by Debra Webb
She looked to her left where a wall of windows looked out over the ocean, but heavy draperies blocked the lovely view. Behind the drapes she knew there would be closed hurricane shutters beyond the glass. The carpeting was dark, red maybe, like that on the stairs. A massive armoire stood against the wall next to the heavily bolted door. When she reached the middle of the room, she turned around slowly, taking in the whole picture.
The furnishings were either antique or perfect reproductions. There were no photographs or artwork on the walls. A few books were scattered on the table near the small sofa. She considered checking the titles but forgot all about the books as her gaze moved over the bed. Large. Four-poster. The linens were rumpled. Drawn like smoke to fire, she moved closer. Her mind conjured the darkly handsome image of Noah lying amid those tousled sheets. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the slightest hint of his male scent still lingered there. Heat and a new kind of hunger stirred deep inside her.
She opened her eyes and studied the pillow and the impression that still marred it. Instinctively she reached out and touched the place where he had lain. Something electrical passed through her and she shivered. The bed wasn’t even cold yet. He hadn’t been gone long.
Another flash of fury sent those other foolish sensations scurrying for parts unknown.
It was time she and Noah Drake had a serious talk.
One of the doors on the other side of the room suddenly opened.
Blue’s gaze swiveled in that direction. Her heart surged into her throat…then stopped altogether.
Noah Drake stood in the doorway that no doubt led to the en suite bathroom, naked save for a towel slung carelessly around his lean hips.
“What are you doing in here?”
The rich, deep sound of that voice, even filled with anger and accusation, affected her in a way that was beyond her control.
“I thought you’d run out on me again.” She swallowed tightly and realized then and there how lame her excuse sounded. But it was true and she’d taken the opportunity to snoop. Now she was caught. “I came up to check…and the door was open so I assumed…”
He moved in her direction. “You assumed I was out, giving you the perfect occasion to nose around.” The accusation was stinging. As he came closer she could see the tightness of his features, the barely restrained fury. He was madder than hell and close to taking it out on her in more ways than maybe she was prepared to deal with.
“Yes,” she admitted, mainly because one word was about all she could manage. With him less than two feet away, she could see the water droplets still clinging to his olive skin and the smoothness of his freshly shaven jaw. He’d missed a smidgen of shaving lather. She resisted the urge to reach up and wipe it away. His hair was still wet, looking exactly as if he’d done no more than run his fingers through it to push it out of his way.
He shifted that dark, hypnotic gaze from her to his bed and back. Heat exploded inside her, sending stream after stream of hot, urgent sensations through her body. She trembled once before she conquered the weakness, but her heart rate would not slow, her rapid intake of breath belied her composure.
“What did you expect? A coffin maybe? Or did you expect more of a laboratory setting? The kind of place you see in the old Frankenstein movies?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t expect anything like that…I—”
“My private space is off limits, Miss Callahan.” He moved closer still…until she could smell the freshly showered scent of his skin and the male essence that was his exclusively. She tried not to look…that was the last thing she needed, but she just couldn’t help herself. He was too gorgeous…too splendid to ignore. His skin was smooth, sprinkled lightly with dark hair. But it was the exquisite muscle definition that played utter havoc with her brain.
Whatever had happened to him five years ago, there was no outward indication that he was anything other than perfect.
“I…I’m sorry,” she finally managed, dragging her gaze up to his. This proved even more unsettling. Even in the low light, it was impossible to miss the sexual hunger glittering behind all that anger in those deep-brown eyes.
This was not good.
“I should give you some privacy to…to…” she blurted, stalled, then swallowed. She had to pull it back together. Calm…cool…collected. “I apologize, but I only came up here because I was concerned about you. It is my job.”
Beneath that fierce, penetrating gaze, she felt suddenly and utterly naked. Despite the button-down blouse worn over a tank top, the jeans and two loaded weapons, she felt completely disarmed, bare. Maybe if the blouse and jeans had been more loosely fitting or if she’d buttoned the blouse all the way to her neck…maybe then she wouldn’t be feeling quite so exposed.
As it was, that gaze roamed over her like an exploring caress. Over the bare skin at her throat and in the V of her blouse. Down her arms, unshielded by the sleeveless blouse. Then over her denim-clad legs. More of those little bursts of heat flared inside her. She’d never once considered her manner of dress as anything other than utilitarian, functional. But now, she felt exposed…uncovered.
She curled her fingers into fists, fastened her gaze on the door, and forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. A smart person knew the time to make an exit. When she would have moved past him, he encircled her arm with those long, strong fingers. He restrained her for three long beats before speaking. Then, he looked down his shoulder and directly into her eyes.
“I don’t think you realize just how dangerous it is here for you.”
His tone was thick with desire and promise, soft in a way that was lethal to all that made her woman. Her breath evaporated in her lungs as she lifted her gaze to his. There was no mistaking what she saw there. The intensity of his sexuality…his hunger made her tremble in spite of her best efforts to keep the outward response in check.
