Fires of Autumn (16 page)

Colt
wrapped her up in his big arms, holding her tightly.  His face was in the side
of her silky caramel-colored hair.

“You
deserve to be treated nicely,” he murmured, kissing her head and pulling back
to look at her. “I promise I will always treat you like you’re the most
important thing in the world. I’ll buy you flowers every week and I’ll do
everything I can to make sure you feel special and loved.”

Casey
looked at him, shocked. “
Loved
?”

He smiled
at her, a big hand stroking the side of her head. “If you think I’m just
hanging out with you just to pass the time, think again,” he said softly.
“Everything I do has a purpose. Even you.”

She wasn’t
following him. “What purpose?”

He cupped
her face and kissed her lips, gently. “Let’s eat dinner and then we’ll talk
about it,” he whispered, rising to his feet. “Are you hungry?”

She
nodded, looking to the table because he was starting to remove the metal heat
covers.

“I didn’t
eat before we boarded the plane,” she said, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I
never do because I get motion sick on long flights.”

He smiled
faintly as he put a plate of lobster and steak in front of her. “So what
happens when we go to London on our honeymoon? That’s a long flight, you know.”

She
laughed softly. “I didn’t realize we had gone from being boyfriend and
girlfriend to our honeymoon so quickly.”

“I’m just
testing the water.”

She
continued to giggle, watching him pop the champagne. “You don’t waste any time,
do you?”

“I can’t
afford to,” he said, pouring two glasses of champagne. “Live for today because
tomorrow, we may die.”

Her smile
faded. “That’s pretty morbid.”

“It’s a
famous quote,” he put a glass of champagne in front of her. “But in my case, it
happens to be true.”

She knew
what he meant. The man was essentially paid to take a bullet for the President.
So she held up her glass to him, to toast.

“Here’s to
a long and healthy life, Special Agent in Charge Colt Sheridan,” she said
softly.

He held up
his glass, clinking it gently against hers.  His gaze never left her face. 
They sipped their champagne and he finally sat down, picking up his knife and
fork as Casey cut her meat.  She began to eat like someone was going to take
her food away from her, shoving bread and steak into her mouth ravenously.

“Slow
down, angel,” he admonished with a grin. “There’s plenty.”

She
smiled, chewing. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I
took the first bite.”

He
continued to grin, delving in to his lobster.  He took a bite, sighing with
satisfaction. “This is really good,” he said. “I didn’t have lobster until I
got out of college. Now it’s one of my favorite things.”

Casey was
already half-way done with hers. “There’s no lobster in San Francisco?”

His smile
grew at her taunt. “Mom’s from Montana,” he said. “She couldn’t stand seafood
of any type. My brother and I grew up on meat and potatoes.  When I was a kid,
I would spend my summers on my grandparent’s farm in Montana. I fed the
animals, learned to drive a tractor, even learned to quilt. One summer when I
told my grandmother I was bored, she gave me an unfinished quilt and told me to
finish it.  I did and she entered it in the local county fair. I won third
prize.”

He was
snorting and Casey started giggling. “That’s impressive,” she said. “I expect a
quilt for Christmas, then.”

He stuffed
his mouth with steak. “My sewing days are over,” he told her, watching her
laugh. There was something so sweet and magical about the way she laughed.
“Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. Tell me everything about you from the
time you graduated high school until now.”

Casey
continued to laugh. “Let’s see,” she pretended to think. “I got a scholarship
from the Daughters of the Confederacy to the university of my choice, which happened
to be Georgetown, where I proceeded to get my degree in American History.
Imagine the horror of all those Southern women when Patrick Cleburne’s
descendent chose a Yankee college.”

He laughed
softly.  “Imagine the horror of my parents when I applied to the naval academy
and not West Point.”

