by Day Leclaire
“For a thief to ply his trade here? In Salmon Bay?” She dismissed the suggestion out of hand. “No, I don’t think it’s even remotely possible.”
Dipstick, realizing they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, collapsed onto his haunches. His massive head swiveled between them as though keeping track of their verbal tennis match, and he gave Flynn an encouraging whine.
Flynn winked at the dog, pleased to see the animal was on his side, even if his mistress wasn’t. “I know this may come as a shock to you,” he said. “But there’s nothing to stop a gang of bad guys from visiting your little town, robbing the residents blind and then going along their merry way. That’s how burglary works, in case you’re interested.”
“I’m not. Besides, a stranger would be noticed.”
“And what if it wasn’t a stranger?”
If anything, she looked even more outraged. “The children of our town are quite well behaved.”
It was his turn to lift an eyebrow. “You’re accusing the children of your town?”
“No! I—”
“Not very nice of you to suspect innocent young tykes of breaking into your house.”
“Oh! I never once said—”
Her anger faded as she caught on to his teasing and a glimmer of answering amusement appeared in her eyes. Then her mouth quivered and he waited for it. Finally, she gave him the ultimate reward. A smile blossomed across her face and she laughed. If he’d thought her smile did odd things to his physiology, her laugh sealed his doom. It wasn’t in the least what he’d have expected, given her rigid hairstyle, professional lab coat and reprimanding frown. The sound was deeper, rich and full-bodied and generous. She possessed a woman’s laugh, filled with ancient mystery and feminine allure.
He linked his laughter with hers and even Dipstick joined in, racing around and nudging them toward each other. Flynn allowed himself to be propelled into Jane’s orbit. After all, how could he resist two hundred pounds of determined matchmaking? “I’m serious. I know this is a small town and your crime rate is low, but you should still lock your door.”
“Are you really a security expert?”
He winced. “Expert might be a small exaggeration. But I’m qualified to take a look at your setup and make suggestions. And I have a partner who can install whatever you need.”
She considered his comment, her gaze assessing. He returned her look, waiting her out. If she turned him down flat, he’d tell the uncles he’d given it his best shot and failed. They might not like it, but Flynn couldn’t force Jane to accept him or use his services. If she wouldn’t play, he’d reimburse the uncles’ money and take a walk. Of course, he’d feel a few regrets—among them, not having an opportunity to sample Jane’s full, lush mouth. But he’d walk, anyway.
She wavered, her expression suggesting he’d have an opportunity to get to know her better over the next two weeks. Then her gaze cooled, her eyes dimming to the darkest of greens. “First answer a question.”
Uh-oh. “Sure.”
“And I want an honest answer.”
Dipstick released a groan and Flynn knew he was in trouble. “No problem.” He hoped.
“My uncles hired you, right?”
“They paid for my services.”
“And they asked you to look at our security needs.”
Among other things. “Yes.”
“Just our security needs?”
Aw, hell. “No.”
“I knew it! What else did they want you to do?”
Honesty or a lie? Flynn looked at the roses she’d tossed onto the hall table—the ones he’d given her at her uncles’ insistence—and frowned. No matter how awkward, he wouldn’t lie any more than necessary. And this wasn’t a necessary lie. “They asked me to do whatever it took to obtain your cooperation. I guess they’re serious about wanting this security system.”
Jane wasn’t quite certain what she’d expected Flynn to say, but that wasn’t it. How mortifying! “Whatever it took,” she repeated stiffly. “So once you found out it was my birthday, you assumed candy and flowers would get you the contract?”
His mouth tilted to one side in a tempting smile. Of course, everything about the man tempted her, from the way his black hair curled across his forehead, to the beauty of his features, to the expression in his unusual gold eyes—eyes that seemed capable of reading her every thought. Even the intriguing bruise at the corner of an equally intriguing mouth appealed. There was something compelling about him, something that drew her. If it hadn’t been for his charm, she’d have found him incredibly attractive. But that charm made her wary.
“The candy and flowers were for your birthday. I already have the contract.”
She shook her head. “Only if I agree—which I don’t. That’s my lab we’re talking about and I decide who messes with it.”
“Look... I’m not trying to buy your favor, if that’s what you’re suggesting. And I apologize if I’ve offended you. To be honest, I’d have done the same thing for any of my clients once I’d discovered it was their birthday.”
“Candy and flowers.” She lifted an eyebrow at that. “Even your male clients?”
He laughed, holding up his hands. “Okay, you got me there. A bottle of Scotch and front-row seats to their favorite sporting event for my male clients. I guess that was rather sexist of me to assume you were a candy-and-flowers woman. Would you rather have some whiskey and Sonics tickets?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I can’t be bribed.”
“I’m not trying to bribe you,” he retorted in exasperation. He studied her for a moment, and for the first time she knew what it felt like to be on the wrong side of an experiment. His scrutiny weighed and analyzed, reaching a conclusion in those few short seconds. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’ll tell you what. Let’s start over. You want to stick to business? Fine. Your uncles have asked me to look over your lab and recommend a good security system. When would it be convenient to drop by? For business and only business.”
