Читать книгу Enticing The Dragon - Jane Godman - Страница 13
ОглавлениеHollie looked tired and confused as she sat at the kitchen counter sipping coffee and nibbling at a pastry. She had showered and her blond hair was still slightly damp. Torque had done a good job of estimating her size, so at least she now wore sweatpants that stayed up and a pale gray sweater that suited her coloring and clung deliciously to her curves. Despite her pallor and the dark circles under her eyes, he couldn’t drag his gaze away from her face.
“I can’t just tag along on your tour.” Ever since he had made the offer, there had been an underlying emotion about her that he didn’t understand. It was like she was being torn in two different directions. He wished she’d just tell him the truth about who she was.
“Why not?” He leaned against the counter, just close enough to breathe in her warm, soapy scent.
“Because...” She flapped a helpless hand. “What would people think? They would assume I was a groupie, or something.”
“But you’re not. Anyway, why does it matter what other people think?”
She laughed. “That’s so you.”
He shrugged. “Can’t help being me.”
“Torque, I don’t want to seem ungrateful—”
He cut abruptly across her protests. “Where else will you go?”
Hollie hesitated and he got the feeling there was a lot she wasn’t telling him. He wanted to explain to her that he didn’t care. No matter what secrets she was keeping from him, he would fulfill his duty. She was his mate and that meant he had an obligation to keep her safe. But if he told her that, he would have to reveal a whole lot more. Like how he knew she wasn’t safe. And how he had the ability to protect her. From anything.
“I don’t know.” The words were barely a whisper...and clearly a lie.
“Would you feel better if you had a job to do?”
“What do you mean?” Her brow furrowed, but he could see a glimmer of interest in the green depths of her eyes.
“My manager is forever telling me to get myself a personal assistant. I’m offering you the position.”
“But you don’t know if I’m qualified.” Hollie appeared torn between laughter and incredulity. “And do all your bandmates take their PAs on tour? Because that sounds to me like one crowded tour bus...if that’s still how you get around.”
“My job offer, my rules. And yes. We use a bus. It gets a bit crazy, but I’ll be there to look after you. Do you want the position or not?” He leaned over and took one of the pastries, biting into it as he watched her face.
Laughter shook her slender body as she gazed up at him. “I’ll take the job. Although I can’t help thinking you made it up just to give me something to do.”
“You won’t say that when you see my emails and letters.”
Hollie shook her head. “Touring with Beast? This was my wildest fantasy when I was in college.”
Before Torque could answer, the intercom for the electronic gates buzzed and he went to answer it. He pressed a button and an image of a man in uniform filled the screen. “Yes?”
“Jackson Kirk, Fire Investigation. I was told by the paramedics who treated Ms. Brown that she was here. I’d like to speak with her.”
“She is here. But the decision about whether she’s ready to speak with you is hers.” He looked over his shoulder at Hollie, who sat up straighter, nodding her agreement.
Torque pressed the release button on the gates. When he opened the front door, Kirk was striding up the path. Torque got the impression the guy’s shrewd, dark eyes were assessing him, the house and the grounds as he approached. Kirk held out an ID badge and Torque stepped aside to let him pass. He led Kirk through to the kitchen and introduced him to Hollie.
“The fire was started deliberately.” It wasn’t a question. She calmly stated it as a fact.
“How did you reach that conclusion?” Kirk asked.
“Because you’re here.”
Torque watched Hollie carefully as he made more coffee. Where she was concerned, his senses were finely tuned and his protective instincts were razor-sharp. He didn’t need intuition to tell him her behavior was...unexpected. Until now, he’d had no dealings with victims of fire, but he didn’t imagine they were the ones who usually led the conversation with a fire investigator.
“Was the point of ignition at the turn on the staircase?”
Kirk blinked. “Uh...yeah. Looks that way.” He reached into his top pocket, drawing out a small notebook. “Although there were two other ignition points. One inside the bar and one in the storeroom. That’s not always an indication of arson, but there were signs of a break-in.”
