Codename: Romeo (12 page)

A touch of pink highlighted her cheekbones. A white smudge of flour tipped her nose. She was magnificent in her fury. And those beautiful, expressive eyes. They haunted his dreams and even his waking hours. Would she ever again look at him the way she had that night on the porch? Did he want her to? He refused to further contemplate his feelings on that subject.

Chapter Eight

Erik waited in the living room for Victoria to finish dressing. When she walked into the room, his body jerked to attention. Every last part of him. She’d told him to dress casually. Apparently, her idea of casual and his were polar opposites. Black lace up boots and a hip hugging, black skirt topped by a snow-white sweater. Pure cashmere, so plush he itched to run his hands over the soft wool, so supple in the way it draped her body, it made the rest of him twitch.

On this cold November night, his neck wouldn’t be the only part of him getting stiff. He was in for a long evening playing the devoted fiancé of the resident genius.

With Becker roaming free, Erik should keep her away from public events, but to maintain their cover, he could not avoid her business functions. Of course, he would prefer to have her snuggled safely in her bed with him at her side. He grinned. That plan had certain merits. If he wanted to blow his career.

But what a way to go out, he thought.

Shit. She was the worst kind of trouble. A woman who could make him feel. “Are you ready?” he asked. Hopefully the cold air outside would combat the heat wave inside.

“We don’t have to go.”

“Are you embarrassed to be seen with your blue collar fiancé?”

She raised her chin. “Now I’m an elitist snob. Well, I guess it’s better than a spy. Although not much.”

“You have no sense of humor.”

“I do when something’s funny. I only meant the party would probably be boring for you. We could skip it.”

“I got the impression that attendance was mandatory. And poor Roger would be devastated if you backed out.”

She shook her head. “Oh, right. I’m sure it would ruin his night.”

“Babe, your absence would ruin any man’s night.”

With a roll of her eyes, she dismissed his compliment. “I didn’t realize that shoveling fresh manure was in your job description.”

“My job is to keep you safe and happy.”

“Then I’ll be sure not to read any more into your flattery than professional dedication to the bureau this time.”

Her second reference to her past with the NSB roused his curiosity again. Judging by the way her eyes clouded over, it remained an open wound. Did she believe his attention was purely professional?

She slipped her purse strap onto her shoulder. “We should be going, then.”

“Coat?” he asked.

“No.”

“It’s cold.”

“We’ll be inside for the most part.”

“Do you want me to drive?”

“No. I will.”

Apparently, she planned to argue with every suggestion he made. If crossing swords with him gave her a sense of satisfaction, he’d let her win the small skirmishes. He knew when to pick his battles.

* * * *

Victoria gazed at the ivy-covered building. Classical music, courtesy of a string quartet, drifted on the breeze. The icy wind cut through her, but after refusing to wear a coat, she said nothing. She shot a sideways glance towards Erik.

Black jeans, a cable knit sweater, and his leather jacket all accentuated his muscular frame. Her heart couldn’t be too broken if it could still beat so quickly. How could she retain her anger when the mere sight of him gave her hot flashes?

Across the street from the college at a local park, a small group of rowdy kids gathered round a pile of wooden logs. A crowd formed for the annual bonfire, warmed by body heat and peppermint Schnapps, if tradition still held. Laughter drowned out the music. A few hundred feet separated this party from the reception, but they were a world apart. She thought about the differences. The group outside experienced far more excitement than the ones who watched from the ivory towers. When had she become a spectator in her life?

About the same time she gave up research in favor of teaching. She missed the creative process and watching those formulas on paper come alive. Wakeburn had become a sanctuary, but she didn’t need to be cloistered any longer.

“Are you ready?” she asked. The sooner she made an entrance, the sooner she could leave.

Erik grinned. “I was born ready.”

“Not for this, you weren’t.”

