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“Night,” Lei Lu called to Katlin, Tori, Harper, and Grace from the Turks and Caicos police SUV as her team members trudged down the sidewalk to their rented house. Although Katlin had sent a message to USSOCOM that the retrievals were successful, they hadn’t been given any instruction as to what to do with the bodies and the vials of viruses. On Oli’s suggestion, Nita agreed that the best place for everything retrieved from the plane would be in the morgue.
The small hospital, a clinic by most U.S. standards, had three refrigerated drawers for anyone who passed away on the small island territory. Thankfully, they were all empty when Nita, Lei Lu, Shakespeare, and Oli arrived.
“I hope nobody dies before we can get these bodies and viruses shipped to the United States.” Nita said as she closed the door on the viruses.
“If that happens, we’ll just double up.” Oli shoved the stainless-steel tray with the pilot’s body, secured in the black bag, into the refrigeration unit. The door hissed as it sealed. “When I first came to the islands five years ago, we didn’t have this. Yet, we averaged ten deaths a month and those were just residents. During peak tourism season, we would often lose a visitor a week. Although our coral walls are beautiful, they’re also very dangerous. A lot of tourists just aren’t in the shape they think they are. Our strong underwater currents, added to the heat and humidity down here, is a recipe for a heart attack.”
“You have no idea how much I appreciate the fact that you’re all experienced divers. Having three instructor divers the past two days has made my life much easier.” Shakespeare held Lei Lu’s gaze.
She stared at the man wearing a frayed white Pop’s Place Dive Shop baseball cap, completely forgetting his complement. “You have the most beautiful eyes.” Although they’d spent hours and hours together, she’d never seen his eyes. They’d always been covered with sunglasses or reflected only in the light of the dashboard. Under the fluorescent lights in the tiny morgue, she wasn’t sure if they were green or blue. Maybe they were both.
Involuntarily, she stepped closer to him, their noses only six inches apart as she gazed up into eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea. The outer iris was blue, but it changed to the most magnificent turquoise and was green right next to the pupil.
She could feel the heat emanating off his body and just wanted to snuggle into him, close her eyes, and fall asleep. Technically, the mission was completed, but not over. Once the viruses and the bodies were on an airplane headed back to the United States, they would be given a week or more liberty.
Maybe she would stay on Grand Turk for a few days. The only thing she had waiting for her back home was her quiet apartment in Crystal City. Unless her parents were still there. She could only hope her mother’s latest attempt at matchmaking had returned to Utah.
Scanning Shakespeare’s face with his square jaw and hard angles, his casual intensity screamed alpha male. Any man Lei Lu’s mother had chosen wouldn’t have the defined muscles or protective attitude that oozed from the man in front of her.
“Get a room.” Nita called as she passed by them. “Oli, if you’re ready, I’d appreciate it if you would take me back to the house. It’s been one hell of a day.” She giggled. “No, it’s been two days in hell.”
Her friend’s comment brought Lei Lu out of her trance. She took a step back. “No, hell was Dubai, at least for me, and we left there three days ago.” She cocked her head and thought for a moment. “Or was that four days ago? See what sleep deprivation does to me?”
She watched as Shakespeare and Oli exchanged a glance. She wasn’t sure what that was about, but she was too damn tired to even wonder at that point. “Yes, Oli, please take us home.”
“Give me a few minutes.” The police commissioner grabbed the clipboard that was hanging next to the coolers. “There’s always bloody paperwork.” He glanced up. “No pun intended.”
Lei Lu shivered at the temperature in the room. After being out in the sunshine all day, the air-conditioning was a bit too chilly for her. “How about we wait for you in the vehicle?” She immediately headed toward the door, Nita at her side.
“You and Shakespeare are combustible,” Nita said as soon as the door was shut behind them. “That man is really into you.”
“You think so?” Lei Lu could only hope. She found the older man intriguing. Now that her part of the mission was finished, she expected them to get orders in the morning. Spending some time with the very fit dive instructor might be entertaining. At least for a few hours. She was pretty sure he could help her work off some of her remaining adrenalin spike.
“Absolutely.” Nita crawled into the backseat, so Lei Lu got in on the other side. “You need to let that SEAL take you for a ride. When was the last time you got laid?”
