Three Marie Ferrarella Romances Box Set One (31 page)

Charley knew that she should say yes, but she just wasn’t strong enough to do it.

“It’s not one-sided,” she murmured.

The next thing she knew, she was in Reese’s arms and he was kissing her. She felt herself growing light-headed as passion swirled through her. To counteract the feeling she wedged her hands against his chest and pushed him away.

“But it doesn’t change anything,” she said.

Reese had no idea what “anything” was, but he humored her nonetheless. “Right,” he said, nibbling the edge of her ear. “We’ll work out the details later.”

The touch of his lips was incredibly distracting. She began to feel her control slipping away. Her feelings took over and she pressed herself against him, needing to feel the reassuring warmth of his body.

Gradually Reese worked his way behind her. Lifting her heavy hair, he continued his caresses along her neck. His hands slid into the front pockets of her jeans, pressing against her abdomen and massaging her ever so lightly. Charley felt herself turning into butter.

She wanted to turn around so that she could feel his lips on hers. But that would mean giving up the delicious sensation his fingers were producing. It was a tough decision. His lips won. She twisted around, raising her hands and attempting to wrap them around his neck. But Reese stepped back.

“Hey, I’m the director here today,” he said teasingly. “I’m supposed to be telling you which moves to make.”

“You’re only the substitute director,” she reminded him, a touch of mischief mingling with her desire. “I think you need a little help.”

“Do I, now? This bears investigation.” He looked around, and Charley knew what was on his mind.

“Oh, no, not the stage,” she said. “Someone could come in.”

“We could rent a room. There’re plenty of sleazy hotels around Times Square.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t think I can hold out that long,” she said. She loved the broad smile her words brought to his lips.

“I can accept that,” he said, a devilish twinkle in his eyes. “Follow me.” He took her hand and led her down the narrow corridor.

“The prop room?” she cried when he opened the creaking door. “But it’s crowded in there. Not to mention dusty and—“

She had no opportunity to go on with her list. Her lips were otherwise occupied. And after a moment her complaints faded into oblivion. The prop room was fine. The stage would have been fine too. Anywhere in the world would have been fine, so long as Reese made love to her.

It was all that mattered. And right now he was all that mattered.

Chapter Nine

It was amazing how you could make do with things when you wanted to, Charley thought. At first the prop room had seemed stuffy and crammed, with hardly enough room in it for one person, much less two. But now, in the haze of passion, it struck her as rather cozy.

“A girl would have to be friendly here even if she didn’t want to,” she said, momentarily shaking off the drugging effect of Reese’s lips.

He ran his finger along the edge of her blouse, tracing a pattern down to the first button. “Does she want to?” he asked softly, tantalizing her as he toyed with the button.

“Yes,” she said without hesitation. Every additional encounter with him was going to make leaving at the end that much harder. Yet when he stood before her, all her resolve disintegrated.

He lowered his head, his lips gently following the trail he had laid out with his finger. One button. Two buttons. Three. She felt her blouse parting, her skin burning. He took his time. The delaying tactic was calculated to increase her desire. It succeeded. She wove her fingers through his hair, holding his head against her breasts as he teased them with long, sensual kisses. Slowly he pushed her bra below her breasts, freeing them entirely. He pressed his body against hers, and she was acutely aware of just how much he needed her.

With fingers that had become suddenly clumsy, she unbuttoned his shirt and thrust her breasts against the fine layer of dark hairs that covered his chest. A tingling sensation sped through her as she moved rhythmically against him. With a gentle touch here and a light prod there, he removed all her clothing, then his. His hands slipped along the curves of her body, turning her cool skin feverish with each touch. As he stroked her buttocks she could feel her desire mounting. How could she go on without this? In a moment of fleeting frenzy she told herself she was leaving the Bureau after the case was over.

“I love you, Reese.” The words spilled out naturally, without thought, without effort. Feelings translated into sound.

“I hope so,” he said in a voice full of passion. “This would be a hell of a time to tell me we were just good friends.”

