Nerd Gone Wild Read online

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Some time later, as Ally was lying in Mitch’s arms trying to sort out her jumbled thoughts, she heard the lodge’s front door open and close. She’d thought Mitch was sleeping, but he roused himself instantly.

  “Must be Tanya,” he muttered.

  “Must be. Let’s hope she didn’t bring someone home with her. Listening to Kitty-cat and Poopsie would be one thing, but…”

  Mitch gave her an understanding squeeze. “I know. It has to be tough to find out she has feet of clay.”

  “Her feet aren’t the part that concerns me. I—Oh, no. Is she coming up the stairs?” Ally listened to the unmistakable sound of someone climbing the wooden steps.

  “I think so.”

  “This has a definite Stephen King feel to it. Did you lock your door?”

  “Yeah. Did you?”

  Ally tried to think. “God, I don’t know. I walked in, and you were under the bed. I was so startled I might have forgotten.”

  He turned her loose and sat up. “I’ll check.”

  “Don’t make noise doing it,” she murmured.

  The bed squeaked as he swung his legs over the side. “Too late.”

  “M-i-i-itchell, where are you?” Tanya’s voice echoed in the hallway.

  Ally shivered. This was one scary woman. Ally had never known anyone who would prowl the corridors calling out for a man. Tanya might be in serious need of medication.

  She watched as Mitch crept toward the door. A floorboard squeaked and he froze.

  “Are we playing hide-and-seek?” Tanya laughed. “Don’t be shy, Mitchell. Come on out. We’ll go play in that Murphy bed. You know you want to.”

  Ally began to wonder if learning valuable tricks of the trade was worth it if she had to work with such a creepy mentor. The entire plan was turning into a fiasco. Well, not counting the sex with Mitch. She’d have to put that in the plus column, no matter what his motives. The guy had moves.

  She admired his tight butt as he crept stealthily toward the door.

  “Aha!” Tanya’s voice was much closer, now. “I see a light coming from under that door. Is that you, Mitchell, you cute nerd? You probably fell asleep reading and left the light on. I can be more fun than any book in the world.”

  Mitch had almost reached the door when the knob turned. As the door started to open, he threw himself against it and twisted the lock.

  “Mitchell, was that you?” She rattled the knob. “Mitchell, open up, baby. Let Tanya make you feel good.” Her voice dropped to a sultry murmur. “I have toys. Toys for big boys and girls.”

  Ally turned on her stomach and put a pillow over her head. Yuck and double yuck. She wondered if Uncle Kurt knew what Tanya was like. Well, of course he must. He seemed to be friends with her, and they’d driven all the way from Anchorage together.

  The mattress sagged, and Mitch tugged at the pillow. “It’s okay, she’s gone.”

  Ally flopped to her back and stared up at him. “But not forgotten. She could give a person nightmares.”

  “I was hoping she’d latch on to one of those Paul Bunyan types over at the Top Hat.”

  “Maybe she did. Maybe you’re next on her schedule.”

  Mitch shuddered. “If I have to share another meal with her I’m wearing my cup.”

  She gazed at him in amusement. “Your cup? I thought only jocks had those. You know, to protect themselves during a contact sport.”

  “Eating at the same table with Tanya is a contact sport.”

  “That wasn’t my point.”

  He shrugged. “So I bought myself one to make myself feel like a jock. Is that a crime?”

  She reached out and felt his biceps. “Naked, you look a lot more like a jock than a nerd.”

  “I work out a little. It’s good for your heart, you know. Everyone should have an exercise program. You’ll live longer. And besides that—”

  “Shh!”

  “What?”

  “I heard something from downstairs. Like a buzzing noise.”

  Mitch stayed still and listened. Then he looked at Ally. “Do you know what that is?”

  “I’m guessing it’s not an electric toothbrush.”

  “I’m guessing it’s not, either.”

  She sighed. “Well, I, for one, don’t want to hear the results produced by that buzzing noise.”

  “Neither do I, but I don’t know how we can avoid it.”

