At least the evening had not been a complete failure. Not only was he getting a delicious meal, but this girl's dead body would serve to distract the police from the missing dentist. Ivan just loved mixing business with pleasure.
Shanna paced the kitchen floor. She wasn't going to do it. No way was she sticking a wolf's canine into that man's mouth. Laszlo had just left with the information she'd reluctantly given him, and now, she was alone in the kitchen of Roman Draganesti's house. True, he had saved her life. Also true, he was generously offering her asylum. But she had to wonder why. Was he so determined to have an animal tooth implanted in his mouth that he wanted her in his debt?
She paused at the table for another sip of diet cola. The turkey sandwich that Connor had made for her was still uneaten. She was just too nervous to eat right now. She'd come so close to being murdered. The full impact of that fact was only now sinking in. She owed Roman her life. But that didn't mean she was going to implant his stupid wolf tooth.
Who was this Roman Draganesti, anyway? Sure, he was about the most handsome man she'd ever met, but that didn't guarantee he was sane. He seemed genuinely concerned about protecting her, but why? And why did he have a small army of kilted Highlanders? Where on earth did a person acquire such an army? Did he place an ad in the paper—Wanted: small army of kilted Highlanders?
If he needed this much protection, he must have made some bad enemies. Could she trust someone like that? Well, maybe. She had some bad enemies herself, and through no fault of her own. With a sigh, Shanna stopped at the table for another drink. The more she tried to understand Roman, the more confused she became. And adding to the confusion was the fact that she'd come darn close to kissing the man. What on earth was she thinking?
Well, duh. She wasn't thinking at all. The car ride had turned her on. Escaping the Russians and bouncing into Roman's swollen manhood had combined to give her one powerful adrenaline rush. It was a mixture of excitement and lust. That was all.
The door swooshed open, and Connor rushed in. He glanced around the room. "Are ye all right, lass?"
"Yeah. Did you tell Roman that I refuse to put that animal tooth in his mouth?"
Connor smiled. "Doona worry yerself. I'm sure Laszlo will be telling Mr. Draganesti how ye feel."
"For all the good that'll do." Shanna sat at the table and dragged the plate holding the sandwich toward her. According to Laszlo, Mr. Draganesti had insisted on her cooperation, and whatever Mr. Draganesti wanted, he was sure to get. What arrogance! The man was obviously used to being in charge.
Romatech. That's where he said he worked. Romatech. Roman. "Oh my God." She sat back in her chair.
Connor raised his eyebrows.
"Roman's the owner of Romatech, isn't he?"
Connor shifted his weight from one foot to another. He watched her with a wary look. "Aye. That he is."
"Then, he's the one who invented the formula for synthetic blood."
"Aye, he did."
"That's amazing!" Shanna stood. "He must be the most gifted scientist alive."
Connor winced. "I wouldna say that exactly, but he's a verra intelligent man."
"He's a genius!" Shanna raised both hands in the air. My God, she'd been rescued by a scientific genius. A man who was responsible for saving millions of lives around the world. And now he'd saved her. She sat down, dazed.
Roman Draganesti. Gorgeous, strong, sexy, mysterious, and possessing one of the most intelligent minds in the world today. Wow. He was perfect.
Too perfect. "I guess he's married."
"Nay." Connor's blue eyes twinkled. "Are ye saying ye like him, lass?"
She shrugged. "Maybe." Her turkey sandwich suddenly looked very appealing, and she picked it up for a big bite. The most incredible, available bachelor had entered her life tonight. As exciting as that was, she had to remind herself of his bizarre reason for coming to the dental clinic. She swallowed. "I'm still not implanting that tooth."
Connor smiled. "Roman is accustomed to getting his way."
"Yeah. Reminds me of my father." That was another point against him. She downed the last of her diet cola. "Do you mind if I have some more? I can get it." She rose.
"No, no, I'll do it." Connor hurried to the fridge and retrieved a two-liter bottle from the bottom shelf. He brought the bottle to the table.
"The sandwich is great. Are you sure you won't join me?"
He filled her glass. "I already ate, but thank ye for asking."
