She leaned against the counter and folded her arms. “Okay, I’ll grant that it’s not common, but you’re forgetting a little thing called free enterprise. Our Constitution says it’s okay for locally owned corporations to own a resort in the same town as the conglomerates on the New York Stock Exchange.”
He set the meatball sandwiches on a serving tray with the salad bowl and dressings and led the way onto the deck. He should have his head examined for bringing them back into a romantic setting, but the June evening was warm, and taking his meals on the deck was a habit he enjoyed.
“This isn’t about free enterprise, Ronnie. It’s about a small phony band of investors, strictly local investors, using Seaport Manor as a front for a drug smuggling operation.”
“We don’t know that for certain. It took us a long time to get a strong enough line on what was happening on Catalina to even justify this operation.” She leaned over the table to set out the place mats. “In everything I’ve read, there hasn’t been one red flag on any of those corporations. Not so much as a single lawsuit pending, no SEC violations, not even a request for filing a late corporate tax return. Nothing.”
He waited for her to sit before he joined her at the table. “That alone should be cause for suspicion.”
“They’re clean, Blake.”
“They’re too clean. It makes me cautious.”
“I don’t agree. Once the agency got wind of the smuggling, we sent out a few agents, and it still took them months to determine the drugs were even being filtered through the island. Like I said, we don’t even know for certain the resort’s involved.”
“Then why did your operatives narrow it down to Seaport?” he asked, serving their meal.
“There’s no other resort with its own private launch and water taxi,” she said. She set a napkin in her lap, then poured a ladle of dressing over her salad. “The others have been watched closely, and turned up nothing. The problem is we haven’t been able to get close enough to the private launch to set up an effective surveillance to know for certain.”
He took the salad dressing from her, forcing his mind on their conversation and not the way her eyes shone in the early-evening moonlight, or how the light sea breeze ruffled her wispy bangs across her forehead. “What makes you think we’ll have any more luck than your other operatives?”
She flashed him a grin filled with impudence. “Because one of their best honeymoon suites, bungalow number one, is less than a hundred feet from the launch, and has a perfect view of the surrounding beach. We’ll be setting up a video camera so we can see exactly what comes in and what goes out, even when we’re out of the room.”
He braced his arms on the table. “Won’t work,” he said. “You’re forgetting about housekeeping. That ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign won’t be effective forever.”
A becoming blush stained her cheeks and she cleared her throat. “One of our agents is working in housekeeping,” she explained in a prim, finishing-school voice. “The other is a bartender.”
“Not bad,” he admitted with a grin. “What about days off?”
“We stow the equipment and break out the high-powered binoculars and 35 mm cameras.”
“It’s a start. Surveillance can tell us of any strange movement, but don’t think it’ll tell us who’s involved.”
“Of course it will. We’d have them on camera.”
He leaned back in the deck chair and studied her momentarily. She was so dainty, so delicate. Too damn beautiful to be carrying a weapon and flashing around a badge. She also had tunnel vision, something he hoped to cure. “You surprise me, Carmichael.”
She set her fork on the edge of her plate and let out a sigh before looking at him. “Somehow I don’t think this is going to be a compliment.”
He grinned at the caution in her voice. “For a DEA agent, you’re thinking small.”
She looked at him as if he couldn’t think his way out of a paper bag with directions. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“It just means I thought DEA didn’t waste their precious collars on small-timers.”
The narrowing of her eyes didn’t detract one iota from the electrifying sparks of frustration flaring in her turquoise depths. “My assignment is to determine who and how the drugs are moving through the island. If we capture one of the people behind the smuggling, then the assignment is considered a success.”
“Like I said, small time.”
“I resent that.”
“I’m sure you do,” he said lazily. “But wouldn’t a commendation for stopping whoever is behind the smuggling look a lot nicer in your service record? I know it would in mine.”
“This isn’t your case.”
“Now that’s where you’re wrong, sugar. My sandbox, my rules. Remember? And my rules say we don’t spend precious taxpayer dollars on grunts when we can bring down the key player behind the scenes, and send the whole operation into a crash and burn.”
She tossed her napkin on the table. The sea breeze picked up, pulling more silky, sable strands free from their imprisoning band to caress her cheek. She angrily shoved them away. “First off,” she said, a trace of genteel steel in her voice, “you don’t know if there is a big player involved. And more importantly, this is a D—”
“DEA operation and you’re in charge,” he finished before biting into his sandwich. Fine. Let her think the winds of command were blowing in from her direction. He had a hunch. He always trusted his hunches.
“It’s a good thing we’re not really married,” he said after a minute.
She folded her arms and tossed him another one of her irritated expressions. “Why?”
Damn, but she looked gorgeous when her feminine feathers were all ruffled. Her eyes sparkled, and the way she pursed her mouth had that dimple winking at him again. He wanted to kiss her. He decided to irritate her instead.
“Because sometimes, sugar, the man likes to be on top.”
4
“ENJOY YOUR STAY at Seaport Manor, Mr. and Mrs. St. Claire.” The desk clerk solemnly handed the leather-bound key holder to the bellman. “George will escort you to your bungalow.”
Blake nodded his thanks and glanced down at Ronnie, noting the flash of what he could only term as strong trepidation in her brilliant eyes. He settled his hand on the small of her back to gently guide her after the bellman, who was already across the marble floor toward the rear of the lobby. Since they’d stepped off the water taxi, she’d been absolutely silent. While she might have suddenly lost her ability for speech, based on the perfectly straight line of her spine and the tension in her shoulders, she obviously hadn’t lost her ability to stiffen whenever he touched her. He’d hoped after last night those telltale signs wouldn’t continue to be a problem.
He’d been wrong.
On an assignment like this, he couldn’t afford to be wrong. So what if his ego climbed a notch every time she flinched, stiffened or her intriguing gaze widened with wonder when he touched her. That wasn’t the point. They had a job to do, and he swore before they took one step outside their bungalow, he’d make damned sure she had no misconceptions about her undercover role…as his loving bride.
They followed the bellman outside into a manufactured tropical world of romantic make-believe. He’d studied the