BountyHunterpart16

Michael regained his composure after the nearly fatal image-fall and smiled at the two still laughing women. "Okay, get it out of your systems." He felt the heat rising up his neck with the embarrassment he was trying to hide.

"So Guerin," Maria raised her eyebrows at him and waited until he faced her behind those dark glasses to continue. "Did you have a nice trip?"

Isabel Evans laughed so hard she was almost gagging. "Oh God!"

Michael sighed and remembered how smooth Maria's skin was to calm him down. She may be playing the part of smart-ass, but he thought he had her number.

"So, while the little girl-chatter has been going on," he took off his sunglasses and faced Maria again, "did you tell Isabel about her brother?"

Maria narrowed her eyes and glared at him, not at all surprised by Isabel's sudden silence.

"I guess not," Michael smirked.

"What about my brother?" The defensiveness in Isabel's voice was overbearing.

"DeLuca here has a date with him tonight," Michael grinned as he felt the tension thicken around him.

"You're going on a date with Max?" Isabel asked, her eyes wide, before she laughed out loud again. "Oh God, anymore of this and I might pee in my pants!"

Maria didn't laugh along with her this time, she felt the edge of a ripple of anger just below the surface and the person to blame was standing beside her. She shook her head slightly at him but knew the effort was futile.

"She thinks he's hiding something." Michael added when Isabel's laughter quieted.

"Max? You think Max is hiding something?" Isabel's tone changed back from jovial to defensive.

"I just think that Max knows something about Liz Parker," Maria explained and sat up straighter in her chair.

"Michael?" Isabel bypassed Maria and faced her friend. "Do you feel the same way?"

He shrugged and cocked his head to one side. "As long as I've known Max, he really sucks at being all stealthy, right? You know that as well as I do. Do I think Max knows something about Liz Parker? I wouldn't have had he not shown up at her mom's house yesterday."

"You seriously think he's heard from her?" Isabel kept her eyes trained on Michael.

He shrugged again wondering how the focus of the intended target, Maria, had shifted from her to him. "I don't know; but he's definitely being� Squirrelly. I'm sure DeLuca can weasel some information out of him."

Isabel faced the woman across the desk from her and took her in as if seeing her for the first time. Brilliant green eyes, pouty lips, gorgeous natural blond hair and a body that wouldn't stop. Strong mentally and physically. She envisioned her pop-psychology, over-analyzing brother getting chewed up and spit out.

"What are you going to do with Max?" Isabel narrowed her eyes at Maria.

Maria was taken aback by the question. Crimson flowered over her chest wondering if Michael had told her about their slight indiscretion in the parking lot the night before. "Try to get any information out of him I can," she glanced up at Michael. "Anyway that I have to."

"Good," Isabel smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear."

Michael's jaw dropped.

"Don't look so surprised Michael," Isabel rolled her eyes at him. "If my dear brother is hiding something, then so help me God, you two better figure it out and fast. I told you, I want Liz Parker."

"You really got a hard-on for Liz," Michael murmured.

"If you must put it in such a garish way, then yes, I do have a hard-on for her." Isabel tilted back in her chair and folded her arms over her breasts. "Liz Parker is important to us Michael. We're still new, still getting our feet wet. Liz is high profile and high dollar. We're working with the niece of the legendary Chuck DeLuca. This is our chance to make a real name for ourselves."

The corner's of Michael's mouth turned upwards. Leave it to Isabel to throw her brother to the wolves for business. Not actually wolves, but one wolf in Maria clothing.

"You ready?" He asked Maria and took a step backward to allow her room to stand.

"Find her," Isabel stood as well. "Find that little Liz Parker and we can all go home happy."

Maria smiled over her shoulder at a woman she would want to call a friend if she had the time or correct locale. She shuddered when she felt Michael place his hand on her back to lead her from the office. She shook it off and heard a sound from him; somewhere between a laugh and a groan.

"Truck?" He asked as they walked out into the sun and stood in front of their two vehicles parked side by side.

Maria looked back and forth between her non-air-conditioned jeep and the air-conditioned truck. "Truck."

They got inside and she immediately felt the hot vinyl stick to the back of her thighs. She raised her pelvis and lowered herself slowly trying to absorb the heat in the most gingerly way possible.

"A little too hot for you, DeLuca?" Michael asked with a sideways smirk as he started the truck.

Maria caught the double entendre and chose to ignore it. She switched the a/c vents to her direction and fought against hope to keep her eyes off the T-shirt that seemed to sculpt his chest. The sleeves riding just a little high on his arms, just high enough to give her complete viewing pleasure of his biceps.

"I guess we should stake out Ms. Parker's again?" Michael asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. Hopeful she would say yes and thankful she had worn a white shirt.

"No, I don't think she'll go there. I mean if she isn't already inside that is." Maria couldn't even imagine having another sweat-fest in the truck again.

"So then�" Michael gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. He felt he was acting like someone who just started and was being trained. He was a bounty hunter, and a damn good one, he didn't need this little woman to tell him his job. He knew his job; he was just acting like a lovesick schoolboy because he wanted back in her pants. "So then we should start with all the area hotels." He didn't ask, he stated.

Maria smiled and nodded. Exactly what she had in mind. Little Liz Parker had made it to Roswell via bus yesterday and had disappeared into the sand as far as she knew.

"I wonder if she looks the same�" Michael trailed off while changing the radio station away from chatty morning shows.

"I know what she looks like," Maria piped up. "We've been face to face."

"Still long brown hair, kind of mousy?"

"Mousy?" Maria repeated with a smile. "Yeah, kind of mousy. Long dark hair? Nope. Bad dye job and cut. Her hair's choppy, around shoulder length unless she got it fixed from when I saw her in Vegas. It's a really light brown now, almost blond."

"As blond as you?"

Maria shook her head. "Nope, but I'm a real blond."

"Hmm�" Michael nodded, the words so poised and ready to go, he couldn't stop himself. "I couldn't really tell by touch."

Maria felt herself blush and knew that it had only been a matter to time before Michael brought up the night before. She decided not to dignify him with a response. It was just too fucking early in the morning for that.

"Her hair is more of a kind of redish-blondish-browninsh. Not a great job, she could have changed it again by now." Maria stated and looked out her window.

Michael grinned as she easily maneuvered out of his statement. Not a bad non-answer for now, it was still pretty early in the morning and they had all day together. Well, until her date with Max Evans. Michael didn't like the idea of her going out with Max, something foreign was running through his senses and he didn't quite understand it. He wouldn't dare admit he might be jealous.

"Let's start here," Michael pulled into the parking lot of motel and cut the engine outside of the office. He licked his bottom lip and looked at his passenger. "About last night�"

Maria drew in a deep breath. "Last night, the beer was cold, my body temperature was nearing a thousand and the alcohol might have gone to my head a little bit." Truth? She arched her eyebrows as she questioned herself. Not even close.

"Yeah, anyway, it's supposed to be a little hotter out today." Michael nodded and seemed to accept the explanation. He got out of the car and met her on the other side. "So, you want to go out for a beer later?"

Maria shook her head and grinned.

TBC