A Coral Kiss Part 34

The last thing he'll want anyone to know is that his father was dealing with Russian spies."

"I feel sorry for him, Jed."

"I gathered that when you handed him that packet of gla.s.s stones," Jed said dryly.

"I warned him they were fakes," Amy reminded him. She recalled Daniel Renner's beaten expression as he was being led out the door by Hank. It had hurt her, somehow, in spite of everything. Renner's inheritance from the father he'd never known had turned out to be worthless. "Maybe I shouldn't have done it. At the time I wanted him to have something from his father. But I think it was the last straw for Renner. After all he'd gone through, he discovered his father had left him nothing but a few bits of green gla.s.s."

"I wouldn't waste too much sympathy on him," Jed advised.

"I'm not. Still..."

"Forget it." Jed turned her around so she was facing him. He grinned down at her. "That tendency toward softness is just a natural weakness in the female brain, I suppose. Goes along with the tendency to fuss.

Are you going to tell your parents what happened?"

"I think it's better if there aren't any more secrets, don't you?" Amy asked. "Except for one, of course."

"You're not going to mention the letters?"

She shook her head. "No, there's no reason to mention them. After all, my father apparently never actually saw the box or its contents. He might not know for certain those letters existed. He could have a.s.sumed Wyman just made up the tale in a last-ditch attempt to blackmail him."

Jed nodded. "Wyman, for obvious reasons, didn't mention the letters to Vivien Renner, either. He'd hardly want his mistress to know about other women in his life. He did tell her, according to Dan Renner, about the photos. Renner thought he could use those pictures to threaten your brother's political future. It wouldn't do an up-and-coming politician much good to have his father accused of espionage. No, I think you're right. The only person who actually knew about the box besides Wyman was Vivien Renner.

According to her son, Wyman had sent Vivien a small map showing where he had hidden the box. He told her about the emeralds and the photos and mailed her a duplicate key. Maybe he wanted her to know about the so-called treasure in case something happened to him. Who knows? She might have told him he had a son and that might have meant something. At any rate, she entered the information in her diary, along with that little map Renner was using and then turned to the bottle. Everything stayed hidden until she died and her son got hold of the diary, the map and the key."

Amy put her arms around Jed's neck. "I kept one of the gla.s.s bits as a souvenir. It's strange. When this all started, the last thing I wanted out of it was a souvenir. Eight months ago I never wanted to see that box or anything in it again. The d.a.m.n thing has been haunting me since October. But now it doesn't seem to matter any more. I think I've seen the last of the nightmares." She stood on tiptoe and brushed her mouth lightly against his.

Jed's arms tightened around her. "Good, because I can think of much more interesting things to do at night than dream about underwater caves and swimming skeletons."

"Swimming skeletons? I never actually dreamed about a swimming skeleton."

"Forget it. Let's concentrate on some of those more interesting things I mentioned."

"Such as?"

"Come over here and I'll show you." Jed caught her up in his arms and carried her to a nearby lounger.

He began to undress her. His gaze was s.h.i.+mmering with sensual intensity by the time he tossed the muumuu aside.

When he had finished undressing himself, he stood for a moment looking hungrily down at her. In that instant Amy knew with the full strength of a woman's intuition that his longing was more than physical. He might not be able to put it into words, but Jed was reaching out to her in ways he probably didn't even understand. Amy opened her arms.

Even as he came to her, it crossed Amy's mind that she might be deluding herself about Jed's shrouded emotions. A woman in love could easily fool herself, she thought. But this was Jed, her best friend and the only love she wanted. Surely she wasn't wrong about him.

His mouth came down on hers and Amy stopped thinking about Jed Glaze's complex feelings and needs.

When he held her like he was doing now, she lived completely in the present.

There would be time enough later to worry about the future.

When the last of the sweet, hot need had been a.s.suaged, Jed lay still beside Amy, holding her close while reality slowly seeped back. He gazed out through the veranda pillars and thought about what had to be said. He couldn't put it off any longer. Cutter had been very forceful when Jed had talked to him the second time that evening. There was a need for immediate action. Cutter would clean up the mess on Orleana, but Jed was expected to finish cleaning up another mess in another part of the world. Jed had delayed telling Amy as long as possible. She stirred in his arms, sensing the change in him. She was awfully good at that, Jed mused. She seemed to know exactly what kind of mood he was in at any given time.

