Ch. 1

Action …

Tara pulled her eyes away from her partner. A smile tried to break through when she thought of an old joke, Wrangler butts drive me nuts. Boy, did Bobby and those jeans drive her squirrelly. She adjusted the red satin halter top she wore with a skin tight black leather skirt. Thankfully, she had her cropped denim jacket to hide the comms and camera necessary for this op. The F.B.I. tech expert much preferred her professional dress slacks and button down blouses.

"Calm down, luv," she heard in her ear even over the loud music and voices surrounding them. Bobby had casually slung his arm around her shoulders as he leaned in to talk into the hollow of her ear. The bass vibrations of his voice zipped like electricity along her nervous system, causing a shiver. After that Tara forgot how to breathe. When Bobby squeezed her shoulder and flashed those dimples she could only nod.

Through the throng of moving bodies the pair spotted the target, Basim, a minor minion of Arif Dessa's. Since Dessa's disappearance Basim had begun to grab power. Jack and the team were determined to nip him in the bud, so to speak.

"Here he comes." Tara shot a look at the well-dressed man trailed by two others and their prerequisite floozies. Bobby took Tara's hand and pulled her over to the bar where they could watch the group in the mirror behind the large selection of liquor.

"Basim is living up to his name tonight, he's smiling to beat the band." Bobby commented dryly as he signaled for the bartender.

"You know what his name means in Arabic?" Tara asked. "I'm usually the one with all the trivia tidbits."

"You're the trivia queen for North America, I've got the rest of the globe covered," he joked, glancing at Tara in the mirror. He hoped the camera filming the reflection didn't capture his lingering gaze in the mirror or he'd never hear the end of it from matchmaker Lucy. So far he and Tara had avoided her 'help'.

Tara turned to lean against the bar, facing Bobby, ostensibly to get a better look at Basim's entourage. Really, she just wanted to look up into his light colored eyes for a moment.

"Ah, looks like Basim's lady friends are headed to the restroom. I'll see if I can pick up any juicy details." Tara gave Bobby a shy smile before moseying to the back of the bar and a line spilling onto the perimeter of the dance floor. Despite the heeled gladiator sandals Tara wore, she melted into the taller crowd.

She is a cute little thing, Bobby thought with a shake of his head.

"Hey, can you move a little to your right?" Agent Sue Thomas's voice cut into Bobby's thoughts. As casually as he could, Agent Manning moved into a better position for the surveillance team outside to see Basim's reflection.

"Perfect, except that he's not speaking in English." Frustrating to say the least.

"What about Basim's cohorts?" D chimed in.

Good thinking, Bobby nodded, thinking to himself. He sipped at the beer the bartender had slid his way.

"We're in luck." Tara appeared beside Bobby as if she'd teleported.

Bobby raised a brow, encouraging her to go on. He kept half an ear on what she was saying and both eyes on Basim.

"One of Basim's lieutenant's girlfriend was complaining about how he always takes her to a warehouse and how the men he met with were such creeps, including a man by the name of Daniel Owens."

"Nice catch." Bobby raised his beer in salute to her.

"Now, we just need to see which car he gets into so we can follow it to the warehouse." As she talked the women rejoined Basim and his cohorts. They pulled the men onto the dance floor.

Two A.M.

Bobby had nursed the same beer all night and Tara had sipped lightly at a rum and coke that was ninety-nine percent coke by the time last call was announced.

"Hallelujah!" Bobby sighed, straightening up from his place at the bar.

"I second that," Tara agreed tiredly. An all-nighter working on her computer or getting lost in a sci-fi book wasn't nearly as tiring or boring as standing in one position bombarded by criminally loud dance music as she watched three men and their floozies grind and gyrate. She momentarily envied Sue her deafness, until she thought how callous that sounded.

"It's now or never, let's go." Bobby took her hand and she gladly trailed along behind him as he parted the crowd on their way out. It saved her from getting trampled by the drunk and careless patrons.

"On our way toward Basim's car," Bobby surreptitiously spoke into his ear wig.

"10-4. Traffic has our view of the parking lot blocked." Jack's tired voice came back across the comms.

"Hold on," Bobby said quietly as he stopped, causing Tara to bump into his back. "Follow me." Still holding her hand he guided them along the brick wall away from the security lights overhead. They heard Basim talking to one of his cohorts. Bobby pressed Tara against the wall, his hands resting on either side of her as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I saw someone we know."

Tara looked up at him and nodded. It seemed like the longer she gazed up into his eyes the closer he leaned and the harder her heart hammered. She felt his breath on her cheek a moment before his husky voice asked, "May I?"

Tara nodded before hearing her own voice squeak, "Yes."

Before she could close her eyes his lips pressed against hers, softly at first.

He smells SO good. Tara tip-toed up, slipping her arms around his neck. Bobby's hands slipped from the brick wall to rest at the small of her back. Kissing Stanley had never been as sensational as this. From the feel of his hair to his aftershave, leather jacket collar, being surrounded by him sparked all five senses. She wished for a few more senses just to experience more of this man.

I think I could become addicted to her kisses, Bobby thought as he pulled back mere centimeters for air. He pressed lighter kisses to her cheek, her jaw, and finally her forehead. Bobby leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. He felt Tara's breath rush against his neck.

"Are you alright?" Tara's voice quivered.

"Eventually, yeah," he answered, his voice rough.

"Me too," Tara sighed.

"We have eyes on the target." Jack's voice on the comm system brought the pair back to earth. Bobby reluctantly straightened up. Tara didn't know what to do with her hands that had just been drinking in his skin.

"10-4." Tara looked into Bobby's eyes and saw mixed emotions.

"The team's waiting," Bobby spoke, turning away.

"Yeah, I guess they are." Tara exhaled a long breath, hating the awkwardness between them - again.