“So you
understand,” she pointed a knife at him for emphasis. “Anyway, I interned at
the Pentagon and started working for the Secretary of Defense’s office.  It
took me six months to work my way into the position of administrative assistant
to the Secretary of Defense, a position I remained at for almost eleven years. 
I interviewed with the President when I was personally asked to by his Chief of
Staff. Russ liked me and hired me the same day I interviewed.”

Colt was
listening to her with interest, chowing down on the steak fries. “Did you know
much about him when you interviewed with him other than he was the new
President?”

She
nodded. “American History is my background, so I did a lot of research on Russ
before I even talked to him.  I know his background, how he lost two kids to
Cystic Fibrosis, how he’s a strong advocate for the environment and charitable
causes.  He’s always doing fundraisers for childhood cancer and things like
that because of the two kids he lost. I can’t even imagine losing both of my
kids. I don’t know how he and Tracy keep themselves together.”

Colt
listened, thinking on Meade and his directive as Casey rattled on. He kept
reliving the last conversation he had with the man, over and over in his head. 
He’d spent years of his life accomplishing directives from the shadowy group of
men, proud of his achievements, knowing he was making his mark in the world in
doing so. But now, he found himself struggling against what he was ordered to
do and what he wanted to do.  He had found the woman of his dreams,
unexpectedly, and he didn’t want to let that go, not ever. The situation had
never weighed more heavily upon him than at this very moment.

 “I can’t
imagine,” he finally muttered, eating his vegetables.  “Has the President ever
talked to you about it?”

She shook
her head, finished with her steak and her lobster and picking at her broccoli.
“Only to point out the pictures of his boys on his desk and tell me their
names,” she slowed down her eating. “The oldest was James. He died when he was
ten.  The younger one was Sean and he died when he was only six.  Russ said the
boys spent most of their lives in hospitals receiving treatment. Russ even took
them to France to try some kind of stem cell therapy that the Americans
wouldn’t do, but it only helped for a little while. I guess they had a
particularly aggressive form of the disease. The boys died within nine months
of each other.”

Colt was
staring at her. When she finished, he sighed heavily. “Wow,” he exclaimed
softly.  “That’s really sad.”

Casey
nodded, feeling depressed as she finished off her greens. “So I guess that’s
why I took the job,” she said. “He’s very much into kids and kids charities. 
He’s huge on Education. I like that passion for kids and I like working with
him.”

“Do you
like working with the rest of us?”

She looked
at him, grinning. “Well,” she said reluctantly, teasing. “Most of the aides are
okay.  My office mate, Eckart, is a dweeb, but he has his moments. The Secret
Service guys are a bit creepy, but I guess they’re okay. I also love Maggie and
Lisanne. Oh, and Jason, Russ’ personal aide. He’s been with Russ since his days
as Governor of New Mexico. Jason’s dad and Russ are best friends. Jason’s a
nice kid.”

Colt made
a mental note about Jason, the good-looking young aide who followed the
President around everywhere he went.  He hadn’t paid much attention to him
until now but he was thinking from this point forward, he needed to.

“Who’s his
dad?”

“Erik
Travis,” she was rattling on and he let her. “He’s a director with the
Department of the Interior. He oversees the Cibola National Forest and the
Magdalena Ridge Observatory, among other things. The family owns a lot of land
in Southern New Mexico down by the border.”

Something
was starting to make some sense to Colt.  Like pieces of a puzzle, he was
starting to see a pattern.   Russ had connections with a director with the
department of the Interior, a man who coincidentally owned land in Southern New
Mexico where the cartel drug drops were rumored to have taken place. The man’s
son was one of Russ’ personal aides.  He was learning a lot this evening.

Finishing
off his plate, pushed is aside and grabbed the bottle of champagne, filling up
Casey’s glass and topping off his own.

“So let’s
get back to you,” he said. “You said you’re from Los Angeles. Is that where you
grew up?”

She
nodded. “Yes,” she clarified. “Well, actually, I was born and raised in
Pasadena, right outside of Los Angeles. My parents still live in the same house
I grew up in.”

“Siblings?”

