Chapter 9

Frankly, Eliot was not a fan of mornings. Given how little he slept, he always resented the need to get up and moving. Didn't mean he didn't get his butt in gear every day, of course, but he didn't like it.

He particularly didn't like it today, considering his morning consisted of a naked Parker wrapped up against him. Who in their right mind would want to get up from that? But mornings were his prime time to get a workout in, before the rest of the world woke up and demanded attention. Parker had started training with him months ago, pretty much when he'd started teaching her to fight. That fabulous body of hers needed constant training to stay as limber and quick as it did, and Eliot had found himself amazed at how hard the blonde worked at it. Parker had given him a look, he remembered, when she'd caught him regarding her with surprise, and told him that she might be a little crazy, but she was also a damn good thief. He'd shut up at that point, and instead had offered to spot her on the weight machines.

But the light was streaming in his window, and Eliot knew they needed to get a workout in before the day started. So here he was, very, very reluctantly waking up the sleeping woman in his arms.

"Parker," he said softly. He kissed her shoulder and stroked his hand down her arm. "Parker," he said again.

She wrinkled her nose and burrowed deeper into the pillow. "No," she said, sounding remarkably awake for someone he'd have sworn was asleep just a few moments ago.

"No?' Eliot asked, amused. He traced the line of her shoulder with one finger. "No to what?"

"You're going to want me to go hit something," Parker said, scrunching her eyes shut rather determinedly. "And I want to stay in bed and then eat Capt'n Crunch. And then have more sex."

Eliot grinned. He'd always thought she was a pretty smart woman. "Yeah, 'fraid so, darlin'," he said, kissing her shoulder. "We need to get a workout in before the race this morning." He smirked against her skin. "Don't want you getting fat from all this sitting down in the car."

He felt Parker huff, and let her squirm around in his arms to face him. Her eyes were open now and she glared at him. "Sophie said a guy is never ever ever supposed to call a woman fat," she announced.

Eliot laughed and leaned down to thoroughly kiss her. "Mornin'," he said softly, when they separated.

"Hi," Parker said, lips curving just a little. Then she glared again. "Maybe YOU'RE fat." She looked smug.

Eliot laughed again, and rolled, sitting up. "Anything you say, darlin', long as you get that pretty little ass up outta bed." It was a wretch, getting out of that bed, but it had to be done. Dammit.

"It IS a pretty ass, isn't it," Parker said comfortably, craning her head to look over one shoulder while she walked, naked, toward her clothing. How the hell she managed to do that and not fall over, he'd never know. He admired the part of her anatomy in question while she did so.

He pulled on some workout clothes, and hunted around in his suitcase for a bandana. Parker had covered up, in the meantime, and was heading for the door. "Meet you down there," she sang out.

"Ok," Eliot barely managed to get out before she was gone and the door was closing behind her. He stretched a little, rolling his shoulders, before spotting the bandana in question and heading out the door himself. So they wouldn't be naked. He still was going to go roll around with Parker.

They were trooping back upstairs, sweaty and muscles loose and warm, when Parker's cell rang this time. Eliot blinked in surprise.

"I thought you'd stopped carrying that thing," he said as she pulled the phone out of a pocket. And since when had there been pockets and cell phones in those skin-tight yoga pants? he thought, scrutinizing her backside. Purely for work purposes, of course. "Haven't seen you answer it all con."

Parker shrugged. "I'm always with you. Why do I need my phone? You carry yours." She flipped it open. "Good morning, Sophie," she said cheerfully. "Did you want to work out with Eliot and me? Because you missed it."

Eliot snorted, picturing the elegant brunette letting him throw her around on the mats the way Parker did. Nah. That wasn't really Sophie's way. He knew she carried a hidden stiletto for emergencies, REAL emergencies, and that she knew how to use it. After all, he'd taught her.

"Can you get me Capt'n Crunch?" Parker was saying. "And I need a shower. Because I kind of stink. So does Eliot." She leaned over as they walked up to the elevator and sniffed at him loudly. "Eeww."

Eliot leaned back and swatted at her half-heartedly. "Hey," he protested. Then he got a wiff of himself. Well. Ok.

"Ok, see you in a bit," Parker said, bouncing on her toes as the elevator doors opened. She shut the phone as they stepped in.

