Chapter 10
"What does that mean?" Corkie asked.
Her head was fuzzy and her eyes kept trying to blink the world back in and out of focus. It was the wine. Normally, Corkie had no issues with alcohol. Give her beer, she was fine. Shots of whiskey, some gin, bourbon, vodka, straight-up or mixed in cocktails, she knew exactly where her limit began, and it was usually way past what other people could tolerate. But wine...
Wine got her every time. It had to be the taste...went down too smoothly. Took its time, tricked her into thinking she was okay, just a few more glasses, and then wham! A foggy stupor propelling straight to her brain. Champagne did the same thing. Which was a shame. She really liked champagne.
Alex smiled vaguely at her. "I said I needed to know your informant, remember?"
"I remember. I'm drunk, not slow."
"Well...I've decided that your safety is more important."
Her head swayed as she tried her hardest to stare at him. But his face blurred around the edges, and her skull banged out a parade tempo, with a drum line, trumpets, baton twirlers and all. Corkie plastered her palms to the sides of her head, groaning.
"Does your head hurt?" he asked, his voice very concerned, but that could just be another one of his many acts.
"Yes," she groaned louder. "What do you mean you don't care about my informant? You can't not care! I want my pictures back!"
"Dammit, Corkie," he said darkly. "You can't have them. I promised I'd get you to the border, and I'm going to do that."
"How chivalrous of you," she muttered.
It sucked being drunk. What was I thinking? If she'd been sober and steady, she could fight him, right here and now, and maybe have a chance to get her camera card away from him. All she needed was something sharp, a length of rope and a good grip on his boots. He hadn't taken off those freaking things in her immediate presence once. Not once! Not even when he slept. Now, she had to wait until she had full control of her limbs again. And if he intended to get her to the border, then she needed to come up with something fast, maybe another delay somewhere.
But she only had until tonight before Juan called her father, because even if he was aware that she was trying to get back to America, that wouldn't stop him from following through with his promise. And let's face it, if her father knew about those pictures, too, then she would never see them again.
Normally, a whole day would be plenty of time to set a trap, but right now, she couldn't think straight, and her stomach was quickly catching up with the rest of her foolish revelry in the washroom, and it had been a very long time since she'd been this drunk that she wasn't sure how long it would take for the effects to wear off.
In the meantime, she was drunk; Alex wasn't; and she wasn't any closer to getting her pictures back!
"Corkie?" Alex touched her cheek again, this time tilting her head up so he could see into her eyes. It wasn't because he liked touching her. It was just one of his habits, she guessed, a controlling thing, like She won't look at me when I'm talking to her, when I want her to look at me, so I'll make her.
"How many bottles of wine did you drink?" he asked.
"Um, just one." Of course, now that she was drunk, she could use that as an excuse to touch him more, so she did. She placed her palm over his heartbeat.
"One?" he asked in disbelief, not noticing her hand on his chest. "Are you a lightweight?"
"Of course not," she protested weakly, curling her fingers into his shirt. Up went the contents of her stomach, and she swallowed it back down.
"You were in there all night," he reminded her, as if she had completely forgotten that little sin of his. "Are you sure it was just one bottle?"
"Yeah...I think," she said and swallowed again. That time, she tasted chilies and salted plums, and it wasn't as great coming up as it had been going down.
"Are you going to be sick?"
She batted her eyelashes, and not in the flirtatious way. Her head began to droop as her stomach rose again, and that was never good. "Yes."
"Shit," he muttered, picked her up like a child and rushed her to the bathroom. He set her down just in time, and as she expelled her late-night snack, he kept her hair away from her face and rubbed gentle circles down her back. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked in a tender voice.
"You can...give...me back...my pictures," she answered between heaves. And he chuckled.
"I really wish you'd understand where I'm coming from," he said, still soothing her. "Even if all you wanted were the pictures of Sultanovich, I can't allow you to publish them anywhere. Government agencies all over the world will want to know why a dead man was in Mexico, and word will get around about that secret meeting. I'm this close to taking down Espinoza. If you print anything, then he'll get spooked, and I'm back to square one. And you'll put me and everyone involved in this in mortal danger. Do you want that?"
Corkie's stomach finally felt hollow enough for her to sit back and rest. Alex handed her a small wet towel and she wiped her mouth. "What was really going on down in that valley, Alex? I swear all I was told was that Niro was supposed to be there."
