Rating: PG13/NC-17; Strong language, sexual content and violence

Summary: Tom is still smarting from Virginia's betrayal, while Cassy's own relationship with Doctor Brett Mayron has gotten closer. Still smarting from his grievous misjudgment, Tom wonders if his feelings for Cassy are real or a reaction. Before he has a chance to figure it out, he and Cassy are sent undercover - as a married couple.

Disclaimer: Don't own, want to buy them...no profit being made here!

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Do you remember when we used to dance
And incidence arose from circumstance
One thing lead to another we were young
And we would scream together songs unsung
Asia, Heat of the Moment

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Prologue

"Someone might see." The dark-haired woman didn't really sound like she was protesting. Nor did her body language support the supposed protest as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the King Palm tree's trunk and let him run his hands over her body.

"Isn't that how you like it?" her lover asked, but he obviously knew her predilections because he didn't even pause to hear her response before beginning to slide the straps of her dress off her shoulders to bare her full breasts.

"Mmm," the woman grudgingly agreed as she slid her fingers through his blond hair and not so subtly pressed herself against him.

Her lover obliged and began to press insistent lips over her shoulders as she slid the blue silk dress over her hips and dropped it to the ground around her feet.

"Naughty," he growled against her tan skin as his hands caressed the bit of lace gracing her hips.

"I was hoping you would see them," she gasped as his fingers slid under the lace and began to dance.

No more words were spoken.

Until a pop sounded in the distance.

"Johnny?" Her eyes popped open."Johnny?" She realized she was chilly, no warm body blocked the mild breeze from her naked form. "Oh my God!" She looked down on her lover's prone form, the blood flowing from his back apparent even in the darkness.

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Part 1

R-i-i-n-g

"Don't answer it," Brett said, though he didn't sound like he thought for a moment that Cassy would listen to him.

Cassy didn't bother to respond as she disentangled herself from his embrace and lifted te phone from its cradle. Holding the black, silk sheet over her bare body she greeted the untimely caller.

"It's me. We have a DB at Sandy Palms," Tom Ryan said, referring to the ritziest country club in West Palm Beach.

"Twenty minutes," Cassy said cryptically before hanging up.

"Twenty hmm." Brett's arm slid around Cassy's waist from behind.

"I have to go," Cassy murmured, even as she closed her eyes and dropped her head back against his shoulder.

"All right." Brett's hand began to move rhythmically underneath the sheet.

Cassy's sigh sounded like a purr as she arched her back.

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"What do we have?" Cassy asked Tom and the unknown medical examiner.

"Hello to you too, Cassy." Ivan Jorgen winked at her. "Male, thirty-five, named John Meirie. Long-time member of the club. Single gun-shot to the heart from the back. No exit wound. I'll know more when I get him back to the office."

"Fits the story we got from our witness, a Jenifer Blant, not the DB's wife by the way," Tom filled in.

"Did she see the shooter?" Cassy asked as she slipped on latex gloves.

"Would we be so lucky?" Tom said with the uncharacteristic cynicism he had adopted as of late.

Cassy didn't bother to respond to his rhetorical question and kneeled down and lifted the sheet off the body.

"Where's our witness?" Cassy asked a few minutes later as she was snapping off the gloves.

"Over here," Tom led her to a nearby police car where the woman was sitting with a towel wrapped around her shoulders. A large, older man stood close by.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Blant, I'm Sergeant St. John, this is my partner Sergeant Ryan. May we speak with you for a few moments?" Cassy was studying the woman as she spoke, taking in her disheveled appearance. Tom's comment that the victim was not this woman's husband was fresh in her mind.

"I'm Davis Goldman. My client has already spoken to the police, I would like to take her home now. She's had quite a shock." The elder man was firm despite his southern accent and well-mannered words.

"We understand your client is feeling a bit shaky and needs to get some rest, but here when it happened, but we're with homicide and would like to ask some preliminary questions while her memory is fresh. Then we'll put off the rest of the interview until tomorrow," Tom said courteously.

"Fine, a few minutes and then we'll come back in tomorrow," Davis agreed at his client's nod.

"I didn't see anyone. My...my eyes were closed," Mrs. Blant whispered, her cheeks reddened.

"Did you see anything when you opened your eyes, a shadow? Did John have any enemies or problems you knew about?" Cassy asked.

"No. All I saw was Johnny...lying there. Everyone loved Johnny, no one would want to hurt him," the woman said tearfully.

"Where was your husband Mrs. Blant?" Cassy asked.

"That's enough for now," Davis intervened.

"Are your Mr. or Mrs. Blant's attorney," Cassy demanded.

"My husband was at home with his nurse. He has a heart condition and wasn't feeling well enough to come to the Club tonight," Mrs. Blant spoke over her attorney's protests.

"Thank you Mrs. Blant. We'll come by tomorrow to speak to you and your husband," Cassy told them.

"Good night," Tom nodded and followed Cassy away.

"Wonder if it's a love match," Tom commented sardonically.

"Wonder if he's a jealous man," Cassy said. "Are you going home?"

"I'm going to go check some things out," Tom said.

"It's two in the morning Ryan. Why don't you get some sleep?" Cassy suggested.

"Worried about me?" Tom waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Tired of your grouchiness," Cassy rolled her eyes.

"Ouch. I can't sleep anyway. Might as well get something done. I won't stay long," he said.

"And when I come in and find you asleep at your desk you won't bark at me for waking you?" Cassy asked.

"Fine, fine. I'll go home and try to sleep. I promise," Tom swore in the face of Cassy's suspicious expression.

"Thomas," Cassy pressed her hand on his arm, a worried expression on her face.

"Look Cass, I promised all right. Just go home to your doctor," Tom pulled away and avoided her gaze.

"Good night Tom." Cassy couldn't quite hide the hurt from affecting her tone.

Tom sighed as he watched his partner walk away. Cassy was right to worry, he admitted silently, he needed to get a hold of himself and stop lashing out at the people he cared about just because he had been so wrong about Virginia.

Time was funny, he noted as he got into his convertible Mustang. It had been two months since Key Nuevo and sometimes the pain was so fresh it seemed like just yesterday. While time may not have healed his wounds or doubts in his own judgment, it had given him perspective.

For one thing he was able to admit that his relationship hadn't been all champagne and roses like he liked to believe. For another, his feelings for Cassy weren't as clear cut as he had claimed to her when he had been engaged to Virginia. He was still to distrusting of his own instincts to test those feelings out, besides it was probably too late. Their close call during the Pedron case was more than a clue that she wanted him too, but her relationship with the doctor was still going strong. Very strong if Cassy's almost lighthearted mood lately was anything to go by. In fact, he was beginning to steel himself for a Sunday brunch with an announcement for dessert.

Those were the reasons he couldn't sleep, but if he didn't try he would lose everything else in his life, like his job. Or his car when he crashed it from sheer exhaustion.

Tom turned up the radio for the rest of the ride home.

End Part 1