and sat down on the table, leaving her straddling his lap. When she tried to lean her head back, he cupped her head tightly to his chest. “No, not yet. Okay?”
“Perfectly,” she answered. His heart beat a strong tattoo against her cheek, the rhythm exactly matching her own.
They stayed that way in silence for several minutes. When he finally spoke, the teasing was gone. “This isn’t enough for me, Adria.”
Alarm bells jangled inside her at the threat of losing what they wanted so badly to keep. She pulled back and looked up at him. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
He brushed the curve of her jaw with his thumb. “I want more. You make me want more. More than sex on a picnic table. But what I want isn’t the most important thing here.”
No, she pleaded silently. Don’t do this. Not now. Not yet. Adria had an irrational urge to cover her ears. She didn’t want to hear this.
Because he’s right
, her inner voice said.
What about what I want? she wanted to shout. Slowly, almost painfully, she withdrew from the comfort and warmth of Dane’s embrace.
“Adria—”
She slid awkwardly from his lap and beganputting on her clothes. Funny, she thought. Knowing he watched, she found covering up more disconcerting than exposing herself to him.
Maybe because she was covering up far more than her body. Each article of clothing she donned was like a piece of mental armor.
“Adria.” This time it was a command, not a plea.
She turned to see him getting dressed as well. “Don’t start telling me about wrong place, wrong time, wrong woman, wrong everything.”
He moved so fast, he instantly had her hauled up to his chest, her face held hard with one hand, her hips cemented to his with the other. “Great place, the best time in my life, with the only woman.” He kissed her hard until she was gasping for breath and clinging to him. “You got that?”
She managed to nod weakly.
“But I can’t do a damn thing about any of it until I take care of the rest. And I can’t have you until I do.”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I guess I know that. But it doesn’t mean I don’t hate it.”
“I just hope you don’t hate me when it’s all over.”
“That’ll never happen,” she said with full confidence.
He held her tightly in his arms. “Adria, I’mgetting pressure to close this case. I have other more important cases to get back to.”
“Dane, I don’t hold you responsible for reporting the facts. But I am innocent of negligence. The only negligent party was that third pilot. We just need time to find the proof.”
“Forster expects this report Friday. If I don’t have anything concrete by then, I have to give him what I’ve got. But right now that’s not enough to buy more time. And once he turns it over to the FAA, I don’t think they’ll look any further for a ‘make everyone happy’ solution than having your job on a platter.”
Excitement of a different nature coursed through Adria. “Then let me help you out. After Sarah Greene called me this morning, I searched the
Post
for a follow-up story on Indian Head. There was one, but the byline wasn’t hers. Which is very odd. So I went to the
Post
and had someone point her out to me.
“Dane, the reason I called you today was to tell you that the Sarah Greene I met at the playground, the Sarah Greene who called me on the phone, is not the Sarah Greene who works at the
Post
.”
EIGHT
“Damn, damn, damn.” Dane didn’t care if Forster, who had just left his office, heard him.
Since Adria had dropped her little bomb on him yesterday, he’d been working nonstop. Hell, if he were honest, he’d admit that the information about the fake
Post
reporter was the smallest of the bombs she’d dropped on him yesterday. A picnic table, for Christ’s sake.
And he’d loved every damn second of it. If he had half a chance, he’d do it again. And again. Here. There.
But now he had no chance. Forster had seen to that.
“How in
“Perfectly,” she answered. His heart beat a strong tattoo against her cheek, the rhythm exactly matching her own.
They stayed that way in silence for several minutes. When he finally spoke, the teasing was gone. “This isn’t enough for me, Adria.”
Alarm bells jangled inside her at the threat of losing what they wanted so badly to keep. She pulled back and looked up at him. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
He brushed the curve of her jaw with his thumb. “I want more. You make me want more. More than sex on a picnic table. But what I want isn’t the most important thing here.”
No, she pleaded silently. Don’t do this. Not now. Not yet. Adria had an irrational urge to cover her ears. She didn’t want to hear this.
Because he’s right
, her inner voice said.
What about what I want? she wanted to shout. Slowly, almost painfully, she withdrew from the comfort and warmth of Dane’s embrace.
“Adria—”
She slid awkwardly from his lap and beganputting on her clothes. Funny, she thought. Knowing he watched, she found covering up more disconcerting than exposing herself to him.
Maybe because she was covering up far more than her body. Each article of clothing she donned was like a piece of mental armor.
“Adria.” This time it was a command, not a plea.
She turned to see him getting dressed as well. “Don’t start telling me about wrong place, wrong time, wrong woman, wrong everything.”
He moved so fast, he instantly had her hauled up to his chest, her face held hard with one hand, her hips cemented to his with the other. “Great place, the best time in my life, with the only woman.” He kissed her hard until she was gasping for breath and clinging to him. “You got that?”
She managed to nod weakly.
“But I can’t do a damn thing about any of it until I take care of the rest. And I can’t have you until I do.”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I guess I know that. But it doesn’t mean I don’t hate it.”
“I just hope you don’t hate me when it’s all over.”
“That’ll never happen,” she said with full confidence.
He held her tightly in his arms. “Adria, I’mgetting pressure to close this case. I have other more important cases to get back to.”
“Dane, I don’t hold you responsible for reporting the facts. But I am innocent of negligence. The only negligent party was that third pilot. We just need time to find the proof.”
“Forster expects this report Friday. If I don’t have anything concrete by then, I have to give him what I’ve got. But right now that’s not enough to buy more time. And once he turns it over to the FAA, I don’t think they’ll look any further for a ‘make everyone happy’ solution than having your job on a platter.”
Excitement of a different nature coursed through Adria. “Then let me help you out. After Sarah Greene called me this morning, I searched the
Post
for a follow-up story on Indian Head. There was one, but the byline wasn’t hers. Which is very odd. So I went to the
Post
and had someone point her out to me.
“Dane, the reason I called you today was to tell you that the Sarah Greene I met at the playground, the Sarah Greene who called me on the phone, is not the Sarah Greene who works at the
Post
.”
EIGHT
“Damn, damn, damn.” Dane didn’t care if Forster, who had just left his office, heard him.
Since Adria had dropped her little bomb on him yesterday, he’d been working nonstop. Hell, if he were honest, he’d admit that the information about the fake
Post
reporter was the smallest of the bombs she’d dropped on him yesterday. A picnic table, for Christ’s sake.
And he’d loved every damn second of it. If he had half a chance, he’d do it again. And again. Here. There.
But now he had no chance. Forster had seen to that.
“How in
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