"So, I guess you're having breakfast with Sophie," Eliot said. Not entirely sure he was happy about that. One, he'd rather have breakfast with Parker. Or have her for breakfast, whichever. And two, he didn't trust the grifter to pry and pull things out of Parker that he didn't really want to share yet. And he kind of thought Parker didn't want to share yet.

Parker leaned back on the railing of the elevator as it started dinging its way up. "Yep," she said. "She promised me Capt'n Crunch."

Eliot nodded and crossed his arms. He stood there in silence, and when their floor dinged, stepped forward out of the doors. He glanced about, automatically checking things, not even really thinking about it as he walked toward his room.

"So, I guess I'll…" he started as he came to his door. But when he turned to face Parker, he found her right behind him, so close she was nearly plastered to his front.

Parker snatched the key card from his hand and opened his door herself. Eliot stood surprised for a moment. "Wait, I thought you were eating with Sophie," he called after her, hastily stepping into his room after her. The woman was already pulling clothes off and the door wasn't even shut. He remedied that in a hurry.

"I need a shower," Parker said, as if it was obvious. "I stink. So do you."

Eliot blinked for a moment, then grinned. "Right. Sorry." And with that he wasted no time following the blonde into his own bathroom, dropping his pants on the floor next to her shirt.

Parker was off with Sophie, and Eliot had some time to kill. He'd thought about seeing if Nate needed anything done, but popping his earbud in and catching Nate and Hardison bickering about that stupid T-whatever connection thing again convinced him to stay offline.

Instead, he headed for the track. Today was another special stage, where Parker was going to be trying to drive as fast as possible again. Eliot grinned, thinking about the little blonde thief's face while behind the wheel. Hot. Very hot.

They were on a different route, however, than last time, different roads and surfaces. Something was tickling his guy about this, and damned if he was going to ignore it. After all, you never knew when Russians would show up. Or Columbians. Eliot grinned.

Something had Eliot pulling over and parking off the road, behind some trees a good half-mile from the start of the course. It was still early, hours before anyone should be arriving. Heck, he wouldn't even expect to see the local officials setting up barriers yet. Eliot headed back through the trees in the direction of the roads they'd be using, prepared for a bit of a hike.

He hit on the road in about a half-hour, but choose to stay off it, up on the embankment. He squatted down, studying the surface. Good hard dirt, some gravel mixed in. He squinted ahead. Was that a creek around the corner? He thought he heard water.

Then Eliot frowned. Wait. That wasn't water. That was a car. He dropped lower down into the bushes, letting the undergrowth hide the denim of his jeans and the lighter tones of his skin. Sure enough, around the corner came a car. A rally car. Eliot's eyes narrowed.

It was going slowly, but he recognized the driver regardless. Dumbass. Eliot reached up and flipped his earbud on. "Nate," he said softly.

"Eliot?" Nate's voice answered in his head. "Something up?"

"I'm out at the track," Eliot said. "I've got Dumbass, Darrien, out here in his car. His co-driver's with him."

"What?" Parker's voice sounded. Loudly. "He's cheating! That poop-head is cheating!"

Eliot winced a little. "Not so loud, babe," he said softly, watching the car cruise slowly past him. "Yeah. He's cheating. Guess we know how he does so well, huh?"

"You're not supposed to get to cheat!" Parker was pissed. Yessirree. "These are blind races, there's no reconnaissance allowed!"

Eliot chose to ignore that technically, he was doing the same thing. Well, sort of. He wasn't actually driving the course. And he'd come out to see if he could find something for the con, not to get an advantage for Parker in the race. She didn't need one.

"Easy, darlin'," he said softly, watching to see if the car would return the same way. Judging by the sound of its motor dwindling in the distance, no.

"Parker, you can't accuse Darrien of cheating," Nate was saying in his head as he focused back in.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Parker, then Darrien would want to know how YOU knew he was cheating, and Eliot would be accused of the same thing," Sophie piped up. Huh. Guess their little breakfast was over. Eliot judged the car to be far enough away, and silently stood up.

"Guys, I'm just going to do a quick walk-through and make sure there's been no sabotage," Eliot said quietly, eyes and spare ear intent. "Meet you back at the hotel in an hour, Parker." He flipped the bud back off, cutting off Parker's rant and bent low, slipping through the undergrowth along the side of the road. He just didn't trust the guy, he thought. Didn't trust him at all.

No smut this time, just story. Sorry. Lol. And maybe I should have made the Columbians the Spanish Inquisition. Because, you know, no one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition. Enjoy!