“The night of Harper’s wedding.” Lei Lu admitted, and wasn’t that pathetic? Since Tori had hooked up with Marcus that night, she hadn’t been interested in going out to clubs, so Lei Lu had been entertaining herself most nights by marathoning TV shows that she’d missed because they were on a mission. She didn’t want to think about that night, or especially the next morning, with Zane.
“And we all know that was less than stellar.” Nita jerked her thumb toward the small hospital. “That man looks like he knows what he’s doing. Why don’t you grab a bottle of wine from the house and invite him for a drink on the beach? On second thought, he looks like he prefers the hard stuff. Grab the scotch.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She laughed at her friend. “You trying to live vicariously through me now that you’re married with two kids?”
Nita shook her head slowly side to side. “Not at all. Daniel is...amazing in bed.” She giggled. “He’s pretty damn good in the kitchen, the dining room, the hot tub, the—”
“Enough.” Lei Lu held her hand up in the international stop gesture. "I don’t need to know the details. I’m not sure I can eat supper at your house again without remembering your list.” In the streetlight, she caught her friend’s small smile.
“I never thought I would say this, but I love being a wife and a mom.” Nita’s smile grew wide. “I can’t wait to get home to my family.”
Lei Lu certainly wasn’t looking forward to getting home to her family. “Well, you’ll probably get your wish in the morning.” If the rest of the team was headed back to D.C., and depending on how things went with Shakespeare, if they went at all, she might just stay in Turks and Caicos. He had mentioned shipwrecks and whales. Maybe if she hung around, she’d get a chance to see one or the other.
The front doors opened, and the men hopped in.
“I half expected to find you ladies asleep back there,” Shakespeare noted as he turned toward them. “Still a little hyped?”
Nita looked up from texting on her phone. “Not me. I’m ready to sleep.” She smiled. “I’m just letting my husband know not to call me at daybreak when the kids wake up. I intend to sleep until at least noon.”
Here was Lei Lu’s chance. “I’m still a little jazzed. I might grab a bottle and go watch the waves on the beach. How about you?” That invitation should be blatant enough since her eyes held his captive.
“I’m going to call it a night,” Oli announced as they pulled up in front of the two-story white house that had been rented for the Ladies of Black Swan. “Let me know when you hear anything about transporting the bodies. I’ll get one of my deputies to bring them to the airport.”
“I’ll do that,” Nita said as she opened the door and jumped out.
“I’ll walk from here,” Shakespeare announced as he opened the door.
Lei Lu was already out of the SUV. “It’s a hell of a long walk to your dive shop.”
Shakespeare chuckled. “I don’t live there, even though many days it feels like I do.” He glanced down the street. “My house is two doors down. I’m pretty sure I can make it that far.” His gaze returned to her. “You still interested in a drink on the beach? I could use one.”
She couldn’t withhold her smile. “Yes. Let me run inside and grab a bottle. What do you drink?”
“I have a completely stocked bar. No need to wake anybody up inside. Come on.” He held his hand out to her.
In the surprisingly intimate gesture, she slid her hand into his and intertwined their fingers so their palms were tight together. Heat radiated through her body. Lei Lu couldn’t remember holding hands with a man since high school when any form of public display of affection was strictly forbidden. Perhaps that’s why it felt almost decadent.
On the outside, Shakespeare’s home looked like any other on that street, or in the Caribbean. The white concrete blocks looked sturdy and the light-blue painted trim around each window gave it a definite island feel. Strong metal hurricane shutters were encased in a cylinder above each window and door.
“You get many hurricanes?” She asked.
Chuckling, he pointed the key fob toward the front door and she heard it unlock. “Yeah, like every year. We get bad ones about every five years, so I’m told, but several pass by here every year. Some are closer than others.”
As an equipment geek, she grabbed for the key fob before he opened the door. “This is fucking cool.” She pressed the button, and nothing happened.
He grinned down at her as he took the device back. “Fingerprint recognition. It only works with my thumbprint.” He pressed the button and they listened to the deadbolt slide into place.
“I am so going to get one of these when I get home.” She reached for it again, but held out her palm. “May I see it?” She really wanted to find the manufacturer.
“This is a prototype.” He stared at her for a long moment as though trying to come to a decision. “One of the companies I own is testing it. I’ll have them install one at your place. We’ll consider it a major city test.”
She looked at the aging beach bum, surfer-type man in front of her. The phrase one of my companies bounced around in her brain. Lei Lu wasn’t even sure he owned the dive shop. He didn’t look like someone named Pop.