He draped his arm over her shoulder and walked with her into the reception hall. Although she tried to deny it, she found a comfort in his touch. She headed towards the stone fireplace to warm her toes and fingers. Erik’s closeness warmed the rest of her body. He smirked, but to any onlooker, he probably appeared to be a devoted lover. Word spread quickly in the small college campus. Since Roger wasn’t known for his discretion, she guessed that half the staff already knew about her engagement.

Erik slid his hand down to the small of her back. “Are you warm enough yet?”

The pressure of his fingers drumming playfully against her hip shot a current of heat though her. “I suppose we’ll have to socialize.”

“We could stay here by the fire and snuggle all evening.”

She passed on the offer. “I’ve given them enough to talk about already.”

“You mean I have,” he corrected. “Why didn’t you tell me to break out a gray flannel suit?”

She didn’t tell him because he looked so damned sexy. Even now, dressed casual in a room full of suits, he didn’t lose a beat. Consequently, he gained the admiration of most of the women and half of the men. Confidence was a hypnotic drug. “The Science Department is conservative. If it makes you feel any better, you would fit right in with the Liberal Arts Department.”

“Maybe we should crash their party.”

She considered the suggestion, wishing she had the nerve. “Do you want a drink?”

“I’ll get it. What are you having?”

“Club soda.”

“No eggnog? I thought you were big on tradition.”

She’d already experienced the infamous Whitehall eggnog at past parties. It contained enough brandy to kill any bacteria, along with her brain cells. With her stomach already in knots, her system couldn’t take the shock. “I’ll pass, but I recommend you try it.”

“Now I know I shouldn’t,” he grumbled before he crossed the room to the bar. She wasn’t the only woman watching him navigate through the crowd with graceful ease. With a sigh, she leaned against the wall. What a magnificent example of manhood.

“So, Victoria.” Roger drew up in front of her from seemingly nowhere and blocked her view. “Where’s the plumber … ah, I mean fiancé?”

She didn’t miss the snobbery in Roger’s voice, nor the hint of envy. “Something wrong with a man who works with his hands?”

“He’s not exactly your type.”

“What is my type?”

“Don’t get defensive. I never pictured you with the punk-biker type. What’s the attraction?”

She exhaled a longing sigh. “I would have thought it was obvious.”

Roger glanced towards the bar then back to her. “I suppose he has an animal magnetism that would appeal to some women. I thought you were drawn to intelligence.”

“There is something to be said for stamina over wisdom,” she said wistfully.

“What does that mean?”

A grin tugged at her lips. “It’s not the cerebral talents. It’s the never-ending, mind-bending, incredible sex that draws me.”

Alright. She was capable of pettiness. Three years of tasteless jibes from Roger left a foul taste in her mouth. She strode away from her gaping colleague to join her fiancé. Dean Whitehall had cornered Erik by the time she reached him. Several of the faculty followed suit to offer a toast to the happy couple. She was in too deeply now to not play along with the pretense. With an adoring smile, she planted a long, deep kiss on him. She would deal with the consequences later. Right now, she wanted a fast escape.

“Let’s go,” she whispered against his ear. “I think we’ve clearly established our cover.”

“Ya think?” Erik asked.

On her way to the door, Ariel stopped Victoria. The woman’s knowing smile and blatant appraisal of Erik caused Victoria to blush.

“Okay, now this makes sense. Did I tell you it would work?”

“Yes, you did.” She didn’t bother to explain that the love potion had ended up a casualty of a cretin thug. Apparently, she didn’t need outside stimulation to act on her animal lust. “Have a great holiday.”

“You too. And stop by the lab anytime.”

As she continued towards the exit, Erik hooked his arm through hers. “What was that about?”

“Scientific research. Nothing important.”

“What kind of scientific research turns you ten shades of pink on the way to deep red?”

The kind she wasn’t about to discuss with him. But never again would she question her learned colleague’s work. She had a newfound respect for the power and mystery of pheromones. Nothing else would account for her uncontrollable attraction to a man so completely opposite from her.

