She Does Know Jack (25 page)

“I’ll help,” the
artist offered sweetly and followed her into the huge room.

“Wow.” Brielle
twirled around, surprised by the polished wood, thick champagne-colored
carpeting and long mirrored closet. Opening the door on the opposite wall, she
found a huge bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi. She swallowed and blocked out
thoughts of Jack and his wonderland of muscles in the oversized tub.

“I know. All the
rooms are like this. Isn’t it something?” Matthew grabbed a black duffle bag from
the bed and leaned close to whisper, “Your uncle sent this.”

“Thanks.” She
winked just as Jack walked into the room, luggage in hand.

Wordlessly, she
stepped around him with Matthew in tow. The groom followed her across the hall,
carrying her luggage and the duffle to an identical room.

He placed her
things on the bed. “If there’s anything else I can do for you, just let me
know,” he said loud enough for the whole harbor to hear.

“Thanks. I’ll
keep that in mind.” Her nose registered Jack’s spicy scent lingering in the
room.  Her tummy clenched. Okay, it wasn’t exactly her tummy. The location was
a little further south. But she wasn’t willing to acknowledge the traitor.

Matthew stopped
in the doorway and rapped his knuckles on the wall as he smiled at her. “I’ll
see you topside. We’re going to pick names for jet-ski racing as soon as we’re
out of the bay.”

Oh goodie. She
could hardly wait. Yes, yes she could.

“Okay. I’ll be
up shortly.” She smiled, then sobered when her gaze collided with Jack’s as he watched
unamused from his room.

She clamped her
jaw and fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him. He really did look like
a pirate with his
watch-your-step-around-me-or-I’ll-make-you-walk-the-plank
expression. And yet, his body, his posture told her he longed to forget
everything and ravish her their entire time at sea.

Her legs nearly
buckled. Bastard. She swallowed her heartache. As incredible as that would be,
she couldn’t forget Jack saw her in a poor light.
He was only doing his job,
her mind insisted for the hundredth time since that horrid night in the study.
But hadn’t she given him the benefit of the doubt, despite actual evidence?
Most of the time.

Why couldn’t he
do that for her?

Closing the door
on him, and the foolish emotions he spurred, she quickly unpacked, then emerged
ten minutes later in the brown bikini.

Mandy bumped
into her in the hall. “Oh, Brielle, good. I’m glad you didn’t go up yet.”

Shoot. She’d
thought everyone else had gone topside and was hoping to bug the girls’ rooms. Figures.
Nothing had gone right on this case so far. Why should things change now?

“I was beginning
to panic. This yacht is so big, I’d probably get lost, and it’d take me days to
find everyone.” Mandy chewed on her lower lip. “I’m not good with direction.”

There’s a shocker.
Brielle
chastised herself for being catty and smiled at the blonde. “There’s a
blueprint on the back of your door. It should help you out.”

Brielle had no
need of it, though. Uncle Franco had emailed the blueprints to her yesterday, and
she’d spent the night memorizing the ship’s layout. Once she had an idea of
Matthew’s agenda, she’d know exactly where to place the bugs and cameras.

“Oh, is that
what that was?” Mandy blinked. “I thought it was a poor drawing.”

She swallowed a
groan as they walked up the stairs. It was going to be a long weekend.

“There you two
are. We’re about to pick names for our alternating teams.” Matthew stood in his
Hawaiian print bathing suit holding a glass with slips of paper visible inside.

“Is that for those
jet thingies?” Mandy asked, distaste wrinkling her nose.

“Yes.” He led
the way to the sun deck.

“Don’t bother
putting my name in. I don’t like them.” The blonde settled onto a chaise and
stretched out with a sigh. “Y’all go ahead. I’ll stay here and catch some
rays.”

Brielle glanced
at the woman.
Y’all
? That wasn’t California dialect. Mandy’s file said
she was born and raised in Santa Barbara. Did the blonde just slip up? She’d
have to have some pretty high connections to create an identity that would fool
Uncle Franco.

Matthew
hesitated, disappointment crossing his features before he shrugged. “Okay.
Looks like we have even teams, then.”

“Good. I’m going
with you.” Danni grasped Matthew’s hand and pulled him down the stairs to the
water deck and waiting Jet Skis.

Brielle gazed at
Jack, naked except for his navy and black trunks. She’d refused to allow her
eyes to feast…until now. Her mouth watered. The sun cast shadows over the
muscled ridges of his chest and abs, and kissed the military tattoo on his right
bicep. Her stomach knotted. Not so long ago
she
had kissed his chest and
abs and that military tattoo on his right bicep.