She followed him into his home and couldn’t do anything but stare. The worn-brown-furniture bachelor pad she had expected was so far removed from what lay before her eyes. Thanks to living with Katlin, who’d been raised in embassies around the world and was personal friends with real princes, Lei Lu had learned to identify true wealth.
Shakespeare was fucking rich.
He moved behind the dark wood bar which expanded the length of one entire wall. Lifting a half-empty bottle of thirty-one-year-old single malt, he asked, “Can I interest you in my favorite scotch?”
She knew that bottle cost over two hundred dollars back in the United States. Here, where everything seemed to be double the price, she had no idea, just that it was extremely expensive.
Before she could answer, he went over to the wine chiller and pulled out a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne and showed her the label. “All I’ve got is this 2008, but that wasn’t a bad year, just not one of their best.”
Nervously, she giggled and admitted, “I wouldn’t know if it were a good year or bad. If you’re having the scotch, I’ll take one too.”
As he poured the amber liquid into two heavily leaded crystal low ball glasses, she took an opportunity to look around his home. The bar in front of her caught her immediate interest. It looked as though it had been well-used, straight from a European pub.
“Your bar is interesting. Is there a story behind it?” Lei Lu hoped for some kind of a starter conversation.
He handed her the glass and leaned on the object of discussion. He seemed to be settling in, so she climbed onto one of the barstools and leaned back. The wooden chair was surprisingly comfortable.
“The story has it that the governor of the islands back in the eighteen hundreds used to frequent a particular bar downtown. When his wife moved to join him in his new posting, she wasn’t very happy that he wasn’t home most nights. Since she’d come from money, she bought the establishment and closed it, but knowing that her husband like to hang out at the bar, she had it moved to their house.” He took a sip and so did she.
“This used to be their house?” Lei Lu asked as her gaze swept the room. That would explain why the floors were a beautiful parquet of light and dark wood in a herringbone and diamond design.
Shakespeare chuckled. “No. The governor’s mansion is a Bermuda-style house called the Waterloo. It’s not far from the cruise ship center. The great historical house is now surrounded by a nine-hole golf course.” He took another sip. “Fast-forward to five years ago. The historical department decided to remodel it back to the original 1815, which meant that I got a hell of a bargain on this bar.”
He looked lovingly at the ornate, yet well-used wood from one end to the other including the shelves of liquor and the gilded mirror behind him. “I couldn’t let them throw this out. It’s survived hundreds of hurricanes, several dozen owners, and probably a million served drinks.” He grinned. “Can you imagine the deals made at this bar? Kings and queens, and no doubt pirates, have sat where you are—not in those stools, of course, I bought those last time I was home. This bar is a piece of history of Turks and Caicos. I had to preserve it.”
Lei Lu wondered if everything in his house had a story behind it. Spinning around in the chair, she took in the entire room once again. The tan micro suede couch was functional, dried quickly from wet bathing suits, and was easy to clean. She really liked the blue, green, and red pillows of varying sizes that filled its length. They went well with the different sized pictures of beige brain coral, a blue parrotfish, a red coral fan, a school of fish, and the dozen more photographs of life under the sea.
Her gaze fell to the coffee table. A thick piece of glass sat atop twisted gray driftwood. Football-sized conch shells filled the middle with dozens of smaller shells scattered around. A brown and white curved nautilus shell sat on an end table next to the remote control for the huge curved screen television.
At the opposite end of the living room, floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled the entire wall. Shells were mixed in with textbooks identifying sea life. One shelf was nearly empty except for an open book on an antique stand. It had caught her eye because it looked like an historical manuscript, the kind that the monks had copied from one book to another. It seemed to pull her to it.
Glass in hand, she hopped off the stool and strode the length of the room, never taking her gaze from it. Inside the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, the church displayed several of the original handwritten accounts of Joseph Smith. Lei Lu had always thought those were cool, until she’d seen the Book of Kells at Trinity College Library in Dublin.
As she gazed down upon the calligraphy enhanced by the detailed drawings that had maintained their color for hundreds of years, her hand automatically went to touch the page. She knew better. Her hand hovered. “Is this really a medieval manuscript?”
Shakespeare opened the drawer and handed her a pair of white gloves. “Go ahead, you can look at it.”
“Was this another find here on the island?” She asked as she slid her fingers into the soft gloves.