Hollie appeared to be storing that information away. “How did he get in?”
That was it? That was her calm, collected question when faced with the information that a guy had broken in and set light to the staircase that led to her room? Who are you, Hollie Brown?
“Pried open a window at the back.” Kirk nodded his thanks as Torque placed a coffee cup in front of him, indicating the cream and sugar. “The guy must have checked the place out in daylight, or risked using a powerful flashlight. That window was the only one large enough for him to climb through.”
“You won’t know what accelerant he used until you’ve run tests, but he would only have had what he could carry. I don’t imagine there was anything in the bar he could use?”
Kirk flipped through his notes. He looked like a man who had come unprepared to an interview. “No. The staircase burned ferociously and it’s been difficult to establish what happened there. My initial investigation suggests he stacked an absorbent, flammable substance—probably something he found in the bar, such as newspaper—at each ignition point before pouring his accelerant over it. He doesn’t seem to have made any attempt to make it look like an accident.”
Hollie nodded. “A professional torch.”
Torque’s lips twitched. A professional torch? Oh, Hollie. Are you seriously proposing we keep up the pretense that you arrived in my local bar by chance?
Kirk appeared not to notice the slip. “Looks that way. Which means we have to consider whether you were the target.”
“Is there any question about that?” Torque asked. “If that fire was deliberately started on the staircase when Hollie was upstairs, it seems obvious that she was the intended target.”
“We’re right at the start of the investigation. It looks likely a crime was committed. We don’t yet know whether that crime was arson or attempted murder. Which is why I’m here.” Kirk turned back to Hollie. “Can you think of any reason why someone might do this?”
The hesitation was infinitesimal. If Torque hadn’t been observing her so closely, he would have missed it. Or maybe it was because he was already so disconcertingly in tune with her emotions. “No.”
“No recent breakup?” She shook her head. “Stalker? You haven’t noticed anyone following you? No one who calls and then hangs up?” A shake of the head followed each question. “Nothing at all you can think of that has been out of the ordinary?”
“None of those things.” It was just the wrong side of evasive. “Will you report this fire to anyone?”
Kirk frowned. “I’m the investigator. Who would I report it to?”
Hollie reached for another pastry, but seemed more intent on crumbling it into pieces on her plate than eating it. “I wondered if there was a database—” she waved a vague hand “—or something.”
“Don’t worry. I know how to do my job.” Kirk finished his coffee. “Will you be staying here? With Mr.—?” He raised an inquiring brow.
“It’s just Torque.”
Kirk’s glance managed to convey his disapproval of rock stars with long hair, big houses and unconventional names.
Hollie drew his attention back to her. “I’ll be traveling and I lost my cell phone in the fire.”
“You can reach us both on this number.” Torque might not be the most organized person in the world, but he had succumbed to Ged’s insistence and always carried a supply of his manager’s business cards. He handed one of these to Kirk.
Kirk made a note of his own number on a page of his notebook and tore it out. He handed it to Hollie. “If you think of anything—”
“I’ll be sure to get in touch.”
Torque escorted Kirk to the door. “She seems to be taking it well.” The investigator jerked his head back in the direction of the kitchen. “Most people would be shaken up after an experience like that.”
“Shock affects people in different ways.” Privately, he agreed with Kirk. Hollie seemed more intent on conducting her own investigation than on providing Kirk with answers.
He watched Kirk walk away, making sure the electric gates were closed behind him. His steps were uncharacteristically slow and deliberate as he returned to the kitchen. Hollie turned her head to look at him, smiling as he approached, and his heart lurched.
Everything about her enthralled him. The tendrils of gold hair blowing about her face in the breeze from the open window. The faint blush on her cheeks as his gaze lingered on her face. Her scent, the aroma of her that he could smell beneath the vanilla and pine tones of the soap, made his inner dragon growl with lust. She was his mate. He wanted to sweep her up into his arms, take her off to a cave somewhere and show her what that meant.
