Lulu twisted in his arms to glance up at him. “Should we? Or should we just keep going?”
“If we keep going this way we’ll get into Russian waters. Are you ready for another international incident?”
“Sure, pile them on.”
Although he laughed, he brought the Desperado around. Now that he was headed toward Lost Harbor, the wind was behind them and they no longer had to battle each wave.
“Toni offered us their place when we get back. She and Bash are heading to Anchorage to pick up their first batch of training camp students. It’s better if we don’t stay at my place. Antonov might know where I live, and the roof isn’t done yet.”
“That’s very kind of her. But I don’t want to bring any trouble to them. He might know she’s your sister and…”
“The FBI will scare him off. I don’t think he’ll take a chance while they’re in town. Anyway, Toni’s place is as safe as any. And…” He whispered in her ear, her hair tickling his lips. “Very private.”
He felt the shiver that ran through her body.
“Raul?” she asked.
“He can have their room upstairs. We can sleep in the guest room downstairs.”
“So if anyone’s after him, they’ll have to get past us first.”
“Right. One more reason to stay up all night.”
She giggled softly. “What was the first reason?”
He spread one hand across her stomach, then moved slowly up her torso. It took a few moments, because her body was so long. But then, finally, not a minute too soon, he reached her breast. “This.”
She squirmed a little when he gently cupped her. He felt her nipple rise. He lingered there, thinking of all the things he wanted to do with her once they had a little privacy. Then he stroked his hand back down her side, curving along her waist, her hip, to her ass. Which he squeezed.
“This is another reason,” he murmured in her ear. “This juicy ass of yours. And this.” He moved his hand to her front, to the swell of her mound. “Best reason of all, right here. I want to taste you, Lulu. Put my mouth right here and feel you against my tongue.”
She hissed in a breath just as a large swell rolled under them, sending the Desperado into a sharp lurch.
He whipped his hand away from her and wrestled with the wheel to get them back on track. He couldn’t risk his boat foundering, not even to cop a feel from the luscious Lulu.
“You know what? I’ll be downstairs.” She ducked under his arm, her voice a breathless squeak. “You concentrate on getting us back to Lost Harbor.”
“Copy that.”
She was right, of course, but he missed her warm, vibrant presence immediately.
“Oh, and Tristan?”
“Yeah?” Now that he’d gotten the Desperado safely in line with the direction of the waves, he glanced over his shoulder at her. Just in time to see her lift up her thermal top and flash her boobs. Soft and naked, nipples gloriously erect, the view sent a jolt of heat to his cock. “Damn, Lulu, you want me to wreck the boat?”
“No. Just a little extra motivation to get us to that private downstairs room.” With a sassy wink, she danced out of the wheelhouse, then staggered as another wave hit. Of course, being Lulu, she made a comedy routine out of it, making a show of lurching wildly across the deck.
“Careful, babe.” But he couldn’t help laughing, even though she was going against all his rules for safe onboard behavior. “You fall overboard, you’re on your own.”
Good thing that was virtually impossible in swells this size. She spread her arms wide, Titanic style, and shouted, “I’m the king of the world,” before faking a trip and a stumble, windmilling her arms, then righting herself like a toy soldier.
The joy on her face, just before she pretended to pitch down the stairs—“I’m okay!”she called—gave his heart a sharp twist. Lulu was a natural clown. Someone who knew how to make people smile, and loved doing it. That was a real gift. Maybe she was ready to give up her dancing career, but what if there was another way she could express her talent? She ought to be in Hollywood, or on Broadway. Not the damn Northern Princess. And definitely not in tiny Lost Harbor, Alaska.
Never mind. He shook it off. This wasn’t something meant to last anyway. This was all about getting through an emergency situation. Their chemistry was forged from a crisis. Under normal circumstances, he and Lulu would never have met, let alone connected.
Enjoy it for what it is, he told himself. Which was perfect, actually, because he had no business trying to start something serious.
Another swell sent a shudder through the boat and brought his focus back where it belonged. The Desperado. His life. Fishing. Surviving. The simple things. Nothing more.
They reached the harbor by mid-afternoon. Maya met them at the Desperado’s slip and informed them that the two FBI agents, Special Agents Clement and Melbourne, had been held up in Grantview, where they had to deal with an unexpected situation that they couldn’t talk about. But they’d head to Lost Harbor first thing in the morning.
Lulu was equal parts frustrated and relieved by the delay. Part of her didn’t want this part to end, the part where she had Tristan on her side.
“I’m still glad you came back, because it’s supposed to blow a gale tonight,” said Maya.
“Yeah, it’s already picking up.” Tristan shook sea spray out of his hair. “Maya, we have another problem. Lulu left a little something out of her story. Or a little someone.”
He motioned for Raul to come forward from his hiding place behind Lulu. The boy gave Maya an almost formal-looking bow. “I am Raul Gastón Perino.”
Maya looked bemused. “Police Chief Badger. Nice to meet you.”
Lulu explained the entire situation to Maya, whose expression got more and more stern as the story progressed. “It’s a good thing the FBI is coming because this is out of my jurisdiction,” she finally said. “This is international. I should let the agents know what to expect.”
“You should also tell them that someone shot at us in Lost Souls Wilderness. We don’t know if it was him, or someone working for him, or completely unrelated.”
Maya glanced at Tristan with her eyebrows raised. He confirmed with a quick nod. “High-powered rifle. I’m not even running for mayor anymore, so it wasn’t aimed at me.”
His attempt at a joke fell a little bit flat, though Lulu snuck her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. When she tried to draw her hand away, he held onto it for an extra length of time. Warmth radiated through her.
Tristan at her side. She could get used to that.
“This complicates things a lot,” Maya was saying. “We need to keep you under guard until the FBI gets here. Unfortunately two of my sergeants are sick right now. But we’ll figure it out, don’t worry.”
“You think it’s necessary?” Tristan frowned.
“Yes. I’m putting my foot down this time.” Her handheld radio beeped, and she pulled it out to listen. “Damn. Got an incident out on MacKenzie Ridge. A bear broke into a truck and ate an entire five-pound bag of chocolate chips.”
“Is that a crime?” Tristan asked. “Are you going to arrest the bear?”