Ch. 25: Dangerous Liaisons
The music swirled around Mary as she swayed gently in Marshall's arms.
He had led her to the dance floor as part of their cover and to save her from having to dance with Joseph Reynolds. When she had seen the target of their surveillance approaching them again, she had cringed. She was well aware of the fact that he was the key to them discovering any information about Harrison, but her plan was to do that through observation. The last thing she wanted was physical contact with the man and she made a mental note to thank her partner later for his swift intervention.
Now that they were safely ensconced among the dancing couples, she relaxed slightly and leaned into Marshall, her head coming to rest against his chin. She took a deep breath, inhaling his unmistakable scent, and lost all conscious thought for a moment. 'Wow,' she thought to herself, 'has he always smelled this good?' His hand was against her back and as she felt him begin to slowly caress the bare skin with his thumb, her mind came crashing back to reality.
'Jesus, Mary,' she cursed herself, 'You need to focus! Finding out about Harrison, that's why you're here. Not to play house with Marshall!' She hid the small frown that formed on her lips by burying her head even further into Marshall and her subconscious once again got the better of her. 'Okay, no playing house, but I wouldn't mind playing Doctor. I wonder how Marshall would look in a nurse's uniform?' Mary thought as a wicked grin replaced the frown. 'Bad Mary! Bad, bad Mary.'
Meanwhile, Marshall was smiling contently about their current circumstance. He hadn't intended to ask her to dance, not wanting to suffer the anticipated rejection, but when he had seen Reynolds approaching and sensed her apprehension, he had immediately guided her toward the music.
He was relieved when she relaxed into him and he couldn't believe how natural it felt to hold her in his arms. Trying to keep his attention on tracking Reynolds, he couldn't stop the smug look that formed on his face as he took in all the admiring looks and jealous stares from around the ballroom. Before he realized what he was doing, his thumb began lightly caressing her bare skin. As he became aware of his actions, he expected to feel her tense up or scold him in some manner, but was pleasantly surprised when he felt her nestle even closer to him.
'Oh God,' he thought, 'does she realize what she is doing to me?' He closed his eyes and reveled in the pleasure of the moment, wishing it could be under different circumstances. As he opened his eyes again and refocused on his surroundings, he spotted Reynolds across the room watching them. Marshall leaned down, burrowing his nose in her hair as he found her ear.
"Mary," he said a low, deep voice.
His tone, combined with the warm breath that tickled her ear, was enough to push Mary past the point of being able to speak and she merely nodded in response.
Letting go of her hand briefly, he reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear. Then he placed his fingertips on her shoulder and let them travel down her arm until he took her hand in his once more. He felt her shiver and relished at the idea that he was able to have such an effect on her.
"Mare," he whispered once more, letting his lips brush her cheek as he spoke.
She didn't reply this time either, but pulled back slightly and looked directly into his eyes as if searching for something. He met her gaze and thought about all the things he wanted to say to her when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a very aggravated Reynolds retreating.
"C'mon," he said quietly as he took her hand and led her from the dance floor, "I think something's going on. I just saw Reynolds leave the room and he didn't look happy."
They moved to a spot near the side of the room that allowed for a good view of the door into which Reynolds had disappeared, their posture and closeness telling anyone that might be considering approaching to think twice. Marshall leaned against the wall and pulled Mary close to him, letting his hand rest on the small of her back while she placed her hands on his shoulders.
He reached up with his other hand and tenderly caressed her cheek as he bent his head and whispered, "He was watching us, you know, while we were dancing."
Mary smiled at his words in order to keep up their cover in front of any prying eyes. Then she lifted her hand to let her fingers run through his hair as she asked him, "Do you think he knows? I mean, why would he keep up the charade if he knew who we really are?"
"I don't know,' he said slowly as he enjoyed the feel of her fingers. "I honestly can't figure this one out and that's what scares me."
He knew his emotions were running high and he suspected hers were too. If they couldn't find a way to stay in control and focused, there would be trouble. But being so close to her in this way was intoxicating, like nothing he had ever experienced before and he wanted more.