The big green eyes scanning his face brought him crashing back down to earth. They were big green human eyes. Nothing about wanting Hollie made sense. Yet, from the moment he first saw her, she had become the most important thing in his life. Wanting her was something he would just have to fight. Not easy when all he wanted to do was grab her and growl out the truth. Mine.
Even so, it was torture. Exquisite but agonizing. How was he going to cope in even closer proximity to his mate?
“You look fierce.” Hollie’s smile wavered.
He laughed. “You have no idea.”
* * *
Hollie was annoyed that she’d allowed her professional instincts to show through in the meeting with Jackson Kirk. She wasn’t very good at this undercover thing. Her real self kept fighting to be let out.
She decided to tackle the subject head-on with Torque. “I suppose you’re wondering what that was all about.”
After Kirk left, they were seated on a bench in the garden, overlooking the wide sweep of the bay.
“I guess you’ll tell me when you want me to know.”
His gaze was steady on hers and she suddenly felt guilty. This man had saved her life, taken her into his home, bought her new clothes, offered her a job...and she was deceiving him. She was as convinced as she could be that he wasn’t the Incinerator, that she could trust him, but her training told her instinct wasn’t enough. Proof. That was what she needed. Until she had it, she should probably be wary of him. Instead of constantly wanting to get nearer to him.
“Torque...”
“Hollie.” That glittering gaze held hers. “It doesn’t matter.”
The words jolted her, the sincerity in his tone almost knocking her off her seat. The message was clear. He understood that she was keeping secrets from him...but he didn’t care. What was this? Everything about the situation she was in felt bizarre, yet she wasn’t unnerved. It was somehow right. More right than anything she had ever known.
Needing to lighten the mood, she turned her attention to the job she would be doing. “Tell me about the tour.”
“We’re touring east to west, starting in New York, which is our base.”
When Torque started to explain who the individual members of the group were, Hollie laughed. “You are talking to the girl who bought your first album and was hooked from day one.”
“So you know all about us?”
Although Hollie still felt tired, the events of the previous day had receded. It was almost like a bad dream that had happened to someone else. There were things about the fire that nagged at the edge of her consciousness. Jackson Kirk had appeared unaware of the FBI database, but maybe he didn’t feel it was necessary to discuss it with her. As far as he was concerned, she was a member of the public, not an expert. He didn’t know she was the person who had devised the complex information system. It was the means by which the Bureau collated information about all fires and cross-referenced it with their existing records.
It frustrated her that she knew so much more than Kirk did. Although it appeared Hollie herself was the target of the fire at the Pleasant Bay Bar, she was even more convinced that Torque was the key. If she could discover why that was, she would be able to find her way to the Incinerator.
Then, of course, there was the issue of McLain’s absence. That worried her most of all. But she had to have faith that her boss knew what she was doing. In the meantime, Hollie would continue to do her own job. She had decided to do that, even though every professional instinct told her she was wrong to remain undercover. Although the Incinerator had turned his attention to her, she felt safe with Torque. Safer than she’d ever felt in her life.
She was aware of him watching her, and pulled her attention back to his question. “Does anyone know all about you? For one of the most famous bands in the world, you guys have been incredibly successful at keeping yourselves private.”
He was partly turned away from her and she studied his profile as he looked across the bay toward a small island. His gaze lingered there for long, silent moments before he turned back to her. Those unusual eyes glowed as he smiled. “I guess we just enjoy being enigmatic.”
“How did you meet?” It was one of the things that had always interested her. The band kept their biographical details to a minimum. “I know Diablo is Native American, Khan is from India, Dev comes from Nepal, Finglas is Irish and you...you like to be mysterious.”
Torque held a hand over his heart in mock hurt. “I’m a child of the world. Wherever I lay my well-worn beanie, that’s my home. As for how we met... Ged brought us together.”
Ged Taverner was the mystery man of rock. Beast’s hugely successful manager, he was the puppet master, the Svengali, behind the legend. The thought that she would soon be meeting him, and the members of the band, seemed unreal. Everything since she had arrived in Addison seemed unreal.
