She was giving him permission to get lost in his work, to not tend to her needs the way he probably should. Or maybe she was simply playing a role, and he was reading way too much into it. “Okay. I’ll be here if you need anything.”
She dipped her head down and brushed her lips against his in a kiss that seemed to linger a bit longer than it had to.
It was an innocent kiss, the kind two people in a relationship had every day. Casual and loving, and it knocked him on his ass because he wanted so much more from her.
He watched as she walked out of the room.
“Damn, my friend. You have it bad,” Eddie said and then immediately switched to Spanish and started explaining the notes and how this particular one had him flummoxed. He was sure this was the first draft of a puzzle he’d been given on his fifteenth birthday and lost when he’d given up on it.
It was a series of numbers, but something about them was familiar.
He started on the problem but didn’t miss the way Luis had also watched Tessa leave.
His assistant still didn’t trust her, and he hoped that wouldn’t cause trouble.
Then the puzzle took over, and he wasn’t thinking about anything but how to solve it.
Chapter Six
David closed the door behind him and felt his body hum with awareness.
“I don’t understand how people here can eat so late.” Tessa strode over to the closet where her suitcase had been placed and toed out of her shoes. “But I will admit the conversation was interesting. I can’t believe you figured out all those numbers.”
It was late, the moon illuminating the balcony, and he wondered if he could coax her into going outside with him.
The day had gone by in a flash. One minute he’d been putting together the puzzle that had led to a book in the very library he’d spent hours and hours in today, and the next he found himself here with her. He knew he should be tired, but there was a restless energy running through his veins because he finally got to be alone with her. “Once I figured out how the numbers and letters related, it was fairly easy. It was making the connection that was hard.”
He’d figured out he was looking at Dewey decimal classifications, and from there he had to find the right books in the library to lead him to Montez’s ultimate hiding place. The present for Eddie had been a baseball card. Sammy Sosa.
Eddie had studied that card with wonder, as though he could still see his father putting it there, waiting for him to find it. He’d explained that he’d loved American baseball as a kid, and one of his fondest memories of his father had been going to New York with him and seeing a Yankees game.
“Well, it was easy to see that they were all impressed with your deductive powers. They were talking about it in the kitchen earlier,” Tessa remarked.
He’d been surprised that she hadn’t been in the room when he’d come to take a shower and change for dinner. She’d shown up in time to walk with him to the dining room, but they hadn’t had a chance to talk. “Is that why you’re pretending to not speak Spanish? You wanted to be able to listen in?”
She wore a pretty gold sundress that showed off her toned arms and shoulders, her hair in a neat bun at the back of her head. “If they don’t think I understand, they’ll speak more freely around me. I want them to think I’m nothing more than a pretty piece of fluff the professor gets to bang.”
He frowned at the thought. “You’re far more than that.”
“I don’t need you to build me up. It’s a convenient cover. I know you don’t think that. You’re practically perfect,” she said, her nose wrinkling. “You even caught all my cues. It was a seamless performance.”
“Oh, like the not speaking Spanish?” He’d simply allowed her to lead.
“Yes, some men would have corrected me,” Tessa explained. “I’ve met the type. They don’t like to be wrong, and they’re always putting in their two cents.”
“I can be wrong. I’m wrong a lot. So what did you actually do when you said you would be reading and taking a nap?”
“After I made sure there are no listening devices in our bedroom, I walked around the place, into some of the rooms Luis didn’t show us.”
“I’m sorry, listening devices?” he asked because that statement had surprised him.
“Yeah, I wanted to make sure we can speak freely in here. I didn’t find anything. We’re good. What I did find was a stairwell that leads into the staff quarters. I was shown out of there quickly,” she said. “I don’t like the butler.”
“How can you know if you like him?” He wasn’t going to argue that Eddie had no reason to listen in on them. It was her job, and he was going to let her do it. He hated that they were chatting about inconsequential things when all he wanted to do was ask her if she’d changed her mind about playing with him. “He barely said two words to me.”
The big guy had been around though. He’d been waiting outside the library when they’d taken a break. David had been surprised since there had been a staff meeting Eddie had been called away to, but he’d figured Mateo was there in case he or Luis or Tessa needed something.
“I wasn’t talking about a personal level, though I doubt we would have much in common,” Tessa said. “He wasn’t in Kyle’s notes, and he’s a recent hire. I heard two of the gardening staff talking about how he took someone else’s place, and they don’t understand why Eddie would replace the old butler since he was nice and Mateo apparently is not. They also said he’s lazy and should go back to the city if he doesn’t want to work.”
“You know the rural urban divide is pretty much the same everywhere. The people from the country think the people from the city are lazy and don’t know how to work hard.” He wasn’t sure why she’d focused in on Mateo, but she was smarter at this than he was.
“I suppose, but I don’t like the timing of his hire. He came down with Eddie a few days ago after the old butler decided to retire suddenly. I find him suspect until such time he proves he isn’t. Does he look like a butler to you?”
“What’s a butler supposed to look like?” He bet most people would think of some elderly English dude, but the wealthy had butlers all over the world.
“Well, they don’t usually look like they can lift two twenty and eat nails for breakfast,” Tessa said with a frown.
“Eddie mentioned he’s ex-military and he trained with an academy when he got out.”
“All of that should have been listed in a report,” Tessa pointed out. “Kyle should have checked to make sure Mateo’s credentials are real. I don’t even know the dude’s last name.”
“Kyle focused more on the people we would come in contact with before we got to the island.” He pulled his tie off and slung it over the nearest chair. They’d been given a large suite of rooms with a living area, bedroom, and massive bathroom with a shower big enough for the both of them. They would fit in the tub, too.
He couldn’t help but think about the fact that the bed was big enough for a whole lot of play if she decided to say yes. That bed was big and soft, and after they were done with play they could cuddle together all night.