Undercover Lovers

He turned to her more brusquely than he intended. “Why don’t you get the car while I wait for my bag. I’ll meet you in front of the rental counter.”

“Trying to get rid of me already?” she asked, the corner of her mouth twitching.

He had the absurd desire to kiss her. As if that would somehow show her who was in charge. Or maybe it would show him he wasn’t as strong as he thought he was. “Just go,” he said, hoping he sounded authoritative and not frustrated that she’d actually nailed his motivation.

Thankfully, she went. He watched her leave, giving in to the urge to enjoy the way she moved in the well-worn jeans and annoyed with himself for letting his self-control slip.

A plethora of black nearly identical bags started going round and round on the conveyor, and he let his mind wander even as he watched for the purple string tied onto the handle that designated his basic black bag.

His instinct in Kincaid’s office had been right; he shouldn’t have taken this case. No matter what the reward, working with Tori wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, it was going to be damn hard. And not just because she was so gung-ho about finally working in the field. He had no idea why she’d been stuck at a desk, but he could smell how badly she wanted a field assignment.

Unfortunately, her overeager attitude had the potential to get them into trouble. He’d had to bite his tongue not to read her the riot act when she’d told him about the stunt she’d pulled at the newspaper morgue. Thankfully, she’d told the story about being a reporter, but still…Didn’t she understand that the point was to blend in? They were undercover after all. The idea was to get the lay of the land, not to storm in with guns blazing.

But it wasn’t her misplaced enthusiasm that was going to make this mission hard. No, the real problem lay in the assignment itself—in the fact that he and Tori Lowell were going undercover together, literally and figuratively.

Too bad for Carter, on this assignment, undercover meant long days and even longer nights with Tori. Pretending to be married, of all things.

And not just any married couple. No, they had to go and pretend to be a married couple looking to spruce up their sex life. He sighed, his entire body tightening at the thought of finally being that intimate with Tori. Not exactly an appropriate reaction from a team leader, and one he intended to nip in the bud.

“Isn’t that your bag?”

He started at the sound of her voice so close behind him, then looked in the general direction she was pointing. Sure enough, there was his bag, disappearing into the bowels of the building as it went around on the conveyor. “Damn.”

She pressed her lips together, and her blue eyes twinkled. “Lost in thought?” she asked.

“What makes you say that?”

“Because that bag’s been around a good three times, and you haven’t moved a muscle.”

“Just thinking about our game plan,” he said, even as he hoped nothing about his voice, stance, manner, anything, revealed what he’d been thinking about. “How’d you know it was my bag?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.

“The ribbon.” She met his eyes. “You always tied a ribbon on your luggage.”

He frowned. They’d traveled together only once before, and he wasn’t sure if he was flattered or disturbed that she remembered his habits so well. Fortunately, his luggage reappeared, and he was saved from deciding. He stepped forward and pulled the bag off the belt. “Ready?” he asked.

“You’re the boss. If you say I’m ready, then I’m ready.”

Carter sighed as he headed toward the exit. Apparently they were back to attitude. “So whatever I say, you’re going to do?” He paused long enough to look at her. “If I say jump, you’ll jump?”

She rolled one shoulder. “I’m told that’s the way this operation’s going to go down. You’re the big, strong chief, and I’m the subservient underling.” Her eyes widened as she peered at him, giving her an innocent quality he knew was total camouflage. “Or have I been misinformed?”

Carter stifled the urge to sigh. He had a feeling he’d be sighing a lot over the next few days, and he didn’t want to run through his recommended daily allowance. Instead, he dropped his bag on the ground, turned and faced her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Do we have a problem here, agent?”

She took a step back, her head cocked as if she was surprised by his reaction.

“Well?” He knew he sounded harsh, but he needed to know. There were a hundred reasons working in close proximity to Tori was going to be difficult, and if she intended to go out of her way to make it more so, he wanted to know right off the bat.

For a moment she faced him, that defiant expression he remembered from the academy flickering across her face. He braced for the worst, but then her expression cleared. “No, sir. No problem at all.”

