Читать книгу Passion's Law - Ruth Ryan Langan - Страница 11

Heather showered and dressed quickly, in a simple turtleneck and jeans, eager to begin her first day at the ranch. She ran a brush through her hair and tied it back with a clip, then let herself out of her room and danced barefoot down the stairs.

She knew that the tender farewell scene with her father yesterday had been much harder on him than on her. He’d felt that he was losing his baby, and had actually said as much. For her part, she felt only a sense of freedom. For the next few weeks or months she would have no commitments. Her only responsibility was to her uncle and his business affairs. That was a level of comfort that suited her far more than the corporate setting she’d had to adapt to for the past couple of years.

She smiled to herself. She was sick of business suits and cramming her feet into high-heeled pumps. Bored with long-winded presentations and working lunches. Weary of dressing up at night for black-tie charity events, and making small talk with high-powered executives who always seemed to have one eye on the media.

In the kitchen she was thrilled to discover that she was the first one up. She plugged in the coffeemaker before rummaging through the cupboards. When she located some cereal she poured a bowl, topped it with milk, and grabbed up a spoon before heading out the door. On the porch she settled herself on the top step and leaned her back against the railing, enjoying the spectacular sunrise while she ate.

The sky was ablaze with ribbons of pink and mauve and deep purple. The air was warm and dry, with just a hint of the perfume of jewel-colored dianthus and ivy in nearby terracotta planters.

Heather saw a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to look, her spoon halfway to her mouth. She nearly bobbled the spoon when she realized it was Thad Law. But this wasn’t the man in the rumpled suit that she’d met the previous day. This was a man in snug jeans and denim shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, which displayed a toned, muscled body. She knew men in her parents’ country club who worked out daily with personal trainers, hoping for a body like his.

In his arms was a cardboard box and a length of electrical wire.

Thad caught sight of her at the same moment and paused in mid-stride. Then he quickly recovered and walked closer. “’Morning.”

“Good morning. I didn’t expect to see you here this early.”

He set down his burden on the bottom step and straightened, regarding her with that piercing look. “I might say the same for you.”

She smiled easily. “I’ve always loved the morning.” She nodded toward the cereal. “Have you had your breakfast?”

“Yeah.” He arched a brow. “I didn’t take you for the cereal type.”

“Really? And what type did you think I’d be?”

“The eggs Benedict type, I guess. Or maybe the type that skips breakfast to leave room for quiche at lunch.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” She spooned up the last of her cereal and set aside the bowl to stretch out her legs along the top step. “I made coffee. It’s on the counter inside. Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” As he started up the steps she drew her feet up to allow him to pass by. “As long as I’m pouring, would you like some?”

“Sure.”

“Cream or sugar?”

“No thanks. I take it black.”

He strode into the kitchen and returned minutes later with two cups of steaming coffee. Without a word he handed one to her.

He thought he’d prepared himself for that quick sizzle of heat, but it still managed to catch him by surprise when their fingers brushed.

He leaned his back against the rail and sipped in silence.

Heather sighed. “This is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” He sipped. Stared. And enjoyed the view. Not just the sunrise, but also the sight of the young woman who looked better in a shirt and jeans than anyone he’d ever seen. “Worth getting up early for.”

Heather nodded toward the supplies. “What’s all this for?”

“Some security devices I want added to your uncle’s system.”

“Are you going to install it yourself?”

He shook his head. “I have some workmen coming. I just wanted to check the system and make sure I had everything I needed before they get here. No point in wasting your uncle’s time and money.”

She shot him an astonished look.

He narrowed his eyes. “What?”

She shrugged. “I’m just a little surprised. Not too many people worry about someone else’s money.”

“I suppose such things don’t matter to you.” He saw her smile fade and wished he could take back his words.

“Of course they do. But he’s my uncle. I figured you’d see him as just another rich guy in need of security, no matter what the price.”

His voice lowered with temper. “Is that what you think of me?”

“Look, Thad.” She got to her feet, coffee sloshing over the rim of her cup. “I don’t know what to think. I came here to help my uncle. Apparently you did the same. So why don’t you just do your job and ignore me.”

