by Lori Foster
She continued to scrutinize him. “You don’t know me, Eli. If you did, you wouldn’t say such a stupid thing.”
From bad to worse. She was so damn defensive, so hurt. “I want to know you.”
She laughed without humor.
“When this is over, we could see how things go.”
Before he’d finished that statement, she was already shaking her head. “Not possible.”
“Why?”
Ray stood and paced to the sink, put her empty dish inside and ran water over it. She was gathering her thoughts, her arguments, but Eli didn’t know how to reassure her.
He knew for certain she didn’t realize the picture she made, leaning against the sink with the undershirt hugging the soft lines of her hips. She turned, putting her hands behind her on the counter, which only served to push her breasts forward. Again, she seemed oblivious to the sensuousness of her stance.
“I never see the people I work for after the job is done.”
“Why, Ray?” His gaze held hers, taking in her carefully wrought expression of indifference. “Explain it to me.”
“What’s to explain? I just don’t.”
“You must have a reason.” He pressed her when he knew that could be dangerous. But he sensed an emotional opening and he fully intended to take advantage of it. “I would think you’d get pretty close to a person if you rescue him.”
She shook her head. “No, that would be stupid.”
“Why?”
Exasperated, she said, “You wouldn’t understand.”
“You sound so sure of that.” Despite his efforts to remain calm and in control, his brows pulled down. “You know, it’s just possible I’m not really as shallow as you think.”
Her arms came around to cross over her chest. It was a protective gesture, and Eli wondered at it. Why did she feel threatened? How could she feel threatened by a man when she was comfortable traipsing about in her underclothes in front of him? That alone denoted a certain amount of self-confidence and trust.
He stood, crowding in close to her. Her face turned up to his and he stared into her eyes. He wanted to touch her, to make the physical connection between a man and a woman. The compulsion was almost too great to resist. “Explain it to me, Ray,” he insisted quietly.
Her chin tilted stubbornly in a sign of defiance. She was always so contained, so laid back, she wouldn’t have cared enough to be defiant. But this topic got to her, threatened her in some way, and damn it, he wanted to know why.
“It would be like mixing two entirely different worlds. And I know from experience it doesn’t work. People like you—”
“What the hell does that mean, ‘people like me’?”
“People with money,” she clarified, drawing the word out like a curse. “You hired me, Eli, you did not make a social call. This is a business arrangement, that’s all. Quit trying to make it something more.”
Her insistence only made him more determined. “Maybe it could be something more if you’d let it.”
“For what purpose?” she almost yelled.
“Because I want you.”
Her eyes flared, color rushed into her cheeks—anger or embarrassment, he had no idea which. Her chest rose and fell, then her expression settled into lines of rage. As she turned to stalk away, he grabbed her shoulder.
Big mistake.
Within a heartbeat, his thumb was twisted backward at an awkward angle. Eli locked his jaw in serious discomfort. Feeling his own anger erupt, he growled, “Let go, Ray.”
She did, backing up a step and looking very sheepish. “I’m sorry. It was pure instinct.” Then she caught herself and her brows snapped down. “You shouldn’t touch me. Especially not after spewing garbage like that.”
“Garbage?” He rubbed his thumb but it continued to throb.
Going on tiptoe, she stuck her face in his and snarled, “I’m not out for a quick toss in the hay, Eli. Save that for Jane.” Her sneering tone irked him all the more. “Just because I have some unusual habits doesn’t mean I’m easy.”
He wanted to turn her over his knee. His anger had risen until he had to speak through his teeth. “If you had let me finish instead of being so damned prickly—just like a damn woman—you’d know that wasn’t what I meant at all.” He tried shaking his hand, but the pain continued to pulse through his thumb. He glowered at her. “I only meant that I like you and I’m attracted to you.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? You don’t think you’re likable? Hell, Ray, you’re giving me your expertise and assistance, and if that’s not enough—”
She curled her hands into fists. Not a good sign. “I’m not giving you anything. You’re paying good money for it.”
Eli didn’t appreciate that little reminder. His expression became stony. “You didn’t have to agree to help. Money or not, you could have said no.”
He tried bending his thumb, and grimaced instead.
Just that easily, Ray relented. Dropping her weight onto one leg, thrusting out the other hip in an arrogant slouch, she said, “Here.” She grabbed his hand, turned his thumb sharply, making him grunt, then asked, “Is that better?”
Strangely enough, it was. Feeling less than pleasant, Eli said, “I’ll live, thank you very much.”
She looked at him, shook her head with a short laugh, then attempted to wipe away her grin. “You’re funny, Eli, you know that?”
“Putting a torque on my thumb amuses you, does it?”
She shrugged, which wasn’t much of an encouraging answer. “Look, let’s forget all this nonsense about getting to know each other, okay? We need to concentrate on getting through this job.” Her natural confidence restored, she sauntered lazily toward the door. “I’ll shower first, then we can get things going.”
Eli watched her go, but just before she disappeared from sight, she turned to him again. “Eli?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
In a tone as reverent as her own had been, he asked, “For what?”
“For wanting to get to know me. Even though it’s impossible, it was a nice thought.”
