Читать книгу Seduced In Seattle - Kristin Gabriel - Страница 12

BROCK FOLLOWED Kate into the lobby of the Hartington Hotel, his eyes glued to the sexy sway of her hips. She wore a pantsuit now instead of that skirt, but he could still envision the long, slender line of her legs. The way the silky fabric of the skirt had molded to her sweetly curved rear end. He imagined himself fitting his hands there, her body moving against him…

He mentally shook himself. Brock had been attracted to women before, but he’d never let it affect his mission. And his mission was simple. He had to get his hands on the skirt. Unfortunately, it looked as if he’d have to get close to Kate to do it.

That wasn’t part of his plan.

Whenever possible, he tried to avoid contact with people during a mission. It tended to make things too unpredictable. And potentially dangerous. His normal routine was to research the object he’d been hired to recover, map out a strategy for obtaining it, then leave the vicinity before anyone was the wiser.

Only nothing had gone right with this particular mission from the start. His research hadn’t turned up an address for Kate, so he’d decided to search the Talavera house for information. Picking the lock on the front door hadn’t been a problem, but the last person he’d expected to find inside was Kate.

Especially since she was nothing like he remembered.

When had she turned from a sweet, chubby kid with a crooked smile into a sweet, sexy woman with a luscious mouth that could drive a man wild? Not to mention her big brown eyes, generous curves and legs that went on forever and a day.

The sight of her had turned him from a coolheaded professional into a man who could barely think straight. He’d almost blown the mission and now found himself in deeper than he ever wanted to be.

It was time for a new strategy.

Kate conferred with a clerk at the front desk, then turned to face him. “Looks like we’re full tonight, but there should be a room opening up tomorrow. So I guess that means you’ll have to stay with me.”

His pulse picked up a notch at the implied invitation. Business, Gannon, he reminded himself sternly. Keep your mind on the mission. He took a deep breath. “Are you sure that won’t be too much trouble?”

She smiled. “Not at all. I’m in one of the employee suites, so there’s plenty of room.”

It was a perfect setup. He’d be in the same room with the skirt. As soon as Kate was asleep tonight, he could grab it, then hop on the first airplane out of Seattle. Except…

She would know he was the one who stole it.

Usually Brock didn’t give a damn about what people thought of him. But somehow the idea of her believing he was a thief, as well as a liar, unsettled him. When he thought of Kate telling the rest of the Talaveras the story, his blood turned cold.

But what choice did he have? If he didn’t take the skirt, someone else would.

He followed Kate to the elevator, which took them to her third-floor suite. The door opened to a tasteful sitting area with a computer desk and fax machine in one corner. A small kitchenette graced the other corner of the room, complete with small refrigerator, microwave, hot plate and sink. Another door led to a bedroom in the back and a luxurious bathroom lay in between.

“This is nice,” he said, setting his suitcase next to the door.

“It’s been home for the past couple of months. We’ve been so busy at the hotel, that I’m working most of the time anyway, so it’s handy.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Where do you want me to sleep?”

To his surprise, he saw a pretty pink blush steal up her neck and settle in her cheeks. Was it possible that he wasn’t the only one having erotic fantasies about that king-size bed in the next room?

“On the sofa. It might be a little lumpy, but it should be long enough for you. I can have some extra linens and pillows sent up.”

“Sounds good.” Not as good as sharing a pillow with Kate, but a man couldn’t have everything.

She glanced at the computer. “Do you mind if I check my e-mail, or do you want to go straight to bed?”

“I think I’ll hop in the shower if you don’t mind.” He didn’t tell her it was going to be a cold one.

“Go right ahead.”

Once Kate was alone in the sitting room she phoned housekeeping, then hurried over to the computer desk and sat down. It only took a few moments for the computer to come to life and begin downloading her e-mail.

Most of the messages were related to upcoming conferences and meetings. But two of them made her sit up in her chair. They were both from Todd Winslow. Kate heard the shower running in the bathroom and did her best not to picture Brock standing under the stream of pulsating water. A naked Brock.

She took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the computer, clicking on Todd’s first message. The opening line made her smile.

Dear Kate,

It sprinkled here in Los Angeles today and I thought of you and that lovely Seattle weather. I’ll have to buy an umbrella sometime in the next two weeks. You wouldn’t believe all the things I have laid out to pack for my trip. It’s almost like I’m moving back home. Hey, maybe that’s not such a bad idea.

Fondly,

Todd

It was a typical e-mail from Todd. He made it a point to e-mail her every day now. Sometimes just to say hello. Once in awhile he sent along a joke or told her about a problem he was having at work. Over the past few weeks, his messages had become more personal. He’d mentioned several times how anxious he was to see her again.

