Читать книгу The Millionaire's Club: Connor, Tom & Gavin - Michelle Celmer - Страница 16

“It’s sort of pretty,” Nita said, running her fingers across the photocopy of the map, over scores of tiny hearts, all different shapes and sizes. “What do they mean?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Gavin said. He stood between her and Jake.

Connor stood across from them on the other side of the kitchen table. He’d been keeping his distance all day. Not that he wasn’t still following her everywhere, he’d just been doing it from a couple yards away.

He was a tough one to figure out. She’d told him she didn’t want commitment, and still he’d turned her down, even though he was obviously attracted to her—because there were things about him she didn’t know. Well, heck, there were things about her he didn’t know, either. They didn’t have to be best buddies to enjoy each other’s…company. As far as she was concerned, it was better that they weren’t. She didn’t like it when men got attached to her. That was right about the time they started trying to change her, to mold her into something she didn’t want to be. Something she couldn’t be.

He thought he had issues? Well, who didn’t? That shouldn’t stop them from having fun.

“We’ve been looking for some sort of pattern,” Jake told Nita. “But so far we’ve come up empty.”

There was a time, when she first met Connor, that she’d thought Jake was the more attractive of the two. His stunning smile and cheerful disposition were hard to resist. But there was something about Connor, something dark and exciting, that intrigued her.

And the more Connor eluded her, the more frustrated she grew. Maybe it was the thrill of the chase, but she’d never wanted a man the way she wanted him. It felt almost like an obsession. Getting in his pants was all she seemed to think about anymore, and at the same time, it wasn’t about sex.

She didn’t know what it was about anymore.

“There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it,” Gavin said. “If we knew the location of the land, it might make more sense. All we know is that it’s somewhere in Royal.”

“We thought maybe Connor would recognize some of the markings,” Jake added.

Connor shook his head. “Sorry. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“It looks old,” Nita said.

“Jessamine Golden disappeared shortly after the turn of the last century,” Jake told her, “making the map at least one hundred years old. Most of the landmarks could be long gone by now. It could be next to impossible to determine its location.”

“Let me have a look at that.” Her daddy hobbled in from the living room on his crutches. “I’ve lived in Royal my whole life, maybe I’ll recognize the land.”

Jake and Gavin nodded and Connor stepped aside so Will could take a look.

Her daddy studied it for all of about two seconds when his brow furrowed and he asked, “You fellas aren’t pulling my leg now, are you?”

“What do you mean?” Nita asked.

“I mean, is this some kinda joke?”

“You recognize it?” Connor asked.

“Well, of course I do. This here is Windcroft land.”

Nita looked at the map again and shook her head. “But Daddy, that’s too big to be Windcroft land.”

“But it used be bigger,” Connor reminded her.

“Before the Devlins stole it from us,” her daddy added bitterly. “I reckon this map was drawn up before the poker game.”

Nita looked over at Connor. “Are you telling me that all that gold is buried here?”

Connor smacked himself in the forehead. “All this time it was staring us right in the face. I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out before.”

“Figure what out?” Jake asked.

“All the holes dug on the property.”

“Oh my gosh,” Nita said, the truth knocking her for a loop. “They weren’t dug to hurt the horses after all. Someone was looking for buried treasure!”

“And I’ll bet that gold is the reason that someone has been trying to get you off the land,” Connor said.

“But who?” Gavin asked.

“Jonathan Devlin had this map,” Will said. “And he would have recognized the land, too. Probably every one of the Devlins knows about it.”

“But do they know which heart marks the treasure?”

“Considering all the holes we found,” Nita said, “they don’t have a clue.”

“There’s so many of them,” Will said. “It could be anywhere. In the corrals, under the stables or the house. It could take years to find it.”

“And we still don’t know who’s doing the digging,” Nita added.

“But we’re getting closer,” Jake said, rolling the map. “Connor, could Gavin and I have a word with you?”

“Nita, would you mind if we use the office?” Connor asked.

“Of course not,” she said.

“Wait for me here,” he told her, his tone threatening enough to let her know he meant business.

She saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

Shaking his head, Connor led his brother and Gavin into the office, switched the light on and closed the door. “What’s up?”

“We just wondered how things are going out here,” Jake said. “If you’ve found any evidence linking Nita to Jonathan Devlin’s murder.”

“Nita is a lot of things, but she’s not a murderer. Alison is right, she’s not capable.”

Jake grinned. “Is that your personal or professional opinion?”

He shot his brother a look.

“She is awfully cute,” Jake taunted.

Gavin laughed. “If she ever heard you call her that, I’ll bet you’d be nursing a black eye. She doesn’t strike me as the type who would appreciate men referring to her as cute.”

“Does she know why you’re really here?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, she knows,” Connor grumbled, and she sure as hell hadn’t been making his job easy. Twice that day he’d taken his eyes off her for about half a second, and when he turned around, she was gone. She was stealthy as a cat and twice as obstinate. She was going to fool around and get herself hurt.

That gold was worth millions. If it really was buried somewhere on their property as the map indicated, who knows to what lengths the people searching for it would go to get their hands on it.

“By your tone, am I to assume she’s giving you trouble?” Jake asked.

“From what I hear, trouble is her middle name,” Gavin said.

Connor snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

“At least we know for certain that someone else is responsible for the problems out here,” Gavin said. “And we know why.”

“But is it the Devlins?” Jake wanted to know.

“Tom called me today saying he had new information about the feud,” Gavin told them. “Rumor has it that about four weeks after Jonathan died, his grandson Lucas, Tom’s uncle, approached Will Windcroft in the Royal Diner. Witnesses heard Lucas saying something about the two of them needing to talk, but Will got angry and stormed out of the restaurant. Tom was supposed to have a meeting with Lucas to try to find out what it was he needed to talk about.”

“Maybe it’ll be the answer we’re looking for,” Jake said.

“I’m hoping it is. He wants us to meet at the club tomorrow afternoon. Can you make it, Connor?”

“Nita mentioned driving into town for supplies. We can bring Jimmy, the stable manager, along to keep an eye on her. She should be safe with him while I come to the club.”

They agreed on 3:00 p.m. and Connor walked them out to their cars. Jake hung back and, after Gavin had driven away, he asked, “So, what do you think of her?”

“Who?”

“You know who.”

Yeah, Connor did, and he didn’t want to talk about it. “It’s a job.”

“There’s chemistry there.”

It wasn’t a question, and even if it had been, Connor couldn’t deny it. And he still didn’t want to talk about it.

“I knew there would be. It’s part of the reason I recommended you for the job.”

What was he, some kind of matchmaker now? “Well, you were wasting your time.”

“You know, Connor, it wouldn’t kill you to relax and have some fun for a change. Do something for yourself.”

“You would know a lot about that,” Connor said, regretting his harsh tone the second the words left his mouth. He wasn’t being fair. Jake had changed. And he’d proven that in his race for mayor.

Jake being Jake, the insult slid right off his back. “Connor, you’d be amazed what finding the right woman can do to a man.”

There was no right woman for Connor. And even if he found her, it simply couldn’t be. He had too much anger, too much rage. He could try to explain, but Jake would never understand. They might look alike, but inside they couldn’t be more different.

The truth was, Connor wished he were more like his brother.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at three,” Connor said, opening Jakes car door.

Taking Connor’s not so subtle hint, Jake grinned and got inside. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Connor watched him drive away, until his taillights were two red specks in the blackness of the night, then he went in the house to find Nita and tell her about tomorrow’s meeting. Will was in the family room watching a football game.

“Where’s Nita?”

Will barely glanced up at Connor, his attention rooted to the television. “She went out to the stable for something. Said you could meet her out there.”

Connor closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. She’d done it again. She’d completely ignored what he’d assumed was a pretty direct order. And by doing so, had once again put herself in danger. She didn’t seem to understand how serious this situation had become.

