Sweet Seduction Shield (12 page)

"Sorry," she
replied meekly. "It was the kiss and tell comment. I could have
sworn Kelly said it, but that can't be right."

"Oh, har har,"
Kelly said, suddenly spinning to face me. "So, what do you think of
our good detective? Not that I believe for a moment he's all
good."

"Um," I
muttered.

"Nooo!" Abi
added. "That sinful body and bad boy goatee beard. Imagine the
stubble rash you'd get..."

"Red!"

"Ooops."

"Marie?" Kelly
prompted. "Your thoughts, please. This is a drinking session, you
are entitled to blame your swooning on the booze."

"Um, I don't
know," I said quietly, my eyes flicking from one expectant woman to
the other and then landing on Ben.

He sighed,
loud and long. "I'll get a start on the dishes," he offered,
pushing up from his lounger and heading towards the door. He
stopped at Abi's chair and leaned over to whisper something in her
ear. She blushed, he chuckled. And then he was gone.

"I won't even
ask," Kelly said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, those two can't help
themselves."

"Would you, if
you had a man like Ben?" Abi asked.

"Touché, sweet
pea," Kelly replied, returning clear blue eyes to me.

I shook my
head in defeat.

"What do you
want me to say? I met the man two days ago. He barged into my
office, proceeded to ogle my butt while I was under my desk and has
been a pain in it ever since."

"Oh, I like
that description," Abi declared.

"What were you
doing under the desk?" Kelly asked. "Hold on! Did you get under the
desk before or after he arrived?"

"Good
question," Abi said and then high-fived Kelly.

I laughed.
"Sorting a tangle of electrical cords and it was before he walked
in."

"Damn," Kelly
said, downing another shot. "Could've been a good story."

"It's still a
good story. He ogled her butt," Abi offered, then added, "And still
does."

"Does not!" I
blurted.

"Oh, he does,"
Abi shot back. "Constantly."

"Whatever," I
replied, pouring my next shot down my throat hoping the burn would
wipe the memory of Pierce's butt fetish out of my mind. It
didn't.

"So, he likes
your butt," Kelly said, fingers out to tick a list off again. "Has
sworn to protect you." Second finger ticked. "Stormed off muttering
about how beautiful you are and spanking said butt." I glared at
Abi who just shrugged and started pouring more shots. "What
else?"

"There is
nothing else," I declared in frosty ice princess voice. "He's a cop
wanting more filth on a criminal so he can secure the right
sentence in court."

Silence met my
clipped words.

"You really
think that's the only reason why he's offered you protection?" Abi
asked, sounding way more sober than I knew she was.

"It's his job,
isn't it?" I declared.

Abi flicked a
glance at Kelly, who sent a silent message back to her friend I had
no hope of deciphering.

"It's just,"
Abi began, then thought better of what she was going to say and
instead said, "Fuck it. Let's just drink."

We all licked
salt off our hands, tipped back the shot glasses, then sucked on
our limes, gasping through the explosive taste combination and
subsequent burn.

"Bloody hell,
the deck's spinning," Abi announced.

"So are the
stars," Kelly chimed in.

I giggled.
Jeesh, giggled!

"Well," Kelly
said eventually. "He probably knows all about this conversation by
now, anyway."

The haze of
inebriation shimmered, but didn't completely clear.

"What do you
mean?" I slurred.

"Nothing's a
secret for long," Kelly announced dreamily.

"Except Fred's
real name," Abi offered from her reclined position, now out flat on
a lounger off to the side.

"You can't
make me talk!" Kelly cried out in a fake tortured voice, hand
fisted above her head.

"But I can
watch you," Abi declared, pointing a waving finger at Kelly. "Very
closely. One day you'll slip up and then we'll know who it is." She
gasped again. "Is it Adam?"

"No!" Kelly
said exasperatedly.

"Brook?"

"Not
telling!"

"Koki?"

"Pfft!"

"Um," Abi
mumbled, clearly trying to think who else they both knew. "Oh,
God!" she groaned. "You're not corrupting Lucas, are you? That boy
is practically half your age."