"So, why did Roman hire a bunch of Scotsmen to guard his house? No offense, but it seems kinda unusual."
"I suppose it does." Connor screwed the top back on the diet cola bottle. "We all do what we're best suited for. I'm an old warrior, ye might say. So, working for the MacKay is the best job for me."
"MacKay?" Shanna took a bite of her sandwich and hoped Connor would elaborate.
"MacKay Security and Investigation." Connor sat across from her at the table. " 'Tis a large company based in Edinburgh. Run by Angus MacKay himself. Ye havena heard of it?"
She shook her head no, since her mouth was still full.
'"Tis the premier company of its kind in the world," Connor announced proudly. "Ye see, Angus and Roman are old friends. Angus does all the security work for Roman, here and at the corporate office."
A beep sounded at the back door, and Connor jumped to his feet. Next to the door, Shanna spotted a light switch with two indicator lights protruding from it—one red and one green. The red one was lit. Connor whipped the short sword from the sheath on his belt and paced silently toward the door.
Shanna gulped. "What's going on?"
"Doona be alarmed, lass. If the person outside is one of our guards, he'll swipe his ID card and the light will turn green." Just as Connor spoke, the red light went off and the green one came on.
Connor eased to the far side of the door, his blade still drawn, his stance like a tiger ready to pounce.
"Then why are you—"
"If an enemy attacks a guard, he could steal the ID card." Connor put a finger to his lips to warn Shanna to remain quiet.
Quiet? Jeez, she was giving considerable thought to getting the hell out of there.
The door slowly opened. "Connor? It's me, Ian."
"Och, good. Come on in." Connor sheathed his sword.
Ian was yet another kilted Highlander, though Shanna thought he seemed incredibly young for security work. He couldn't be a day over sixteen.
He slipped his ID card back into the leather pouch at his waist, then gave her a shy smile. "Good evening, miss."
"Nice to meet you, Ian." Oh, he was definitely young. The poor boy should be in school, not up all night guarding people from the Russian mob.
Ian turned back to Connor. "We conducted a full surveillance sweep. Everything is clear, sir."
Connor nodded. "Good. Ye should return to yer post."
"Aye. If ye doona mind, sir, after all the running aboot, me and the lads are thirsty. Verra thirsty."
Ian glanced nervously at Shanna. "We were hoping for a… a wee drink."
"A drink?" Connor glanced at Shanna, a worried look furrowing his brow. "Ye'll need to do yer drinking outside."
It seemed to Shanna that for some reason they were suddenly uncomfortable around her. So she tried her best to appear friendly. With a smile, she grabbed the cola bottle off the table. "Would you like this, Ian? I really don't need any more."
He grimaced with a look of disgust.
She set the bottle down. "Okay. It's diet. But it's not that bad, really."
Ian gave her an apologetic look. "I–I'm sure it's perfectly fine, but the lads and I, we prefer a different sort of drink."
"A protein drink," Connor blurted out.
"Aye." Ian nodded. " 'Tis a protein drink, to be sure."
Connor hurried to the fridge, motioning for Ian to follow. With whispered voices, they huddled in front of the open fridge, removing something. They stepped back to let the refrigerator door close.
&nb
sp; Then they sidestepped together, their backs turned to Shanna and their shoulders connected like Siamese twins as they shuffled over to the microwave on the counter.
Whatever they were doing, it was obvious they didn't want her to see it. How strange was that? Oh well, it was a night for strangeness. Shanna munched on her sandwich and observed the two Scotsmen. It sounded like they were opening bottles. Click. Probably the microwave door shutting.
A series of little beeps, then sure enough, she heard the whirring sound of the microwave.
The two Scotsmen turned toward her, their backs to the counter and their shoulders pressed together to keep her from seeing behind them. She smiled at them. They smiled back.
"We… uh, like our protein drinks warm," Connor said as if he wanted to break the silence.
She nodded. "That's nice."
"So, ye're the lass the Russians are hunting?" Ian asked.