“Good. Glad to hear it.” They started moving again, and he slipped on his sunglasses as they stepped outside. “So, enlighten me. You said you’d been mapping out a plan. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“What?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise. “The big-shot leader is actually asking the little underling for ideas?”

He almost laughed at her expression, but something told him that her surprise was real, and he kept his face serious. “We’re a team, Tori. Which brings to mind the word teamwork. Which implies working together.”

She pressed her lips together again, and he sensed hesitation. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay. I’ve been thinking about lots of things. But the most important is our cover story.” Her footsteps quickened to keep pace with his, and he could see her in his peripheral vision. “Mostly, I think we need to get our cover story straight.” She paused. “And we’ll need some practice.”

“Practice?”

“Being a couple. We should practice before checking in to the resort.”

Again, his body tightened. The idea of practicing with Tori held a certain appeal. Especially for a perfectionist like himself. Hell, they might have to practice for hours and hours….

“—or completely dysfunctional.”

He’d missed what she was saying. “Sorry. What was that?”

“I said, we could either be a sexually aware couple looking to add some additional spice to an already pretty perfect relationship, or we could be sexually dysfunctional. You know, unable to get it together and coming to the resort for some much needed help.” She paused, as if giving him time to consider all the possibilities. “Which do you think?” her voice was rising with just the hint of challenge.

She’d been baiting him, of course, and now she was expecting a reaction. But he didn’t flinch, didn’t change his breathing, didn’t even look at her. Instead he stared straight ahead and said, “Since it’s you and me we’re talking about, Agent Lowell, I think we ought to stick with trying new things.” He turned then, secure in his composure. “I know your record, agent, and I know me. And I can’t imagine either one of us ever failing at anything. And that includes sex.”

That got her. Her mouth dropped open, and she stopped cold in the middle of the sidewalk while he continued walking toward the rental car lot. After a second, he heard her laughter, and he allowed himself a simple smile. Two points for the home team, but it was early in the game.

Still, he could say one thing for certain—no matter what else it might be, this assignment wasn’t ever going to be dull.

3

THE GUY AT THE CAR RENTAL PLACE told them that the ride from Burbank to Santa Barbara generally took about two hours. As they’d been setting out, Tori had offered to drive, promising Carter she could make it there in one and a half. Like a typical guy, he’d turned down her offer, shifted into first and peeled out.

So she’d spent the last hour and twenty minutes watching him zip up the highway, slowing only to go over hills that might be concealing the local highway patrol.

As they approached the town, Tori crossed her arms over her chest. If she’d offered to make it in one hour, Carter probably would have broken the sound barrier.

She turned to him. “So, speed racer, afraid we’re going to get there and it’ll be gone?” she asked.

He clicked off the Smash Mouth CD he’d been jamming to since they’d left the airport. “Just seeing what she’s got,” he said, referring to the sleek Jaguar they’d rented. The Kama Resort cost a fortune, and one of the perks of pretending to be a client was that they also got to pretend they had money. Lots and lots of family money.

“Just how long does it take to figure that out?” Tori asked. “You opened her up the second we pulled out of the airport.” She’d spent the drive out of the L.A. area getting her notes in order to go over with Carter as soon as they were out of traffic. He’d spent the time popping the clutch, shifting like mad and generally behaving like a guy.

He shrugged, then downshifted as they rounded a curve. “Like all females, cars aren’t predictable.” He turned to face her, his honey-brown eyes unreadable. “Some take longer to get to know than others.”

She laughed. No way was he baiting her that easily. “Like me?” Turning in her seat, she faced him head-on. “Believe me, boss, you’re not going to figure me out unless I want to be figured out. And that’s a promise.”

“You always were cocky.” Hooking his finger on the bridge of his glasses, he turned just enough to aim a sideways glance in her direction. “You’re also pretty damn inscrutable.”

“And you think that’s a bad thing?”

“Depends.” The car crested a hill, and he paused to glance toward the ocean beating against the beach on their left. “It’s good in a woman you’re just starting to be interested in.” He caught her eye, and the intensity reflected there surprised her. “I mean, there’s something exciting—erotic, even—about the unknown. Don’t you agree?”