“A sister,
Riley. She lives with me and the boys.”

“What does
she do?”

“She works
for the treasury department.”

“What’s
the situation with your ex-husband?”

“What do
you mean?”

“Are you
two close? Do you hate each other? Do I need to kill him?”

She
grinned. “No, we’re not close,” she replied. “But we don’t hate each other,
either.  I don’t really give him much thought one way or the other. He likes
living the single life and he only sees the boys about once a month, so I’m
totally fine with that.  Dennis isn’t a bad guy; he’s actually very nice. He’s
just one of those guys who should have never gotten married. It’s not in his
nature to stay faithful to one woman.”

Colt was
watching her with glittering eyes across the table. The candlelight gave his
handsome face a surreal glow. “It’s in mine,” he said softly. “I intend to
prove it.”

She
returned his smile, finishing her second glass of champagne and feeling
buzzed.  She had talked non-stop since they had arrived and, thanks to the
alcohol, it was only going to get worse.

“I believe
you,” she said, holding up her glass as he poured her some more. “Can I ask you
something?”

He put the
bottle back in the ice. “Sure.”

She eyed
him for a moment. “Why do you want to date me?”

He lifted
his eyebrows. “Because I like you.”

“Why?”

He
grinned. “Because you’re gorgeous and funny and intelligent. Do I need any
other reason?”

She cocked
her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I can’t figure out if you have some other
motivation.”

He
snorted. “Why would you say that?”

She
shrugged and drained about half of her champagne. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Maybe because you’ve been so attentive so quickly. I haven’t even known you a
week. I’m just not used to that kind of fast work.”

“A woman
as beautiful as you?” he asked, incredulous. “You must have men falling all
over themselves for a chance to go out with you, and I know for a fact that
Senator Dane wants to take you out. Why does it surprise you that I
aggressively pursued you? I didn’t want to miss out.”

She smiled
modestly. “You wouldn’t have,” she said. “I knew the moment you wrapped me up
in your jacket in Carmen Hennderson’s office that I was going to date you.  If
you hadn’t pursued me, I was going to pursue you.”

His smile
broadened. “I’m flattered,” he said.  “But I have to say that I would have been
a hell of an easy catch for you.”

She
laughed softly, draining the last of her champagne and feeling rather tipsy. 
“I’m going to make a confession.”

“What?”

She got up
from her chair and made her way over to him, planting herself in his lap.  He
pulled her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  For the first time,
they allowed themselves to feel the attraction, now in the privacy of the
little
casitas
with no eyes watching, no protocols that were in danger
of being violated. It was just the two of them with candlelight and champagne. 
It was romantic and sweet, on so many levels.  Casey could feel herself letting
go of any reservation she may have had.  She was falling for Colt Sheridan and
could no longer deny it.

“I have a
secret,” she whispered.

He could
see she was slightly drunk simply by the way she was speaking. He fought off a
grin. “What’s that?”

She leaned
closed to him, her lips against his face near his left ear. “I haven’t slept
with anyone in four years.”

His grin
broke through. “I see,” his mouth was by her ear and he kissed it softly. “I’m
sure it will all come back to you.”

“What
about you?” she licked his earlobe, feeling him shudder. “When’s the last time
you had sex?”

It was
difficult to think with her nibbling his earlobe.  “Probably about the same as
you,” he muttered, quivering when she suckled his ear. “I had a girlfriend for
about six months but….”

She cut
him off by planting a powerful kiss on his lips, so much so that he was momentarily
startled before responding strongly.  He hadn’t expected her to come on so
strongly, but she had.  Hands in her luxurious hair, he kissed her
passionately, licking her lips until she opened her mouth for him.  Casey
pressed up against him, her arms around his head, kissing him so furiously that
she ended up cutting her lip against her teeth.  But the kisses were sweet and
delicious, not sloppy.  Every suckle, every lick, had a purpose.  Before she
realized it, she was up in Colt’s arms and he was carrying her to the bedroom.