“Guess that
means you’re stuck with me, Brielle.” Sarcasm masked something she couldn’t
define in his voice.

How the hell was
she going to survive being plastered up against his nearly naked wet body?

 “I guess it
does.” She walked down to the water’s edge, eager to get the race over with. 

Jumping into the
ocean, she swam to the Jet Ski and climbed on. She’d rather be the driver. The
thought of having to hold onto Jack’s perfect form caused her broken heart to
flutter. Not going there.

After suffering
through the first race with Jack’s hands on her waist and his index fingers
making circles over her hips and belly, Brielle was ready to swim back to port.
To China. To Atlantis…
anywhere
to get away from the tempting man. Her
throat was hot with unshed tears. Why? She had no idea. Her body ached and
literally shook with unanswered need.

“Let’s race
again.” Matthew smiled. “But this time, we switch drivers.”

For the first
time since she’d met the guy, she considered,
really
considered causing
him bodily harm. She might have to arrest herself.

“It’s not fair
if the passengers don’t get a turn,” the groom exclaimed, then slipped into the
ocean, and waited until Danni scooted up before he climbed back on behind her.

Frig me
. Having no
choice but to do the same, Brielle hit the water with more than a few choice
words screaming through her brain. But, it was going to be all right. Things
were cool. Until Jack took off at mach speed, forcing her to cling to his
incredible body, hot and hard under her hands.

Bastard did that
on purpose. She didn’t need to see his face. She could feel his smile. The urge
to get a rise out of him overtook her. Scooting closer, she pressed her torso
into his warm back, and he promptly stiffened.

Bingo! I win.

Satisfaction
shot through her until his nearness quickly converted her triumph into
white-hot desire. Okay, bad idea. Very bad idea.

The entire race
went by in a blur. It was all her fault.
Get a rise out of him
. Cripes.
Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. But she sure as hell got a rise out of
herself. A rise in her body temperature. Blood thundered in her ears harder
than their Jet Ski pounding the waves. This time,
she
was the idiot.

 As soon as they
won, and Jack brought their ride to a halt, she released her hold on him and
propelled herself into the water. After a few moments, the ocean cooled her
jets and brought her pulse back to earth.

“Don’t think I’m
going to let you get away with that,” a rough voice claimed from behind.

Before she could
move, a muscled arm clamped around her torso holding her immobile. Dammit. That
shouldn’t feel so good. But, oh yeah, it did.

Wasting no time,
Jack tread water with his free hand, and skimmed the side of her breast and
waist with the one clutching her tight. Breath clogged in her throat, and all
thoughts of breaking free diminished with her ability to think clearly. Bastard
was zapping her brain cells again. Water, lapping around her sensitized flesh,
enhanced his delicious stimulations and sparked a deeper, more primal craving.
Damn him. He didn’t play fair.

Unable to stop
herself, she leaned back against him, soaking in the heat and hard strength of
the man. She didn’t want to be so easy. There had to be a way to keep sane. She
grabbed his trunks and twisted the hem in her fist as she fought to stay in
control.

Vaguely aware of
the approaching Jet Ski, she felt Jack stiffen seconds before his hands
suddenly yanked hard, pulling her under the water as the Jet Ski raced over
top.

When they
surfaced, Brielle coughed and sucked in air while Jack continued to hold her
tight with that one arm and sputter between curses.

What the hell
just happened? Did Danni just try to run them over? Her mind refused to believe
that.

She swiped the
wet hair from her face and watched as Matthew took over the controls and
steered the Jet Ski back around.

“Are you two all
right?” He and Danni frowned at them, both pale with concern.

“Yes,” she
managed to say between coughs, acutely aware of the strong arm crushing her
against a hard chest.

Her mind was
clear enough to acknowledge the gulp of ocean she’d swallowed wasn’t the reason
she had trouble catching her breath. No. The sole blame went to the strong body
with its many drool-worthy muscles plastered tight against her back and legs.
Oh, and that arm of strength and sinew clutching her close. Yeah, they were the
culprits playing havoc with her respiratory system.

Jack nodded, and
she turned to watch him gaze at Danni through narrowed eyes. “Mind telling me
what the hell just happened?”

The teacher’s
brows knit together, and her lower lip trembled. “I’m sorry. The throttle
stuck, and if Matthew hadn’t unjammed it…” Her voice trailed off, and tears
glistened in her eyes.

“It’s okay,
Danni. Don’t worry about him. It wasn’t your fault,” Matthew soothed, sending
his brother a disapproving look before driving toward the yacht.

With supreme
effort, Brielle ignored her body’s reaction to Jack’s death grip and
concentrated on what her brain was trying to compute.