* * * *

Erik walked with Victoria along the well-worn park trail. Clusters of giggling children, jabbering teens, college students, and senior citizens joined in the festivities. He didn’t like crowds. Too many variables. Not enough coverage. The .38 tucked in his boot gave a small measure of security, but not much. Becker wanted something from Victoria, or at least he thought he did.

Erik wouldn’t rest until he returned her safely home. Only she didn’t want to go home. She wanted to walk through the quaint New England town like a Thornton Wilder heroine.

No one seemed surprised that they left the party early. After the kiss she’d planted on him, most people expected it. For a woman who claimed that her acting skills weren’t good enough, she could have won an Academy Award for her performance tonight. She really did possess a knack for combustible elements. She could generate fire in a deluge. Surprisingly, she appeared so unaffected. He was still as hard and tense as wrought iron. The frigid temperature offered no relief.

He glanced at Victoria. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cold chill. It would serve her right to let her freeze until she admitted her foolishness. He knew she’d rather die, so he pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

“I’m all right.”

“And I’m the pope.”

She slipped her arms into the sleeves. “You’d never pass the celibacy requirement.”

She wouldn’t laugh if she knew how long he’d gone without sex. He wasn’t laughing. Half his colleagues thought he received more than professional satisfaction out of his female suspects. Best way he knew of to blow a case. There had been offers. He’d taken his share of cold showers. But no woman touched him on a mental level. Until Victoria.

“Doctor Jansen. Way to go,” one gushing female commented. “Now, he’s worth getting a haircut for.”

They joined the small group. Erik could almost feel Victoria’s heated flush. “Hello, Candy.”

“Rumor has it you got engaged. I guess you plan to celebrate by extending the deadline on the midterm thesis.”

Her genuine laughter sounded sweet. “That was an interesting leap in logic.”

“Hey, it’s worth a shot. Weren’t you the one who said that if you can dream it, you can do it?”

“And you dream of an extension on your thesis?”

“I dream of Brad Pitt. That ain’t gonna happen. But I figured since you found yourself a hunk, you’d be too busy right now to want to grade a bunch of papers.” They turned a collective pleading gaze towards Erik.

If her students counted on him they were shit out of luck. If he held any influence over her he would have her at home right now, taking his orders instead of ignoring them. “Don’t look at me. I couldn’t get her to wear a coat, and now I’m freezing my ass off.”

As a round of laughter broke out, her elbow landed in his side.

“How much of an extension?”

“Two weeks?” Candy asked hopefully.

“One week. And those papers better be worth the wait.”

With relieved promises, the students went back to the party. Erik tried to figure out the nature of his bemused and confusing companion. “So what lesson did those kids learn, other than that their professor is a pushover?”

“They learned that sometimes they just have to ask for what they want, even if they’re relatively sure the uptight, humorless, science professor will say no.”

“I doubt that’s how they view you.”

“I am well aware of how I am perceived. By my students, my colleagues and my family. And that’s all right. Because I gave them those perceptions. I can’t expect people to know what I never let them see.”

“Then tell me something. Was that kiss you gave me earlier designed to change any one person’s perception of you or just the campus population in general?”

* * * *

Victoria shrugged but couldn’t meet his gaze. In a departure from her normally methodical character, she acted without first contemplating the reactions. “Just playing my part. Like you.”

“Is that what we’re doing?”

“Oh, be honest, at least. This is an assignment for you. And one you didn’t really want.”

“You’re right. I didn’t want it. And do you want to know why?”

Although she wasn’t surprised by his claim, it stung all the same. She told him to be honest. She wished he’d lied. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Not to me.”

As she started to walk away, he clamped his fingers over her wrist and reined her back in. She threw her arms around his waist to steady herself. Every hard inch of him pressed against her. Right there, in a public park, where anyone could see them, and she couldn’t have cared less.

Breathe
, she willed her traitorous body, but she couldn’t force the air past the lump in her throat. His hands slid along her back to her rear end. He pulled her even closer. His erection throbbed against the juncture between her legs. The barrier of their clothes afforded her no protection.

“That’s why,” he muttered against her ear.