  “I do.” Ally leaped from the bed. “Let’s take a shower!”

  “Works for me.”

  “Bring one of the condoms.”

  “Even better.”

  * * *

  The hot water didn’t last long enough, so Mitch suggested leaving the water running for the soundproof factor. Once they were out of the shower and reasonably dry, he closed the toilet lid, sat down and invited Ally to climb aboard. Necessity really was the mother of invention. Not that he needed to have sex with Ally. Well, okay, a little bit. Okay, a lot. Okay, he was in very big trouble.

  By the time they finished getting their goodies in the bathroom, all was quiet downstairs. Mitch crawled into bed with Ally, gathered her close and went right to sleep.

  He woke up before dawn, but that wasn’t saying much in the winter in Alaska. Ally was still asleep, and he needed to send an e-mail to Pete. Not much more could be learned about Kurt, but Mitch wanted some info on Tanya Mandell. Anybody this whacked had to have made an impression on somebody.

  Easing out of bed, he avoided the creaking board as he walked across her bedroom, through the bathroom, and into his bedroom. If she woke up and asked him what he was doing, he had an excuse all ready. He was checking on the whereabouts of Lurleen. He would actually do that, once he’d e-mailed Pete.

  Before he turned on the computer, he pulled on his sweats and tucked his spy equipment in a dresser drawer. Now that she knew he was officially supposed to watch out for her, he wondered how soon she’d revisit the concept of the bug under her bed.

  She’d bought his story before, but she might not now. In any event, he might not need the bugs, after all. He planned to stick close to her, even if that meant dealing with Tanya on a regular basis.

  Settling down on his still-made bed, he opened his laptop and turned it on. He didn’t waste any time on the e-mail to Pete. “Require any and all info on Tanya Mandell, including personal behavior patterns.”

  Right after he’d pushed the send button, Ally appeared in his doorway, looking rumpled and sleepy. She’d pulled on his T-shirt, which hung to the top of her thighs. Once he glanced up, he couldn’t seem to look away.

  He’d been through more than a few morning-after scenes. Never once had he looked at the woman he’d had sex with the night before and thought, Bingo, this is it, end of search. He thought it now.

  At this point his brain should be flashing System Error, because no matter what mushy thoughts he was having about Ally, the concept had fatal flaws. Not the least of them was her obsession with all things Alaskan. She might heat up his bed, but she couldn’t heat up the whole damned state.

  “What are you doing?” She yawned and stretched.

  Like a man whose brain has been sucked from his skull, he was completely absorbed by the way her breasts lifted under his T-shirt as she stretched her arms over her head. Where Ally was concerned, it took so little to completely mesmerize him. He could put that movement on a continuous loop and watch it for hours.

  “I’m… ah… looking for Lurleen.”

  “Oh, yeah?” She brightened and crossed to the bed. “Find anything?”

  “I just got started.” He clicked on one of his favorite sites for tracking people down. These days he didn’t see how anyone could disappear. The Internet had changed everything.

  He typed in “Lurleen Engledorfer” and narrowed the search to Alaska. If she’d left the state, Rudy might be out of luck. But if she was still here, then Mitch gave him a fighting chance. He couldn’t picture Rudy having the resources to chase Lurleen all over
the lower forty-eight.

  “I hope you can find her.” Ally sat down next to him and peered over his shoulder. “And I also think you need to give Rudy some…tips.”

  “Tips?” He waited as the program loaded. “About what?”

  “You know.” Her breath was warm against his neck.

  He didn’t know much except that he was already feeling peppy, and he’d had his quota the night before. Getting it up four times in one night was not bad for an old guy of thirty-two, but he hadn’t expected to be ready again at seven in the morning. Yet here he was, tenting the material of his sweats. That was one rapid recovery. It made him sort of proud.

  “About multis,” she added. “I think Rudy needs some guidance.”

  “Oh.” Concentrating on the screen became nearly impossible. “Multis.” A vivid memory of sliding down between her thighs blocked out everything. He’d never lost himself so completely as he had at that moment. Life had been all about that glorious triangle. He’d become one with her vagina.

