After returning to her bedroom, she tossed and turned—unable to sleep. She’d barely dozed off and then she had a horrible nightmare that Trent had fallen from the Karger building.
Kate awoke with a jolt and rushed to his room. She turned on the lamp by the bed.
His eyes flickered open. He focused on her face. “Why did you let me think you were someone else the night of the party?
Heat flooded her cheeks. He wasn’t going to let it go, so she gave him a half-truth. “You didn’t seem to like Dr. Meyers, so I decided to play the part of my costume.”
He grimaced. “I’ll buy that, but only for the moment because my head hurts like I’ve been beaten with a sledge hammer.”
Anxiety rushed through her and she forgot her own worries. “Is it worse? Should I call the doctor?”
Throwing his arm over his forehead, he closed his eyes. “I’ll be all right…if I don’t move.”
She clenched her hands together. What if he was worse than they thought? “What if the doctor missed something? Should I call your family?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Until I’m sure you’re improving, I’m not leaving you alone. I’ll be right back.”
She pushed a small upholstered chair into the room, along with her alarm clock, a pillow and a throw. Wearily, she sank into the chair, resting her head on the pillow. She pulled the blanket over her legs.
“Go to your bed,” he murmured. “I’m fine. You need your sleep.”
“I’ve set the alarm for your next meds. I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Then lie down here with me. There’s plenty of room. I’m not exactly in any condition to assault you.”
“But I can’t lie down beside you,” she said in a rush of words.
She wiggled around trying to get comfortable in the chair. He watched her, amused. The bed did look more comfortable…
“Oh, sure you can. But I can’t argue anymore about it because my head is pounding like someone is jack hammering inside my skull.” He patted the bed beside him and closed his eyes as if overcome with pain.
Kate jumped from the chair and hovered over him. “Is there anything I can do for you? I knew it; you should have stayed at the hospital.”
“No, Kate. Turn off the light and lie down.”
“I’ll sleep in this chair, but if you’re not better in a few hours, back to the hospital you go.”
She flicked off the light and sat down again. Curling her legs beneath her, she covered herself with the blanket and fell asleep to the steady rhythm of his breathing.
Hours later, she opened her eyes. Light filtered through the blinds. Birds chirped outside—and a warm arm was draped around her and brushing the undersides of her breasts. Trent’s arm! Alarm sailed through her. Oh, my God! How did she get on the bed?
Trent sighed and hauled her up snuggly against himself so her bottom rested against his thighs. Heat coursed through her. Wide-awake now, she looked over her shoulder. He opened his eyes.
Gasping, she threw off the comforter. She extricated herself from his arms and nearly jumped from the bed. “I don’t know what happened. I must have walked in my sleep.”
“No. I shut off your alarm. I picked you up, and put you here. You were so exhausted, you didn’t even wake up.” He gave her a lazy grin. “You must have been cold, too.” He swiped a hand through his dark hair. She swallowed the lump in her throat. With the bandage at his temple and the dark morning shadow dusting his face, he looked sinfully handsome and more like a pirate than a construction executive.
Her gaze flew to the huge erection extending his shorts. She gulped.
“You’ve got to be starving since we didn’t eat last night,” she said in a breathy voice. “I’m going to shower, then I’ll make breakfast.”
As she fled the room, she heard him say, “Don’t run from me, Kate.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Glad his headache had faded, Trent dragged himself out of bed. He entered the shower and let the warm water massage the aches from last night’s horrific incident from his shoulders. Luckily, he and Kate weren’t dead, but the company was in big trouble.
And then there was Kate. He was going to trust her. The memory of having her warm and next to him in bed flooded his mind, making him grow hard again. He groaned and quickly switched the faucet to cold.
After stepping out of the shower, he was in control of himself again. He dried off and searched for his clothing. She must have removed his things. After donning the large white robe hanging on the bathroom door, he entered Kate’s cozy kitchen.