Except Torque. He was her new reality. Since they weren’t touching, it must be her imagination that made her think she could feel the heat of his body warming her through her clothing. His eyes had a hypnotic effect on her. Once she stared at them, she couldn’t turn away. And his lips... Oh, dear Lord. Don’t get me started on those lips.
“Don’t look at me that way.” His voice was low. Not quite a whisper, almost a growl.
“What way?” She could no longer blame the smoke for the huskiness in her own tone.
“Probably the same way I look at you.”
She edged closer. “Like you want me? Because that’s how I feel about you.”
“Hollie...” Although he said her name like it was made for his lips, he remained still, his hands splayed on his thighs.
“Oh.” She let out a shaky sigh, slumping down in her seat. How could she have got this so wrong? “I see.”
“No.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “No, you don’t see. Hollie, this can’t happen.”
“Torque, the only reason I can see why nothing can happen between us is that you don’t want me.” When he turned to look at her, the raw agony on his face told her everything she needed to know. Her desire for him—her craving for him—wasn’t one-sided. “Or if there’s someone else in your life?”
He leaned forward, placing his head in his hands. When he started to laugh, there was no humor in the sound.
“What did I say that was so funny? Is there someone else in your life?”
Torque straightened, and the desolation in his eyes tugged at her heart. “I suppose there is, but not in the way you think.” He caught hold of her hand and raised it to his lips. “Trust me. This way is better.”
He got to his feet and Hollie watched him as he walked away. Better for whom?
* * *
Two days later, Hollie opened her eyes wide as she reached the rooftop terrace of Torque’s New York apartment. Turning in a full circle, she took in the iconic views, the private pool, the sauna and the hot tub.
“I’m starting to think I died in that fire and this might be heaven.” She turned to look at Torque. “You do know I may never leave?”
“You haven’t started on that paperwork yet.” Although he kept his voice light, the thought of Hollie staying in his life sounded just fine to Torque. If they could close the door on the rest of the world for eternity, that would be okay with him. He had grown used to her company with frightening speed. And if he could shut out everything else, he would be able to keep her safe from the person who had started that fire, from anything that might harm her. It was so damn hard. He would go to the ends of the earth for this woman...but he couldn’t tell her that.
Ever since the conversation in his garden when Hollie had confessed to wanting him and he had turned her down—like an idiot—they had been tiptoeing around the subject. The attraction between them burned brighter with every passing minute. They were just doing their best to ignore it. Which was somehow making the whole situation even more tense.
Torque felt like he was living in a constant state of arousal. He was intoxicated by Hollie, drinking her in until his senses were filled with her. Unable to concentrate on anything else, he was barely aware of the practicalities of the forthcoming tour. Much to the annoyance of his manager.
“I have to go out in about an hour to a rehearsal.” He grimaced. “Ged isn’t happy. He thinks we haven’t spent enough time together before we hit the road.”
They headed back down the stairs into the open-plan living space. Although this place was incredible, it never quite felt like home to Torque. He had given a designer free rein with the decor, and the end result was stunning. The white and chrome furnishings were comfortable as well as classy, with everything chosen to make the most of the views. Even so, it had always been just a place to stay. He had only ever had one home. The mountains of Scotland had been forged in fire around the same time that the Cumhachdach dragon clan was born. Now the closest thing he had to a home was the house in Maine.
“How important is it to rehearse? Don’t you already know your songs and each other really well?” Hollie asked.
“We do, but we have other people onstage with us. Backing musicians and singers, some dancers. And our special effects are always evolving.”
“Nothing will ever beat the display you put on a few years ago in Marseilles.” Her eyes shone with excitement. “The one where it looked like wolves stormed the stage.”
“You liked that?” Although Torque smiled at her enthusiasm, he remained wary. The band had done its best to cover up what had happened in Marseilles. In reality, there had been a genuine werewolf strike during one of their concerts. The band had all shifted in response and fought off the attackers. Caught on film, they had been forced to pass the whole thing off as one of the greatest special effects displays ever. They had succeeded, but they were constantly trying to cover up the reality.
