Suddenly a Spy (3 page)

He’d obviously showered—a fact Veronica was
keenly jealous of—and had taken the time to brew a pot of coffee
once arriving home. She knew the whipped cream lady had been slow,
but not that slow.

Realization dawned on Veronica and her jaw
dropped a little. He’d been awake. All of her stealth had been
wasted. The dirty rat had been awake the whole time. His grin
deepened, confirming her suspicion.

“Hey Jeff,” Veronica stood on tiptoe to give
him a peck on the cheek. “Sorry to drag you out of bed so early on
a Sunday morning.”

“No worries,” he tapped her nose lightly with
his finger. “What can I do for you, baby sister?”

“Yes, what can Jeff do for you?” Rick mocked
seriousness.

“I had hoped to talk to him alone,” Veronica
retorted bluntly.

“It’s not good, starting the marriage off
with secrets,” Jeff shook his head.

“I completely agree—although remind me to ask
later how you’d know,” Veronica’s tongue lashed out at Jeff, but
her glare was for Rick alone.

“Ouch. Janet was being much nicer to me. I
should have stayed home.”

“Janet? Really?” Veronica was momentarily
distracted.

“What’s wrong with Janet?”

“She’s just so… needy.”

“I wasn’t planning on a long-term commitment,
sis,” Jeff rolled his eyes as if to say she was a simpleton.

“Yeah… good luck with that,” Veronica grinned
a little. “I’m not sure who I feel sorrier for—you, or her.”

“Very funny,” he made a face at her, to which
she stuck her tongue out.

“You’re making us late for our honeymoon for
this?” Rick kicked back in his chair and studied Veronica. He was
so sure she wouldn’t say anything in front of him, anger rippled
through her veins.

“You’re right,” she decided she could start
Jeff with something simple and hoped it led her to the answers she
was really looking for. “Jeff, could you please pull the security
footage from the wedding to see if you can find an ID on the
uninvited guest.”

“Why don’t you try asking him?” Jeff motioned
towards Rick.

“I did. He won’t tell me. So I’m asking
you.”

“Why won’t you tell her?” Jeff frowned at his
brother-in-law.

“It’s complicated,” Rick met Jeff’s eyes.

“And I don’t suppose you’re going to let this
go,” Jeff looked hopefully at Veronica.

“Either you help me, or I call Daddy,”
Veronica folded her arms across her chest in a gesture of
defiance.

“You really don’t want her doing that,” Jeff
tried to caution Rick. “Our father is completely unreasonable when
it comes to her.”

“Some things are buried too deep for even a
G-man to dig them up.”

“That sounds like a challenge to me,”
Veronica knew which buttons to push to operate her brother.

“It wasn’t a challenge,” Rick held his hands
up in a gesture of peace, instantly realizing her game.

“Naw, I think I heard the challenge in that,”
Jeff sized Rick up as he asked Veronica “What do you know about
her?”

“Her name is Adrianna and she’s a whore.”

“Not sure that last part will help me locate
her, but it’s certainly good motivation.”

“You have no self-respect, you know that
Jeff?” Veronica sighed.

“But I am very charming and I’m helping
you—so be nice.”

“I don’t suppose I can talk you into leaving
this alone?” Rick tried once more.

“Nope.”

“Not a chance.”

“Figures,” he sighed, looking from his wife
to her brother. The resemblance was uncanny and at the moment; they
both had the same defiant expression on their faces. “Are you even
going to let me take you on our honeymoon?”

“I hadn’t thought about it really,” Veronica
furrowed her brow. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you’re going
on your honeymoon,” Jeff announced.

“I don’t think that’s your decision,” she set
her jaw stubbornly; she wasn’t in the mood to be told what to do by
anyone, even Jeff.

“Whatever. You’re being ridiculous. Go lay on
a beach for a week. It’ll give me time to figure out who the
mystery-whore is. If you decide to break off the marriage, you’ll
have a great tan and one heck of a week to show for it.”

“I’m sitting right here,” Rick reminded
them.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Veronica asked.

“I told you, I can’t.”

“Then I reserve the right to declare this
marriage tentative.”

“I told you guys getting married was a bad
idea,” Jeff reminded them both.

Veronica smacked him in the back of the
head.