"Afraid so." She pushed back her empty plate. "I'm sorry about dragging you guys into this. You know, I have a contact at the U.S. marshal's office. I could let him handle this. Then you wouldn't have to concern yourselves with me anymore."
"Nay, lass," Connor said. "Ye're to stay here."
"Aye. Roman's orders," Ian added.
Sheesh. The mighty Roman has spoken and all must obey. Well, if he expected her to implant that tooth in his mouth, he was in for a surprise. Thanks to her father, she had become an expert in rebelling against domineering men.
The microwave dinged and the two men whirled around and busied themselves at the counter. They appeared to be screwing the tops back onto the protein drinks and shaking them. Then they stopped and looked at each other. Connor glanced back at Shanna, then rushed over to a cabinet and pulled out an old paper sack. Ian remained huddled over the bottles. When Connor returned, there was a flurry of activity that Shanna couldn't see, accompanied by the crunchy noise of paper.
Then Ian turned with the paper sack in his arms. The top had been rolled down. Inside, no doubt, were the mysterious protein drinks. He walked toward the door, the glass bottles clinking together inside the bag. "I'll be going now."
Connor unlocked the door. "Report again in thirty minutes."
"Aye, sir." Ian glanced at Shanna. "Good evening, miss."
"Bye, Ian. Be careful," she called after him. After Connor locked the door, she smiled at him.
"Connor, you rascal. I know what you were doing. Protein drink, my ass."
His eyes widened. "I… you canna—"
"You should be ashamed of yourself. Isn't that boy under age?"
"Ian?" Connor looked confused. "Under age for what?"
"Drinking beer. Isn't that what you gave him? Though why anyone would want a warm six-pack is beyond me."
"Beer?" In Connor's shocked voice, the final r seemed to roll for a full thirty seconds. "We have no beer, ma'am. And the guards wouldna ever get drunk while on duty, I assure you."
He looked so offended, Shanna decided her conclusion must have been faulty. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to infer that you weren't doing your job well."
He nodded, somewhat mollified.
"In fact, I'm terribly grateful for your protection." She just couldn't leave well enough alone, though.
"But I do have to object to using guards as young as Ian. That boy should in bed and going to school in the morning."
Connor frowned. "He's a wee older than he looks."
"What, seventeen?"
Connor folded his arms across his chest. "Older."
"Ninety-two?" Sarcasm crept into her voice, but Connor didn't appear amused. He looked about the kitchen as if he was genuinely stumped on how to answer.
The door to the hallway swung open and a large figure entered the room.
"Thank God " Connor muttered. Roman Draganesti was back.
CHAPTER 6
Shanna had no doubt Roman ruled his house and corporation with well-assured ease. His dark clothing should have looked drab compared to the colorful kilts of the security team, but it only served to make him look more dangerous. More aloof. More bad-boy, mouth-watering sexy.
She watched as he nodded at Connor, then focused his golden-brown eyes on her. Once again, she felt the power of his gaze, as if it could imprison her and force the rest of the world beyond her reach. She broke the connection and shifted in her chair to gaze at her empty plate. She wouldn't let him affect her. Liar. Her heart was pounding. A wave of goose bumps was creeping up her arms.
He affected her whether she liked it or not.
"Did you get enough to eat?" his low voice rumbled toward her.
She nodded, refusing to look at him.
"Connor, leave a note for the day shift. They need to keep the kitchen stocked with food for Dr…?"
Shanna hesitated, then said, "Whelan." After all, they alleady knew her real first name. And that the Russian mob wanted to kill her. There didn't seem any point in keeping up the pretense of the Jane Wilson identity.
"Dr. Shanna Whelan," he repeated her name as if just saying it would give him control over it. And over her. "Connor, could you wait in my office? Gregori will be back soon, and he'll fill you in on all the details."
"Aye, sir." Connor nodded at Shanna before he left.
She watched the kitchen door swing to and fro. "He seems very nice."
"He is." Roman leaned against the kitchen counter, his arms folded over his broad chest.
An uncomfortable silence ensued. Shanna fiddled with her napkin, aware that he was watching her. He had to be one of the most brilliant scientists in the world. She'd loved to see his lab. No, wait. He worked with blood. She shuddered.
