Rogue Diamond (19 page)

"Love? Are we making love, Nick?" she asked coyly.

"Yeah." He grinned devilishly as his hips moved sensuously. "
This is l
ove
,
isn’t
it?”

“But will it last?
"
S
he moaned softly as he thrust into her, filling her with his
passionate
strength.

There was no answer to her mumbled question.

In a
si
lent fury they rose to pas
si
on's ecstasy. The peaks seemed to be even higher than those they'd reached the night before, and Alex settled int
o a feathery never-never
land encompassed by Nick's arms. "I love you ..." she whispered and drifted off to sleep
again
.
With him.

The sun was high when they woke the second time. Alex nuzzled his chest, resting her head on the
muscular expanse
. What a pleasure to awake in Nick's secure arms, to know he was
close, to make exqui
si
te love with him. Was it love? Her heart told her yes. But her mind was still whirling with questions. "Nick . . . you awake?"

"No," he mumbled
. "This is too perfect. I don't want to disturb what we have."
"It's been
too good
."
He caressed the arm she flung over him.

She
pressed her palm to his heart.
“Sometimes there’s too much of a good thing.”

“Never.”

"Nick, tell me about you?
The truth, not this fake Nick down here in a trumped up business.
I feel ... I feel almost as if I've gone to bed with a stranger
because I don’t know exactly about you
."

"
Fake Nick?” he scoffed. “Was I fake last night? That was the real me.”

“That was just one aspect.”

“Well, w
hat do you want to know?"

S
he felt encouraged. Now she would get answers to all those questions that plagued her
.
"I want to know everything about you
, personally
. Where are you
really from? Do you have a family? If you have a wife somewhere, I’ll kill you!”

“Do you have a husband somewhere? He might be on my trail right now.”

“No, of course not. I was engaged once, but that didn’t work out.
What
about you?
Brothers?
Si
sters? How old are you? How long have you been in Mexico? Why
, really,
are you here?"

His answers came readily and required no thinking. "I'm from Oregon. My parents still live there, on the family farm. My only brother lives on the adjoining property. I'm thirty-five. I've been in Mexico about a year . . . and I'm trying to find a little girl for a beautiful American woman!"

"But Nick, what are you doing in Mexico?"

"Running a helicopter tour service."

"Be
si
des that."

"That's it."

"No
it isn’t,
" she in
si
sted. "I know something else's going on
.
Tell me
. Trust me.
"

“I can’t.”
He paused for the first time
si
nce her questions started. "I can't tell you."

"Why not? Is it illegal?"

He took a deep breath. "Now isn't the time to go into this. You'll just have to trust me, Alex."

She tightened in
si
de. "It's hard when I have
so many questions
."

His hand rested on her bare shoulder. "I haven't deceived you yet, Alex, have I? Or given you reason to doubt me?"

"No, I guess not. But, I'm not satisfied with that. I want to know more. What did you do before you came to Mexico?"

"Ran heli
copter tours over the Grand Can
yon."

"Is that all?" She held her breath. Somehow she couldn't imagine Nick Diamond satisfied with merely taking tourists here and there
, even in a helicopter
.

"No." He shifted in frustration. "But don't ask. I can't tell you. Believe me, it's for your own safety, Alex."

She pondered the enigmatic answer for a while, then a
sked softly, "Were you ever mar
ried?"

"Years ago.
I was a pilot in the Navy
. Came back a changed man. But you couldn't do . . . what I did and not be changed. My wife didn't like what I had become. In fact, neither did I. But she didn't have time for me to get my head straight, and I had no choice ... so we called it quits."

"Any kids?"

"No."

“Was it awful, where you were?”

"
What I’ve seen m
akes Mexico look like the Ritz." He chuckled. "I was a chicken
hawk
, a pilot. I’ve flown
a chopper into the thick of battle. It was hell on wings, Alex, and that's why I enjoy what we have here. Every day is a pure pleasure, especially with you. You're soft and warm and . . .
h
ow about sharing that warm shower with me?"
He shifted and swung his feet over the side of the bed.

S
he shrieked with
happiness and joined him in the shower
.

Later they found a lovely place for brunch
of scrambled eggs and chorizo. Then they
spent part of the afternoon walking on the beach, talking. Alex told him why she came to Mexico in the first place; how she applied to become an exchange professor after her love affair with Jack Kingsley fell apart. And how she fell in love with the country of Mexico, the culture, the people, and especially little Jenni.
She talked about her
disappointment
in her precarious job situation and her fears about leaving before finding Jenni
.

Nick draped his arm over her shoulder, and eventually they walked back to town. They ended up at
a
little
si
dewalk cafe.
They ordered beer and nachos, thick with jalapenos.

“When are
we going home?"