"Abigail!"
Kelly shouted. "I work with him!"

"OK, not
Lucas, then who?"

"Give up now,
sweet pea. My lips are sealed."

"You just
don't want ASI to know," Abi announced.

"How would ASI
find out?" I asked, enjoying their bantering and feeling extremely
relaxed watching it play out.

"Because Eric
will be listening in," Abi answered, then sucked in a breath. "It's
Eric!"

Kelly groaned.
Then sat upright and took great care to talk clearly for some
reason. "Not that you aren't cute and all, Eric. But dude, you are
so not my type. Sorry," she added and flopped back down again.

I looked over
my shoulder and then all around the back yard.

"Who are you
talking to?" I asked after spotting no one else near us.

"Eric at ASI,"
Kelly said, as though it made complete sense.

I had to think
about that for a moment, brain synapses were definitely not firing
as they should.

Nope, still
didn't make sense.

"Run that by
me again?" I asked.

"Sweetie,"
Kelly said, rolling over onto her side and giving me a small smile.
"This house is monitored by ASI. Cameras, microphones, perimeter
alarms, et cetera, et cetera. All of which is listened to by Eric
in ASI control."

"Then,
transcripts and updates are given to Detective Pierce," Abi
offered, also giving me her own apologetic smile.

I sucked in a
mortified breath of air and tried to sober up immediately.

"What did you
think Ryan meant when he said this was the safest place for you and
Daisy?" Abi asked softly.

I shook my
head back and forth, unable to form an immediate reply.

"We thought
you knew," Kelly offered as explanation.

"Fucking
Ryan," Abi declared. "Always so freaking secretive."

"I'm gonna
kill him," I declared before I could filter my brain from my
mouth.

Kelly
stiffened, and then started to sit up.

"Have at it,"
she managed to slur and then shuffled over to Abi who had started
to breathe deeply. "Take me to bed or lose me forever, sister!"

"What?" Abi
mumbled, crawling to her feet with Kelly's help. "I'm not sharing
my bed with you. What will Ben say?"

"Oh, sweetie,
I'm sure I could convince him that three's better than two."

"Good luck
with that," a male voice said from behind me, making me yelp.

A warm palm
came down on my shoulder stilling my flight as Pierce leaned in and
whispered, "Missed me?"

I shot to my
feet anyway, the world spun drunkenly and I ended up slap bang in
the exact place I was trying to avoid; Pierce's arms.

"Whoa," he
murmured. "Are you pissed?"

"Tipsy," I
corrected, somehow it sounded better.

"Tipsy," he
repeated in a deep drawl, mouth curved in a half smile. "Now, isn't
that just my luck."

I froze, still
in his arms, and slowly dared to look up at him. Intent brown pools
of whiskey - or was that tequila? - stared back at me. But what the
hell did he mean?

"Let's have a
heart to heart, shall we?" Pierce declared, leading me to the
closest lounger and sitting us both down.

Somehow I knew
I was in for a whole lot of trouble, but in my current compromised
state I wasn't exactly sure what form that trouble would take.

"You can't be
trusted," I mumbled, as he lay me against the slightly raised back
of the lounger, placing himself by my hip, so he could face me.

He chuckled.
"Oh, Gorgeous, under normal circumstances I'd argue that point, but
right now, you might be onto something."

"You can't
make me talk," I said, deciding to take a leaf out of Kelly's
book.

Pierce started
laughing. "Is that so?" he drawled, clearly enjoying my drunken
state.

"Nah-uh," I
said shaking my head from side to side, making the world start a
wonky spin cycle. "A girl's gotta have her secrets."

Who knew I was
this talkative when tipsy?

"And what
secrets are those, Marie?" Pierce whispered, starting to stroke
lightly over the skin on my arm, making the fine hairs rise up and
distract me.

"I've never
told anyone," I murmured, watching his movements with intense
fascination.

"Why not?" he
encouraged.

"Because it's
the only ace I have up my sleeve." His movements stilled for a
second, then started up again, making me release the breath I'd
suddenly held.

"It's that
important a secret?" he asked, his voice low and deep, and despite
the topic quite sexy.