He stood so close, their bodies barely an inch apart as they hovered next to the valuable antique. “No. I borrowed it from our library.”
Lei Lu’s eyes shot to his. “The local library has a rare books collection?”
Shakespeare laughed. “No. I sit on the Board of Directors for the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. Like my great grandfather, I have an affection for all the books. We have a gallery we call Treasures from the Vault. When I was back there a few months ago, I saw this one and decided I wanted to read it, so I brought it back with me.”
Lei Lu quickly put the information together. “Your great-grandfather was J.P. Morgan?”
“No. There’s another generation or two in there.” He grinned down at her.
“Now I know what the S in your name stands for...Secretive.” As she looked into those unique eyes of his, she wanted to go up on her tiptoes and press her lips to his. But the draw of the book was too much. She ran her finger down the gold gilt page before gently lifting it to look at the next. Every page contained both elegant handwriting and detailed art.
“Aren’t you afraid to keep this here?” Lei Lu waved her hand around to the open concept living area.
“You saw my security system. I’m hooked directly to the island police station. They can access the video immediately.” Shakespeare shrugged. “Besides, everybody on this island thinks I’m Shakespeare, a man who fell into owning a dive shop.”
Lei Lu blushed. “I have to admit, when we first met, I thought you were just some guy who worked at the dive shop. I couldn’t imagine you owning the shop.”
“Neither could I.” Shakespeare’s laugh was infectious. “When I came here five years ago, I’d just gotten out of the Navy and all I wanted to do was dive on the walls around here.”
“You retired five years ago?” She was fishing to find out just exactly how old the man in front of her truly was.
“Fuck, no.” He stared at her for a long minute before a grin slowly crossed his face. “How old do you think I am?” He took off his hat and rubbed the short gray stubble on his head, which wasn’t much longer than his five o’clock shadow. The glint in his eyes suggested that she was going to get it wrong.
She thought she’d be generous. “Mid-forties?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Do you usually date older men?”
“Never,” she admitted. “That’s why I thought I’d give you a try.”
“Well, sweetheart, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m only thirty-two.” He shook his head. “You’re not going to get a daddy figure here.”
“I’m going to turn twenty-nine in a few months.” She reached up and ran the tips of her fingers through his short gray hair.
“It’s hereditary.” His voice had dropped an octave. “My grandfather was gray by his twenty-fifth birthday. He used to tell me it was a big advantage in business because his brain was young and sharp, but in a three-piece suit behind a big desk he looked much older and wiser.”
Lei Lu smiled up at him. “He was Henry S. Morgan the third? His S stood for sneaky.”
Once again, Shakespeare laughed. “You got that right. He could also be stubborn or snobby, depending on the circumstances.” There was an undefinable warmth in his voice and a softness in his smile as he spoke of his grandfather.
“But you love him, don’t you?” She saw it in his eyes before he glanced away.
“I do. But I can’t do what he wants, so I’m a disappointment to him.” He took off the gloves. “I thought we were going to sit on the beach?”
Accepting his change of subject, Lei Lu set her gloves beside his and picked up her nearly empty glass of scotch.
“Let me grab the bottle to take out with us.” Shakespeare was back in less than thirty seconds, indicating the French doors toward the ocean.
She was immediately hit with the warm constant breeze and the low roar of the ocean. He stepped beside her and gave her another ounce of liquid courage. A few yards out in the sand was an oceanside cabana with a double bed, its thin white side curtains tied to the corner supports that held up the sloping thatched roof.
Although ending up in bed with Shakespeare was enticing, Lei Lu was not an exhibitionist and knew anyone in the houses on either side could see them. Even though it was the middle of the night, she wasn’t going to take a chance. Glancing down the wide back porch, a full-size dining table was at one end and a small grouping of chairs at the other. A few feet away, a double chaise sat completely in shadow.
“Let’s sit there,” she suggested as she walked over and sat down on the edge. To her surprise, he sat beside her, took her glass, and set it on the tile floor.
He ran his fingers through her hair at the side of her face. It was such a tender gesture she melted inside. “Turnabout is fair play. I let you touch my hair. Yours is soft, thick, and feels like water running through my fingers. It’s just as I had expected.” He extended his long fingers to the back of her head, then leaned forward slowly, as though giving her time to pull away.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she met him halfway. The kiss started as gentle, even sweet. Biting at each other’s lips moved to open mouth kisses. His tongue crept into her, tasting of fine whiskey. She allowed him to explore her mouth for only a moment before she tangled her tongue with his. When he retreated, she followed and took her time exploring his mouth.