As she started to sweep past him, his fingers closed around her upper arm and he dragged her close. “I wish I could. In fact, I’d really like to try. But I’m afraid it might prove impossible.” His voice roughened. “I haven’t figured you out yet, Heather McGrath. Yesterday you could have been the cover model for California Career Woman, all buttoned up in that tasteful little designer suit. This morning you look like a college student on mid-term break.” His gaze swept her, from her bare toes to her ponytail, bringing high color to her cheeks. “Either way, I’m sure you’re aware of the fact that it’s impossible for a man not to notice you.”

He saw her eyes widen with surprise before narrowing to angry slits. It was the most fascinating thing to see. Even while her chin was lifting, he could almost feel her spine stiffening and white-hot fury seething through her veins.

“I don’t care how you see me, or if you see me at all. If you value your job here, I suggest you take your hand off me immediately.”

He lowered his hand to his side, and marveled at the tingling in his fingertips. The mere touch of her had started a fire in his veins that was burning a path of heat directly to his loins.

She took a step back. “Apparently you’ve decided to dislike me on principle. Maybe it’s because I remind you of somebody. Or maybe I’m just a convenient target for some misplaced anger. Whatever the problem, Detective Law, it’s yours, not mine. So deal with it. And in the meantime let’s just keep out of each other’s way.”

“I think that’d be wise.” He reached down and took the cup from her hand.

At her arched brow he simply said, “In your present state of mind, I’d hate to have you toss it at me. It’s too hot.”

She almost laughed as he turned away and tossed the coffee over the railing into some rosebushes, before carrying the cups to the kitchen.

By the time he returned, she’d walked to the far end of the porch and kept her back to him as he descended the steps and picked up his supplies.

As he walked away, a smile flitted across his lips. Damned if she wasn’t just about irresistible when she got that temper up. He’d had all he could do to keep from dragging her against him and kissing those pouting lips.

It’s a good thing he hadn’t. A woman like that would probably go running to her uncle crying harassment. He’d had enough sensitivity training sessions to know a police officer had to hold himself to a higher standard.

Still, it hadn’t been easy. There was just something about Heather McGrath that brought out the beast in him.

“A little higher.” Thad stood on the ground, directing two workmen on ladders who were installing security cameras on the back of the house. Both would focus on the nearby hill. One lens gave a wide-angle view, the other a zoom, to be used for close-up shots of anyone trespassing.

In his hand was a palm-sized monitor showing what would appear on a much larger screen in Joe Colton’s office.

“Okay. That’s perfect.” He switched off the monitor and was just turning away when he saw Heather and Joe coming across the lawn, heads bent close in earnest conversation.

He’d seen them go out earlier, and had assumed Joe’s niece had talked him into taking her to town. Apparently they had just walked some of the property.

Joe was laughing. A rare sound these days. And a much-welcome one. Heather’s answering laughter drifted on the breeze, as musical as fine wind chimes.

Until the two had gone out, they’d been locked in Joe’s office all morning. Thad had only had to interrupt them once, to check the monitor. And when he had, he’d found Heather busy at the computer, a phone to her ear. Though she’d seen him, she hadn’t acknowledged him in any way. But he’d seen her pass the phone to her uncle, before continuing with her work on the computer.

Maybe he’d been wrong about her. Maybe she actually did know how to work. For a day or two. He’d see just how disciplined she was after a little more time on the job.

In the meantime, he intended to heed her advice. He’d just keep his distance for a few days. By then she’d probably be gone. When the day came that he saw her toting a packed suitcase, he intended to remind her of their bet. Even spoiled little rich girls were required to pay when they lost. And that was one debt he’d enjoy collecting.

“Thad.” Joe walked closer, trailed more slowly by his niece. “How’s the work going?”

“Good. We should have these two cameras up and running soon and I’ll show you how to switch them on and off from the console in your office.”

“That’s great.” Joe looked up when the cell phone in Heather’s pocket began ringing.

