Her Private Treasure

Her Private Treasure
Wendy Etherington

Malina Blair went from rising-star FBI agent to… er…cold-case officer in the backwoods of South Carolina–not exactly a hotbed of action. But when a smuggling investigation leads her to tranquil Palmer's Island, Malina inadvertently discovers one of the region's best-kept secrets: sexy, gorgeous attorney Carr Hamilton.But even as their chemistry goes from fizzy to red-hot and explosive, Malina wonders if maybe she isn't getting in over her head. After all, she's just visiting–and the island's main attraction is also her prime suspect!

“I’ve thought of nothing but you since yesterday,” Carr rasped in her ear

Different didn’t even begin to describe the hunger pulsing through her. She’d anticipated a spark with their kiss and gotten an inferno.

Malina pressed her lips to his throat and buried her hand in the inky locks of his hair that indeed felt like silk. “You’re part of my case. I shouldn’t—”

He silenced her with another kiss. Her protests died in the wake of the raw emotions consuming her. She craved his touch, knowing instinctively he could drive away the loneliness and satisfy both her body and her mind.

She wanted his skin pressed against hers. She wanted to let loose the fire behind his dark eyes.

His hand slid up her stomach, and her breasts tingled in anticipation. But before he could reach his goal, his thumb brushed her shoulder holster….

Dear Reader,

My hero in this story, Carr Hamilton, was inspired by, well, a car. The Triumph Spitfire was a British two-seater sports car manufactured from the late sixties to late seventies, and I drove one—painted British Racing Green—as a teenager. (If I can find a picture, I’ll be sure to share it on my Web site.) It was the coolest thing on four wheels, and I just couldn’t resist giving it to Carr to tool around Palmer’s Island.

I also had to give my charming hero a heroine to challenge and confound him. Malina Blair is the extreme of me—tough, fearless and always ready with a comeback. (In real life, I admit avoiding confrontation whenever possible, have a ridiculous, irrational, frustrating fear of heights, and the only kind of gun I can fire with any skill uses water instead of bullets.)

Come to think of it, I’m probably not like Malina at all. But then this is the world of romance, and we can all escape for a while and be anybody we want to be.

Hope you enjoy!

Wendy Etherington

P.S. Additional apologies to the hardworking folks at the FBI Field Office in Columbia, SC. I moved their office to Charleston for the purposes of my story.

Her Private Treasure

Wendy Etherington

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wendy Etherington was born and raised in the deep South—and she has the fried chicken recipes and NASCAR ticket stubs to prove it. The author of more than twenty books, she writes full-time from her home in South Carolina, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and an energetic shih tzu named Cody. She can be reached via her Web site, www.wendyetherington.com.

To my best buds, Jacquie D’Alessandro and Jenni Grizzle, whose love, support and interventions of champagne and chocolate keep me sane.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

1

CARR HAMILTON YANKED the rope around the dock post, then stepped off his thirty-seven-foot cabin cruiser, The Litigator. As rippling waves of the Intracoastal Waterway lapped against the dock, the moon hung above the marina, a glowing orb casting a cool and mysterious light. The air smelled of sea life and salt.

The gloomy night and deserted dock, plus yet another solitary cruise, had put him in a rare melancholy mood. After securing his boat, he zipped his jacket against the cool March wind and headed across the creaky wooden slats, intending to circumvent the marina bar, where he’d find friends and conversation.

“…coffee is ready for distribution, so don’t get jumpy now.”

Carr stopped at the familiar voice, delivered in an angry and demanding tone. Coffee distribution? Jack Rafton was an insurance agent. Auto, home, life, et cetera. Mundane stuff really. But a nice guy and good business neighbor.

“This whole thing is getting dicey,” another, but unknown, voice whispered harshly.

“Relax, and keep your voices down,” said yet a third man.

Carr’s low mood vanished. His pulse jumped. He leaped sideways and ducked behind a large storage locker at the dock’s edge, realizing he probably hadn’t moved so swiftly or stealthily since his days on the Yale fencing team.

“It’s late.” Jack’s voice again. “Locals are all deep into their whiskey and beer by now.”

“Let’s just make the exchange and get out of here.” The second unknown voice.

“You’re just pissed I raised my prices,” Jack said.

“Whatever,” the first unknown man said, his voice deep and raspy. A smoker maybe. “That’s between you and the boss. Just give us the stuff.”

Carr heard footsteps on the wooden slats, then the creak of a rope tethering a boat.

He risked a glance from behind the post and saw Jack carrying a wooden crate and walking slow, balanced steps on the deck of a ski boat. By the blue and red stripes on the hull, it appeared to be Jack’s boat, but it was too dark to make out the name scripted on the side and be certain.

The crate was handed over to one of the two unidentified men, then something was shoved into Jack’s hand. All the characters stood in shadow, like the old black-and-white film noirs Carr enjoyed. He half expected to see Humphrey Bogart’s strong-jawed profile flash before him.