She was right. Within an hour she knew the names of the owners of the four trailers and in fact had been talking to the wives of two of them. Of course then she’d had to endure open versus closed trailer discussions before the two women dragged their husbands over to meet Jessie. She asked them questions about trailer ownership, managing to tamp down her squealing excitement when they both invited Jessie and Diaz to visit their trailers tonight.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, her gaze searching the room for signs of Diaz. No time like the present to get their hands on two of the trailers for an impromptu inspection. But Diaz was nowhere in sight. Neither was Crush. Which is what she told the men, so they and their wives offered to show Jessie the trailers. She agreed and walked down the hill with them, chatting pleasantly about biking and road trips and which truck or SUV was well equipped to tow which trailers.

Not that what they talked about mattered. What was important was getting inside both trailers, even if it was just a cursory look. Pretty much empty except for bike, luggage, and tool storage. Her inspection didn’t turn up anything that looked like it could contain weapons storage, so she crossed both trailers off her list.

Partial mission accomplished. Two trailers down, two to go. She thanked the couples, who offered to show off the trailers to Diaz whenever he wanted to see them. Then she made her way back to the lodge to find Diaz.

Fortunately she only had to trek halfway up, because he was on his way toward their cabin.

“Where were you?” he asked.

She looked around to see if anyone was about. It appeared they were alone, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. She told him about seeing the two trailers, hoping he’d play along with the game of wanting to “buy” them. He nodded as they walked back to their cabin. Once inside with the door shut, she told him what she’d found.

“No false bottoms or walls?”

She shook her head. “Nothing that I could see. Both were solidly constructed and not expandable. There didn’t appear to be anyplace within either one where weapons could be stashed, at least not in the quantity that we’re talking about for this mission.”

“Okay. So that rules both of those trailers out.”

“What about the RVs?”

He slid out of his jacket and tossed it in a nearby chair. “I hung out with Crush for a while, talked to him about them. He took me over to one of the guys who owns the brown RV.”

Excitement rushed through her. She sat on the bed next to him, slipping off her jacket and tossing it over his. “Did you get inside?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Got the whole tour, inside and out.”

“And?”

Shrugging, he said, “Nothing that I could see, at least on the surface. It’s not like I could do a thorough inspection with Crush and Nate standing there. But nothing appeared out of the ordinary.”

“Too bad.” That was disappointing. Finding a cache of weapons would end this mission on a high note, meaning they could wrap up before they got involved in anything dangerous. Then again, maybe there weren’t any weapons. As she unzipped her boots, her gaze flitted to Diaz. “Are you sure we’re on the right track here?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Are we certain that the Skulls are the ones providing illegal arms to the survivalist group?”

“Yes.”

No hesitation. Okay, then. “And are we sure that they have the weapons on them right now?”

“You mean at the lodge here? No. That we’re not sure of. They could have a stash somewhere else that they plan to dig up before they make contact. That’s why it was important for us to get in with this gang. Now it’s our job to stay tight with them and watch their every move.”

“We’re not exactly watching from in here, are we?” she asked.

“Not yet. But we will be.”

“Really. And how are you going to manage that?”

“Grab a blanket and come with me.”

This was work related? Cool. If it required a blanket and Diaz, she was game.

He led her out the back door and around the wraparound porch. There was a two-person rocking chair situated in a perfect spot, tucked in the corner of the side of the cabin, with a great view both coming and going from the road. You could see all the way up to the lodge, and farther down the road past their cabin. Since no one could get anywhere behind them, this was the best vantage point for simply sitting and . . . watching.

In other words, excellent surveillance location.

“Come on,” he said, taking a seat and holding the blanket out for her.

Now that it was dark, it was really getting cold outside. She grabbed the other seat and snuggled up close to Diaz. He pulled the thick blanket over both of them, tucking it in around her shoulders. Between the cover and his body heat, she was more than comfortable.

No one was wandering about down by their cabin, but there were several gang members hanging around outside the lodge at the top of the hill. A few lights were on at some of the cabins, others had gone dark.

They rocked together in silence for a while, both of them keeping watch on the bikers, the road, anything that looked suspicious. Jessie laid her head on Diaz’s shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, playing with her hair.

It was comfortable, warm, and the way he touched her made her feel safe. She wanted this to last forever.

Why couldn’t it last forever? Why did relationships have to be so complicated? What was it about Diaz that made him hold back?

“Diaz . . .”

“Shhh. Don’t talk.” He turned, tipped her chin back with his fingers, and pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were soft as they brushed back and forth, and she lost her train of thought, lost everything but the desire for this moment to hang suspended forever. That cold chill she’d felt earlier dissolved into liquid warmth as he gathered her into his arms, pulling her across his lap and sliding his arms tightly around her. She moaned, her mouth opened, and he slid his tongue inside, claiming possession of hers with soft, velvet strokes that made her quiver inside.

He tugged at the zipper of her jacket, drew it down, slid his hand inside to cup her breast. Her heart pounded against his palm as he gently squeezed and cupped her, teased her already-distended nipple with his thumb.

“I thought we were doing surveillance.” Her words were breathless, her thoughts scattered like the leaves tossed by the wind.

“I’m watching. You focus on what I’m doing.”

“That’s my problem,” she said, gasping when he rolled her nipple between his fingers. “It’s all I’m focusing on.”

“Ah, Jess, I need to f**k you.”

His words conjured up wicked things in her mind. She drew closer to him, kissed the corner of his mouth. Didn’t he know she’d give him anything, anytime? “Yes.”

He sucked in a harsh breath, lifted her off his lap, and stood her up. “Hold the blanket in front of you.”

