Page 55 of Raul
A little burr of resentment scratched at her that he would so easily end this perfect, sunny idyll. But it was inevitable that the world would intrude. “Sure,” she said.
“You don’t mind Mikel?” Raul sounded surprised at her ready agreement.
“What do you mean?” She pulled her T-shirt down.
“He makes most people nervous.De verdad, he makes me a little uneasy sometimes.”
“I think he reminds me of my father. The heroic side of him,” she said as she analyzed her lack of fear of the formidable security chief. “Very focused. Very intense. Very protective. Not to mention that I have an entirely clear conscience, so I have nothing to hide.”
“Mikel as a father figure? That’s a new one.” Raul shook his head. “Yet you’re panicky around my father, who is much less sinister.”
“‘Panicky’ might be too strong a description.” She ran her hand down his chest. “I know what improper things I’ve been doing with his son, so that makes me feel awkward.”
Not to mention that his father was theking.
Raul seized her hand and pressed a kiss in her palm, flicking it with the tip of his tongue. “As soon as Mikel is gone, I plan to do more improper things.”
Just like that, she wanted to rip off her jeans and straddle him right then and there, impaling herself on his cock. But Mikel was coming, so she disentangled her legs from his, got up from the chaise longue, and used her phone to check her hair since Raul had been running his fingers through it.
He levered himself up from the chaise longue with a heavy sigh. “Let’s go to my office.” His face lit with wicked anticipation. “After our meeting, we can use the conference table for some fun and games.”
“Stop doing that,” she said, having a vision of lying back on the table naked while he opened her thighs and did naughty things to her. Her nipples tightened.
“What?”
“Making me think evil thoughts when I should be focused on dragon eggs.” She was pretty sure that Mikel would notice if her skin stayed this flushed.
Raul grinned and gave her butt a lascivious squeeze. “It’s motivation to keep the meeting short.”
Chapter 13
Erica had settled into a chair at the conference table when Raul’s phone pinged to notify him that Mikel had arrived. “We’re in my office,” Raul called out toward the door.
“Su Alteza Real.Erica.” Mikel gave a half bow as he came through the doorway. He was dressed in a black suit, a white shirt, and a tie striped in Calevan green and maroon. His brown hair was brushed neatly away from his forehead, and he carried a sleek silver tablet.
She had first met him when he had vetted her for the job as Gabriel’s pilot. She had been nervous then, but only because she wanted the job so much. His questions had been fair and necessary for such a sensitive position.
Now she saw him as a man on a mission to protect the royal family with the same intensity her father had felt about saving the lives of those in trouble at sea. She supported Mikel’s mission even more strongly now that she had become involved with Raul.
Raul nodded to the chair across from Erica, and Mikel sat with a coiled grace that reminded her of a big hunting cat. Placing his tablet on the tabletop, he said, “You should not be surprised to hear that there is no park ranger named Ricardo St. Germain.”
“Maybe heisa park ranger, but that’s not his real name,” Raul said, sitting up straighter.
“I am guessing that is the case, because he would need legitimate access to the nesting sites,” Mikel said, swiping at his tablet before he slid it across to Erica. “These are the badge ID photos of all the male park rangers. Unfortunately, they are from the first day of their service, so some are quite out of date. Do any look like your contact?”
Multiple rows of color headshots were arrayed on the tablet’s screen. Erica scanned the mostly stiff, unsmiling images, scrolling downward with increasing frustration as none looked like her seller.
Then a thick-necked man with a sandy-haired crew cut caught her eye. She mentally added a ponytail and about a decade to his image. “This one. I think he’s the man I met.”
She swiveled the tablet so both men could see the photo.
Mikel tapped it, and a page of text appeared. “His real name is Fernando Bertucci, and he’s been a park ranger for fifteen years. I’ll get Quinn to dig deeper into his finances since he didn’t come up in our first search.”
Raul made a sound of disgust. “If he’s hiding his identity, he’s hiding more.”
“Which means he could be dangerous,” Mikel said, his pale blue eyes focused on Erica. “If you don’t wish to meet with him tomorrow, that’s not a problem. He will still come to the Acantilado Alto, and my people can follow him from there.”
“Wouldn’t it make him suspicious—or upset—if I don’t show?” she asked.