He shook his head and let out an exhausted breath. "I can't tell you. The fact that you knew what you did worries me. It took me months to get the intel on that meeting. I can't give you anymore information, I can't give you those pictures back, and you have to promise that you won't say a word to anyone about this."
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. This wasn't working out the way she hoped. There was no changing his mind.
"Corkie," he said quietly, getting down his knees in front of her. "I need you to trust me on this."
"You don't trust me," she said from behind her eyelids. "So any promise I give you won't be taken seriously."
"Nińa, please," he said.
She looked at him. "I won't make that promise."
"Why?!"
"Because those photos are my job!"
"That man is not Niro Sultanovich!" Alex roared as he shot to his feet. "He's dead, nińa!"
Corkie stood up, too, using the wall to support her. "You say you've been working on Espinoza for one year...well, I've been working on the Sultanoviches for nearly ten. In my line of work, they are my insignia. I am known for my photos of that family. I have catalogued every freaking birth, death, marriage, divorce, scandal, crime and secret that family owns for the past decade. The only thing that ever got by me was Niro's fake death. And now I find out it was real, and this Niro is a fake, and I will not let someone else get a photo of him first!"
With his fists clenched tightly by his side, Alex's face turned to pure stone. His gray eyes were granite chips set menacingly in that stone, and he bent over and said, "Let me repeat, nińa...You. Can. Not. Have. Them. I'll burn that memory disk before I let you have it."
Corkie sucked in a breath, tense with her frustration and fury, and grimaced. Eww. Vomit mouth. "I have to brush my teeth," she announced stiffly and managed to stay relatively vertical as she went in search of her backpack and toothbrush. Alex muttered something with the words God and beautiful and damn and crazy, followed her and grabbed her arm as she came out of the washroom again.
"Corkie...please!"
She shrugged him off. "Leave me alone."
"I can't," he said. "I have to protect you, Corkie, don't you understand that? I can't let Espinoza have you, too."
"What do you mean? Me, too?"
Alex rubbed the spot between his eyes. "Corkie, that man is responsible for too many deaths...my father, for one, and I won't let him take you."
She frowned at him. "He killed your father? I didn't know that. I'm sorry, Alex."
"Thank you," he said quietly. "Now, do you understand? Now can you see why protecting you from yourself is the important thing here?"
"Protecting me from myself?" she said, back to feeling irritated. "I don't need a babysitter, Alex."
"Yes, you do."
"The hell I don't!"
Marta came into the kitchen. "Senor Alex, we need to talk— Oh," she paused, seeing them, both angry and mirroring each other's frowns. "I am interrupting."
"No," Corkie said to her. "It is okay. We're done talking." She shot Alex a pointed look and went back to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She heard Marta ask, "Is she feeling well?" And Alex answered, "She'll be fine. What did you need, Senora?"
"It is about Senor Espinoza," Marta said, and Corkie pressed her ear to the door and listened to their conversation.
*****
Alex sighed. "I suppose you want an explanation?"
Marta shook her head. "I only need to know if my girls are in danger after the events of last night."
"I don't believe that will be an issue," Alex said. "I do wish to apologize for an trouble we may have caused you."
Marta sat down in a chair and studied her hands. "Senor Espinoza...he has patroned my house a few times in the past, when he is in the area, and I am aware of his reputation, but so far we've had a pleasant relationship with him, and like so many people in Mexico, I have no wish to get on his bad side. However, if this is the trouble that follows you and Corkie..."
Alex raised a hand to her. "You do not have to say it, Senora. Again, I apologize. Corkie and I did not want to involved you in the details—for your safety and ours—so soon as Ivan arrives, Corkie and I will be gone."
"Thank you. That eases my mind."
"Ivan will arrive this morning?"
"Yes. I talked to him not long ago."
"Good," he said, looking toward the bathroom. "She needs to go home."
Marta followed his gaze. "Ivan also said that, for some reason, Senor Espinoza is no longer monitoring the roads between here and there."
Alex let out a relieved breath. "That's also good news."
Marta smiled again. "However...the border crossings are still watched."
"Well...crap."
She laughed. "It will be okay, Senor. Ivan can get anyone into America. But he said it will take some time to explore all the possibilities. You can speak more with him when he arrives. Why don't you get cleaned up? I'll have breakfast ready when you return." She stood up and checked the coffee on the stove.
