abel.”

  “Poppy.”

  They kissed, wind swirling the curtains around the open window.

  “So,” he said, pulling back and wriggling his eyebrows. “My place or yours?”

  Poppy cast a glance around. “I know the perfect spot on the beach. We could slip behind a sand dune...”

  “Are you suggesting we break all the rules?”

  “You broke all the rules to get me, right?”

  “Right.”

  She grinned wickedly, touched the tip of her tongue to her upper lip, took him by the hand, and led him to his salvation.

  #

  Abel settled her on her back in the sand, underneath the palm trees. The sound of the surf pounded in her ears, but it couldn’t drown out the sound of her beating heart. Beating it seemed, just for him. His palms caressed her arms, tracing over the thin silk of the blouse she had on.

  She needed him. Needed him so badly she ached to her bones. Without him, she was incomplete, only one half of a whole.

  And her need was far more than physical. She loved him. Wanted him. For now. Forever. It was scary, this need. She shouldn’t love him this much. It was dangerous. If it all went away tomorrow, she’d be left a broken woman.

  “Don’t look so worried,” he murmured and pressed his lips to her brow. “Being loved is a good thing. A grand thing. The best damned thing of all.”

  “I’ve never been in love before. You’re my first. The first man I’ve ever loved.” Once the words were said out loud, she felt them to the depths of her soul.

  “You’re mine, Poppy St. John,” he whispered. “You’re mine and I’m yours. Remember that always.”

  They gazed into each other’s eyes. His shirt was off, hers unbuttoned. All control evaporated. Frenzied, they finished undressing each other, leaving their clothes strewn about the sand.

  He positioned himself over her, resting his weight on his forearms and looked down into her face. She smiled up at him. He was so incredibly handsome. Her man.

  Her man.

  She said the words in her head, unafraid and happy.

  He kneed her thighs apart and she opened her legs, letting him in.

  Abel made a masculine sound of pure pleasure and sank into her deep and sweet. His eyes glowed hot, his thrusts long, hard, and slow. He captured her lips roughly, but lovingly. Their mouths clung as he increased the tempo of their mating.

  “I love you,” she whispered fiercely, “more than anyone or anything I have ever known.”

  “More than yoga?”

  “Much more.”

  “More than surfing?”

  “Yes, yes.”

  He moved purposefully, the rhythm easy and languid. She whimpered and pressed against him, urging him to pick up the pace, but he only laughed and went even slower. Tension built.

  Poppy was acutely aware of every breath, every pulse. He cupped her buttocks as he slid in and out, in and out, the ocean tide building to a crest.

  His hands pulled her helplessly against him. Rocking. Rocking. A soft moan escaped her throat, slipped into the night to mingle with his noises. His mouth burned hers, hot and erotic, tender and loving, but he never lost the rhythm. Their bodies were joined, fused, perfectly matched. Each movement elicited more delight, more surprise.

  Higher and higher he drove her. The light of love was in his eyes, real and true and forever. She smiled at him and he laughed a laugh that hugged her soul.

  At the peak, she cried his name, a chant, a litany, a deep-throated mantra. “Abel, Abel, Abel.”

  His body tensed and she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in as deep as he could go. Release claimed them both in that instance and he followed right with her, dropping into the abyss, free-falling into the sensuous undertow, going under and loving every minute of it. Drowning. Lost. And yet at the same time utterly found.

  Spent, he collapsed against her, burying his face in the hollow of her neck.

  She drew in the scent of him, breathed deep.

  They clung to each other, quivering with sensation, inhaling this new life together. Abel stroked her, murmuring sweet nothings until her heart rate returned to normal and her body had stilled.

  “Sunshine,” he whispered. “You’ve saved me from myself.”

  Poppy smiled into the darkness, knowing the truth was that they’d saved each other.

  Epilogue

  Captain Higgins and his team found Keith Barksdale floating in the ocean on a pitiful life preserver two days later, dehydrated and delirious. He was lucky his associates hadn’t seen fit to put a bullet in his head when he’d been unable to produce the promised microchip. They arrested him on a grocery list of charges.

  Even though he was on leave, Abel had gone to the base to look Barksdale in the eyes. He wanted to see for himself what kind of man would try to sell out his country to pay off gambling debts. He was surprised at how ordinary Barksdale looked.

  After that, he went to meet Poppy in Kingsville where they were getting a tour of the King Ranch by than none other than Patti Carlson.

  “How’d it go?” Poppy asked, looking as though she’d been a cowgirl all her life in that cute pink cowboy hat and boots. The bedroll he’d bought her strapped to her back.

  “He’s looking at some stiff charges.”

  “I can’t believe I was so easily fooled.” She shook her head.

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Barksdale is a master at fooling people. But it’s all over now. He’s in custody and we can put the past behind us.” He took her arm and helped her onto the horse that Patti had saddled for them.

  They hadn’t had a chance to talk about their future. There hadn’t been much time for it yet. But Abel was the hap
piest he’d ever been. He wanted to bring it up but didn’t really know where to begin. He leaned over to kiss her and felt a shiver of delight run over her body.

  “Abel, that’s bold of you. Kissing me in public.”

  “Hey, you loosened me up.” He kissed her again. How he loved his sweet, spontaneous, sunny woman.

  “Well, don’t get too loose. Your reserve is part of your charm.”

  “It is?”

  “You’re the one who’s supposed to keep me grounded, remember?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He chuckled, cocked back his Stetson, and climbed on his own horse. They went for a thirty-minute ride around the ranch. On the way back, he said, “You know, I was thinking it might be a good time for you to meet my parents.”

  Poppy blinked. “Really?”

  “They’re right over there.” He pointed to an older couple waiting for them at the stables.

  “Oh my, oh gosh. I can’t believe you sprung this on me.” Poppy sucked in her breath.

  “When I called them and told them I’d found the woman I wanted to spend my life with, they insisted on meeting you. They know when I say something I mean it.”

  “Abel,” she whispered. “Is this a proposal?”

  “Not yet. I’m going to do that up right, but we’re getting there.”

  Poppy’s heart fluttered. She was so nervous. What were his parents going to think of her? His father was a senator for heaven’s sake.

  But she worried for no reason. The minute they got off their horses, Abel’s mother enveloped her in a big hug and his father shook her hand. They were so warm and welcoming, she instantly felt at home.

  And when the greeting was over and they all went inside the cantina for an authentic Texas barbecue lunch, Abel slung his arm around her, smiling at his folks. “What did I tell you, Mom and Dad. I know a good thing when I see her.”

  And as his parents walked ahead of them out of earshot, he leaned down to whisper, “Doing naked yoga.”

  “Voyeur,” she whispered back.

  “Exhibitionist.”

  “Spy.” She giggled.

  “Target.”

  “Are you as turned-on as I am?”

  “More,” he said and then called out to his parents, “Mom, Dad, you go ahead. We’ll catch up with you in a bit. We forgot there’s something we have to get out of the vehicle.”