“I’ve been in dangerous situations before,” she said, her voice almost as husky as his. “I’m not afraid of risking my life for a client. It’s what I do.”
He watched intently as she spoke, followed every movement of her lips, then shifted that dark, dark gaze back to hers. “There’s a great deal more here to fear than physical danger from my enemies, Maggie Callahan. Are you sure you’re prepared to stay?”
Her attention drifted down to that awesome chest…and lower to where white terry cloth draped loosely around lean hips, then up again…back to those devastatingly hypnotic eyes. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” She smiled when surprise flared in those dark depths. “You won’t scare me off so easily, Noah Drake,” she added, emphasizing his name with a sultry inflection that surprised even her. “I always did love a challenge.”
He released her as abruptly as he’d taken hold of her. “Don’t ever come up here again.” There was nothing soft about his voice this time. Anger glittered in his eyes now. His ploy hadn’t worked, and he was mad as hell about it.
Victory drew her lips into a smile. “Noted,” she acknowledged the order and walked away without a backward glance.
Once on the landing outside his door she closed her eyes and drew in a deep, bolstering breath.
That was too close for comfort. She inventoried her body’s infernal reaction to the man and cursed herself. She had to find a way to ignore him on that level.
She almost laughed out loud at the foolishness of that proposal as she slowly descended the stairs. Ignoring her responses to him would be about as easy as keeping the sun from rising.
Chapter Five
Noah sat alone at his desk downstairs and methodically reviewed all but one piece of the day’s mail. Tension vibrated inside him. He shoved his chair back from the desk and pushed to his feet. Damn his lack of control.
Lowell and Blue were having dinner. He had refused to dine with them. And still he could not block her from his thoughts. Like the woman, the idea of her simply refused to vacate his mind. He cursed his uncharacteristic weakness.
He moved across the room…stood at the wide set of windows and closed his eyes, summoning the ocean view beyond the heavily shrouded sashes of glass. The dense woods, veiled in darkness now. The full moon hanging low overhead, spilling a dim glow over all that lay beneath it. The smell of the Atlantic…the night sounds of the tide…of the leaves swaying in the gentle breeze. The weather forecaster had promised unseasonably cool temperatures tonight, there would be mist in the air, cloud-like forms floating like whispers from the past. He yearned to touch the night…to feel it around him.
But he was no longer alone in his misery.
She would follow him if he left the house.
Never had he met such a determined woman. He opened his eyes and stared at nothing at all. He’d been certain that if his indifference didn’t push her away, the threat of physical intimacy would.
It had not.
She was not afraid of him on any level.
He shook his head slowly from side to side.
She had to have a weakness. Everyone had one. He had to find it…and then he would be the one in control.
The scope of his world had been narrowed so much that he felt completely out of sorts if even one aspect was beyond his dominion. She threw him off balance…threatened his ability to maintain absolute authority over all, meager as it was, that his world encompassed.
He knew a great deal about Maggie “Blue” Callahan, at least as much as was recorded by her employer. The youngest in a family composed mostly of males, she had strived to make her own mark. She’d done that and more. Noah couldn’t help wondering if the former president had been enthralled with her outstanding abilities as a personal protector or with the woman herself. Though he did not doubt her capabilities, Noah’s money was on the latter.
Beauty went only skin deep, and she was beautiful and more. The perfect mix of femininity and athleticism made her slender form unforgettable. Long, silky blond hair and heart-stopping blue eyes embellished a face that was an incredible blend of softness and angularity. Being smart and determined only made bad matters worse. But it was the genuine compassion, the burning desire to succeed beneath all the appealing outer trappings that distracted him the most.
He never doubted for one moment her ability to hold her own in a physical confrontation. He’d seen firsthand her agility and the sharpness of her instincts. She was good. At twenty-eight, he wondered if she had a serious relationship in D.C. or back home in California. He didn’t want to wonder, but he couldn’t help himself.
She intrigued him as no one else ever had.
That glitch was dangerous to both of them.
General Bonner wanted him dead…wanted vengeance. He would stop at nothing to have it, Noah was certain. That put Blue directly in the line of fire. But then, she was trained for that precise position. Be that as it may, he had a bad feeling that nothing had prepared her for this unexpected attraction. He was no fool. She felt it the same as he did.
Basic chemistry, he understood that. But there were times when even the most elemental chemistry could be volatile. This was one of the times.
His loins tightened at the mere thought of touching her.
“You ruined Lowell’s evening, you know.”
The sound of her voice dragged his reluctant attention around to the other side of the room. She stood in the doorway looking annoyed and impatient. He suddenly wondered how a simple pair of off-the-rack blue denim jeans could mold so perfectly to the human form. How a rather nondescript navy blouse that buttoned down the front, could look so utterly feminine and tailor-made to fit her torso? There was no reasonable explanation for the direction of his thoughts other than the fact that he had not touched a woman in five long years. And this one was here—right in front of him—vibrant and attractive, determined to barge into his life at his every turn.