  “Rudy’s sweet, but I’m not sure he understands the finer points.”

  Mitch didn’t think there were finer points. You had to go for the gusto, immerse yourself in the wonderful world of women’s orgasms. A guy had to accept that men were simple, one-shot deals and women were complicated and multi-orgasmic. Mitch thought that was amazing, and he liked to make it happen.

  “So will you talk to him?”

  He could feel the brush of her nipples through the cotton T-shirt. “I thought you believed that an orgasm was a woman’s responsibility.” He pretended to study the screen, although his hands were trembling so much he wouldn’t have been able to double-click on an icon if his life depended on it.

  “I thought I did, too. But last night I wasn’t making anything happen. You were in charge, and I surrendered to that. It was…” She paused as if to catch her breath.

  His ego wanted to hear the end of the sentence. “It was what?”

  “Um, probably the kind of experience Lurleen was looking for.” She still sounded breathless.

  He thought she might be as turned on as he was. “Just out of curiosity, did you happen to bring a condom with you?”

  “No.” Her nipples quivered against his back.

  He gripped the computer so he wouldn’t accidentally hit the wrong button and destroy every file he had. “Would you consider going in the other room and getting one?”

  There was a smile in her voice. “Did I turn you on?”

  “Looks like. Did you turn yourself on?”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Breathing hard, he managed to point his mouse at the only Lurleen Engledorfer listed as living in Alaska. One click, and he had her address in Fairbanks. He would have written it down, except that Ally came back right at that moment and tossed a condom onto his lap.

  It was a tribute to his self-control that he didn’t throw the computer on the floor. Instead he set it on the pine floorboards with a commendable amount of care. But saving the information and shutting the computer down properly didn’t interest him.

  What did interest him a great deal was the woman who’d stripped off the T-shirt she’d been wearing and had crawled onto his bed with a come-hither smile. He’d thrown off his sweats and rolled on a condom faster than a DSL connection.

  And then, because they hadn’t done it that way before, and because he needed to shave before he kissed her again, he coaxed her to her hands and knees and tried it doggie style. It was, to put it mildly, stupendous. She came first, muffling her cries against the pillow, and he came second, clenching his teeth and longing for a soundproof room where they could yell all they wanted.

  Later, after they’d listed to one side and finally collapsed onto the blanket, she spoke. “Did you find Lurleen?”

  Cupping her sweet breasts, he nuzzled her neck, careful not to scrape her with his beard. “Yeah, I found her.”

  “Good. Now talk to Rudy so he won’t go making the same mistakes if they get back together.”

  “Men don’t give other men sexual advice. It isn’t done.”

  She was silent for a minute. “Then you’ll have to tell me how you do it, and I’ll talk to Rudy.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m not about to have you describing in detail to Rudy what we’ve been doing.” He couldn’t forget that Rudy had dibs on Ally if Mitch bombed out. Sexual advice from her was not an option.

  “I’d talk in general terms.”

  “Nope. Let Rudy figure it out for himself. I’ll help him locate Lurleen. The multis are up to him.”

  “I most certainly am not going to let Rudy figure it out for himself! He’ll mess it up again, like he did the last time. Mitch, he needs direction. We can’t let him flounder.”

  Mitch groaned. “So if I don’t talk to him, you will?”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “Then I’ll talk to him.”

  She snuggled closer. “Thank you, Mitch.”

  “But I’m not taking responsibility. If I talk to him, and he still screws it up, it’s not my fault.”

  “Of course not.” She took a deep breath, which made her breasts swell in his hands. “I smell coffee.”

  How he loved touching her this way. “I can’t picture Tanya as a domestic goddess, so I’m guessing Betsy’s come back to make breakfast. I suppose we should go down.” He didn’t want to move, but the longer they stayed here, the more likely someone would figure out they were sharing rooms.

  She didn’t respond right away. “Can I tell you something?”

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out the problem. “You don’t want to go down and face Tanya.”