"The biggest.
It would ruin McLaren," I declared, relaxing back into the
recliner, feeling lulled into a blissfully dreamlike state.

"How?" Pierce
asked, a little firmer than he'd been until then.

I swatted away
the niggling concern at his change in tone and mumbled, "His whole
world could be pulled apart."

Silence. My
eyes closed, the blurry stars disappearing, the hum of Auckland
late at night filling my ears.

"What's the
secret, Marie?" Pierce asked, sounding far away, even though I
could feel his large, hot palm gripping my arm now, rather than
stroking it.

I shook my
head. "Can't tell you," I whispered, snuggling down further. "You'd
risk us to use it."

"Trust me," he
pressed and I yawned. "Marie?" he shook me slightly, but I pushed
him away and frowned. "What secret do you have on McLaren?" he
demanded.

My eyes sprang
open at his businesslike tone.

"What?" I
said, suddenly very awake and feeling a little sick to my
stomach.

Pierce hovered
over me, determination flashing in those once melted pools of
brown.

"You son of a
bitch," I whispered. He cocked his head and offered a shrug of his
shoulders.

"This is not
over," he declared, standing up and then reaching down to help me
to my feet. I swayed, the world tipped sideways and then I was in
his arms. "You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met," he
added, as he stalked into the house carrying me. "I can help you,
if you'd just fucking let me."

"Fuck you!" I
spat. The jerk had tried to get me to spill my secrets, while I was
drunk. Drunk!

Angry and
fractured thoughts were streaming through my mind, but all cut off
abruptly when he mumbled, "I fucking wish."

What?

But clarity
was lost to the countless glasses of tequila and the feel of a soft
mattress at my back.

And to the too
gentle touch of someone's fingers, as they delicately brushed the
hair from my face and whispered in my ear...

"Sweet dreams,
Tiger."

I am not a
forgetful drunk.

Unfortunately.

When I wake up
the next morning I have the obligatory headache, but also the
unwanted memories of exactly what ridiculous things I may have done
while under the influence the night before. I can never feign
ignorance, because the truth of my actions usually make me
blush.

Today was no
exception.

My cheeks
flamed when I walked into the kitchen, burning brighter still when
I realised Pierce was not alone. I had thought Daisy was in the
penguin painting room with Abi, but instead she was sitting next to
an attentive Pierce, showing him her latest masterpieces; vibrantly
coloured drawings on several sheets of paper.

But she wasn't
his only companion.

A tall, broad
shouldered, blond haired man was leaning against the kitchen bench
with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. Mischievous blue eyes
came up to meet mine when I crept into the room. I held his gaze
for a second, but could feel the heat of Pierce's from the other
side of the table. Willing myself to be an adult about my drunken
behaviour last night, I straightened my shoulders and turned my
attention to the detective, receiving what sounded like a chuckle
from the blond stud.

"I'm surprised
to see you up and about," Pierce announced in way of greeting. "Abi
and Kelly haven't surfaced as yet."

"I didn't have
that much to drink," I defended, taking a seat at the table and
pouring my own cup of coffee as though I didn't have a care in the
world.

"That's not
the way I remember it," Pierce muttered, a small smile stretching
his lips.

"Don't doubt
my recollection of the night's events, Detective Pierce," I
replied. "I remember exactly what you did."

The blond
suddenly spat his coffee back into his mug, making Daisy giggle and
me realise just what I'd said. The blush deepened. Not missed by
Pierce.

"Well, now," he drawled. "Just what did
I
do to upset you you, Tiger?"

"You know
what," I shot back, offering Daisy a wink, trying to make the whole
conversation nothing but adults mucking about and being silly. My
ruse worked. She tittered and returned her attention to her
drawings, taking a bite from a piece of toast off to the side.

I could get
used to all these people helping to tend to my daughter's needs. Or
start to feel inadequate that they were beating me to it.

"So," the
blond said into the ensuing silence. "Marie, my name is Adam
Savill. I work at ASI and will be guarding Daisy today."

My cup of
coffee met the table's surface with a thud.

"Why does
Daisy need guarding?"