He sighed heavily and pushed away from the table. Coming up behind her, he planted a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, Marta. For everything."
Marta actually blushed. Alex smiled and went upstairs to find a vacant bathroom. He stripped to his underwear and scrubbed down with a wet cloth, wishing for another one of those glorious baths, but there was no time for such luxuries right now.
And right now, the only extravagance Alex truly desired was to repeat that kiss with Corkie. Did she blush when he kissed her? He couldn't remember. They only shared the one kiss, and it had been a knee-jerk reaction. If he'd not been so damn scared out of his mind for Corkie's safety while he feasted on her mouth, he might have done a better, more thorough job with it. Or at least paid more attention to her reaction afterward.
I kissed Corkie...and wasn't able to enjoy it.
How long had he been thinking of her mouth? Of her smile, and how it would taste? Since he first saw her up on that ridge. If she didn't have such a perchance for arguing with him all the damn time, he might have kissed her sooner. But she just would not let go of her stupid pictures!
How many goddamn times do I have to tell her no?
Alex marched into the kitchen, Corkie's mouth still on his mind, saw Corkie pulling sweet rolls out of the oven, and he paused. Marta was there still. And there was still that fight between him and Corkie. If he tried to kiss her now, she'd probably slap him. But she laughed at something Marta said, and her lips curved upward deliciously, and her blue eyes got that crazy little playful gleam in them, and Alex thought, The hell with it.
"Corkie," he called as he crossed the kitchen.
She turned to him, stopped smiling, and said, "What, lieutenant?" and he asked, "Did you brush your teeth?"
She rolled her pretty eyes and said, "Well, yeah—"
And he was there, on her, before she finished speaking. He figured she would fight him as his fingers slid into her thick, golden hair; and he thought she would knee him in the groin as his mouth grazed impatiently against hers; and he certainly thought she would reach for that butcher knife behind her as he glided smoothly into her mouth, tasting mint on her tongue from her toothpaste.
But she did none of those things. She squeaked, yes, and she pressed her palms to his chest, but within half a second, she began kissing him back, and moaning and purring, and just the fact that he was inside Corkie's mouth inflamed him.
She pulled back first. "What was that for?"
"Because I've wanted to do that since I met you."
"You kissed me last night," she said, and he shook his head, chasing the heat on her lips, saying, "That was work; this is play," and he kissed her again.
She pulled back a second time. "Is this about Clara?"
"No." He went back for more. She stayed fused with him long enough for him to wrap his arms around her waist and explore the way her body fit against his.
"Is it because you've been around all these women tonight?" she asked breathlessly, breaking contact a third time.
"No." This time he started at her neck and worked his way back to her mouth. "Hush."
"Then why are kissing me?" she asked through a throaty moan.
Alex sighed and stopped kissing her. "I don't know anymore."
"Oh," she said and stood there, licking her lips. "Okay."
"Well...if the two of you are finished," said Marta behind them, "breakfast is ready."
Alex released Corkie. That didn't work out the way he hoped. Well...that wasn't entirely true. He came away from her lips without any extra holes, bruises or rope burns, so that was a plus. But she could've at least said she—
"Thank you, Alex" she said, grinning beautifully, "I enjoyed that very much."
"Did you?" he asked, suddenly wary and feeling like he should check for his wallet. "I couldn't tell."
"Oh, yes," she said, nodding and grinning and happy.
He crossed his arms. What was she up to now? "What did you enjoy about it?"
Her tongue darted out and tasted her lips, and he followed the motion avidly. "Well..." she said. "I really liked the way you went for it, no hesitation, and I liked how you paused for just that split second before you stuck your tongue in my mouth, and there was the way you had your tongue in my mouth—that part was really, really great, and...well, all of it."
She stopped talking and breathed in, held it, and let it out with a dreamy sigh. Her candid honesty nearly made Alex speechless...nearly.
"If you enjoyed it so much, why couldn't you hush up and enjoy it while I was doing it?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I'm confused."
"Confused about what? Haven't you ever been kissed for the hell of it?"
"Sure," she said, "but not by someone who doesn't like me."
Alex jerked. "Who said I didn't like you?"