“There won’t ever be a convenient—” Wait a minute. Business! She eyed him assessingly in return, an idea occurring. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? This might provide the perfect opportunity to expand the parameters of her perfume tests. If she could get him to agree to help... “How do you feel about scientific experiments?”
The question didn’t alarm him anywhere near as much as it did the residents of Salmon Bay, despite Dipstick’s warning bark. “Fine, I guess. Why?”
“This is a business arrangement, isn’t that what you said?”
“Yes.”
“Which means that our business can go both ways, right?”
Even bewildered he exuded charm. “If that would make you more comfortable, I don’t see why not.”
“So if I conduct business while you’re conducting business, you wouldn’t mind?” She gave him a hopeful look. “Would you?”
The second she saw the crinkles appear at the corners of his eyes, she knew he’d agree. “You’re the boss. As far as I’m concerned, that gives you the right to make those types of decisions. I can work around your schedule.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Oh, dear. She’d never been terribly good about tiptoeing around an issue. Unfortunately, her directness had the distressing tendency to scare people off. She plunged her fists into the pockets of her lab coat and fixed Flynn with her most professional look. What the heck? She’d go for broke. “I’d be willing to give my uncles the go-ahead if you’d be a test subject for my latest study.”
Dipstick collapsed fully onto the floor, burying his head in his massive paws. Flynn lifted an eyebrow, apparently taking the warning seriously. His amusement faded. “Test subject? What would that involve?”
At least he hadn’t beat a hasty retreat out the front door. “Not much,” she said. “You’d have to answer some general questions. And then I’d need to test your reaction to a formula I’m working on.”
“This formula... What does it do?”<
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“I can’t tell you that.” At his narrow-eyed look, she hastened to explain, “It would skew the results if I told you too much.”
“I’m not supposed to drink it, am I? I’m not the best person for any Jekyll-and-Hyde experiments.” A wealth of memories gathered in his eyes, bleak memories that tarnished the odd gold color. “You wouldn’t like the results.”
“You won’t come into direct physical contact with the formula. Does that help reassure you?”
He rubbed a hand across his jawline. Accidently clipping his bruise, he winced and Jane couldn’t help wondering what—or who—had given it to him. “Let me get this straight. If I help with this study you’re doing, you’ll agree to my firm installing a security system, right?”
“Right.”
“You’ll give me free access when I need it, where I need it.”
“I—” She frowned. Somehow he’d managed to turn the tables on her. He was calling the shots, and she didn’t like it one bit. “You can’t interfere too much with my work. I’m at a rather crucial phase in my experiments.”
“I’ll do my best, that’s all I can promise. But there will be times I’ll need you out of the lab. How about this...” His brows drew together as he thought. “Once I’ve determined what sort of system you require I’ll have my partner fly up from San Francisco. While he’s installing the hardware, you can conduct your experiments. Would that work?”
“It just might.” She held out her hand. “Are we in agreement?”
He took her fingers in his. “It’s a deal.”
She could scarcely contain her excitement. “When do we start?”
His mouth curved into another slow smile and he regarded her with lazy amusement. “Hell, darlin’,” he drawled. “I’m a generous man. Pick the time and place and I’m all yours.”
* * *
“HEY, PAULIE. IT’S FLYNN.”
“You son of a bitch! You have a hell of a nerve calling me before I’m done bein’ mad at you. I have a mind to hang up on your ass.”
Flynn held the receiver with an uplifted shoulder as he worked the buttons of his shirt. “Yeah, well. Normally, I wouldn’t interrupt your temper tantrum. But I have a problem.”
“You think that comes as a surprise? Hah!” A full minute passed while Flynn waited him out. Finally his partner released a gusty sigh. “Okay. What’s the problem?”
“There’s this woman—”
Paulie groaned. “No. Please tell me you haven’t found another woman in trouble.”
“’Fraid so.” Flynn tried to sound contrite, but suspected he failed rather spectacularly.
“What happened to that good deed of yours? Wasn’t it an auction or something? I’d have thought that was enough to keep you occupied.”
“That’s how I got into my current predicament.” Flynn tossed his shirt toward the hotel room chair and kicked off his shoes. “These fellas bought me and—”
“Fellas?” Paulie’s laugh ripped down the phone lines. “Now, that I’d have paid serious money to see.”
“Yeah, well. You’ll laugh even harder once you meet them. Which brings me to the reason I called. I was hoping you’d come up here and lend me a hand.”
“Keep you out of trouble, don’t you mean?”
Paulie knew him entirely too well. “That, too.”
“So, where’s here?”
“A little town north of Seattle. It’s called Salmon Bay. Ever heard of it?”
“I’ve barely heard of Seattle.”
Flynn chuckled. “It’s not far from Vince Martelli’s place. Remember that job?”
“Installed the Lockdown 986. ’Course I remember.”
“That’s the one. Will you come?”
“I don’t know. I’m still pissed off.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute.” Now for the tricky part. “I need you to work on this place while I keep the owner preoccupied.”
“And why’s that?” Paulie asked suspiciously. “You scammin’ again?”