With her back to him, she was using a spatula to scramble eggs in a frying pan. Bacon sizzled in another. The smell of food wasn’t what heightened his hunger. It was Kate. He craved a taste of her. If he was truthful, he would admit he’d wanted her from the first moment she’d landed in his arms in the lobby.
He obviously had a problem. Tugging the robe tighter, he was afraid he couldn’t hide the evidence of his attraction to her.
She whirled from the stove and gave him a dazzling smile. “Hi.”
He caught his breath. With her damp, blond hair hanging in ripples down her back, and those puffy high-heeled slippers, she looked like an angel or a fairy princess come to life. He never thought a woman holding a spatula and wearing a simple white robe could be so damned sexy. It was a good thing she wore longer skirts at work because he’d never get any work done. He wanted those slender but shapely legs wrapped around him.
He nearly groaned. Soon, if he didn’t think about something else, he’d need another cold shower.
She poured two glasses of orange juice and sat them on the bar. “I thought you could use a hearty breakfast after last night.”
With a sigh, Trent sat on the stool. “I’m hungry all right, but to be honest, at the moment, I’m not thinking of food.” Not wanting to come on too strong, he knew he should temper his desire because he wanted to strip her of the robe and bare her before him—a primitive rather than a controlled response. He wanted to swoop her up in his arms and take her on the counter, or carry her into the bedroom, or lay her down on the first place he could find. He felt like a barbarian.
She must have seen the intensity in his expression because her smile faded. “If anyone would’ve told me a week ago that you’d be in my kitchen—after staying overnight—I would have called them crazy.”
“I didn’t expect this either.”
“I’d better pay attention or I’ll burn our breakfast.” She returned her attention to the eggs. “Coffee?” she asked over her dainty shoulder.
“Sure.” What he really wanted was to hold her and nuzzle his face in her fair hair and the crook of her neck. Instead, he poured himself a cup of black coffee and sipped.
Glancing at the clock, he frowned. “It’s ten a.m.?”
She scooped the scrambled eggs onto two plates. “Yeah, since you turned off the alarm, we slept in. I’m going to be late for work today.”
“If you call that sleeping in, I’d like to show you the real meaning of the words.” As he intended when he said it, she blushed. He grinned, pleased that he could bring a rosy glow to her cheeks.
She crinkled her nose. “For some reason, I’m always saying the wrong thing to you.”
“And I wonder why I enjoy that so much. Maybe you’re saying the right things. You know, doc—like a Freudian slip.”
She shook her head slowly. “No. Can’t be.”
“Kate, stop fighting what is happening between us. Come here.” Despite the wariness on her face, she turned off the stove and did as he requested.
Encircling her in his arms, he drew her close.
Her long, blond hair brushed his chest. He didn’t care if she knew how attracted he was to her.
She gazed at him with such unease in her gray eyes, it worried him.
He frowned and stroked his finger along her cheek. “What’s wrong? I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Are you sure about that?”<
br />
He tipped her chin. “Yes. I would never hurt you.” He lowered his mouth and kissed the frown on her brow, then met her lips. She tasted of citrus. Heat spiraled through him. With his ramrod hard erection, it was sweet torment. He wanted to gather her in his arms and take her here, now, and later.
He inhaled deeply and gathered her close, resting his forehead on her head. “Do you know what you do to me?”
“Yeah,” she said in a shaky voice, lifting her hand to cup his cheek. “Because you do the same to me.”
She raised her lips. Unable to resist, he took the invitation and kissed her slowly and deeply. When he moved his hands slowly down her arm and finally cupped her firm breasts, she sighed. Through the thin fabric of her robe, he kneaded, then slipped his fingers inside the opening. Her bare nipple grew hard against his palm.
She arched her back. “Oh, my.”
Heat flooded through him. He dropped his hands to her hips and pulled her against his erection.
“Kate, you’re so sweet. To be honest, I’ve never wanted any woman in my life as I want you right now. I’m intrigued and I want you.”