"You did," she said with a grin. "Just yesterday you said I am—how did you put it?—childish, neurotic and...uh..."
"Conceited," he finished, clenching his jaw. He made a huge mistake—Corkie wasn't the least bit conceited. Cheeky and a little arrogant, yes, but not vain and conceited. The woman didn't have a freaking clue how beautiful and sexy she really was.
"Yeah, those," she agreed, nodding again. "I figured you didn't like me because of those. You're awfully mad at me a lot."
"Only because your foolishness will get you killed," he stressed. "If you were back home, sitting in your living room and being stupid, I could forgive you for this, but here?"
She sighed and now shook her head. "I've survived worse situations, Alex," she said and absentmindedly rubbed the back of her neck where her scar began. He inhaled sharply. Damn. Did she have to bring that up? He could never forget seeing it, but he preferred not to think about it when he was arguing with her. Otherwise, he might do something stupid himself...like try to hold her and comfort her.
So instead, he turned around and sat down at the table. "Let's just forget it," he said.
"Forget that kiss?" she asked, astonished. "I don't think I can, Alex. It wasn't as powerful as the first one, but I know you kissed me this time because you wanted to, so I think I enjoyed it a lot more. I'm pretty sure I felt a little tingle down in my lady parts—"
Marta made a noise, half-laugh, half-choke, and Alex bit back on his teeth so hard, his molar threatened to break.
Corkie eyed him with that wide grin. "What about you?" she asked. "Did you get excited this time, too?"
Alex put his head in his hands and just breathed. Marta cleared her throat. "I think I hear a car driving up," she announced and rose to her feet. "I'll go see if that's Ivan." And she left them in the kitchen together...alone.
Corkie sat down in a chair next to him, and the next thing he felt was her palm against his groin. He bolted upward and out of his seat. The chair crashed to the floor. "What the hell are you doing?"
She blinked guilelessly up at him. "You didn't answer me. I was seeing if you had a hard-on this time, too.'
"You do not go around cupping men's crotches every time you get kissed!" he roared at her.
She smiled. "Well, I know that. Really, it was harmless. I was just checking."
"Are you just asking for me to lay you over this table and screw you?!"
She blinked again as that thought centered in her mind. "Um...that's going a little too far, don't you think? You sure you're not affected by all the half-dressed women around here?"
"You really are crazy, aren't you?"
She laughed at him. "You and Daddy have a lot in common, you know that? He had me tested once, to see if I was abnormal."
Alex stared at her, disbelief all over his face.
Again, she nodded. "He really did. In tenth grade. I disguised myself as a boy and tried out for the football team. Actually got on the roster as third-string quarterback before I was discovered, but by then, they couldn't do anything about it. There was no rule that said girls can't play football." She frowned at herself for a second. "Didn't get to play any, though. The coach didn't want me to get hurt...bad for his career."
Alex began to wonder if she was making stuff up at this point, or if it was the wine still talking. "Why couldn't you just be a cheerleader?" he asked, exasperated with her.
"You know, that's the exact thing Daddy asked me," she replied, shaking her head. "I didn't want to be a cheerleader. I wanted to play football. It's all my brothers' faults. They corrupted me at an early age."
"Yes...you're completely blameless," he muttered and sat down—across the table from her. He was saved from more crazy talk by the appearance of Ivan and Marta. Corkie shut up—finally—and the four of them sat around the table, eating breakfast and making plans for the day. Alex looked at Corkie only once during all this. She looked back, and she smiled and winked at him.
God, what does normal feel like again?!
An hour later, Alex sat in Ivan's truck with Corkie between the two men, and he tried very hard not to think about her pressed up against him in the small space. The trip from Marta's house to the border took another two hours. Corkie and Ivan chatted pleasantly with each other, and Alex kept his mouth shut for the most part, because what he heard wasn't anything consequential. They spoke mostly of Ivan's daughter, Sophia, and how she and her husband, Corkie's brother Josh, were enjoying married life.
"Sophia is ready to have children," Corkie said to Ivan, "but Josh wants to wait a little longer. He says they need to think about getting a bigger house before starting a family, and he's worried about getting transferred again. Sophia says she's about to take desperate measures."
Ivan glanced at Corkie. "Desperate measures?"
Corkie waved a hand, nearly slapping Alex in the face. "Oh, you know...hold out on sex until Josh can't stand it any more and then wham! Come on hard and strong until he's crazy with wanting her, and he forgets all that other crap."