“Stop abusing me and get ready for your
flight. And get a shower… you look awful,” Jeff slathered cream
cheese on his bagel.

“You are such a jerk,” Veronica rolled her
eyes as she turned to go.

Both dogs were instantly at her heels, hoping
for a treat when she passed through the kitchen. She didn’t
disappoint them. They were an odd couple, the massive, steel-gray
Great Dane Rick brought to the marriage and the pretty
black-and-white Border Collie that came with Veronica. Though they
seemed to be a strange pair, Brutus and Sissy were the best of
friends and had been since their first meeting.

As hot water poured over her, Veronica
pondered the situation she now found herself in. She wanted to
trust Rick—with every fiber of her being she wanted to trust him.
But trusting hadn’t exactly served her well in the past. Rick could
say he wasn’t Seth all he wanted, the fact remained that he’d kept
something hidden from her and refused to share with her even now.
Actually, he seemed pretty intent on keeping her from finding the
truth. She didn’t have a clue what her next step should be.

Maybe Jeff was right. She should go on her
honeymoon as planned rather than arouse her father’s suspicions.
She shuddered at the thought of her father finding out Rick had
somehow hurt her. Five years after the fact, Seth was still afraid
to get any closer to D.C. than Chicago. Besides, getting Rick out
of town would give Jeff the time and space he needed to dig into
things a bit.

Veronica wrapped herself in a fluffy blue
towel and padded into her room to get dressed. Brutus looked up
from his rawhide bone to heave a weary sigh, and then went back to
his snack. The same bone would take Sissy a week to finish.

“I bet you know what’s really going on,”
Veronica bent to scratch his ears. He gave her a wary look and she
made a face. “I’m not asking you to betray your master. Not unless
you feel like it, that is.”

“I don’t think he’s talking,” there was a
grin in Rick’s voice.

“Do you ever make noise when you walk?”
Veronica jumped.

“No, not really,” the grin spread to his
face. “And it usually works in my favor.”

“Did Jeff go home?” she changed the
subject.

“He’s helping himself to the contents of our
refrigerator.”

“He should go grocery shopping for a
change.”

“What would he do with it once he bought it?
The man doesn’t have the first kitchen implement.”

“True.”

“So, are you going to let me take you on our
honeymoon?” Rick pulled her into his arms.

“It would be a shame to waste the plane
tickets,” Veronica tried to look nonchalant. In reality, her
stomach was fluttering because of his nearness.

“I love that you are so practical,” he played
along.

“Nothing if not practical,” she stood on
tiptoe to brush his lips with a kiss. With a low growl, Rick
deepened it. Something Veronica had never felt before shot through
her every nerve ending. It was white hot and all-consuming.

“Watchya doin’ in there?” Jeff called from
the other side of the door. The nearness of his voice made Veronica
jump back.

“I’m going to hurt him,” Rick promised in a
low voice, his eyes devouring the site of his wife as she quickly
retrieved her towel and scurried to get dressed.

“Hey, that’s my sister in there.”

“Yeah, well, Janet’s somebody’s sister, too,”
Veronica shot back.

“Way to ruin a good thing, sis.”

“Just stating a fact, brother.”

“Spoil sport.”

“Focus your time and energy on figuring out
what Rick’s hiding.”

“That’s a horrible idea. I think you should
exploit Janet while you still can,” Rick interjected.

“That’s awful,” Veronica punched his arm.
“She’s a person.”

“Sorry. If it keeps him too busy to do your
bidding, she’s fair game.”

“Do you hear that? Don’t succumb to his evil
plan.”

“Would you get dressed already? I’m tired of
talking through a door.”

“We’re almost finished,” Veronica ran a brush
through her hair, waiting for him to catch her meaning.

“Aw, Ron… come on. That’s just gross.”

“I don’t know if gross is all that accurate,”
Rick frowned.

“Don’t be a big baby,” Veronica swung the
door open. “I was just teasing. And it’s not gross, Rick. Very not
gross.”

“Aw, Ron…” Jeff grimaced. Veronica
laughed.

“I was being optimistic and loaded our bags
in the car,” Rick redirected the conversation.

“Okay. Let me call Daddy and say goodbye to
the dogs.”

“Are you calling your father to assure him or
sic him on me?” Rick asked.

“Assure him. For now.”