Anger shooting his blood pressure into the red zone, Connor stomped his way through the kitchen and mudroom out into the night. The sky was overcast and black as pitch. It was so dark the back porch light barely lit his way to the stable. From the bunkhouse he could hear laughter and music and warm light glowed behind the curtains.

The main stable was dark.

She’s in there, perfectly safe, he told himself. She’d only left the lights off to scare him. That’s what he had to believe, because the alternative wasn’t even worth considering.

He pulled the door open and stepped inside, his eyes taking a second to adjust to the dim light, relief washing over him when he saw Nita. Relief that quickly dissolved into anger.

She stood in front of Goliath’s stall, illuminated only by the lamp burning on the desk in the stable office. Soft light surrounded her, making her hair shimmer as she moved, making her skin look soft and translucent. She looked…beautiful. If he hadn’t been so damned mad, it would have taken his breath away.

“So, this is how it’s going to be,” he said. “You slipping away from me whenever I’m not looking?”

She ran a brush down the side of the horse’s neck. “I like to come out here at night. It’s peaceful. It helps me think.”

“And it’s dangerous.”

“I’m all right, aren’t I?”

“Do you have any idea what’s at stake here? I’ve seen what people will do for money, the lengths they’ll go to. That gold is worth millions, and someone is after it. Right now you’re the only thing standing in their way.”

“I refuse to be a victim. To be afraid in my own home.” She turned to face him and for a moment he was taken aback. She may have sounded confident and downright belligerent, but he could see genuine concern in her eyes. And fear. Their discovery tonight had obviously ruffled her more than she’d let on, and the anger he’d been feeling slipped.

“You don’t have to be a victim, but you do have to be smart,” he said, suddenly feeling sorry for her. She was so tough, so burdened with responsibility, he wondered if she ever allowed herself to let it all go. To be vulnerable.

Somehow he doubted it.

“We can’t let word out that the gold is here,” she said. “We’ll have every kook in the county trying to find it. And what if it’s all a ruse? What if that map is some kind of red herring?”

As he drew closer to her, his body came alive with awareness. He couldn’t be in the same room without getting caught up in her scent, without being mesmerized by the way her body moved. “I have a meeting tomorrow to discuss the feud. It seems there have been new developments. Maybe it will help us to figure out who’s responsible.”

“I just want this to be over before our business is ruined,” she said, frustration keen in her voice. She turned to hang the brush back on its hook, but not before he could see the stark sadness on her face. His first instinct was to pull her into his arms and just hold her. To give her the freedom to let go.

He stepped up behind her and laid his hands over her shoulders, realizing instantly that touching her had been a mistake. The contact shot through him like jolt of pure energy. But by then it was too late. The second he touched her, Nita turned and pressed herself against him. His arms naturally went around her, holding her close. He had never imagined that something as simple as holding a woman could feel so damned good. So…erotic. He was hyperaware of every inch of her supple figure, the body heat that seeped though her clothes.

Instead of pulling away, he let his cheek rest against the softness of her hair. He wanted to tangle his fingers through it, tilt her head and kiss her. Take everything he’d never let himself take from a woman and give it all back in return.

Nita’s hands flattened against his back and began to drift slowly downward. She pressed her face against his chest, her breath hot through his shirt. He could tell by her increased breathing, by the way her body went from rigid and tense to soft and pliable, she was just as aroused.

Then he felt her breath on his neck, her lips on his throat. He had to stop this. He had to end it before they went too far, before they reached the point of no return. What had made him think he could touch her this way without wanting more?

“Don’t do that,” he croaked, barely able to push the words out, to contain the desire building inside of him.

“Why? I know you want me to.” Her hands cupped his backside, and she arched against him. “I can feel how much.”

“I’ll hurt you, Nita. Even if I don’t want to.”

Her teeth scraped his earlobe and he fisted his hands to keep from caressing her. “Have I ever once given you the impression that I can’t fend for myself?”

Why couldn’t she listen? Why couldn’t she see the mistake she was making? “Not from me you can’t.”

“You’re not nearly as tough as you think.”

She ran her tongue along the seam of his ear and it was more than he could take. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away.