Danni could be
telling the truth. It was possible that the throttle had stuck—or she could be
lying. Then there was the matter of the intended target. Matthew? Her? Jack?
The two of them had been sitting ducks in the water. This was nuts. Teeth
clenched, lips pursed, she punched the water and swallowed an oath. Too many
damn variables.

 “It’s all
right. I’ve got you.” Jack’s grip tightened as he swam with her to the deck, obviously
mistaking her pissed-off reaction for fear.

She had been
perfectly capable of swimming, but told herself staying quiet was for her cover
and not for prolonging the pleasure of Jack’s touch. Yeah, she really
had
gotten good at lying.

As they reached
the yacht, Matthew met them on the swim deck. “Bring Brielle to me. I’ll help
her out of the water.” 

As he did, Mandy
appeared at the top of the steps.

“What’s all the
commotion?”

“Nothing.” Danni
pushed her wet hair over her shoulder with trembling fingers.

Brielle watched
Jack swim back to their bobbing Jet Ski, coiled muscles rippling like the
surrounding waves as he hauled himself up and started the ski. Damn man was
perfect.
Why’d he have to be so perfect
, she wondered as he drove to the
yacht where he proceeded to hook up the ski.

“It was just an
exciting finish to the race,” she heard Matthew say to Mandy.

Brielle snorted.
Everything about that race had been exciting, not just the finish. She shook
her head. Distance. She needed to keep her distance from Jack. The man was way
too trying.

Maybe she could
ask
Jack
to leave the show?

She snickered as
he hopped onto Danni’s ski and took it for a test run. Something she had wanted
to do, but knew it would’ve appeared suspicious. Instead, she stood on deck and
watched him maneuver the ski with controlled skill and blatant athletic
ability. A combination he applied to many tasks. Oddly, the wave of heat those
thoughts usually induced never came. She just felt sad.

He opened up the
throttle, then brought the Jet Ski to an unhindered halt near the yacht.

“Doesn’t appear
to have anything wrong with it,” she observed, quietly.

“Nope.” He
hitched it next to the other one and hopped onto the deck. Water sluiced down
his body causing the perfect amount of heat to spread through her limbs. Okay,
so now the heat was back.

She swallowed.
“Maybe it was just a coincidence.”

He nodded, then
raised a brow. “And maybe not.”

T
hat evening, Jack entered the candlelit
dining room, surprised to find it empty, except for his brother having a drink
at the corner bar.

“Hi, bro,” Matthew
said, raising a half empty glass.

“Am I early?”
Winding through a maze of round tables covered in crisp white linen, an
incident during his deployment to the Middle East came rushing back.

A high and
intense sun had turned the sand pristine—giving a false sense of calm to the
dunes, which had hidden the enemy in plain sight from him and his men.

Was that the
case now? Was this candlelit room rigged for romance, to lull them into that same
false sense of calm? He scanned the area. Two chairs weren’t pushed completely
in, three candles were almost out and only one table was set for dinner.
Everything else appeared normal.

His spine
prickled. He knew better than most how quickly normal could turn deadly. Riggs
and Halstead had paid for it with their lives. That would not be the case here.
Rubbing his tattooed bicep, Jack pasted calm on his features and joined his
brother behind the bar.

“No. You’re not
early.” Matthew grinned, sliding an opened bottle toward him. “You know women,
they need time to primp. But, it’s well worth the wait.”

He nodded,
pouring himself a heavy hand of scotch. “I’m glad we have a minute.” He
recapped the bottle, then lifted his drink. “I want you to tell me what really
happened on that Jet Ski.” 

Matthew’s head
snapped back. “Exactly what Danni said. The throttle stuck.” His brother
frowned, turning his attention to the liquid in his glass. “It took several
attempts until I got it to respond.”

“Funny. I didn’t
seem to have any trouble with it.” Jack took a long drink before placing his
glass down on the bar.

“Yeah, I saw
that.” Matthew drained his drink. “Maybe my made-up game will help.”

Jack’s heart
rolled over in his chest. “Ah, hell. What made-up game?”

“Relax, bro,
it’s okay.” His crazy-ass brother reached across the bar to slap him on the
shoulder. “After dinner tonight, I’m going to initiate a sort of truth or dare
game I’ve created.” He pulled out a stack of index cards from his suit pocket
and fanned them. “I’ve written questions and a few dares on these, hoping to
gain some insight into these women, and who knows—” He winked, slipping the
cards back in his pocket. “—maybe you will, too.”

Jack scratched
his chin. This could be beneficial. “Good idea.”