He smiled. "
Soon, m
aybe."

She rolled her eyes. "Wonderful answer."

He shrugged. "It's the best I can do."

"
What are we waiting on
?"

“I can’t tell you that, either.”

The
drank the beer,
m
unched the nachos and ordered more beer. M
ore waiting. Finally
a
boy appeared with a message. Nick left money on the table and didn't read the scribbled note the boy had delivered until they were in
si
de a cab. He gave her an easy grin. "It's on
.
"

"
What? H
ome
?
" Alex didn't even know what the hell he was talking about but she smiled eagerly.

"Not yet.
Later.
After dark."

"Wait! What's on? Why after dark?"

"Can't tell
you. But trust me. We leave to
night."

She groaned and slumped against the cab seat.

He moved to whisper in her ear. "Gives us time for . . . you know ..."

She giggled and turned away, looking at the
brightly painted houses as they sped along.

They lifted off at dusk. Alex's spirits were high even though t
he trip hadn't produced her dar
ling Jenni. She had gained something else, a new and exciting relationship with Nick—and she prayed it wouldn't interfere with the search for Jenni, cau
si
ng Nick to lose interest in her plight
simply
because he'd succeeded in getting her into his
bed. Oh, God, that sounded so crude, reducing the beauty they'd s
hared to
mere
sexual satisfac
tion. It wasn't like that between them at all. Nick wasn't that kind of man. At least, she hoped not.

Before the
lights of Guaymas were fully be
hind them, Nick was setting the helicopter down again.

"Where are we? Why are we going down out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Now, listen, Alex," Nick began patiently, "don't say a word. And ignore whatever you hear.
Si
t here until I tell you to move. Then you can help me load."

"Load what?"

"The, uh, cargo."

Her eyes peer
ed sharply into the darkness be
low. "Cargo?"

"No questions, please, Alex. Just—" They bounced to a halt on the ground.

"I know," she interrupted with a groan. "Just be quiet and do what I tell you."

"You've got it," he breathed low then hopped out into the darkness.

Alex could hear Nick conver
si
ng in Spanish. Others were there but she couldn't tell how many. Or who they were. She strained to pick up the exchange. I
gnore whatever you hear,
he’d warned
. Damn! It was hard to quell her curio
si
ty!

Soon Nick slid open the door to the rear cabin of the helicopter. "
Come on and
help
.
"

"Sure, if it'll speed up the trip." She slid to the ground. "What is that awful racket?"

Nick cast a glance toward their
si
mple cargo.

There were only
a few crates but the noise com
ing from that direction was astounding. He pointed to three quiet boxes stacked on top of each other. "Let's get them first."

Alex eagerly bent to lift one end of the oblong box. "What's in here? Lead?"

"This must be the boa."

"Boa?" she squealed and dropped her end of the crate.

"Damn, Alex! Now look what you've done! One
si
de is completely loose!" He lunged against it as the arm-
si
zed monster in
si
de slithered against the gaping slats.

Alex's fear quickly reached the panicky stage and she wailed, "Oh, my God, Nick! It's going to escape!"

"Not as long as I'm holding this box together! And
si
nce I'm occupied, you'll have to get me the hammer. In the chopper, Alex. Go!"

"W-where?"

"It's in a tool box, just in
si
de the sliding door. Next to the paper bag with the whiskey. You might even take a
swig if you're feeling too jit
tery. Bring it ov
er here too. Along with the can
teen of water."

"Oh, no, you don't
.
I want you to keep a clear head
to
get us out of here!"

"Get the hammer," he intoned impatiently. "The whiskey isn't for me. It's for them." He nodded his head toward the squawking crates.

"Chickens?" she asked incredulously.

"Exotic tropical birds," he expelled angrily. "Will you please get me that hammer before I
have this thing draped around my neck? And bring extra nails too!"

Alex hurried to the helicopter and returned with the requested items, including the paper bag of whiskey. Handing him the hammer, she held the nails out to him in a shaky, sweaty palm. "How did I get mixed up with a deal like this? What's going to happen next, Nick Diamond? First we pretend that we're married and looking to buy a child. Then we have to spend the night unexpectedly. Now you're hauling boas, for God's sake! And chickens or birds or whatever is squawking over there
.
Not once did you ask if I minded. Nor d
id you tell me what you were do
ing or why or even when. You just made the announcement and expected me to trail along like a little puppy
.
I came over here for a reason and it sure as hell had nothing to do with birds! Or with boas!"

He took the last nail from her hand and tapped it into the crate. "There. That should do it."

"Should? What if it doesn't hold that . . . that slimy creature in? What if—"

"He isn't slimy. Here. Touch."

She jumped away like a frightened toad. "Are you completely out of your mind? I wouldn't touch that thing if my life depended on it!"