Page 58 of Love Me Carefully
Oh, no you won’t, Rosie thought.You will not leave me in the dark.She stalked through the balcony door a few steps behind, only to stop short when the front door slammed, with him on the other side.
“Dammit!” Rosie cursed and sat abruptly on the bed. She was getting damn tired of Donald and his secrets.
* * *
Terrell boarded the ship and followed the directions of the staff. He’d never been on a cruise before, so he tried to take in some sights as he followed behind the other passengers trying to find their cabins. The atmosphere was festive, the staff friendly. He wished this voyage could be focused on pleasure, but he had a mission that he was bound and determined to carry out.
Agent Tobias and the rest of his men had probably already boarded. They’d secured special privileges to board the boat early so that the other passengers wouldn’t see them. As they’d be operating undercover once they reached the island, they didn’t want to chance that someone might notice them and blow their cover at an inopportune time.
After a few minutes of walking up the yellow painted hallway and back, Terrell finally found his cabin and, with the key card, let himself in. The room was spacious and boasted a view of the water.
Throwing his bag on the bed, he began to unpack, slipping things into the small drawers of the dresser on the opposite side of the room. When the bag was empty, he tossed it to the floor and collapsed on the king-sized bed, closing his eyes and trying to relax. He needed to focus; that was what Agent Tobias had told him to do. This way he wouldn’t endanger himself or the other men working with them.
His heart pounded at the thought of his mother being held captive or worse, not even knowing what she had gotten herself into. That made Terrell all the more anxious to put an end to it.
Out of the blue he wondered about Leah. Thoughts of their last moments together brought on a new kind of excitement as familiar stirrings in his groin had him adjusting himself. If the circumstances had been different, he would’ve asked her to join him on this trip. But things in Jamaica were sure to be uncertain. He’d risked her life once, he wouldn’t do so again.
Strange as it might seem, he felt somehow stronger when she was with him, as if he could do anything, be anything. Her confidence and no-nonsense attitude brought out the best in him. That made him all the more certain they were meant to be together. Earlier this morning he’d thrown away his list, sure he’d found the woman he was looking for.
Once he had things with his mother situated, he’d have all the time in the world for Leah. Working didn’t seem so important anymore. Although he’d checked in on the SISCO project, he didn’t feel compelled to rush back to D.C. to resume the reins. Leah was the only project he was interested in completing right now.
Her four-step plan had been carefully laid out and catered to the needs she thought she had. But he saw something different. A person so dead set against marriage couldn’t possibly build a business around the blissful event. Her mother’s failures had blurred her mind, convincing her that she would never be good in a marriage. The best marriages took loyalty, honesty, trust and love. So far, she’d proven three out of the four requirements to him. She was definitely loyal to her clients, her honesty could at times be brutal and he trusted her with his life. Now if he could only make her love him as much as he knew he already loved her.
* * *
It was just her luck that all the flights out were booked. But determination and Nikki’s quick thinking had her resorting to a ship. She’d be there after Terrell arrived but she’d get there nonetheless and the ship was leaving tonight. With Nikki’s help Leah had managed to secure passage on the ship, pack her bags, fax Melinda the checklist for the Ortega wedding, get a new phone, have her hair braided and call her mother, all in the span of six hours. Now she crossed the walkway with the last of the straggling guests boarding the Carnival cruise ship.
Terrell was probably in Jamaica by now. He hadn’t called her before he left, but he’d said he’d call when he returned. For a moment she wondered how he’d feel when she showed up there. Would he be angry or happy to see her?
Whatever his feelings, she’d be there, and they’d handle this business with Donald together.
She found her room without problem, let herself in and dropped her stuff to the floor. After a quick stop in the bathroom and a cursory check of her makeup, she was in the hallway again. A cruise hadn’t been on her list of things to do, but since she was here she might as well enjoy the ride. She walked the deck until her legs screamed and her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since that pizza shared with Nikki earlier.
Too tired to even think about going back in the direction of the restaurant, she headed for her room instead.
* * *
Terrell had been in Jeff’s room going over pictures and possible scenarios. His feelings about Donald had become contradictory.
On the one hand he’d read all the history and obtained a copy of his criminal record. On the other hand he’d sat across the table from the man and shared a meal, all the while watching the way the man pacified and coddled his mother.
The elaborate FBI investigation seemed unreal to Terrell. He was a simple guy with a life embedded in computer codes. Now, with the announcement of a wedding, he found himself traveling to a foreign island to help save his mother. He walked along the deck leading to his room, his mind full of scenarios, gunfights, drugs and tropical islands.
He was more than a little preoccupied, so concentrated on his thoughts that he never saw her. Never looked up before crashing into the tall, soft form.
Leah had picked up a room service menu from the customer service desk and was busily making her dinner selection as she walked when something hard and unforgiving bumped right into her. Strong arms came around her waist as she looked up to see who or what had rammed into her.
The scent of vanilla caused Terrell’s heart to thump. He knew that smell, remembered the bathroom full of the aroma, the thick foaming bubbles, the luscious nude body…
“Terrell?” she gasped.
“Leah? What are you doing on this boat?”
Leah bent down, retrieved her menu from the floor. “I could ask you the same question,” she said, rising. “You said you were booked on a plane.”
“My plans changed.” In a moment he took in the peach-colored sundress that barely skimmed her knees, the thick braids cascading down her back and the abundance of bare skin she displayed, courtesy of two barely-there straps holding her dress up.
His jaw clenched with a combination of arousal and anger.