She felt the hand that was on her back start to move it's way up slowly and finally come to rest on the back of her neck, guiding her closer to him. Their lips were almost touching when Mary looked at Marshall in surprise. As soon as their eyes met, the surprise was replaced by a daring glare and small chuckle escaped from Marshall's throat as he watched the rapid change in her expression.
"Are you challenging me, Mrs. Miller?" he asked as he leaned in close letting his cheek brush against hers as he spoke.
"Do you think you're up for it, Mr. Miller?" she questioned in a low and sultry voice as she slid her hands under his jacket and around his waist, letting them come to rest on his buttocks.
"This is a dangerous game, Mary," Marshall warned as his mind began to reel and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on collarbone.
"Who said anything about this being a game?" she asked in a soft, yet serious tone as she responded to his kiss by placing her lips on his neck.
Her question caused Marshall to pull back and study her face, hoping to see something that would indicate whether or not she was really being serious.
Mary was confused by his sudden withdrawal from her touch until she saw him studying her closely, looking for some sign of truth in what she had just said to him. Her features softened and she smiled in response to his inquiry. He immediately drew her close once more, placing a kiss on her shoulder as he held her to him.
Marshall then pressed one small kiss after another as his lips slowly made their way up her neck, building toward a moment he had imagined more times than he would ever be willing to admit, especially to Mary. As he brushed her hair from her shoulder, he glanced up to make sure Reynolds hadn't returned and froze.
"What?" Mary asked, her gut telling her that she was not going to like the answer.
"Harrison," Marshall said, suddenly very alert. "Harrison is here."
"God damn it," Mary cursed under her breath as she grabbed Marshall by the collar and pulled him to her.
"What are y..." Marshall began, but was cut off as Mary's lips came crashing against his and his head was suddenly filled with images from that damn stable where they had found Trina. This time, though, it was different. Mary was the one kissing him and not pulling away.
She felt his body tense at the initial shock of her kiss and was worried he'd pull away. She released his collar and let her hands wander under his jacket once more as she traced smaller kisses along his jawbone until she reached his ear.
"I don't think anyone watching would be surprised if Mr. and Mrs. Miller called it a night," she whispered, not being able to resist nibbling on his earlobe and smiling at the shudder she felt run through him. "Now kiss me, Marshall, and then let's get out of here."
Finding it hard to believe that she had said his name with such desire, he put his hand on her chin and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. She unknowingly licked her lips as she smiled back at him and watched his want and need chase away any lingering doubt.
He leaned down to kiss her and as his lips brushed lightly against hers, she found herself totally unprepared for the amount of emotion that surged through her body. He continued to press his lips softly to hers and she trembled, thankful for the firmness of his hand on her back. Feeling him start to deepen the kiss, she parted her lips to allow him access and was not disappointed as their tongues met eagerly while the world around them seemed to fade away.
As applause began to echo throughout the room, the partners broke away from each other and faced the crowd. With flush faces and breathing heavily, they scanned the room for clues as to what they had missed and as a means of avoiding each other. Spotting Reynolds moving away from the bandstand, smiling and acknowledging various people in the crowd, it was apparent there had been an announcement or speech of some kind.
Mary felt Marshall's arm encircle her shoulders as he said, "I think this is a good time for us to skedaddle."
"Skedaddle?" Mary questioned sarcastically as she turned her head to look at him, but Marshall just shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
As he continued to escort her across the room, he became aware of the knowing glances and approving nods from the other guests. He grinned as he thought about their little display and wondered if Mary noticed the looks as well. Suddenly, he felt her arm wrap tightly around his waist and his grin faded as he noticed Reynolds approaching.
"Why Mr. and Mrs. Miller," Reynolds said walking up to them, "I trust you have been enjoying yourselves this evening."
"Yes. Thank you," Marshall replied politely despite the pain he felt from Mary's fingernails digging into his side.
"I was hoping to have the honor of a dance with Mrs. Miller."
"Oh, I'm afraid we were just leaving," Mary said as she leaned closer to Marshall. "But thank you for having us, we had a wonderful time."