  “That’s right. I hate the way she acts, especially around you. I would love to call off this mentoring deal.”

  “Then call it off.” Although if Kurt and Tanya left town, he wouldn’t have much of an excuse to stay, either.

  “She’s so well known in the field. What if I ticked her off? She might be powerful enough to have me blacklisted or something.”

  “Judging from her personality, I can’t believe she’s very popular. If she tried to badmouth you, people would consider the source. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “Damn. I wish I knew what to do. She’s a great photographer, and maybe once we’re out in nature, she’ll get down to business. She has to be serious about her work. Her pictures are too good for her to be a flake all the time.”

  Mitch gave the best advice he could come up with. “So you should probably spend some time with her today and find out if she’s going to be a valuable teacher or not.”

  “Alone.”

  Mitch hated that idea. “I think it would be better if I went along.”

  “No it wouldn’t. She’d spend all her time coming on to you instead of teaching me. So the whole thing would be a waste of time.”

  Ally was probably right about how Tanya would react if he went, but he still didn’t like the idea of her going off alone with that creepy woman. “Okay, then maybe you shouldn’t go out with her, at least not yet. Give it another day or so.”

  “And how would I stall her? This is what she came to do. Listen, why don’t you spend the time here getting to know Uncle Kurt? I know you have a poor opinion of him, and so did Grammy, but he might be sincere. Maybe he wants to cash in a little bit, but that’s only human, right?”

  “It’s not ‘a little bit’ that concerns me.”

  “He brought Tanya. He knew I thought she was wonderful, and he probably didn’t realize what kind of person she was. He was trying to help. I think he should get points for that.”

  Mitch wasn’t ready to give Kurt any points yet. There was something suspicious about this arrangement with Tanya Mandell, and once he heard from Pete, he might figure out what that was. “I think tomorrow’s soon enough to go out with Tanya.”

  “I don’t. I’d like to test the waters today and get it over with. If she’s a lousy teacher, I’ll thank her for her help and release her from
her obligation. Then all of us will be free of her.”

  “Maybe she won’t feel up to it.” He could only hope.

  “That’s possible. And we won’t know unless we go down there.” She sat up. “Let’s get dressed and have some breakfast.”

  He gazed up at her. “Just so you know, if Tanya’s at the breakfast table, I’m eating my food standing up.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  When Ally and Mitch walked into the kitchen, Tanya was already at the breakfast table along with Clyde. Instead of flirting with Clyde, Tanya was consulting a catalog of camera equipment, a pen in her hand. Ally wondered if Betsy had staked her claim to Clyde with such force that Tanya had decided against poaching.

  Ally thought that was a wise choice on Tanya’s part. Betsy could probably knock the stuffing out of Tanya and wouldn’t hesitate if Tanya came after her man. But Ally was at a disadvantage if Tanya came after Mitch. Ally wasn’t much of a fighter, and she couldn’t very well stake a claim where she had none.

  What she did have was a bought-and-paid-for babysitter. Apparently her grandmother hadn’t been too worried about her physical safety, though, which was some comfort. Instead, Grammy had believed Uncle Kurt would try to swindle Ally out of her money.

  So Grammy had hired a nerd for the job. True, he had a gorgeous body, but he was still a nerd. No macho alpha male needed for this assignment. Grammy wouldn’t have trusted that type, anyway.

  At least now everything made sense. Ally didn’t have to wonder about Mitch’s motives anymore. Knowing he was here on assignment, she could have sex with him with a free conscience.

  He had an agenda, to keep close track of her, and she had an agenda, to take advantage of the situation and enjoy some of the best sex of her life. The best sex, actually. Nothing else she’d experienced had been remotely close.

  She wasn’t quite sure what she’d do about that when it came time for Mitch to go back to Bel Air. She could get used to having multiple orgasms at the drop of a hat, or, more accurately, at the drop of a pair of panties. To be brutally honest, she could get used to Mitch in general. Once she’d worked past his nerdy exterior, he’d turned out to be a lot of fun.