“We can’t do this. You’re my boss,” she said, pushing her hands with gentle pressure against his chest.
“So, I’ll fire you,” he teased. At the shock on her face, he jerked his head back. “Kate, I’m joking. I don’t care. There is something special between us. We can continue to work together, but do you really think I could walk out that door now?”
She shook her head and raised her lips to him. She kissed him first.
Then she pushed her hands against his chest, her cheeks turning red. “We shouldn’t.”
“We should. It’s right.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
He silenced her with his lips and lost himself for a while in their kiss. Finally, he pulled away. “I don’t know how much work we’re ever going to get done at the company with this between us, but we can make it work. That is unless you want me to go and leave you alone? Am I being too pushy, Kate? I want us to be together.”
“It’s crazy—I must be crazy. But I don’t want you to leave either.” She lifted her arms around his neck and raised her lips to his.
His cell phone lay on the kitchen counter and buzzed. “Ignore it.” He ground his mouth down on hers and lost himself in their kiss.
Trent bunched the thin robe upwards. He slid his thumbs under the sides of her panties, then cupped her bare buttocks. She shivered and moaned against his mouth.
He pulled his lips from hers and groaned. “Oh, Kate.” He swooped her up in his arms with one destination in mind—the bedroom.
Before he could take a step, the house phone rang. They let it. The answering machine picked up the call. “Dr. Meyers,” his mother rattled on in a shrill voice.
Breathing hard, Trent set Kate’s feet on the ground and held her in his arms. Her face against his chest, he listened.
“Do you know where Trent is?” his mother asked. “I was told he was with you yesterday, and he was hurt. I don’t want to notify the police, so call me immediately.” Click.
His cell phone buzzed again. He reached for it on the counter. “Damn. I’d better take it.” He picked up the cell phone. “Hello.”
“The police are at the Karger site. They said you were in an accident last night. Why didn’t you call us?” His mother was on a rant, her voice like the screeching of a bent saw blade whirling out of whack.
Trent brushed off his mother’s concern for him. “I should have called the house… I’m all right.” He grimaced and put the phone on speaker for Kate to hear, then he added, “Matthew Jackson’s death might not have been an accident.” When Kate flinched, he frowned at her with concern. “And now, Eden—with the elevator crashing yesterday—I suspect someone might be tampering with the building site. I’ll be there to meet the police and OSHA.”
“I’ve been to the Karger Building and your car is there. I’m sitting outside Dr. Meyers’ house. Marc can drive us to the site.”
He exchanged a glance with Kate. “I’ll be out in a minute.” He hung up the call. “Sorry, Kate. If anything, she’s demanding. I have to go meet the police.”
“Of course. And your mother has to be worried about your condition.”
“No, Kate. If anything, she’s worried about who would run the business if something happened to me.”
“How did she know you were here?”
“Sam, who manages the Karger construction site, must have told her.”
Trent followed Kate to the nearby utility room. She removed his clothing from the dryer.
“Later, we’ll talk about us, all right?” he asked. Not waiting for her answer, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her fully on the lips. He cupped his palm on her breast. She sighed and buried her face in his throat. He groaned and stepped back and watched a blush creep over her face. “I’d better go. Today, while I’m gone, think about how much we want each other.”
“I will.”
The dreamy look in her eyes reassured him. “Damn it, if this weren’t so important, I would stay and tell Eden she can wait in the driveway until hell freezes over.”
He headed to the bathroom and dressed.
When he returned, Kate had slipped on a dress and sandals and held her purse. “I’ll go with you.”
“With Eden? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t put you through that.”
“Okay, but wait one moment.” Kate went into the kitchen and returned with a brown paper bag. “I packed your breakfast so you can take it with you.”
“Nice of you.” Smiling at her, he pulled her into his arms. He gave her another hot kiss on the mouth and desire ran rampant through him. Finally, groaning, he lifted his lips from hers and she gasped. Her lips looked fresh and dewy, and she appeared well kissed.