Ivan chuckled, and Alex closed his eyes, shaking his head.
"That sounds like my Sophia," Ivan commented as he drove along. The truck hit a bump, knocking Corkie sideways. She put a hand on Alex's thigh to brace herself, and Alex nearly groaned. He already felt crazy with wanting her, and if Sophia was anything like Corkie, then poor brother Josh didn't stand a chance. Corkie's hand stayed on his leg, so Alex purposefully moved it, planting her palm in her own lap and hating that the warmth left him immediately.
She smiled at him. "Sorry," she whispered. "I forgot how you don't like women to touch you there."
"I never said that," he replied calmly, staring out his window.
"Oh well...it must be me then."
Alex turned to look directly in her bright blue eyes. "It's not you."
Corkie pursed her lips. "Okay." A wrinkle popped up between her eyebrows. "Your signals are confusing, Alex. You do like women, right?"
Alex stared at her, his brain going numb from her implication. "Beg your pardon?"
She still frowned and began chewing her cheek. "Well...you do seem to like kissing women, but you didn't seem to find Clara's attentions appealing, and I know I don't do it for you, so..." She shrugged. "I was just wondering if you liked women much at all. Do you swing the other way sometimes?"
Is she trying to make me angry again? he wondered. The truck slowed down, and Alex glanced at Ivan. The older man leaned forward, listening to them talking, his concentration diverted from driving.
"Eyes on the road, old man," Alex grunted and looked at Corkie again. "I am not gay, nor am I bi-sexual," he clearly stated.
"Oh...good," Corkie sighed and smiled. "I apologize if I offended you. It's just that you're not like most guys I know. They would have been all over Clara, if given half the chance."
"Is this more of your brothers' influence?" he asked.
Corkie's eyes widened. "What? No! My brothers can be downright reverent around women. Take Josh for instance...Sophia would have never fallen for a man who wasn't courteous and honorable. Right, Ivan?"
Ivan said, "Sophia takes no crap from anyone."
"See?" Corkie said, smiling again. "Josh treats her right, and in return he gets the love of a very beautiful and appreciative woman. I was talking mostly about the men I've dated in the past. Their code of ethics was a bit more...um, open to influence."
"What kind of guys have you been dating?" Alex asked, getting angry anyway...because some nameless bunch of assholes had treated her poorly.
"Oh, all kinds," she answered. "But not soldiers. They're too controlling. I don't do controlling."
Alex turned back to his window. "Maybe a soldier is exactly what you need...someone with a firm hand."
He could feel her smile, even if he couldn't see it. "Are you offering to be put on the shortlist, lieutenant?" she asked silkily.
"I don't date," he grunted, and Corkie sighed once again.
"Maybe that's your problem...how long has it been since you had sex?"
The truck swerved. Corkie laughed. "Sorry, Ivan."
"Not a problem, nińa," he muttered and focused on keeping them all on the road.
Corkie's hand had found its way back to Alex's thigh during that little change in trajectory, and Alex looked down at it. Then he looked up at her. "Corkie," he said in a low, dark tone, "My sexlife is really none of your damn business. Shall I ask you when you last had sex?"
"Um...nine or ten months, I think," she answered. "I guess that's why I'm so agitated with you. I don't date soldiers, but I do get a little antsy every time you smile at me."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
She nodded. "Yes...I'm just horny."
That time, the truck hit the side of the road, spewing gravel off its back tires. At this rate, they were never going to get to the border in one piece.
"For the love of God," Alex said to her, "if you want your friend to have an accident, keep this up. Otherwise, drop it, Corkie."
She smiled. "Okay." She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "You haven't moved my hand yet."
He groaned and pushed her hand away. "Try to control yourself, Corkie."
She laughed softly. "Maybe you should take your own advice." Her eyelashes drifted down as she peeked at his groin. It was full and throbbing behind the fabric of his jeans and had been at half-mast ever since he kissed her again that morning. Now, with all this talk of sex and her being horny, he was back up again. If she didn't stop this incessant teasing of hers, he was likely to do something stupid...like prop her sweet ass up against the first vertical surface he found.
She laughed again in his ear, leaning into him. His erection twitched joyfully, and he thought, Hell, I may not wait until we're alone.