“Liked it? It was incredible. I only wish I’d been there to see it in person. The atmosphere must have been amazing.”
“You could say that.” He decided a quick change of subject was in order. “Anyway, this week will be intense. It’s always hard work just prior to the start of a tour, but Ged is right. He always is. The rehearsals are necessary.”
Her gaze scanned his face. She was getting good at reading him. Just not too good, he hoped. There were many hundreds of years of secrets he didn’t want to reveal. “I’d always wondered what made Ged so important, but when you speak about him, I can see it. It goes deeper than affection, doesn’t it?”
It was a scarily perceptive comment. Ged was the glue that held Beast together, but he was so much more. He was the reason they existed. Each member of the band owed his life to the giant bear-shifter. “Yeah. Ged is a good guy.” Such an understatement.
Hollie shook her head. “Do you ever stop being enigmatic?”
He laughed. “Only long enough to get coffee. But first, let me show you to your room.”
There were four bedrooms, each with its own dressing room and bathroom. Hollie held up a small gym bag. “How will I ever fit all my stuff in?”
“We have to get you some new clothes.”
“Torque...” She groaned. “That was not my way of trying to get you to purchase me some expensive new things. You’ve given me a job. I can buy my own clothes.”
“That reminds me, we didn’t discuss your salary. And I should probably see about giving you an advance—”
She dropped her bag and marched toward him. Reaching up, she placed a hand over his mouth. The action started out as a joke, but it violated their unspoken “no contact” rule. As soon as her fingers touched his lips, heat blazed from the point of contact through every part of his body. He saw Hollie’s eyes widen and knew she was feeling it, too. So much more than attraction. It was their own firestorm and they were helpless against its power.
And...he wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but his hands appeared to have developed a life of their own. His intention had been to move her gently but firmly away. Instead, his unruly body disobeyed him as he gripped her waist and pulled her closer. Now what was he supposed to do? With her parted lips so achingly close, there seemed to be only one solution to his dilemma.
As Hollie swayed closer, the temptation to kiss her grew into a necessity. Every reason why this was a bad idea had just flown out of his head when they were interrupted by a buzzing noise.
Hollie blinked as though she had been roused from a trance. “What was that?”
“It’s the concierge. I’m expecting a delivery.”
She sighed, resting her forehead briefly against his chest. “Then I guess you have to go.” The disappointment in her voice almost undid his resolve.
“Come with me.” He took her hand. “This is for you.”
Hollie quirked an inquiring brow in his direction, but followed him without comment. When he opened the door, the uniformed concierge handed Torque a small package. Once he had tipped the doorman and closed the door again, he gave the box to Hollie.
“It’s a cell phone.”
She turned the carton over in her hands. Her expression was hard to read, but Torque was caught up in that swirl of conflicting emotions coming from her once again. She was feeling regret and sorrow. Why, Hollie? What’s bothering you?
“You are such a good man.” When she raised her eyes to his, he caught a glimpse of tears before she blinked them away.
“Tell me.” The words were out before he knew he was going to say them.
“Pardon?” He knew she’d heard him.
He shrugged the question aside. Now was not the best time. “Nothing. You need a way to keep in touch with your overprotective friend.”
“If she’s taking calls.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed her lips to his cheek. “Thank you, Torque.”
To hell with restraint. Her warm, soft mouth felt perfect on his skin, and just for a moment, he let it happen. Allowed himself that one, tiny indulgence.
“While I’m out you can try and contact her.” He grabbed his jacket, turning back as he reached the door. “Be careful.”
Her brow wrinkled. “About calling my friend?”
“Until Kirk gets in touch to say the guy who set fire to the bar has been caught, you need to be careful about everything.”
She looked sweet and vulnerable—and so incredibly beautiful—that it took every ounce of self-control he possessed to walk out the door.