He already knew
Brielle’s secret—
and
that she was a liar. This game could give him some
insight into Mandy and Danni, though. Was the blonde really clueless? Had the
teacher made the phone call from the stadium and tried to run them over this
afternoon? If so, had she been aiming for Brielle? Him? Or attempting to scare his
brother?

“Are we late?”
Danni asked, breezing in with Mandy by her side.

Matthew jumped
to his feet. “Nope. You’re right on time.” Smiling, his brother crossed the
room and kissed their cheeks. “You both look lovely.”

“Thank you.”
Mandy blushed as his grinning sibling offered her a seat on his right at the
only table set for dinner, then pulled out the chair on his left for Danni.

Jack was still
trying to figure out which girl his brother liked when his nerve endings sprang
to life. He knew without looking Brielle had entered the room. His glass
stopped in midair when his gaze found the leggy bane of his existence.

A vision in a
strapless navy blue dress, she wore her dark hair twisted into a knot and
secured with some type of clip. Her skin glowed from their afternoon in the
sun, making her brown eyes even sexier and her glossy lips an outright
temptation. Damn. He hated the tightness in his chest. Why did she have to be
the one bullet he couldn’t dodge? She was a plant. A trouble-maker. Still, his
lips longed to kiss the curve of her neck and charge a path all the way down to
her toes. His mouth watered, remembering her flavor—hot and sweet. But he
refused to be a ratings booster, no matter how enticing the woman appeared. Or
felt.

Ripping his gaze
away, he tossed back the rest of his drink in an attempt to douse the memory
with liquor.

“Hi, Brielle.
Sit here.” Danni patted the empty seat next to her.

“Okay.” She
headed for the teacher.

Matthew moved
past Danni to hold out the chair. “Allow me, Brielle. You look wonderful
tonight.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled up at
him as he pushed her in. Her eyes held a genuine affection, but given her role,
she might be a very good actress.

“My pleasure.”
His brother resumed his seat, then glanced to him. “Jack, are you going to join
us or play bartender all night?”

He hid his
scowl. “You mean I get a choice?” Forcing a laugh, he took the remaining chair
at their table—right between Mandy and Brielle.

“Okay, now that
we’re all settled, I’d like to propose a toast.” Matthew lifted his glass of
wine the wait staff had set in place. “Here’s to three of the most beautiful
women I’ve ever met. May the next two nights be memorable.”

Jack grunted.
“I’d rather unmemorable.” From his right, he could’ve sworn he heard Brielle
echo his sentiment, but when he glanced her way, she was facing Danni.

Hit with her
intoxicating scent, his nose and other body parts twitched, and he immediately
recalled how his body had come to life under her incredible touch, and
mind-boggling kisses. Hell, her kisses took him right out of himself.

Too bad fame and
fortune meant more to her than he had.

The first course
arrived, and for the next hour, Jack busied himself with eating and listened to
the others, hoping someone would slip up and end the case tonight. No such
luck. He learned nothing new and no one gave off even an ounce of suspicion.

 Then there was
Brielle. Hell. Despite her questionable reasons for being there, the dancer
wasn’t easy to ignore. The slight brushes of her arm or leg against his, her
soft, supple, bare shoulders tempting his lips, her sensual, throaty laugh all
combined to wind him so tight that by the end of dinner he was ready to burst.
Once again, he wished the Rangers had offered
Brielle Bennett
Training
as part of their endurance testing. He sure as hell could use it right now.

“Okay, ladies.”
Matthew pushed his dessert plate away and stood.

Thank God. Jack
jumped to his feet and stepped back, buttoning his suit while he got his body
under control. He needed to put some space between him and the way too tempting
dancer.

Matthew glanced
over and smiled before turning his attention back to the women. “Now that
dinner is over, why don’t we retreat to the lounge? I’d like to play a little
truth or dare.”

“T
ruth or dare?” Brielle smiled at
Matthew.
Smart man!
This could be a big help.

“Yep, should be
fun.” He winked down at her as he pulled her chair out. “Shall we?”

Nodding, she
took his arm and ignored his brother’s glare. Jack had caused enough discomfort
during dinner. The constant brushes of leg, hip and arm. Jeez. She had no idea
what she ate, having lost her ability to taste before the first course.

“Okay, we need a
table,” Matthew said when they entered the lounge.

Brielle had been
in there just before dinner, planting a bug, right after bugging the contestants’
rooms and all other pertinent areas of the ship.

“This one looks
good.” Mandy dragged the
groom
from Brielle’s grasp to a round table
surrounded by chunky sofa-like chairs.

“Perfect.”
Matthew smiled, waiting for the girls to take their seats.