A laugh bubbled up within her. He made her laugh. He made her feel as if there were sunshine trapped inside her. She loved him so much she thought she would burst.

“Love me, Reese.” It was a softly whispered plea.

“All in good time,” he promised. He stepped back and glanced quickly around the room, then pulled down what looked like a moth-eaten fur rug. It landed next to Charley, raising a cloud of dust as it fell.

“Your boudoir awaits, milady,” he said, grinning.

Charley looked down at the huge cloth on the tiny floor. “What is it?”

“I think it was supposed to have been a buffalo robe.”

A giddy feeling came over her. “Think the buffalo would mind?” she asked as he urged her to sit. There was scarcely enough room to do that, much less to lie down.

“I think he’d be honored,” Reese said, and took her into his arms.

His bare skin was hot against hers, and both excitement and serenity filled her as he laid her back on the robe. He covered her body with his, and she closed her eyes in ecstasy. Then she opened her eyes, wanting to look at Reese, wanting to drink in every detail of his face. But what she saw when she looked at him made her smile broadly. She tapped Reese on the shoulder.

“Intermission?” he asked, a note of confusion in his voice.

“I think we’re being watched,” she said, pointing behind him.

Startled, he turned. Perched on what appeared to be a chest of drawers was a statue of a sea gull, his wings spread in flight, his head lowered as if ready to capture a hapless fish. One wing was broken.

Reese turned back, his eyes meeting Charley’s. She could see amusement mixed with desire in his expression. “Well, then, let’s give him something to see,” he said.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Substitute Director.” She nodded her head smartly.

“If I had known being a director was this much fun, I’d have tried it long ago,” he said just before he lowered his mouth to hers.

Fun was a poor word for it, Charley thought. Passion, rapture—now, those were the words. Reese’s hands tangled in her hair, then slid down her eager body to her hips, pressing her to him once again. The teasing was over. Desire could no longer be denied. He came to her, loving her the way she needed to be loved, taking her away from her world and all its responsibilities. As the urgency created by his thrusting movements grew, Charley found herself being swept away to paradise. She clutched at Reese for all she was worth, loving him as she never had done before.

The rate of their breathing slowed, mellowing into satisfied, rhythmic sounds. She felt Reese smile against her cheek. “Think the sea gull got his money’s worth?” he asked.

“I don’t know about the sea gull, but the moths in the buffalo robe are giving you a standing ovation,” she said, trying to keep a straight face.

“Us a standing ovation,” he corrected her.

She smiled. That had a nice ring to it. But already reality was beginning to intrude. Would there still be an “us” after the case was over and she told him how she had deceived him? And even if there was, could she settle down with Reese, share his quiet existence without feeling stifled or trapped? Would her feelings for him sustain her or would they change, altered by her restlessness? She didn’t know. She just didn’t know. She kissed him quickly, then slipped out from underneath him and started to dress.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, noticing the strange expression on her face.

It was her guilt showing, she thought. Max had told her to stay away from Reese, to stay away for a lot of good reasons. And yet here she was, still flushed from his loving. What had happened to her discipline? She lied. “Nothing.”

But Reese wasn’t buying it. He stood and put his hands on her shoulders. “I think we need to talk.”

She shook her head. Talking wouldn’t help. She needed to make a clean break from him. But how? He was around every day. She couldn’t leave him the way she had the last time. And suddenly Charley realized that she didn’t want to leave him like that again. Fear of making a commitment was no longer clawing at her throat. She didn’t want to leave him at all. But she had no choice. She had no right to endanger him this way. She was back to the original excuse she had used to justify running away. But this time it was true.

“Sorry,” he said, looking away from her, ignoring the shake of her head, “I didn’t see that. We’re going to talk.” He cleared a spot on a crate, dusting it off with his hand. “Sit,” he ordered.

“Reese—“

“Sit.” She sat, but her eyes warned him that he wasn’t going to get anywhere. “Now, I don’t want to crowd you,” he began.

“But you are—“

“No,” he interrupted. “What I’m doing is letting you know that no matter how long it takes, I’m sticking this out. That woman on the buffalo robe showed me that she needs me as much as I need her. I can’t be wrong about that. And I’ll wait it out. When you want to tell me what’s really standing in our way, I’ll listen.”