She turned again, but Eli’s implacable words stopped her. “Like hell, Ray. It isn’t impossible, and I will know you. You might as well get used to the idea now.”
That particular challenge had her shoulders stiffening, but as she walked away, Eli was almost positive he’d seen a small smile on her mouth.
Deep down, she was exactly like other women—confusing as hell.
They were almost ready to leave for the airport, and Ray looked Eli over approvingly. He’d flat out refused to shop anywhere except at his own store, but she had to admit, he’d done well. Now wearing faded black jeans and a fashionably worn black T-shirt with low boots, he appeared much more casual. Of course, the watch would have to go, but Ray put off telling him so since he’d been so adamant about wearing it.
That morning he’d started to shave, but Ray had caught him in time, insisting he leave the whiskers alone. His beard shadow wasn’t heavy yet, but by tomorrow it would be. He looked downright rugged and disreputable and all too appealing for her peace of mind.
Eli nodded at the bag she’d carried from the mall. “So what’d you get?”
It had been a frivolity on her part to purchase anything, but she’d felt compelled to obtain one particular item. Pulling a sour face, she opened her bag to show Eli her new pajamas.
He laughed, shaking his head, and then in a husky, intimate whisper, said, “Personally, I preferred what you wore this morning.”
Didn’t she know it. He’d been plain about it to the point he had her thinking of it, even though she knew better. “And that’s why I thought it might be a good idea to get something a little less revealing. It’d be stupid to let old-fashioned lust be a bother on this mission.”
Ray almost flinched when his palm cupped her chin, turning her face up to his. His hand was big and hot and rough, and everything in her curled in response.
The pajamas were coming a bit too late, in her opinion. She was already way too bothered.
“I love the way you state your case, Ray. Old-fashioned lust? Are you feeling it, too?”
She cleared her throat—and lied. “Oh, I think I can control myself.” Her statement was meant to be sarcastic, but the words emerged as a breathy whisper, losing some of their impact. Eli smiled knowingly.
“For now.” His thumb brushed her bottom lip, prompting her to pull away. “For now, we’ll control ourselves.”
He took liberties she’d never allowed before. “You’re taking a lot for granted.”
That had his left eyebrow raising a good inch. “Am I? And I thought I showed incredible restraint.” He chuckled at her disgruntled frown. “Now don’t get riled. We still have to finish packing our stuff and that’d be tough for me to do with a mangled thumb.”
He kept teasing her instead of getting mad. She didn’t understand him at all. Ray shook her head and went off to her room to add the absurd pajamas to her duffel bag. She was most comfortable sleeping nude and had worn the undershirt out of modesty. She could just imagine how uncomfortable sleeping in the stupid cotton pajamas would be. They were lightweight, made like a T-shirt and short pants, and would cover her from the scooped neck to just below her knees. Much as she hated to admit it, she knew the purchase had been necessary.
For her as well as for him.
No way could she give in to her attraction to Eli, remarkable though it seemed. He was of the elite, richer class. He was involved with Jane. And damn it, employers didn’t get seriously involved with their employees, especially not when the employee was in effect a hired thug. She liked to think her talents were more refined than that, but he wouldn’t think so. How could he? She’d attacked him in the kitchen, for crying out loud. When she thought of what she’d done to his thumb, she wanted to groan. It had been her equivalent of a slap—and that was too emotional to suit her.
Yet around him, her control was obliterated. Her reactions were involuntary, out there for him to see before she even realized what she might do. It made her feel raw, exposed.
As she packed and prepared, Ray tried to remember how long it had been since she’d been so attracted to a man. She’d given up on finding a “happily ever after” about five years ago, when she was only twenty-six. Since that time, she’d met a few men who had momentarily piqued her interest. None of them had known she could muscle her way out of a mob or load an AK-47 with lightning-fast reflexes. She’d kept the most basic part of herself hidden, and still it hadn’t lasted.
Not that she’d mourned the ending of any relationships. Men had a way of opening their mouths and destroying whatever illusions of suitability she tried to give them. True, she was more independent than most and likely that was a problem, because she just couldn’t take the natural arrogance that seemed to accompany most men. They saw women in one-dimensional ways, small, weak—all the things she most detested.
Funny, but Eli’s arrogance had only sharpened her interest. Maybe because she felt his was more deserved. He was self-confident, strong, and hard. And big.
He stood a head taller and his shoulders were twice as wide. In comparison, he made her feel small, a circumstance she hadn’t encountered too many times since she’d matured.
Of course, they hadn’t gotten to the thick of it yet, where she’d really test Eli’s mettle. Once they were in Mataya and he had to follow her lead, he wouldn’t find her quite so amusing. He’d back off on his own, so she really had nothing to worry about.
He was in a chipper mood when they left the apartment, which only served to annoy Ray further. She was disgruntled, but with herself, not Eli. It seemed that despite everything she’d just told herself, she already felt a sense of loss. Eli wasn’t hers, would never be hers.
But damn it, she wanted him to be—at least for a little while.
Chapter Four
After they stuffed their baggage behind the seat, Ray tossed Eli the keys and told him to drive.