"I don't suppose there is the possibility of you changing your minds."
"No. We really must be going," Marshall said with conviction. "Good night, Joseph, and thank you."
"Well, if that's the way it must be then I bid you both farewell," Reynolds said as he nodded at them and turned toward Harrison who was standing near the door.
Marshall quickly whisked Mary passed the two men and out the door, while offering an acknowledging smile and nod of the head as they left. Once outside the room and out of view, the partners stopped and separated. Each took a deep breath as their eyes met, knowing that the events of the evening were going to have to be revisited at some point in the near future.
Smiling reassuringly, Marshall offered his hand to Mary, but then quickly pulled it away.
"Hey!"
"Shh!" Marshall said putting a finger to his lips. Then, realizing how mad his partner was about to get he added in a whisper, "Sorry, it's just I think I can hear Reynolds and Harrison."
Glaring, she motioned toward the doorway from which they just emerged and moved toward the wall, pulling Marshall with her. Concerned about being caught eavesdropping, they once again intertwined in a very intimate position against the wall, but this time it was all professional as they tried to listen to the conversation taking place on the other side of the wall.
"Have you found him?" asked an unrecognizable voice that they assumed was Harrison.
"Yeah, he's living along the river just north of town," Reynolds replied in a tone of voice much different than they were used to, but it was still unmistakably him.
"Any problems?"
"No, our cover's safe," Reynolds said. Then he laughed and continued, "These rednecks don't suspect a thing."
"Good. Who's that tall guy that you were just talking to? He looks familiar."
"Nah, impossible. He's just some computer geek visiting from Arizona. I met his wife in the park and didn't realize she was married. Real feisty, that one. It's just too bad her hubby showed up when he did, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, whatever, Uncle Joe," Harrison said in a voice that indicated he really wasn't interested in what Reynolds was saying. "Right now, I need to know that you have everything in place on your end. There can't be any screw ups!"
"Hey, Kid, has Uncle Joey ever let you down before?"
Marshall removed his head from where it was buried in Mary's neck and put his mouth near her ear.
"Well, at least they don't suspect anything about us," he whispered.
"Yeah, but he's definitely here for your father," Mary replied quietly. "We need to get back, now."
***
As they pulled out of the hotel, Mary was not surprised when he turned in the opposite direction of his parent's house. Even though it appeared that their cover had not been blown, she knew he would want to make sure that they didn't have any unwanted company.
She immediately radioed in to confirm the back up teams were in place and made sure that they understood that the target had changed from Reynolds to Harrison. Once she was satisfied that everyone was on the same page, she turned her attention to Marshall.
"You know this is going to get really complicated, really fast," she pointed out as she focused on the task at hand, but well aware that she was stating the obvious about almost every aspect of their lives at the moment.
Marshall didn't have to ask what she was referring to because they had to push any other issues, other than protecting his father and Matty, aside for the time being. "Yeah, I figured we wouldn't be able to keep the situation quiet for long, but once the Feds get word that Harrison's been identified it's going to turn into a three ring circus," Marshall said as he raised a hand to his head and rubbed his forehead. He was worried and knew it was going to be a long night.
Mary saw him rubbing his forehead and studied him closer. The tension almost radiated off of him and she was beginning to be concerned. She didn't doubt his ability to do his job, but she, of all people, understood just how difficult it could be to do your job when it became personal and she didn't envy him his position right now.
"Are you okay?" she asked with her concern evident in her voice.
He nodded quickly in response, not turning to face her.
"Marshall, look at me," she beseeched him as she placed a hand on his forearm. "Now is not the time to get lost in that head of yours again. We'll handle this, together, like we always do."
He covered her hand with his and glanced at her quickly as he said, "I couldn't do this without you, Mare. You know that, right?"
She squeezed his arm and smiled mischievously as she replied, "Damn good thing, since you're stuck with me."
Then they both turned their attention to the road as Marshall doubled back and headed north.
***
Thanks to sfchemist for reading through this and boosting my confidence. I hope it left you all wanting more. I probably won't update until the weekend, so Happy Holidays to all!