Not wanting to
be stuck next to his brother again, Brielle hurried to sit between Danni and
Matthew, leaving Jack to take the seat between Mandy and Danni.

Not so smart.
That put him directly across from her. She drew in a breath. No matter, it was
better than having his male, spicy-ocean scent tantalizing her senses all
evening. Cripes. Her good parts were still tingling from dinner.

“Okay, everyone.
Here’s how it works,” Matthew said, placing a pile of index cards, face down,
at the center of the table. “Going clockwise, we’ll each take the top card,
like this. We'll read it out loud, then do what it says. I’ll go first.” He
glanced at his card. “What was the most important decision you’ve ever made?
That’s an easy one. ” He glanced up and smiled. “Coming on this show.”

Her gaze met
Jack’s, and she couldn’t help but wonder how he’d answer the same question. He,
no doubt, would never even consider giving the same answer. As much as she’d
like to think she wouldn’t either, Brielle knew it wasn’t true. Despite the
pain in her heart, she couldn’t view all her time with Jack in a bad light.
Some of their encounters had been the best in her life.

Great. Now her
throat was closing.

“Okay, Mandy,
you’re next,” Matthew exclaimed.

Brielle didn’t
bother to hide her sigh of relief. That put her last. Good. She sat back and
worked on regaining control as she watched the blonde reach for a card.

“Tell us
something we don’t know about you.” The woman frowned, then the creases in her
brow disappeared, and her eyes lit up. “Oh, I know. I had a boob job.”

No shit.
Brielle bit her
tongue and forced herself to count to ten in a desperate attempt not to laugh.

Danni didn’t
bother. She laughed out loud. “Mandy, you’re supposed to tell us something we
don’t
know.”

“You knew?” The
hand model frowned again. “But how? Do you know Dr. Rosencrantz?” The blonde
glanced down at her rounded chest. “He does great work, really.”

The teacher shook
her head. “Never mind.”

Matthew patted Mandy’s
hand. “I’d be happy to send him a thank you.”

Brielle clenched
her jaw and counted to twenty this time. The show certainly had its moments.

Danni motioned
to the deck. “You’re next, Jack.”

He leaned
forward and drew a card. “Reveal one of your secrets to the group.”

Shoot. That
would’ve been a good one for one of the girls. Still, Brielle’s pulse increased
as she waited for Jack to reply. Surely he wouldn’t mention anything about
them…

His gaze shot to
her and she completely stopped breathing. “Okay.” He sat back, still looking at
her. “I have a tattoo—”

“We know that,”
Mandy cut him off.

Brielle drew in
a much needed gulp of air. She should’ve known he would never say anything
about their…whatever they’d had. He may be an idiot, but he was still a
gentleman.

“Ah, but what
you don’t know is why I have it.” His gaze traveled over the group, before it
settled back on Brielle.

She stared back,
interested despite her vow to remain distanced.

“I got it in the
Middle East.”

To her dismay,
he stripped off his jacket and shirt, then pointed to his tattooed bicep. “The
A represents Company A Airborne, and the two snakes twined around the sides signify
the 2nd Battalion.”

Brielle couldn’t
help herself. She leaned forward and asked, “Do the two swords through the
broken heart symbolize men lost?” 

Jack's gaze met
hers with a measure of sorrow. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry.” She
swallowed. Uncle Franco had shared that painful part of war with her, many
times. She knew the impact the loss of a comrade had on a person. The thought
of Jack having gone through something similar tore at her gut.

After staring at
her for a few long moments, he nodded, then slipped his shirt back on. She was
still contemplating whether to rejoice or be sad when Danni reached for a card.

“Name two things
you like about someone in this room.” She set the card down and smiled. “Okay.
I’m going to choose Matthew as my subject and say… I like the way you treat
everyone with kindness, and the way you make me feel.” Pink tinged her cheeks.

Matthew reached
for her hand and returned her smile. “Thank you, Danni. I like the way you make
me feel, too.”

“What about me?
Don’t I make you feel anything?” Mandy grabbed his other arm, pouting up at
him.

“Yes, you do. In
fact, you all make me feel good.” He transferred his smile to Brielle, and she
caught his silent plea for help.

“My turn.” She
reached across the table and took a card, sending up a silent prayer that she’d
be able to keep her dignity. Truth or dare, she really wasn’t crazy about
either.  Glancing at the card, alarm quickened her pulse as she quickly looked
around.

“Well, come on.
What does it say?” Danni elbowed her.

She dropped the
card on the table, its red-markered words visible to all. “
Stay away from
him, or you’ll be sorry
.”

“Shit!” Jack
jumped to his feet. “How the hell did that get in there?”