“So, who’s watching the pooches while you’re
gone?” Jeff tried to make the comment sound off-hand.

“Don’t even think about it,” Veronica grew
instantly stern.

“What?” he was the picture of innocence.

“She would eat you alive and spit you back
out. No.”

“Come on…”

“Ronnie’s right. You are no match for
Courtney.”

“Hey – I didn’t ask your opinion.”

“She’s my friend. Don’t do it.”

“Janet was your friend. Beth was your friend.
Rachel was your friend.”

“That’s just it – was. You go through my
friends like they’re Kleenexes. I am not your dating service. Keep
your grubby paws off Courtney. She’s not a conquest.”

“You’re right; she’s the conquest. Mount
Everest, in fact.”

“You’re a bad person,” Veronica scowled.

“And yet you love me anyway. What does that
say about you?”

“Good luck with that, Jeff. My money’s on
her,” Rick chuckled.

“We’ll see what kind of mood you’re in when I
track down your girlfriend, Mr. Chuckles.”

“If I can’t talk you out of that, can I at
least ask you to be careful?” Rick grew serious.

“You could save us all some trouble and just
come clean,” Veronica suggested.

“It’s not that simple.”

“I’ll be careful,” Jeff’s mood suddenly
matched Rick’s. Obviously, there was some male telepathy going on
that Veronica wasn’t privy to.

Chapter Four

Lounging on the sugar-white beaches of Peter
Island, staring at the bright blue Caribbean, it was hard to
remember that a seed of doubt had been planted between them.
Veronica wasn’t entirely sure how long they’d been there. The days
of snorkeling, hiking and lying in the sun seemed to melt into each
other. She assumed the resort would tell them if they missed their
checkout. They’d agreed on day one to not even check their phones
or log onto the Internet for the entire week. The world outside
could revolve without them; this was their time.

Unless he’d somehow snuck a laptop into the
bathroom, Veronica was fairly certain he’d lived up to his end of
the bargain. As for herself, she was too content to care. In fact,
if Jeff had uncovered something horrible, she didn’t want to know.
Not yet anyway.

There was a part of her that wanted to
torture Rick, to make his life a living hell. It was the same part
that wanted to hide from the world, lick its wounds, and denounce
all men as low-life scum.

Then there was the other part that
practically hummed when he hovered over her, tracing feathery
kisses up her back while his body dripped cool sea water on her hot
skin. That part imagined rolling him over, wrapping her legs around
his waist and pulling him to her. Even if they were the only two
humans on the quiet beach, there was something deliciously decadent
about the thought of an open-air tryst.

She found herself walking a tightrope
somewhere between the two.

“Knock it off, Dick,” she wriggled under
him.

“You know I hate it when you call me
that.”

“Why? It suits you.”

“Very funny. What, are we in junior high
now?” he flopped down in the sand beside her.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?” she
propped herself up on her elbows, looking down at him.

He sighed, as if to say he couldn’t keep up
with her mood swings. She smiled, as if to say “good.”

His normally golden skin had deepened from so
much time outside, making each contour of his muscles seem more
clearly defined. Droplets of sea water gathered in interesting
places and she bit her lower lip to keep from tasting him. She bet
it would be a yummy mixture of salt and sunshine.

He read the look in her eyes and didn’t let
the moment pass. Veronica found herself caught up in his arms
discovering just what salt and sunshine actually tasted like. She
loved this place. She loved this man. She loved what he was doing
with his mouth at that particular moment.

As much as she wanted to spend the rest of
the evening rolling in the sand with him, she wasn’t ready to
yield. Until he trusted her with the truth, she was determined not
to trust him with her body, her heart, or any other piece of her.
There was too big of a chance she’d be left devastated if she
did.

Mustering every ounce of willpower she
contained, Veronica pulled away. She rolled over onto her back and
laid still, her chest heaving while she tried to reel in her
emotions.

“You’re killing me,” he groaned. “You’re
absolutely killing me.”

“Yeah, well. Likewise.”

Veronica wondered how things had gotten so
weird. Before her wedding day, life had always been normal to the
point of stereotypical. She had an over-involved mother, an
over-protective father and an obnoxious-but-endearing brother. She
got good grades, rebelled as a teen, and grew up somewhere in her
twenties. She’d even had her heart broken in the typical way.