Kate just hoped he had the same reaction as Brock when he saw her in the skirt. Just thinking about that flare of heat she’d seen in Brock’s gray eyes made her heart skip a beat. If the skirt could affect a man as implacable as Brock Gannon, it could work on anyone.

She clicked on the next message, surprised that Todd had broken his routine and sent her two e-mails on the same day. She was even more surprised when she read it.

Kate,

I’m normally not an impulsive person but it’s late and I’ve been thinking about you and I’m going to ask you before I chicken out. Will you go out to dinner with me when I get to Seattle?

Hopefully yours,

Todd

Kate stared at the computer screen, unable to believe her eyes. He’d asked her out. Todd Winslow. High school golden boy. Owner of one of the most successful home shopping networks on cable television. She planted both palms on the computer desk and took a deep breath. It was happening. It was really happening.

And he hadn’t even seen her in the skirt yet!

Once he did…anything could happen. Chelsea and Gwen were proof of that. In a few short weeks, it could be Kate walking down the aisle. She closed her eyes, picturing the moment. The glow of happiness on her bridegroom’s face. Her eyes flew open when she realized the man waiting at the altar in her imagination was not Todd Winslow.

It was Brock Gannon.

Flustered, she stood up at the same time a soft knock sounded on the door to her suite. She let the housekeeper in, then helped her make up the sofa. There was a perfectly logical explanation for confusing Brock with Todd, she thought to herself as she plumped a feather pillow. She hadn’t seen Todd in person for over a decade, just his image on television.

While Brock was in the next room. Naked in the next room. And she had to admit he’d turned into a strikingly handsome man. Okay, handsome might be an understatement. Just looking at him made her long for steamy nights and silk sheets. But any woman would be having fantasies about him. It was perfectly natural.

“Will there be anything else, Ms. Talavera?” the maid asked.

“No, thank you, Marva,” Kate replied, handing her a tip. “Wait a minute, there is one more thing.” She walked into the bedroom and pulled the skirt out of the closet. “Could you make sure this gets to the drycleaner for me? It has a small spot near the hem and I’m afraid to wash it.”

“Certainly,” Marva said, taking the hanger out of Kate’s hand. “It should be back on Friday.”

“I’m going to call the drycleaner tomorrow morning and give him special instructions, so I’ll probably make arrangements to pick it up myself.”

“Very well, Ms. Talavera.”

As soon as the maid left the suite, Kate marched over to the computer and sat down to accept Todd’s invitation. This was not a time for second thoughts. Not when her dream was about to come true.

She knew Todd was perfect for her. He was bright, articulate and successful. They’d practically grown up together. Not that she’d spent a lot of time with Todd back then, since they had run with different crowds. In fact, more than once she’d gotten the feeling that he went out of his way to avoid her. But she’d probably just been paranoid about her weight. Besides, they were both older now. More mature. She’d dated enough Mr. Wrongs to know a Mr. Right when she saw one.

Although, she hadn’t actually seen him, except on his television show. And she’d only recently begun corresponding with him. Seeing Brock again reminded her how much a person could change. He definitely didn’t seem like the same recalcitrant boy who had been in detention as regularly as he’d raided their refrigerator.

Kate smiled to herself, remembering how intrigued she’d once been by him. At fourteen, she’d just discovered gothic romances and in her mind, seventeen year old Brock Gannon had embodied the perfect gothic hero. Dark. Brooding. A little dangerous.

There was still an aura of danger around him, although it didn’t scare her. Just the opposite, in fact. Brock Gannon exuded a primal sensuality that was both daunting and exciting. It was in his stormy gray eyes and the set of his square jaw. The way he carried himself, with a cool confidence that made other men seem insignificant in comparison. Kate couldn’t deny that she found him fascinating.

“What am I doing?” she muttered to herself when she realized she was thinking about Brock again. Focusing her attention back on the computer screen, she hit the send button before she had time to talk herself out of it. Todd Winslow was the right man for her.

He had to be.

The sound of the bathroom door opening made her turn around in the chair. Brock emerged, wearing only a pair of plaid cotton pajama pants tied low on his waist with a drawstring. The dark hair on his chest still glistened with tiny droplets of water. The scent of soap and male permeated the air. His short hair was slicked back on his head and his feet were bare.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” he said, moving toward the sofa.

“No, I’m all finished here.” She stood up, her mouth suddenly dry. Okay, so maybe Brock did have solid broad shoulders, a tight washboard stomach and bulging muscles in his arms. It’s not like she’d never seen a man’s naked body before. Maybe none quite as spectacular as Brock’s, but with all the same basic parts. Images of those parts flashed in her mind, sending a wave of heat through her.

