by Sarah Morgan
“It does when most of them have been snapped in half.”
His strength shouldn’t have surprised her, given that he’d already crushed her to the ground under his body.
“Why is everyone glaring at me? Instead of interrogating me about breaking and entering, they should be arresting you for assault. What are you doing here, anyway? You’re supposed to be in Vermont—not skulking here.”
“I own the apartment. A person can’t ‘skulk’ in their own apartment.” His brows came together in a fierce frown. “How did you know I was supposed to be in Vermont?”
“Your grandmother told me.” Eva tested her ankle gingerly. “And you were definitely skulking. Creeping around in the dark.”
“You were the one creeping around in the dark.”
“I was admiring the snow. I’m a romantic. As far as I know that isn’t a crime.”
“We’ll be the judge of that.” The officer stepped forward. “We’ll take her down to the precinct, Lucas.”
“Wait—” Lucas barely moved his hand, but it was enough to stop the man in his tracks. “Did you say my grandmother told you I was in Vermont?”
“That’s right, Mr. Blade.” Albert intervened. “This is Eva, and she’s here at the request of your grandmother. I verified it myself. None of us knew you were in residence.”
There was a faint hint of reproach in his voice. Lucas ignored it.
“You know my grandmother?”
“I do. She employed me.”
“To do what, exactly?”
His eyes had darkened. It was like looking at a threatening sky before a very, very bad storm.
His grandmother had told her many things about her grandson Lucas. She’d mentioned that he was an expert skier, that he had once spent a year living in a cabin in the Arctic, that he was fluent in French, Italian and Russian, was skilled in at least four different forms of martial arts and that he never showed anyone his books until they were finished.
She’d failed to mention that he could be intimidating.
“She employed me to prepare your apartment for Christmas.”
“And …?”
“And what? That’s it. What other reason could there have been?” She saw the sardonic gleam in his eyes. “Are you suggesting I broke in here so that I could meet you?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Women do that?” Outrage mingled with fascination. Even she couldn’t imagine ever going to those lengths to find a man. “How exactly does that work? Once they get inside they leap on you and pin you down?”
“You tell me.” He folded his arms and looked at her expectantly. “What plan did you cook up with my grandmother?”
She laughed—and then realized he wasn’t joking.
“I’m good in the kitchen, but even I have never managed to ‘cook up’ a romance. I wonder what the recipe would be? One cup of hope mixed with a pinch of delusion?” She tilted her head to one side. “Not that I’m not one of those women who thinks a guy has to make the first move, or anything, but I’ve never gone as far as breaking into a man’s apartment to get their attention. Do I look desperate, Mr. Blade?”
In fact she was pretty desperate, but he had no way of knowing that unless he searched her purse and found her single lonely condom. She had hoped to give it a spectacular end to its so far uneventful life, but that was looking increasingly unlikely.
“Desperation wears many faces.”
“If I were to break into a man’s apartment with the intention of seducing him, do you really think I’d do it while wearing snow boots and a chunky sweater? I’m starting to understand why you need such a large apartment, even though there’s only one of you. Your ego must take up a lot of space—and need its own bathroom—but I forgive you for your arrogance because you’re rich and good-looking, so you’re probably telling the truth about your past experience. However, the flaw in your reasoning is that you are supposed to be in Vermont.”
His gaze held hers. “I’m not in Vermont.”
“I know that now. I have bruises to prove it.”
The police officer didn’t smile. “Do you believe that story, Lucas?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Copyright © 2016 by Sarah Morgan
ISBN: 978-1-474-04754-8
SUNSET IN CENTRAL PARK
© 2016 Sarah Morgan
Published in Great Britain 2016
by Harlequin MIRA, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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