“I don’t know how else to say this to you, Nita. I’m not interested.”

For a second she looked stunned, then her eyes darkened with anger. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a woman if she walked up and bit you.”

“When you see one, you let me know.”

Her jaw clenched tight and her eyes reduced to slits and he knew he’d hit a nerve. That was good, because when she was angry with him, she wasn’t thinking of ways to seduce him. All those wicked ideas she seemed to have would only get her in trouble. It would get them both in trouble.

But she was so wrong. He knew exactly what he wanted to do with her.

She spun on her heel and headed for the door, but not before he saw something else in her eyes. He saw hurt. He’d wounded her pride, and he didn’t figure that was an easy thing to do.

He felt like slime for it, because he’d made her believe that he didn’t want her, that she wasn’t beautiful and sexy and everything any man could ever hope to find in a woman. Himself included.

“Nita, wait.” She was all the way to the stable door before he caught up with her. He grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She flung herself around, her eyes two purple balls of fire in the dim light.

“Get your hands off me.” She spit out a stream of curses even he’d never used then she shoved him. Hard. So hard he stumbled backward and almost landed on his rear end.

Blood pulsed through his veins and throbbed at his temple. She had no idea what she was doing, what he was capable of. “Don’t do that again.”

“What’s the matter?” she asked, taking a step toward him, her chin high. “You don’t like being pushed around by a girl.”

“Stop it, Nita,” he warned through clenched teeth, but his threat only fueled her determination.

“What are you going to do about it?” She stepped up to him, planted her hands on his chest and shoved again, harder this time, and his blood pressure reached an all-new high. She could see how angry he was, but instead of being afraid, instead of looking wary, she looked even more excited, more determined.

“I’m warning you,” he said, “don’t do that again.”

With her eyes locked on his, taunting him, she very deliberately planted her hands on his chest, ready to give him another good hard shove.

All the anger, all the frustration he’d trapped deep below the surface broke free in a red-hot gush. Before he could stop himself, he caught her wrists in his hands and backed her hard against the door, pinning her arms over her head. He wanted to hurt her, and he wanted scare her and he just plain wanted her, as he’d never wanted a woman before.

She gazed up at him through the pale light, but instead of looking frightened, instead of being angry with him, her lids were heavy with desire, her cheeks flushed.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he lowered his head and crushed his mouth to hers—a hard, punishing kiss—pressing her to the door with the weight of his body. Her mouth was hot and sweet and demanding, her body soft and needy.

He lost himself in the flavor of her mouth, the thrust of her tongue against his own. His hands slipped from her wrists and found their way to the curve of her hips, down the swell of her backside, and Nita moaned into his mouth. Her arms wound around his neck and she hooked one leg over his hip, grinding her body against him.

That’s when he started to melt, when the last of his control began to slip. He began to feel—as he’d never felt before. Arousal and lust and longing. It over-whelmed him.

And scared the hell out of him.

He pried her arms from around his neck and backed away, drawing a hand across his damp mouth, fighting to catch his breath. “Now you see what you’ve done?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She looked like pure sex standing there, her chest heaving, her cheeks the same vivid red as the stripes on her shirt. It was almost more than he could take.

“I’m not doing this with you, Nita. No matter how much we both want it.”

She studied him for a long moment and something in her eyes told him she knew it was a lost cause.

“That’s a fine attitude, now that you’ve gotten me all hot and bothered,” she said, her voice low and husky.

“I sincerely apologize.”

“No need to apologize.” She flattened a hand over her chest where her collar opened, then slipped it inside, caressing the top of her breast, her eyes pinned on his. “Guess I’ll just have to go upstairs and take care of business myself.”

She gave her breast a squeeze and he nearly fell over. It would take the willpower of ten men not to pull her back into his arms, yet somehow he managed all by himself. But she wasn’t finished with him. As she opened the door to leave, she dealt the blow that nearly brought him to his knees.

“Later, when you’re lying in bed and you hear me cry out from the next room, know that it’s you I was thinking about.”