She moved toward him, her head inclined, studying him as if she could read his thoughts. “Dinner was fabulous. You do have to eat.”
His body tensed as she surveyed him from head to toe. He wore what he always did, black jeans and a black T-shirt. His closet contained nothing else. But she looked at him as if seeing him for the first time…as if taking his measure. The breadth of his shoulders. His fingers curled into fists as her gaze moved over his torso, paused strategically, then moved down the length of his legs.
She continued moving toward him until she was only a few feet away. Her gaze returned to his, approval glimmered there. “You look healthy enough, but I’d like you to stay that way…at least while you’re under my watch.”
It was at that exact moment that Noah knew beyond a shadow of a doubt just how much of a threat she represented to his hard-won peace with himself.
Five endless years it had taken him to find this elusive plateau…this place where he could survive above the bitterness and anger and without looking back and wondering what might have been had he made different choices. He’d even found an outlet for his need to accomplish something. Now, in barely twenty-four hours, she had shaken the foundation of all he was. All it had taken was a look, a touch…the sound of her voice.
“I’m not a child, Maggie Callahan. I know when to eat.”
He didn’t miss the slight tightening of her jaw. She didn’t like it that he referred to her that way. She wanted him to accept her presence and call her Blue as her friends did, but he would not. He would use whatever means available to maintain the distance between them until he discovered a weakness of hers that would put him back in control.
“If you’re planning a stroll, I’d appreciate it if you let me know. I need to be aware of your location at all times.” She folded her arms over her chest and dared him to argue with her order.
He considered the weapon strapped to her shoulder. “Your protection is not required during the night hours.” He leveled his most intimidating gaze on her. “No one can touch me in the dark.”
Memories of the moments they’d spent together near the old chapel last night tumbled through her head. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know, the slight widening of her eyes, the catch in her breath gave her thoughts away.
She lifted her chin a notch and glared at him defiantly. “So, you’re at home in the dark. That’s great. But it changes nothing. Where you go, I go.”
He nodded once, conceding the point. It would be in his best interest to keep her close by. There was only one way to determine a person’s weaknesses and that was to acquaint oneself well with that person. Five years ago he would not have considered the job a hardship. Things were different now, and he recognized the risk involved. He didn’t want to know her that well. He didn’t want her here at all.
Well, want actually had nothing to do with it.
If he could not intimidate her into leaving, then he would make the situation work to his advantage. The past five years had taught him one thing if nothing else, he could learn to live with anything if he set his mind to it.
“I received another letter today,” he said offhandedly.
The announcement took her by surprise. “Where is it? I’d like to see it.”
She followed him to his desk where the white envelope lay untouched. He’d recognized it immediately and set it to the side. He’d first considered throwing it away. If no more letters were reported then perhaps Rothman would see the uselessness of having her here. But then he’d decided against that course of action. Though he resented the intrusion of her presence, he resented being stalked even more. Bonner clearly knew Noah’s every move, but this pointless game was so unlike him.
Callahan opened the envelope and unfolded the single page inside. She looked at it for a long, assessing minute, then passed it to him.
I’m closer than you know. She won’t be able to stop me.
Just as he had suspected, she was in the direct line of fire from whatever source this threat came. “You understand that you will be a primary target now?” he asked her, his gaze searching hers. He needed to know that she understood fully the ramifications of her conti
nued presence in this house.
“I understand. I understood it yesterday when those punks took shots at me.”
He frowned. “What punks?”
She quickly gave him an update on Chester’s findings in regard to the gunshots.
Anger infused Noah. This was not the general’s style at all. This incident was exactly what it had appeared—two fools with too much time on their hands.
There was only one way to deal with a fool.
“I’m going out,” he announced. “Now.”
He didn’t give her time to argue or question his agenda. He simply walked out.
She followed.
“Should I hold dinner for you?” Lowell asked as Noah passed through the kitchen.
“I can fend for myself later,” he answered without slowing. This was his home…his refuge. He would not be threatened for no reason in his own home.
He and General Bonner had a score to settle. Not that Noah thought Bonner was right in any sense of the word. But at least he had credible motivation for his actions.
Fury washed over Noah anew.
Two punks using Callahan for target practice was unacceptable.
The moment he was outside he lingered for a time to draw in a deep breath of fresh night air. As predicted, the temperature was cool…mist drifted through the darkness, the moonlight doing nothing to banish it.
The frothy water lapped at the sand, teasing, twirling, then draining away. Noah moved toward it, the sound like a beacon in the darkness. He loved the ocean. That it rolled across the sand of his own backyard made him feel very lucky indeed. This was his one pleasure…his one escape.