Oh, Lord
, she thought. How she wanted to tell him, to make a clean breast of everything and let him see why it was so hopeless for them. But she knew she couldn’t. Even if she hadn’t been worried about Reese’s insisting on protecting her, which she knew he would, there was one other little matter. Max would kill her.

She looked up into Reese’s eyes, vacillating. The hell with it, she thought. She had to tell him. She couldn’t bear to keep it locked up inside anymore. She licked her lips. “I’m an FBI agent.”

“Funny, you don’t look like Efrem Zimbalist,” he said, joking.

“Makeup,” she muttered.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” he asked, staring at her in disbelief.

She nodded.

Reese shook his head as if to clear it. “From the beginning, please.”

So Charley told him the story, all of it. She left out only the type of documents the congressman had in his possession. She told Reese about how she had become an agent and how she felt about her career. She told him about her current assignment, and Allison and the unknown enemy agent. He remained silent throughout the whole recitation and after she was finished.

“Reese?” she finally asked. She touched his hand, feeling the need for contact. To her surprise, he pulled back. The eyes that looked at her now were accusing, smoldering with something that she had never seen before.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. His voice was deceptively quiet; she could hear the suppressed anger in it. “That day, a year ago, when you walked off just as everything was starting for us—why didn’t you tell me?”

She bit her lip. “I didn’t want to get you involved. I didn’t want to get you hurt.” She clutched at her own hands, as if in need of support. Suddenly she felt tired and drained. She wanted him to hold her, to say he understood all her motives. One look at his face told her that she wasn’t going to get her wish.

“So you thought it’d be easier if you just faded into the sunset,” he said harshly, “leaving me to wonder what I had done wrong, why you couldn’t love me as much as I loved you. I was in love with you—and you walked out.” The words filled the tiny room, almost smothering Charley.

“I thought it was best,” she whispered, looking down at her hands. Tears began to form, stinging her eyes, even as she tried to keep them back.

“Best?” Reese’s laugh was biting. “Best? Dammit, Charley, don’t you know that’s no way to treat a lover?” They stared at each other for a long moment, and then he pulled her to him. When he spoke his voice was softer. “You had no right to decide what was ‘best’ for me. Only I have that right.” His anger drained from him as he held her. “Lord, Charley, all those nights I spent staring at the ceiling and wondering what I’d done wrong, what I’d done to scare you off . . .” He pushed her back slightly in order to get a good look at her face. “If you want to play spy, I can get used to that. I can handle anything but rejection.”

She swallowed, wishing her mouth didn’t feel so dry. “I did it for your own good,” she said lamely.

“That’s what parents say before they whip the tar out of their kids. Putting me through hell is not for my own good. Letting me be a part of your life—now, that would be good.” He kissed the top of her head. The kiss, tender and fleeting, awoke sensations down to her very toes. She leaned against him, her heart beating hard. She needed his warmth, his understanding. Most of all, she needed his love.

And she had it.

Chalmers returned the next day, his disposition even worse than before. He began to work them harder, and as before, he was even more demanding of Charley than of anyone else.

“He doesn’t like you,” Carol whispered during a break.

“He doesn’t like anyone,” Charley replied. But Carol was right, she thought. Was Chalmers’s animosity based on artistic temperament, or was there more to it than that? Perhaps he was resentful of the way she had gotten her part. Or perhaps he was the operative, and wanted to keep her off-balance . . . and away from her roommate, Allison. She decided she would suggest to Max when she saw him in Boston that a tail be put on the director during the dress rehearsal.

The rest of the week was lost in a whirlwind of rehearsals. Chalmers was dissatisfied with the way the play was shaping up and demanded constant rewrites. The playwright, provoked into fits of anger, threatened to walk out, taking his play with him. It fell to Reese to smooth things out. There were constant demands on his time, and though Charley missed being alone with him, she was relieved, too. Away from the influence of his warm eyes, she could concentrate on her own work.