She watched as he pulled back the blanket on the sofa bed, then lay down and settled back against the pillow. He pulled the sheet up to his waist so that all she could see was his bare chest. It gave the illusion that he wasn’t wearing anything. His flat nipples were a dusky pink and the cords of his neck stood out as he folded his hands behind his head.

She swallowed. “How was the shower?”

He hesitated. “Refreshing.”

Kate turned and switched the computer off. Maybe sharing a hotel suite with Brock wasn’t such a great idea after all. It put all sorts of crazy notions in her head. “I think I’ll go to bed. It’s been an exhausting day.”

“Good night, Kate.”

“Good night.” She practically ran for the bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and took a deep breath. Then another. Why did Brock Gannon have to show up in her life again? Why did he have to make her start doubting the perfect future she had all planned out for herself?

“Two weeks,” she said softly, slipping out of her pantsuit and hanging it in the closet. Then she took her favorite nightshirt out of the dresser drawer. It was a man’s striped pajama top that hung three inches above her knees.

She pulled back the quilted comforter and climbed into bed. “In two weeks, Brock will be gone and I’ll forget all about him.”

If she was lucky, in two weeks she’d be planning a wedding. Mrs. Todd Winslow. It had a nice ring to it. But when she closed her eyes, she still saw Brock Gannon standing at the altar.

BROCK WINCED as he turned the doorknob leading to the bedroom. He hoped the slight squeak hadn’t awakened Kate. Moving stealthily into the room, he paused until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. After a few moments, he could make out Kate’s long slender form on the bed. He could hear the steady rhythm of her soft breathing. See the shadows of her silky curls spilling over the pillow. She lay on her side, both hands tucked under one cheek. Her pink lips slightly parted—looking so very kissable.

He turned toward the closet before he forgot the reason he’d come in here. It was time to get the skirt and get the hell out of Kate’s life. Putting over three thousand miles between the two of them would be better than a cold shower. At least, he hoped so.

Brock padded silently to the closet, then slowly pulled open the accordion door. He quickly sifted through the row of dresses and pantsuits hanging there, searching for the skirt. He froze when he heard Kate roll over in bed, a soft, breathy sigh escaping her lips. The sound made his body instantly harden. It was a sound a woman made when he touched her in just the right place.

A sweat broke out on his forehead as he turned back to the closet. Where the hell was that skirt? He sorted through the clothes again, more carefully this time. At last he stepped back and closed the closet door. It wasn’t there. Hell.

He turned to look at Kate, wondering if she’d hidden it. But where? At that moment, she opened her eyes, then gasped aloud when she saw him. She bolted upright in bed, struggling with the tangled bedcovers.

“It’s all right,” he whispered, realizing this was the second time he’d scared her in less than twenty-four hours and hating himself for it.

“Brock.” Her voice was husky from sleep. She twisted to switch on the table lamp. Light flooded the room, making them both wince at the brightness. “What are you doing in my bedroom?”

“I heard you cry out,” he improvised, moving closer to the bed. “I thought you might be having a nightmare.”

“Oh.” Another blush suffused her cheeks and she didn’t quite meet his eyes. “No, it wasn’t a nightmare. It was just a dream.”

Torture. That was the word for this mission. Kate lay in bed, not two feet away from him. Her hair was tousled and her cheeks rosy. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. His entire body throbbed.

Brock sat down beside her on the bed to conceal his uncomfortable, and no doubt visible, condition. He reached out one hand and tipped up her chin with his finger. “Are you sure?”

She stared into his eyes, then licked her lips. “Positive.”

“I’m glad,” he said huskily, then he leaned forward, unable to help himself. He was already in this far. And a man could only take so much temptation. He closed the distance between them until his lips met hers.

She tasted even better than he had imagined. Like a spring rain on the parched earth of his soul. His hands found her waist as he deepened the kiss, nipping lightly at her lower lip. She made that sound again, that soft sigh that instantly sent his body into high alert.

At last she pulled back and stared at him, her beautiful brown eyes wide and confused. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

He completely agreed, but asked the question anyway. “Why not?”

“I’m involved with someone,” she said, then cleared her throat. “Sort of involved. I don’t want any complications in my life right now.”

“The man you told your parents about,” he guessed. “The one who is supposed to see you in that skirt.”

She nodded. “I think he’s the one.”

Brock wanted to change her mind. And he knew a dozen ways to do it. Ways that could bring them both to the pinnacle of satisfaction. Ways that could induce her to tell him anything he wanted to know. But something made him pull back. A nagging sense of integrity that he’d never let affect his work before.

He straightened and stepped away from the bed. “Then I’ll say good night.”

“Good night, Brock.”

He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He wanted the skirt. He wanted Kate. But he didn’t have his hands on the former and couldn’t have his hands on the latter. This mission was becoming more complicated by the moment.

He headed into the bathroom for a second cold shower.