Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
The man was a risk-taker by nature, and I suppose by duty.
I was dying for every detail, even though I was jealous he got to do that while I was trapped with the sex-toy ladies. “What did you find? You’re looking too pleased with yourself not to have found something,” I said, and I couldn’t suppress my smile.
He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar with a wrapper from Ecuador. “He has a few dozen of these in his safe, along with his passport. I grabbed one from the top. Didn’t want to take more and risk him noticing their absence.”
I groaned, are you kidding me style. “For real? He had chocolate bars in his safe?”
He furrowed his brow, perhaps picking up on my exasperation. “Is that because of the cocoa farm he invested in or does your reaction mean something else?”
I shook my head. I had to hand it to Eli. “It’s a”—I sighed—“a running joke. A family joke. Cole and I used to take his chocolate bars when we were kids. We’d sneak bites from the cupboard and try to wrap them back up, and he busted us.”
Jake chuckled, covering his mouth like he knew he shouldn’t laugh. “You did?”
“Well, yeah. They were good. He has good taste.”
“And you thought he wouldn’t notice?”
I rolled my eyes. “We were kids. And he said he’d need to start hiding chocolate in a safe. And eventually he did. But he would then get other bars for us,” I said, and I both hated and loved this memory. It was sweet, how he’d given us our own chocolate stash, and funny too, how he’d locked up his special ones in a safe. Now it was just tainted.
And it felt a little like a slap in the face.
But what was it he’d said about his chocolates? He’d called them his special bars.
I studied the chocolate, tapping the bar. “I think this is the cocoa farm that went belly-up. I bet they were his most special bars.”
I breathed out a long sigh. We didn’t go to Eli’s tonight to find chocolate, so that was frustrating. But on the bright side, while we hadn’t found the diamonds, we’d narrowed down the search. “At least we know where the diamonds aren’t,” I said, hopeful.
“And that’s just part of the job,” he said, then squeezed my hand. “Especially if you have a good partner.”
I smiled, believing him at last.
He was a pretty damn good partner too.
25
SWEET THINGS
Jake
Ruby sucked on a Cherry Popsicle, and my life would never be the same. How had I gone thirty-eight years without witnessing something so outrageously sexy? But at least I was lucky enough to see it now, and I never wanted to look away.
As we grabbed a table at the edge of the starlit beach, my eyes were glued to the sight of her tongue swirling along the length of the cherry ice. Maybe it was the talk of sex toys, or the conversation about tight dresses, or maybe it was the moment we’d shared in the car—when I’d implored her to understand all she’d done for me. Whatever it was, I couldn’t think about a damn thing but this woman. Especially as she sat across the table from me, licking the frozen treat, rolling her eyes, and moaning in culinary delight.
Really, I should have focused on work and only work. I should have rolled up my proverbial sleeves and devised a plan for what was next. But this strong, fierce, and sexy-as-sin woman had all my attention. Getting involved with someone while on a job was a mistake, but when I was with her, I didn’t think. I felt. And my body thought it was a very good idea to take her into my arms.
I tried to keep the mood light though. Focus on the simple things.
“Enjoying yourself?” I asked as I finished my mint chocolate chip ice cream.
She waggled the popsicle my way. “This is heavenly. You really should have one.”
“Yeah, I should. But one of us needs to drive. So by all means, continue fellating the popsicle.”
“I do believe I will.” She drew the popsicle in deep and sucked long and hard.
Groaning, I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. “You’re killing me.”
She cocked her head, affecting a quizzical look. So innocent, so faux innocent. “How am I killing you, Jake? I thought we were sticking to just work?”
Like either one of us had been good at that. “And we have an excellent track record at that, don’t we?”
“We are the best at it,” she said, and added a lick for good measure. At least she was having a good time. Some of her earlier tension seemed to have drained away. I was glad to see her in a better mood, a lighter mood. She looked good feisty, but she looked damn good when she was having fun.