She turned away to answer it, then passed it to Joe. While he carried on an animated conversation with someone, Heather and Thad waited, an awkward silence stretching out between them.

“Time to get back to work,” Joe announced as he handed the phone back to Heather. “I’ll see you in my office whenever you’re done here, Thad.”

“Right.” Thad watched as Heather walked away beside her uncle. She appeared relieved to be escaping. Not that he could blame her. He’d come across like a Neanderthal this morning.

There was just something about her that pushed all his buttons. And now that he’d had some time to consider, he knew why. She’d accused him of hating her on principle, because she reminded him of someone else. And she was right. Though she looked nothing like Vanessa, Heather came from the same privileged background as his late wife. He frowned as Heather and Joe disappeared inside the house. One broken heart was enough for any man. And the best way to ensure that it didn’t happen again was to keep his distance. Which shouldn’t be too hard, since Heather McGrath had already made it plain that she didn’t want him around. Not that he minded. He already had so much going on in his life he found himself wishing he could be cloned.

A short time later he knocked on Joe’s office door and stepped inside. The first thing he saw was Heather, standing on tiptoe trying to reach a leather-bound volume perched on a shelf high above her. Without thinking he strolled across the room and reached over her head, easily snagging the book. What he hadn’t counted on was brushing her body with his. Or the way his body betrayed him without warning.

She turned with a smile. “Thanks, Uncle…” Her smile froze. “Thad.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you again.” He couldn’t seem to look away from those soft blue eyes, wide with surprise. A man could easily drown in them. And happily go under without lifting a hand to save himself.

He lowered the book but didn’t step away. He couldn’t. He’d already fallen under the spell of her perfume. It was filling his lungs, clouding his mind.

He knew he was about to make a fool of himself, but it didn’t seem to matter. Nothing did at the moment except staying here, just like this, breathing her in and tempting himself with the thought of those lips.

She couldn’t back up. There was nowhere to go. Her back was already firmly pressed to the bookcase. Besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. The electricity sparking between them was mesmerizing. Like the static charge in the air before a wild summer storm.

She tipped her head higher. “If you’re looking for my uncle, he should be back in a minute.”

“Good. A minute’s all I need for what I have in mind.” Though an hour would have been better. Much better he thought as he lowered his face to hers.

Heather saw it coming and was helpless to stop it. But though she braced herself for his kiss, she was totally unprepared for what followed.

His free hand cupped the back of her head as his lips covered hers in a kiss so hot, so hungry, she was rocked back on her heels. This was no tentative brush of mouth to mouth, tasting, testing, persuading. This was all fire and flash and thunder. And she was tossed into the heart of the storm, with lightning flashing between them, and wildfires being ignited everywhere.

He crushed her against him and took the kiss deeper. She could feel that hard, muscled body imprinting itself on hers. Branding her with his taste, his touch.

He kissed like a man who intended to possess her. She returned his kiss like a woman already possessed.

She was shocked by the way she was reacting. If any other man had dared to take such liberties, she would have cut him off at the knees with a single harsh word, a killing look, a slap across the face. But this man was kissing her breathless, and all she could do was hold on while her heart hitched, and her breathing became ragged, and her body, her flesh, her blood grew unbearably hot. She could feel her flesh melting. Her bones dissolving. Her blood singing in her veins. And her pulse pounding furiously in her ears.

Thad knew he’d crossed a line, both personal and professional, and yet he couldn’t seem to stop. He needed, desperately, one more taste of her, one more touch. And so he lingered over her lips, struggling with an almost overwhelming desire to take her, here and now.

Even while the thought formed, he dismissed it as the cravings of a demented fool. Ever so slowly he lifted his head and watched as she struggled to compose herself.

Her eyes snapped open. Her lips, those soft, perfect lips, looked moist and swollen, still bearing the imprint of his. For some reason he couldn’t fathom, that pleased him enormously.

“I’d like to say I’m sorry.” He was surprised at how dry his throat felt. “But that would be a lie.”

“All right. As long as we’re being honest, I’d like to say I hate you for this.” She could barely get the words out over the pressure in her throat. Her heart was still pumping furiously, her mind still clouded. “But I’m as much to blame as you.”