"What is it, Jed?"

He stroked her hair, wis.h.i.+ng he could avoid the conversation altogether. It had been easier a few weeks ago, before he'd come back from that last disastrous a.s.signment, before he had learned about Amy's private demons, before he became her lover. In those days he simply said good-bye and left. He called her when he got back and that was that; no questions, no demands for explanations, no pleas, no lectures. Everything had been simpler then. Still, he was beginning to realize the price he had paid for that simplicity. Why had he been so unaware of his own loneliness for the past eight years?

But everything had changed now. The loneliness, at least when he was with Amy, had vanished, but there were new complications. Not the least of which was trying to tell her he had to leave on another a.s.signment.

"I have to go back to work, Amy." Jed braced himself. He knew it was best to get it over with quickly.

He only hoped she wouldn't cry. He didn't know what he would do if she cried. Probably cry with her, the way he was feeling these days. Ridiculous.

"I know."

Her simple response startled him. "How do you know?"

"I heard you talking about having to... to sell the salesman yesterday, remember? And tonight, when you talked to Cutter the second time, I could tell when you got off the phone that he wanted something from you."

"I should leave tomorrow. I can fly out of Honolulu. But I'll be back as soon as possible, Amy." Perhaps she wouldn't cry after all, he thought in relief.

"Fine. I'll see you when you get back. I think I'll fly home to Caliph's Bay tomorrow, too. I've had about enough of island life for the present. And I'm anxious to get back to Private Demons."

He s.h.i.+fted, frowning slightly as he listened to the casual tone of her voice. Jed told himself he was glad she wasn't crying, but he hadn't expected her to be so easygoing about the matter, either. "I'll try to wrap this up as soon as I can, honey."

She was silent for a moment before asking softly, "What's a salesman?"

Jed set his teeth. "In this case he's a renegade agent who's selling out his own people to the opposition.

He sold me out on my last trip."

"Was that why you were shot and cut with the knife?"

He wondered at the almost total neutrality of her voice. Where was the usual fussing note it acquired when she talked about his wounds? "Yeah. Now he's gone and sold a couple of other agents. They weren't as lucky as I was. They're both dead."

"My G.o.d." The curiously neutral note vanished.

Jed held her more closely. "I have to get him, Amy. Cutter thinks he's found out who the salesman is and he has to be taken care of before he does any more damage."

"I think," she said very steadily, "it would be better if we didn't discuss this any further." She snuggled against him, her palm fluttering lightly down his bare chest. She bent her head and kissed his shoulder.

He could feel the tiny, tantalizing nip of her teeth. Jed shuddered. He was leaving tomorrow and he didn't know how long he'd be gone. This was going to be his last night with Amy for some time.

His last night with Amy. The words seared his brain even as he gathered her close once more. He was thinking about getting back to her and he hadn't even gotten on the plane yet. He was missing her before he even left.

"What the h.e.l.l have you done to me, sweetheart?" he asked roughly as his body leaped in response to her gentle caresses.

"I'll tell you tomorrow," she promised.

He wondered what she meant and then he stopped wondering about anything except the huge, seemingly unquenchable need she aroused in him.

He sought and found the sweet, dampening place between her legs, glorying in his ability to make her respond to him. Gently he stroked her silky skin, stoking the fires within her until she was a living flame in his arms.

"Sorceress," he breathed as he covered her body with his own.

"Magician," she accused and then pulled him to her, drawing him into her warmth, surrounding him, clinging to him.

Jed held her still as he entered her, aware of her firm nipples against his chest, her thighs as she wrapped her legs around him and the exciting way she said his name.

He needed this, he realized dazedly. He needed Amy more than anything else in the world. He poured himself into her completely as if he would merge with her and make himself a part of her. She was his, she belonged to him and he wanted to make certain she knew it in every fiber of her being before he left.

They arrived at the Honolulu airport the following afternoon shortly before three o'clock. The business of getting packed, making reservations and closing up the house had kept Amy and Jed so busy that Jed hadn't had time to initiate any more discussion about his job. As he carried the baggage through the terminal he realized something was bothering him, but he wasn't sure how to put it into words. It occurred to him that he almost wished Amy would fuss more about his departure.