“Really?”
Well, what about that? She’d expected an argument, not a look of anticipation, as if getting behind the wheel of her battered truck appealed to him. “Yeah, really. You do know how to drive a stick, don’t you?”
“Learned when I was ten, as a matter of fact.”
“Ten?”
“Yeah. I was a . . . rambunctious kid.” He adjusted the seat to fit his longer legs, turned the key, and smiled at the low rumble of the engine. “Know what I think, Ray?”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to. But he didn’t wait for her to ask anyway.
“I think most of the wear and tear on your truck is camouflage, kind of like your blustering and bravado.”
That tore it. “Blustering and bravado?”
He put the truck in gear and drove out of the lot, shifting with practiced ease. “The truck looks bad, but it’s a real gem.” He flicked a look her way. “You can pretend to be cold and heartless, but you’re a sensitive woman.”
Being compared to her truck wasn’t the best compliment. In a flat voice, she said, “The windows are bulletproof and the frame is reinforced with body armor. It doesn’t matter how the truck looks, Eli. It’s a kick-ass machine, meant to get me safely where I’m going, not for joyriding.”
His big hands opened and closed on the steering wheel in a near caress. Mesmerized by that, Ray almost missed it when he murmured, “A fast, fun joyride wouldn’t hurt anything now, would it?”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was he talking about the damn truck, or her? It didn’t matter, not when her mind took the comment in the most explicit, sexual way possible. Damn it, how did he keep doing this to her? She wanted to put him in his place, she really did.
Only at the moment, she wasn’t sure where that might be.
She slouched in her seat, propped her feet on the dash and turned her face to stare out her window. She’d ignore him and his innuendoes.
The problem was, she knew he was looking at her. She could feel his gaze, moving over her, filling her with throbbing turbulence. Eli was not a man to be ignored, in any way, shape, or form.
“You’re awfully quiet, Ray. What’s the problem now?”
“I’m thinking.” She slanted him a look, her sense of injustice rising. “Maybe you should try it rather than indulging all this idle chitchat.”
“Getting on your nerves, am I?”
He didn’t sound the least contrite. “Yes, actually you are.” His hands were still now, and that allowed her gaze to zero in on something she could tackle without unsettling emotion. “I see you didn’t take the watch off like I told you to.”
“My watch stays.”
She was ready for a confrontation. “No, it doesn’t. If it’s noticed in Mataya, we’ll have our hands full getting out with your arm intact.”
Eli merely grinned at her. “I trust you to take care of me, Ray. That is what you promised Jane, remember?”
She resented having her own words thrown back at her. She resented more the fact that she’d had to promise Jane anything. “It looked to me like you needed some help getting rid of the lady.” And with a sneer: “Is she always that clingy?”
“Not usually, no.”
That wasn’t enough of an answer to suit her. “She hinted you two haven’t exactly been . . . close.”
Eli chuckled. “You mean sexually?”
The turbulence expanded, feeling almost like pain. “Yeah. So why her sudden change of heart?”
“Her heart wasn’t involved, Ray. Just her tactical mind.”
“What do you mean?”
Eli grimaced as if pained. “My grandfather is playing Cupid. He wants our two families to join, and evidently, given her recent performance, Jane is all for it.”
He couldn’t possibly mean . . . Skeptically, Ray asked, “A business alliance?”
Eli shook his head. “My grandfather is old-fashioned. He likes to keep it in the family.”
Her heart
skipped two beats. “Meaning?”
“Marriage.”
She didn’t care, she didn’t care, she did not care. “Why the hell would she marry you if she didn’t love you?”
That had him laughing, but not for the reasons Ray thought. “You make marriage to me sound like a heinous fate worse than death.” His laugh was nice and deep. Real. “Our marriage would unite major competitors in the same industry. It’d be a match made in boardroom heaven.”
Because her privacy was so important to her, it amazed Ray that Eli didn’t seem to have an aversion to discussing his private affairs. “So you’re supposed to marry a woman for the sake of money?”
He frowned at her curt generalization. “That was the plan, I suppose, though I never agreed to it.”
Ray didn’t bother trying to hide her shock. “That’s disgusting. How much money do you people need, anyway?”
“I never said—”
Anger brought her feet off the dash to land on the floor with a thud. “Marriages of convenience went out a long time ago.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “The whole idea is pathetic.”
Eli absorbed her annoyance with a slow smile. “Are you willing to make me a better offer?”
Her arms fell to her sides. “Now what are you babbling about?”
“I haven’t fallen in love with anyone yet, including Jane, but I’m thirty-three. It’s time for me to settle down and start a family of my own.”
“Do wealthy people have a schedule for that sort of thing?”
“Not a schedule, no, but I do have a responsibility, especially to my grandfather to carry on the tradition of a family-run business. I can’t very well do that without more family.” He reached over and patted her knee. “Just think of the strong, independent kids we’d have.”
She shoved his hand away. “You aren’t the least bit funny, Eli.”
He laughed again and Ray thought about socking him. In the end, she decided that would only inconvenience her, since she’d be the one to have to take care of him afterward.