The taste of him hardened her nipples. Through her thin lacy bra and his island shirt, she knew he felt them when she pressed her chest against his because he pulled her whole body toward him. His hand went under her shirt, up her belly until he cupped one breast. He circled her nipple before lightly pinching it.
She gasped, breaking the kiss.
“You like that.” Shakespeare smiled at her. “Good to know.” And he moved his hand to the other breast, repeating the motions, while kissing his way down her neck.
They were both breathing hard. Lei Lu ran her hand the length of his erection and he sucked in a breath through clenched teeth.
He moved his hand down between her legs and cupped her mound, pressing his finger against her clit. “Turnabout is fair play, but I’ll warn you, I don’t always play fair.” Deftly, he unsnapped and unzipped her shorts as he laid her back on the chaise, rolling to his side, giving him better access to her.
When his hand slid over her flat tummy and under her thong, she shivered. He ran his fingers through the patch of hair at the apex of her thighs and smiled down at her before parting her folds and running a rough finger slowly over her clit, flicking the underside.
Her hips uncontrollably jolted off the chaise, pushing his hand deeper. Curling his finger, he ran it from her opening to her sensitive bundle of nerves, bringing with it her wetness. He circled her clit several times before he slowly rubbed up and down.
“You are so wet for me.” He bent down and kissed her as he caressed the most sensitive part of her body.
She reached for his cock, intending to share her pleasure with him.
He grabbed her hand. “No. This one’s just for you. We’ll get to that, later.”
His selflessness touched a part of her soul. Most men she’d been with worked her clitoris in order to prepare her for the moment they shucked their pants and shoved into her. Or they let her come knowing that a woman didn’t often orgasm from the actual act of intercourse and if he wanted a repeat performance, she’d better come first.
Shakespeare was so different. It was as though he was enjoying watching her build to the precipice. He seemed to know how to read her body and brought her to the edge quickly. Her leg muscles tightened as he rubbed harder and faster. She could barely breathe and let out little squeals when gasping for breath.
His eyes darkened and his smile grew. “Let go. Trust me. I’ve got you. Go ahead and fall.”
She never needed permission from a man before, but Shakespeare’s words shoved her over and plunged her into bliss. Her whole body shook with its release.
When she was finally able to open her eyes, his face was the first thing she saw. It completely filled her vision. With arms utterly spent, her well-toned muscles now useless, she wrapped them around his head and pulled him down for a kiss.
Her eyes flew open when she tasted herself on his tongue. Checking her body, she still had on her shorts although they were barely hanging onto her hips. Somehow, they’d worked their way down, giving him more room for his big hand. The hand he now had in front of his face, licking each finger.
“Next time, you’re going to come on my tongue.” His smile was feral. “I need more of your taste.”
She slid her hand down the inside of his board shorts, wrapping her fingers around his cock. She ran her thumb back and forth over the head, pleased when she was rewarded with the drop of his excitement. She smiled up at him. “You like that. Good to know.” She then squeezed his cock not-so-gently.
He pulled her hand from his shorts and she pulled it over to lick his essence off her thumb. He shuddered. “Let’s take this to the bedroom. I don’t want my neighbors seeing your naked body. That’s for my eyes only.” He slid his hand under her knees and around her back and picked her up. She hung on to his neck, because she couldn’t do anything else. No man had ever carried her to bed. She loved that Shakespeare was the first.
He carefully laid her on his ornately carved fourposter bed. His fingers wrapped around the top of her opened shorts and tugged, so she lifted her hips.
Her phone rang with the emergency tone.
Without thinking she stood, pulling the phone from the back pocket of her shorts. One glance told her everything she needed to know. “Fuck. Someone’s trying to break into the house.”
When she bent to pull up her shorts, her face was at eye level with Shakespeare. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and dashed toward the door. “I’m sorry. I’ll make this up to you. Right now I have to kick some intruder’s ass.”
Lei Lu’s fingers flew over the phone’s keyboard as she texted her teammates while slipping out the front door.
Three steps down the hallway she turned and stuck her head back through the open door to his bedroom. “Please don’t call the police. We’ve got this.”
Shakespeare looked up at her, dumbfounded. “What?”