Stupid idea, he thought. The last thing he wanted was a scene. She was keeping it nice and simple for him. He should be grateful.

But he realized as they waited in the airport lounge for his flight to be called that he didn't want her to keep it quite so simple. She acted as though he were leaving on a routine business trip.

Well, that was exactly what he was doing.

"My flight doesn't leave until later this evening. I think I'll go into Waikiki and do some shopping.

I haven't been there in a long time," Amy remarked chattily.

Jed had a sudden image of her running loose around a tropical paradise inhabited by thousands of tourists, many of whom were male. Jesus, he thought, he really was spoiled. He was used to having her to himself in paradise. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," he said gruffly. "Hawaii isn't what it used to be.

They've got crime problems here just like everywhere else now."

"Don't worry about me, Jed. I've been here lots of times. I know my way around. There's a great little restaurant in one of the big hotels on the beach. I think I'll have dinner there before I board the plane."

"You're going to get a meal on the plane," he reminded her irritably. Visions of beach boys joining her for dinner danced in his brain.

"Yes, but airline food is terrible. I'd much rather eat before the flight."

"Listen," Jed said abruptly, "you're going to be getting home in the middle of the night. Be careful on the drive from the airport."

"Yes, Jed," she agreed meekly.

"Maybe you should stay overnight in San Francisco and fly to Monterey the next day," he decided thoughtfully.

"Waste of money," she declared.

"I'm not so sure. You'll be tired and it will be late. There'll probably be fog on the road to Caliph's Bay."

"Probably. I've driven in it before."

"Yes, but-"

"Jed," she interrupted firmly.

"What?"

"Stop fussing."

He stared at her. They were calling his flight. Too soon, he thought. He needed a little more time with her.

"Was I fussing?"

She grinned up at him. "Yes, I believe you were."

"Oh." He didn't know what else to say. He felt oddly shaken. They were boarding the last rows of pa.s.sengers now. He couldn't delay much longer.

"Perfectly understandable, of course," Amy said blithely.

"What's perfectly understandable?" Things were getting confusing. Amy wasn't behaving the way he had expected her to behave and he didn't comprehend his own feelings.

Jed was suddenly filled with a restless impatience at everything around him.

"Your fussing," Amy explained.

"Why is it understandable?" he almost shouted. Heads turned. Fortunately most of the pa.s.sengers were already on board.

Amy went on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're fussing for the same reason you made love to me the way you did last night. For the same reason you insisted on involving yourself in that situation on Orleana. For the same reason you don't want to get on this flight. Because you love me."

"Amy!"

"You may not know it yet, but you do, Jed. When you come back we can talk about it-along with a few other things."

"What other things?" She was edging him toward the gate and he wanted to stay but he couldn't. He was committed to this a.s.signment. He couldn't back out now. Lives hung in the balance. But all the same he didn't want to leave. He had other things to talk about. Amy just said so. He gripped her shoulders.

"Amy, what other things?"

"Well, there's the matter of combining our two households. We'll have to decide if we can both share my cottage or if we'll have to buy a bigger one. Then there's the business of getting your bird cages out to some other galleries. The time has come to expand with your cages, Jed. They're too beautiful to just sit in that little gallery in Caliph's Bay. We're going to have to make a decision about children, of course-"

"Children!"

"Certainly. It's a major decision, but on the whole I'm inclined to go for it. Just one or two. I've told you before, I think you'll make an excellent father. We should plan for that possibility when we buy a new cottage. Also, I'm going to want s.p.a.ce for a garden. I've decided to put one in next spring. Do you like gardening, Jed?"

"I've never done any," he heard himself say weakly. She was still shoving him gently toward the gate.

An airline attendant was reaching out to take his boarding pa.s.s. "Amy, wait-"

"Don't worry, Jed. We can talk about the future when you get back. I'll be waiting. I love you." She blew him a kiss as he felt himself being sucked through the gate. Jed managed to get to his seat and fasten his seatbelt without calling too much attention to himself, but he felt far from normal. His head was spinning and his fingers shook slightly. He gripped the arms of his seat and tried to spot Amy through the window.

He couldn't see her. The jet was already easing away from the gate.

He listened to the roar of the engines and thought about what it meant to plant a garden. Amy was planning for next spring and the summer harvest that would follow.