Pink Neon Dreams (17 page)

“I know,” she said. “If tomorrow
doesn’t go well for me, then you’re going to risk your job, aren’t you?”

Daniel shrugged, hands splayed
wide. “Maybe but it doesn’t matter. In the long run, it’ll all work out.”

She didn’t want him to throw
everything away for her sake. “It’s your career.
 
You shouldn’t trash it for me.”

“I’m not,” he said, tone even as
a knife edge. “I believe you, yes, but it’s also about what’s right.
 
If my superiors can’t see that, they’re
wrong.”

His integrity impressed her, but
she still said, “You’re still putting everything you’ve worked for on the line,
for me. I appreciate it, more than I can say.”

“It’s my call,” he said with
tenderness, his face softer than she’d ever seen it. “I’d do that and more for
you.”

Cecily cupped his cheek with her
hand. “I know you would.
 
And, sugar, I’d
do whatever I could for you, too.”

The vulnerable look vanished when
he grinned. “Would you?”

“Yes.” Damn it, she’d do anything
he asked.

“Then I’ve got something in
mind.” His voice dropped lower to a near whisper, but what it lacked in volume,
it gained in power.

“Like what?” she said as her body
heat increased.
 
Her skin radiated warmth
or so it seemed.

His mouth moved closer, mere
millimeters from her lips. “It starts something like this…”

Like a night flying insect drawn
closer by light, she leaned forward and their lips met.
 
Cecily’s pulse quickened as his mouth
caressed hers, his lips cherishing and relishing hers with slow heat.
 
Daniel suckled her flesh with gentle motions,
light as the brush of a rose petal but fiery as a cayenne pepper rubbed against
her mouth.
 
His breath against her parted
lips evoked a sensual shiver running from her mouth down her spine with an
electrical charge. Her body changed at his touch as her bones turned from stone
into candy, pliable and soft.
 
Lost in
the moment, Cecily gave everything to the kiss and let her worries fade to
black.
 
They kissed for a long time, each
movement, every sweet nibble providing pleasure.

Her fingers managed to undo the
buttons on his shirt and stroke his chest.
 
Daniel’s big hands held her face between them and his fingers strayed
into her hair.
 
In time he slid a hand up
her blouse and fondled her breasts.
 
With
skill, he managed to undo her front clasp bra and free her tits.
 
Her always sensitive nipples perked up at his
first caress, and he shifted position so he could move his mouth from hers down
to the vale between her breasts.
 
He
kissed her there, soft and gentle at first, then with a little force.
 
When she felt the sharpness of his teeth, she
knew he’d leave a love bite.

Overwhelmed with a rush of desire
blended with emotion, Cecily cradled his head against her chest.
 
In response, he unleashed his tongue and used
it to lick a heated line from between her breasts to one nipple.
 
She whimpered in response and he pulled
back.
 
“
Te deseo, querida,”
he whispered. “Let’s go to bed.”

They untangled and made their way
there, pausing to kiss and to stroke.
 
Along the way they shed most of their clothing.
 
By the time Cecily stretched out on top of
her neatly made bed, she wore nothing and neither did he.
 
Daniel lowered his lean body onto hers and
she bent her knees to make room for him.
 
He slid into her smooth and easy, a gentle glide which delivered intense
delight.
 
His cock filled her space and
expanded, each motion notching up her pleasure another degree.
 
As she tightened the walls of her box to give
back some of the wonder she experienced, he worked in and out with the precise
movements of a sewing needle used with skill. Cecily matched his rhythms with hers
and they moved, in unison like a shared melody, two bodies in counterpoint.

Need forced them toward release,
but she resisted, wanting to draw out the delight as long as she could.
 
In response, Daniel increased his pace and
stepped up his actions.
 
The resulting
contest of wills sent her into shivers and she retaliated with a few tricks of
her own.
 
When she hit her climax, he
joined her and they came together in a crazy blending, a heated flood complete
with noise.
 
She cried out and so did
he.
 
Erotic spasms erupted over her body
and she writhed with the impact until everything shuddered to a slow stop.

Gasping, they faced each other,
limbs curled tight until they could breathe again.
 
Daniel stroked her from the crown of her head
all the way down her nude body to her feet.
 
Sated, her sensual needs met, his touch still radiated heat and sent
live current where it touched.
 
On
another level, it evoked deep emotion.
 
Three words she’d never said and meant to a man flirted with her
lips.
 
Cecily almost said them but caught
herself.
 
Maybe this wasn’t the right
time, she mused.
 
They would face a lot
tomorrow, maybe harder obstacles afterward.
 
If it’s right, if it’s real, it
will keep.

Naked as the day she’d been born,
Cecily joined Daniel to finish the wine.
 
Neither bothered to dress and they interacted, listening to some music
in harmony.
 
When they came back to bed,
by silent consent, they didn’t make love again but slept or tried to rest.
 
Her last awareness was his hand resting on
her back, a steady reminder of his presence.
 
She didn’t dream and he woke her early, before dawn.

“
Querida,
it’s time to get up,” he said.

She blinked open her eyes to find
him fully dressed, fresh from the shower.
 
Cecily reached up to touch his hair and found it damp.
 
The aroma of coffee wafted through the house
and she frowned. “What time is it?”

“Early but we’ve got a lot to
do.
 
Coffee’s ready and I’ve been out to
bring back some breakfast.”