He groaned. “Don’t look like that or I’ll never leave here.”
She flicked him a brief smile. “You’d better go then.”
“Later, I’ll tell you what I hear.”
* * *
Two hours later, Kate arrived at the Karger site. She had to find out if this was sabotage, even though Trent might be angry with her for following him there. The information could shed light on who caused her brother’s death. Two squad cars, several other vehicles, and Trent’s Porsche were parked in front of the half-completed building. A limo zoomed away from the site. Kate assumed it was his mother’s car.
After donning a hard hat, Kate strode to where Trent stood by the mangled construction elevator, along with the police, an OSHA representative, and several Farrington Construction employees. Another man, looking like a detective, jotted notes on a pad of paper.
Trent didn’t appear pleased to see her and gave Kate an exasperated glance when she stepped up beside him. “Couldn’t wait for me to tell you, huh?” Then he pivoted back to OSHA rep. “Was the cable partially cut?”
“No,” the rep answered. “This appears to be an accident.”
“Accident!” Trent roared. “I think someone is tampering with my building.”
The rep shrugged. “All we’ve found is a tipped container. It leaked some type of acid, weakening the wires, until the cable snapped. We’ll run more tests.”
Trent’s face twisted with anger. Kate caught his arm.
The man who’d been jotting down notes in a pad, stepped closer. “I’m Detective Stone, ma’am.” He handed Trent a business card and a piece of paper. “Your report number and my contact information. Do you know of anyone who would tamper with your job site, Mr. Farrington?”
“I have one sure enemy—Frank Blake.”
Kate bit her lip. She hadn’t said anything about her suspicions about the drywall, or about the man in the overcoat on the jobsite because she might be wrong. How could she say something now? She had not one ounce of proof and Trent might wonder why she took such extraordinary steps to check out one of their products. For all she knew, the guy on the grounds could have been someone who was al
lowed to be there.
The detective closed his notepad. “I’ll send a report to you and to your grandfather.”
“No. Just to me,” Trent said. “I’d like to keep that information away from grandfather as long as I can. He has a bad heart.”
She hadn’t realized the elderly man’s health was so precarious. He had seemed perfectly healthy the last time she’d seen him.
After the OSHA Representative left, the detective said, “I advise you to improve your security and hire a night watchman. We’ll be in touch.”
While the police cars drove off, Trent glanced at Kate. She raised her chin, waiting for his reprimand.
He narrowed his eyes. “Why did you come here? We don’t know what we’re dealing with. We were almost killed here yesterday.”
“Well, I had to be here. An employee of the company was injured.”
He stepped close, until they were inches apart. “Me? You’re referring to me as an employee?” he asked incredulously.
She smoothed the arm of her jacket. “Yes, so naturally I was concerned about what had happened on the site. It’s my job.”
“All right, Kate, but as your employer, I’m ordering you not to come here without me from now on.” He clasped her shoulders and squeezed. “Please, Kate, listen to me, as someone who cares. It’s dangerous. I don’t want you to be hurt. It was too close last night. We barely escaped that elevator with our lives. Do understand?”
She nodded. “Yes, I understand what you’re saying.” While she was done with not being truthful to him, she skirted saying what he wanted to hear.
His face relaxed. He must have taken what she said for a yes, but she couldn’t promise him that as she might have to come back here to gather more evidence. “Unfortunately, I’m going to be tied up all day with this. We both probably need some rest tonight, so don’t worry about going to the office today. But tomorrow’s Saturday, why don’t I pick you up at noon? Dress casual, we’ll go somewhere for lunch.”
Although he released her arms, his gaze scorched her to her toes.
* * *
In a tree-shaded park overlooking the river, a man settled on a bench to watch the boats motor by. While the morning sun glinted on the water, a satisfaction simmered inside him. With the successful sabotage that caused the elevator to crash, he was one step closer to the end of his mission.
Disguised with the Millionaire (Dangerous Millionaires Series Book 2) Page 19