Page 45 of Poison Evidence

She wanted to push him into the captain’s chair, crawl onto his lap, and just kiss like this for hours.

He raised his head but then returned for quick nips at her lips, as reluctant to end the moment as she was. She pulled his mouth back to hers one last time, sucking on his tongue, savoring the flavor, texture, and heat of him. With regret, she dropped to her heels and released her grip on his hair. She held his gaze for a long moment and felt a flutter at the heat and intensity she saw there.

With a mental shake, she came back into herself and extracted her hips from his arms, then picked up the phone. She found her most businesslike voice, raised a brow, and said, “Code?”

And there was his smile. A thing of beauty that turned the hard lines of his face into something special.

“Steel orchid, that’s my Ivy,” he said. “The code is four-two-five-zero.”

“Four-two-five. You have an affinity for those numbers.”

“Yes.”

“Birth date?”

“No.”

“I suppose you could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me?” The irony was, with Dimitri, the ridiculous phrase could actually be true.

He returned his attention to the helm and pushed the throttle forward. “Kill myself,” he said, eyes facing forward to open sea. “Because I’d never hurt you.”

Foolish though it sounded, she believed him.

That kiss…was something else. If Dimitri didn’t know better, he’d think Ivy was trying to give him something to live for. And if he believed there was any way they could have a future, she might’ve had a chance at succeeding.

“Stay where I can hear you,” he said before she could disappear with his phone.

“Power down, then, or I’ll never be able to hear Mara.”

He eased back on the throttle, then powered down. It had been thirty minutes since they’d pulled anchor. They’d put at least twenty nautical miles between themselves and where the sharks were having breakfast, safe enough to stop here, but they couldn’t stay long.Libertywas too recognizable.

He had a backup plan for the boat. He hadn’t expected to need it this soon, but he was prepared. He’d set it in motion after Ivy spoke with her boss.

“She’s going to insist I talk to Curt.”

He nodded. “He’ll want to report the attack to the local police. I’m sure FBI agents are en route, if not already in Koror.”

“What do I tell him about you?”

“Just say I saved your life and I’m protecting you and CAM.” His heart pounded as he considered the possibility of speaking with Dominick directly. No. It was too soon. He had too much to lose if he misread the attorney general.

Mara sat on the carpet next to Erica. They both leaned against the sofa in Erica’s living room, Erica with her nine-week-old daughter sleeping on her chest.

“As much as I wish she’d sleep more at night, I really love this part,” Erica said. “When she falls asleep just like this after nursing.”

Mara smiled. “Motherhood looks good on you.”

Erica buried her nose in Grace’s soft, dark hair. “Thanks. That’s…one of the reasons we asked you to dinner this evening. I—I hate doing this to you when the listing for Undine’s position hasn’t even been posted yet, but I won’t be going back to UAB when my leave is up.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Lee and I have been talking. We can afford for me to stay home, and I’ve decided that instead of feeling guilty, like I need to turn in my feminist card, I’m going to embrace it and be thankful we can afford to make the choice I want the most.”

“Oh, honey, being a feminist doesn’t mean youmustbe a career woman in addition to being a mom. It’s about being allowed to choose your own path instead of it being proscribed.” She reached out and squeezed Erica’s fingers.

They’d been close friends for a long time, but the fact that she was Erica’s ultimate boss meant at times Erica didn’t open up to Mara as much as she did with others in the office. “I wish I’d known you were struggling with that, sweetie. Work be damned, I’d have encouraged you to do what’s right for you, Grace, and Lee.”

“Thanks. I just… It was hard for me to articulate my thoughts and fears to anyone but Lee, and I realize now I couldn’t possibly have made the decision before Gracie was born. I…well…you know how much I worried I lacked maternal instincts.”

Mara did know, but she’d never doubted Erica’s ability to mother for a second.

“But then I pretty much fell in love the moment she was placed on my chest.” Erica squeezed Mara’s fingers back.

---