Her mind didn’t want to compute
yet. “Huh?”

“I brought back something to eat,
some sausage and egg biscuits.”

After groping for her robe, Cecily
staggered into the kitchen and he poured her a cup of java. He’d made it strong,
but the robust flavor awakened her senses enough to think.
 
After two cups, she ate the breakfast
sandwich he offered.
 
“So why am I up
this early if we don’t need to be there until eleven?”

Daniel offered a quiet smile. “It
takes almost an hour to drive to Springfield.
 
And you’ll want time to get ready, too. It’s important you wear the
right kind of outfit,
chica.”

“True,” she said.
 
So now
he’s going to be my fashion consultant.
“What do you mean ‘right kind of
outfit’? You gonna tell me what to wear?”

His expression turned serious as
a thunderstorm. “Yeah, I am.
 
I’ve been
through more interviews than I can count and it matters what you wear.
 
The agents will judge you by your clothing to
some extent.”

It made sense.
 
She learned early people judged who and what
you were by the clothes on your back, but she didn’t much like it. “So what am
I supposed to wear?”

“I looked through your closet,”
he said and raised a hand. “Don’t get mad. I’m doing this to help you.
 
You’ve got a navy skirt suit with a
jacket.
 
Wear it with a nice blouse, nothing
low cut or flashy.”

“Uh-huh,” Cecily said.
 
He’d picked the outfit she would have anyway.
“Anything else?
Want me to undo my braids or
something?”

Daniel eyes narrowed with
interest. “How hard would it be?”

Irritated, she snapped, “It’s not
very hard to take them out but its hell to put them back.
 
I have them done every week, even here.
 
Do you really think I need to change my
hairstyle?”

He laughed. “No,
querida,
I don’t. I like your hair.
 
It suits you.”

The compliment pleased her.
“Thanks,” she said. “I guess I’ll go shower if you’re going to empty the coffee
pot.”

“I will,” he said. “Be ready by
nine, though. I want plenty of time to get there.”

By the time she showered, did her
make-up with style and a little glamour, and picked a navy, red and black
pinstriped blouse, it was after eight.
 
Cecily
donned the suit, slid into hose and stuck her feet into the only pair of pumps
she’d brought from Chicago.
 
Thank God
they were navy, too.
 
She spritzed on
perfume and picked up her handbag, then sauntered out to where Daniel waited in
the living room.
 
He glanced up from The
Weather Channel and grinned.

“So will I do?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Let’s go
before I get tempted.”

En route Daniel quizzed her with
the kind of questions he expected the agents would ask.
 
Cecily found most of them to be intrusive and
some downright nosey.
 
“How much do they
want to know?”

“Everything they can get out of
you,” he said. “Every word can be a piece of the puzzle.
 
Now, not for the interview but for me, who
else knew about the home safe or that he kept precious stones and jewelry in it?”

His question required
thought.
 
After a few minutes, she said,
“Most of the staff knew about it and so did a few of his employees from
Bradford’s Gems and Jewelry.
 
I imagine
some of his friends were aware.
 
Maybe
even some of his lovers, if he brought them home.
 
I’d have to make a list.
 
Do I need to start one?”

Daniel shook his head. “Not yet.
 
We’ll see how today plays out first.”

Cecily wasn’t much into prayer
but right now, she could use any and all assistance.
 
Her inner conversation with the Almighty
occupied her thoughts until they rolled into Springfield, a place she’d never
visited until now.
 
On her way down from
St. Louis, she took a route she now realized went out of the way, but Nia had
promised it’d be scenic.
 
It had been
that, she mused, with fantastic views of the Ozark Mountains.
 
“Have you been here before?” she asked
Daniel.

“Here in Springfield or at the
FBI office?”

“Either one.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been
here.
 
This is a satellite office under
our jurisdiction out of Kansas City.”

“So do you know the agents?”

“Not really,” he said. “I’ve met
them, nothing more.”

Maybe she’d watched too many
movies and crime television programs, but the modern office building tucked
away off one of the city’s main thoroughfares wasn’t what Cecily expected.
 
The local FBI office shared quarters in the
large structure with dentists, architects, lawyers, and consultants she noted
from the building directory as they entered.
 
Her heels tapped out an adagio rhythm as she struggled to keep up with
Daniel’s long stride as he headed for the elevators.
 
“Slow down, sugar,” she said. “What’s your
rush?”

“I just want to get it over
with,” he said.
 
His mouth made a grim
line instead of the grin she adored.
 
His
stern appearance stretched her nerves tighter than new barb wire.
 
“And, baby, I have to act professional, like
I barely know you so don’t get mad.”

“I won’t, sugar.” She could put
on an aloof act too and did, face schooled into a bland mask.
 
Cecily added a little jive to her step. “Just
give me any last hints.”

“Just be you,” Daniel said.
 
A faint smile flirted with his lips before it
vanished under his stern façade. “But don’t be too much of a smart ass or you
might piss someone off.”

“Me?” she asked with faux
innocence.

The elevator doors opened outside
the FBI suite and Cecily noticed how Daniel stood straighter, shoulders squared
in a military type stance.
 
He gave her a
brusque nod to direct her where to go and she stepped toward the indicated
direction.
 
Then he held open the door so
she could walk into the office.
 
With
calm she didn’t own, she strolled in and he followed.
 
A mature man, fifty or so, wearing a dark
suit, white shirt, and red tie came forward to meet then.