“Well, then.” He laid his palm against her cheek and saw her eyes go wide again. His smile was slow in coming, but when it did, it changed all his features. “Next time I’ll let you kiss me first. Then we’ll be even.”

“Gee, thanks.” But there was no anger in her tone. Only a hint of humor. She couldn’t believe the change in him when he smiled. Those icy blue eyes warmed and heated. His mouth, so often set in hard tight lines, looked surprisingly soft. And there was a cleft in his chin she hadn’t noticed before.

“You’re welcome.” Feeling stronger now, he took a step back, breaking contact.

He handed her the book. “I think this is what started all of that.”

“Yes.” She closed her hands around it, holding on to it like a lifeline, wondering if her heartbeat would ever return to normal.

He grinned. “My pleasure. If you ever need any more help reaching and fetching, just let me know.”

They both looked up at the sound of footsteps. Joe stepped into his office and crossed to his desk. “Thad. I guess this means the cameras are installed?”

“Yeah. I thought I’d show you how to operate this monitor.”

Heather remained where she was as Thad strolled to Joe’s desk and the two men went over the controls.

After a few minutes Joe looked over at her. “You’d better learn these, too, sweetheart. As long as you’ll be living here, you have to learn how to operate the security system.”

“Yes, of course.” She walked closer and was forced to endure the closeness of Thad’s body as he explained the controls.

Each time he leaned forward to turn on another switch, she felt the sizzle of heat along her spine. And wondered if he felt it, too.

She chanced a quick glance at his face. He winked, and she felt her cheeks flame.

Finally, when she was certain she couldn’t possibly endure being this close to him for another moment, he stepped back. “I think you’ve both got the hang of it.”

“Well, if we have any questions, we’ll know where to find you.” Joe began sorting through the mail on his desk, which Heather had already opened and stacked. He looked up as a thought occurred. “How about staying for dinner, Thad?”

“Sorry. I can’t. I have…commitments.”

“Okay. Maybe another time.”

“Sure.” Thad glanced at his watch, then started toward the door. “Sorry. I’ve got to run.”

“Thanks for taking care of this, Thad. It’s much appreciated.”

Thad paused at the door and turned with a grin. “Don’t say that until you get my bill. The Prosperino P.D. only pays me when I’m on duty. What I do for you goes on your tab.”

Joe threw back his head and roared. “You’re worth twice what you’re charging me.”

Thad grinned. “Now you tell me.”

Joe waved a hand. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. But be warned. I’m going to be bringing you a list of security measures I think you should add.”

“I’ve told you, Thad. I think the new cameras are enough.”

“And I told you, not by a long shot. They’re nothing but a stopgap measure. You ought to employ a security team until the shooter is behind bars.”

“Uh-huh.” Joe smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Thad shot a quick glance at Heather, standing beside her uncle’s desk.

At once she felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

As the door closed behind him, she settled down to the computer and began scrolling until she found the figures she was searching for. But as she stared at the screen, the numbers blurred and she found herself replaying in her mind the kiss they’d shared.

She’d been kissed dozens of times. Hundreds. But she had never in her life felt anything that even came close to what she’d experienced with Thad Law.

What was happening here? She’d always considered herself a calm, intelligent, sensible woman. And yet, in the space of a single day, she felt as though her life had tilted at some crazy angle. As though she’d been caught up in something completely out of her realm of experience and totally out of her control.

Maybe it was just because Thad Law was unlike any of the men she’d ever known. Most of them were smooth-as-silk members of her family’s country club, with a string of degrees after their names, eager to marry well and move up the corporate ladder. Most of them saw her as the perfect corporate wife.

Thad Law was about as far removed from that as a man could be. Tough talking, rough around the edges and completely unconcerned about how he appeared to others. But she had the sense that he was a man who would finish whatever he started, to the best of his ability, come hell or high water. Maybe that was why he so intrigued her. He appeared to be that rarest of all breeds—a man of integrity.

And though it galled her to admit it, even to herself, she couldn’t wait to see him again.