She stood between his legs, her back to him. He reached around and slid the button open on her jeans, then drew the zipper down. Her legs felt wobbly as he tugged her pants down her hips, then over her thighs, bringing her panties with them until they rested at her knees. Moisture spilled between her legs, her cl*tquivering with anticipation.

Hurry. This was so naughty, so exciting, right out here where someone could see. Did she care? Oh, hell no.

She felt him lift against her, heard his zipper, the tearing of the condom packet.

“Come here, baby.”

Then warm hands on the bare skin of her hips, pulling her down onto his lap.

It wasn’t the easiest position, but she didn’t mind. She wanted his c**k inside her, felt the tip nestling against her pu**y lips. He guided her because she couldn’t see, drawing her down over his cock, lifting his h*ps to impale her. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying out as the thick heat of his shaft thrust inside her until she was sitting on his thighs, his c**k embedded deep within her.

It felt so damn good she wanted to cry. She pulsed around him and started to rock, back and forth, her cl*trubbing his legs.

“That’s it, f**k me just like that,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around her to pull her back against him. The other hand slid up under her shirt and found her breasts, teasing her ni**les until she couldn’t hold back the moans of delight that escaped.

“Yes. Fuck me, Diaz, f**k me.” Now she didn’t care who heard her or who knew what they were doing. She wanted only the orgasm she craved, the one that hovered so close as he thrust upward, then retreated, only to bury his c**k deep within her again. Every time he moved, her cl*tdragged against him, doubling the sweet pleasure until she had to hold on to the chair for support.

“Do you like f**king outside where someone can see you?” he asked, his whisper a warm caress against her cheek.

“Yes.” She rocked forward, her pu**y tightening.

“Someone could be watching us right now, Jess. They’d know we’re f**king. Does that make you wet?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah. I can feel your pu**y getting wetter.” He drove harder, lifting his h*ps to give her more of his delicious cock. She was getting closer, her fingers drifting down to cover her clit.

“That’s it. Rub your cl*tand make yourself come for me.”

He gave her nipple a light pinch, rolled it, and she shattered, feeling like a million pieces of her were scattering all over. She wanted to tilt her head back and scream but didn’t dare. Instead, she shuddered against him, gripping his arm, the chair, while she cl**axed repeatedly, panting through this intense orgasm that rolled in waves. Diaz buried his face against her, whispering her name in the softest way as he came, grasping her hand and holding it tight for the longest time until he finally relaxed.

When she had some sanity again, when she’d righted her clothes and he had, too, she shifted onto the seat and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Is it always like this?”

“What?” he asked, caressing her arm.

“Sex.”

It took him a few minutes to answer.

“No, Jessie. It isn’t always like this.”

She smiled. That’s what she thought.

THIRTEEN

EVERY TIME DIAZ HELD JESSIE IN HIS ARMS, HE REALIZED HOW hard it was going to be to let her go. He’d gotten used to having her around, having her close. He’d started to think of her as his.

He was in deep shit.

But he was going to let her go.

She had nestled in close, her nose pressed to his chest, eyes closed, lashes resting against her cheek. God, she was beautiful, and still so innocent. He’d never mar that innocence by forcing her to live with him. He’d ruin her. Maybe not today, tomorrow, this month, this year or next, but eventually his true colors would show. He already had a hard time reining in his temper. What would happen when she really pissed him off? Would he go after her like his old man had done with his mom?

The thought of hurting Jessie caused him physical pain inside. He’d like to think he’d never do something like that, but he couldn’t take that chance.

It would be better to start distancing himself from her now, but he supposed he was weak, because he just couldn’t do it.

The more time he spent with her, the more he craved. There never seemed to be enough, especially knowing that what they had could only be temporary. Every day the clock ticked louder, signaling time running out. Maybe if he just strung her along for a while, then abruptly cut her out of his life when they finished the mission, it would be easier. She’d hate him, but she’d get over him faster.

Yeah, he was a f**king saint, wasn’t he? He wasn’t thinking of Jessie. He was thinking of himself. If he’d been thinking of Jess he’d never have started anything up with her. He’d been weak. Instead of walking away like he should have, he’d fallen right into bed with her.

There were a lot of women he could have fucked, plenty of willing females to scratch the itch with.

But he wasn’t interested in just scratching the itch, was he? With Jess, it was more than that. She’d knocked repeatedly. Hell, she’d pounded. The girl was relentless when she wanted something. What she’d wanted was him. Instead of barring the door, he’d flung it wide open and let her in, so he had no one to blame but himself for this mess. How to get out of it was the problem.

“Something’s been bothering you.”

He looked down at her, not even realizing she’d woken. “Just thinkin’.”

“I know. You do that a lot. But you don’t tell me what you’re thinking about.”

“This and that. Mostly the mission,” he lied.

She pushed up so they were face-to-face, her eyes a clear emerald that even the darkness couldn’t hide. He stopped breathing whenever he searched her face. Damn, he was in deep.

“It’s more than the mission. It’s us, isn’t it?”

“Us? No.”

“Diaz, you can talk to me. I’m an adult. I can handle a frank discussion if there’s something on your mind.”

Not this discussion. This one she wouldn’t want to have. It would lead to tears and emotions he wasn’t equipped to handle. “Trust me, Jessie. There are a lot of things on my mind about this case. That’s what’s keeping me busy.”

She studied him carefully. He knew she wasn’t buying his excuses. She could read him too well. Sooner or later, they’d have to talk about their relationship. He just didn’t want it to be now.

The roar of motorcycles saved him. They both turned their attention to the lodge. Rex and the other bikers who’d ridden off earlier had returned and were dispersing to their designated sleeping spots.