"Are you cold?"
"No. I–I want to thank you for saving my life."
"Are you sure? Your position is not quite vertical."
Surprised, she glanced his way. The corner of his mouth was lifted. His eyes were glimmering with humor. The rascal was teasing her about the fuss she'd made earlier. But even a vertical position had proven dangerous with him. Her cheeks grew warm, remembering their near kiss. "Are you hungry?
I could make you a sandwich."
The gleam in his eyes grew more intense. "I'll wait."
"Okay." She rose and took her empty plate and glass to the sink. This might have been a mistake.
Now she was only a few feet away from him. What was it about this guy that made her want to throw herself into his arms? She rinsed out her glass. "I–I know who you are."
He moved back a step. "What do you know?"
"I know you're the owner of Romatech Industries. I know you're the one who invented the formula for synthetic blood. You've saved millions of lives around the world." She turned the water off and gripped the edge of the counter. "I think you're absolutely brilliant."
When he didn't respond, she chanced a look at him. He was staring at her with a stunned expression.
Good God, didn't he know he was brilliant?
Frowning, he turned away. "I'm not what you think."
She smiled. "You mean you're not intelligent? I admit— wanting to sport a wolf tooth in your gorgeous smile is not the brightest idea I've ever heard."
"It's not a wolf tooth."
"It's not a human tooth." She cocked her head, studying him. "Did you really lose a tooth? Or did you just show up like Prince Valiant to rescue me and whisk me away on your noble steed?"
His mouth twitched. "It's been many years since I owned a noble steed."
"And I suppose your armor is a bit rusty?"
"Yes, it is."
She leaned toward him. "But you're still a hero."
His smile, faint as it was, faded away completely. "No, I'm not. I really do need a dentist. See?" He lifted the corner of his mouth with a forefinger.
There was a gap where his right canine should be. "When did you lose it?"
"A few hours ago."
"Then it may not be too late. That is, if you have the real tooth."
"I do. Well, actually, Laszlo has it."
"
Oh." She stepped closer and rose up on her toes. "May I?"
"Yes." He lowered his head.
She shifted her gaze from his eyes to his mouth. Her heart pounded in her chest. She touched his cheeks, then lifted her fingertips. "I'm not wearing gloves."
"I don't mind."
Neither do I. Good God, she'd examined a lot of mouths in the last few years, but it had never felt like this. She lightly touched his lips. Wide, sensual lips. "Open."
He did. She slipped a finger inside and examined the gap. "How did you lose it?"
"Aah."
"Sorry." She smiled. "I have a bad habit of asking questions when the patient can't talk." She started to remove her finger, but his lips closed around it. She glanced at his eyes and instantly felt surrounded by their golden intensity. Slowly, she dragged her finger out. Good God. Her knees weakened. She had a vision of herself sliding down his body to collapse on the floor. She would reach up to him and say, "Take me, you fool."
He touched her face. "Do I get a turn?"
"Hmm?" She could hardly hear with her heart pounding in her ears.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. He skimmed his thumb over her bottom lip.
The kitchen door swung open. "I'm back," Gregori announced. He looked them over and grinned.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"Yes. My life." Roman glared at him. "Go to my office. Connor is waiting for you."
"Fine." Gregori headed out the door. "My mom's out here, waiting. And Laszlo's ready."
"I understand." Roman straightened his shoulders and gave Shanna a bland look. "Come."
"Excuse me?" Shanna watched him march out the door. Of all the nerve. So it was back to business, then? He'd opened up a bit, but now, he was back to being the big boss man.
Well, if he thought he could order her around, he was sadly mistaken. She took her time, buttoning her lab coat. Then she grabbed her purse off the table and stalked after him.
He stood at the base of the staircase, talking to an older woman. She wore an expensive gray business suit and sported a purse that was worth some people's monthly salary. Her hair was mostly black, though a silver streak ran from her left temple to disappear into the bun at the nape of her neck. She noted Shanna's approach with a lift of her perfectly arched brows.
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire las-1 Page 7