“Maybe a little. I gather she doesn’t want anyone fooling with her precious lab—”
“Lab?”
“She’s a scientist. A chemist, to be exact. We need to secure her lab so her research doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
“Got it. So it’s a good sort of scam?”
“If any scam can be considered good.” Which Flynn seriously doubted. No matter how well-intentioned, someone always gets hurt in a scam. “Catch the first plane out, will you? I’ll fax you directions.”
“I’ll be there.” Paulie sighed again. “A woman chemist, huh?”
“Yeah. Oh, and Paulie?”
“What?”
“She’s got a killer smile.”
“That’s just what it’ll be if you take advantage of it,” Paulie warned tartly. “A killer.”
“Might be worth it.” With a soft chuckle, Flynn hung up.
* * *
JANE HURRIED OUT TO HER LAB early the next morning. The building was a large single-story concrete-block structure that spread across half of the enormous lot behind her house and half of her uncles’, as well. Long before she was born, her parents and her uncles had bought adjacent residences and built the laboratory complex she currently used. When she’d turned twenty-one, she’d moved into her parents’ home, a decision that had helped establish a small measure of independence. Not that her uncles had minded. She smiled. They supported all her choices, in everything.
She checked her watch, aware she had precious little time left. For some reason, getting ready for her appointment with Flynn Morgan was taking far longer than she’d anticipated and she still had a lot of organizing to do before he arrived. She yanked at the door to her lab, just as someone pushed from the other side.
“Watch it, Jane. You almost ran me down.”
“Mick?”
Jane fell back so quickly, her glasses slid from her hair. In a practiced movement, Mick caught them before they hit the ground and returned them to her. “Maybe you should put those things on a string. Then you wouldn’t lose them all the time.”
She started to reply, but caught herself at the last second. She’d learned long ago that arguing with Mick entailed an incredible expense of energy, all of it wasted and further discussion proved fruitless. He reminded her of a pit bull. Once he bit down, he didn’t let go.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Looking for you.”
She glanced past him toward the open door of her lab. “I was over at the house. Why didn’t you try there?”
“I didn’t think you’d be in. You rarely are.” He checked his Rolex. “Perhaps I should be asking why you’re not where you should be.”
“Don’t try to turn the tables on me, Mick. My lab is off-limits to you and you darn well know it.”
“Oh, come on, Jane.” He regarded her with outright disdain. “What the hell do you think I’m going to do? Steal some of your precious perfumes? Why would I want them? They don’t work.”
She folded her arms across her chest, hoping she didn’t appear too defensive. “You have no way of knowing that.”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
Outrage rippled through her. “Only because you went through my research notes!”
“Our research notes.”
“Mine.” She thrust her glasses onto the bridge of her nose and glared at him. For some reason she felt safer behind the bulky purple frames, more logical and better equipped to deal with Mick. “Somehow they became ours while we were dating. And somehow my research project became ours about the same time. Right up until—”
“Old news, Jane.”
Had she sounded hurt? She unwrapped her arms and thrust her fists into the pockets of her lab coat. Her right hand curled around the perfume atomizer she’d deposited there from yesterday’s experiments. If this particular scent truly did cause irritation, what effect would it have on someone already irritating? Without thinking, she pulled it out and squirte
d it on herself. If nothing else it should distract him.
He reacted just as she’d expected. The mouth she’d once found so kissable sagged open, which pleased her no end since it looked downright repulsive. And the thick-lashed brown eyes she’d once dreamily compared to chocolate fudge switched from aggressive to alarmed. How nice to know that the last of the romantic fog he’d once conjured had fully dissipated. Now she could look at him without feeling the least bit of hurt. Or better yet, the least bit of desire.
He took a quick step backward and covered his nose with his hand. “What the hell was that?”
“Nothing,” she said, blinking innocently. “At least... nothing much.” She waited a second for that to sink in and then asked, “How are you feeling, Mick?”
“Fine!”
She sidled a little closer and fanned the perfume in his direction. “Fine? Are you sure? You’re not experiencing any sort of reaction at all?”
“What have you done, Dearly?”
Once upon a time, he’d called her Dearling. She couldn’t believe she’d found it cute. What an idiot she’d been. She knew it was spiteful, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “Any ringing in your ears? Any odd cravings? You’re not drooling, are you?”
“I... No! You’re pulling my leg.” Big brown eyes pleaded with her. “Aren’t you?”
She drew herself up. “I don’t pull legs or play games or steal other people’s research. I’m a scientist.”
“You’re crazy. As crazy as those uncles of yours. If you’ve done anything to me, I swear I’ll be having a word with Sheriff Tucker.”
“Go right ahead. You’ll never be able to prove a thing.” She held up the spray bottle again. “But if I find you’ve fooled with any of the equipment in my lab, I’ll be the one talking to Tucker. Of course, that won’t be a problem much longer. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know my uncles have decided to install a security system.”
“It won’t do you any good.” He edged around her. “It’s not like you’ve discovered anything new. You’ve been working on your little experiments for years and what have you come up with?”
His comment hit and hit hard. “At least I can say the work I’ve done is all mine,” she managed to return.