"That's instinctual?"
"One hundred percent." When in doubt, go for the primal fears. It worked on Adam in the Garden and it worked on Kiel Brown in a cabin in Nowhere, Alaska. If that wasn't an example of instinct at work, she didn't know what was.
"A street fighter," he said, releasing her from his grasp. "At least now I know who I'm dealing with."
She stood up and moved just beyond his reach. A woman couldn't be too careful. "And who exactly am I dealing with?"
"Easy," he said, leaning back in his chair and reaching for his coffee. "A man who isn't looking for complications."
"Then we're in agreement. This is only a job."
"An assignment."
"A temporary assignment." She considered her next words carefully. "I doubt if we'll be together six months from now."
"I wouldn't go making plane reservations just yet, if I were you. There's no telling how long it'll take me to monitor the migratory patterns."
"How long can it take?" she countered. "Once the winter's over and they quit migrating, your job's done."
"It's not that simple, Alexa."
"Of course it is." It was simpler than he knew. One day after their six months anniversary, she'd be on her way out of Nowhere and back to life as it was meant to be lived. "All we have to do is keep out of each other's way."
He frowned. "It won't be easy in a place this small."
"You could sleep in your laboratory," she suggested helpfully.
"The hell I will. I'll sleep in my own bed."
"I could sleep in your laboratory."
"Over my dead body. No one goes in there but me."
"I don't see why you're so secretive about a whole lot of paperwork."
"You stick to your business, I'll stick to mine." He pushed back his chair and stood up. "And no more sleeping on the sofa. I use the living room around dawn to pump iron. You'll just get in my way."
He didn't look as if there was room for discussion in the matter. She shrugged. "It's yours. But on the slim chance you ever find me sleeping some place other than the bedroom, keep your hands off me. I'm not Goldilocks. I like to wake up in the same place where I fell asleep."
"Agreed. Defined boundaries make cohabitation either."
"Wow," she said dryly. "Is that your I.Q. speaking?"
"My common sense. If we give each other space, we'll keep out of trouble."
"Absolutely," she said, "and that will be much easier since we don't find each other attractive."
"Right," he said. "Definitely a lack of chemistry."
"And thank God for that," said Lexi. "Chemistry could make this arrangement very difficult."
He considered her for a long moment. She noticed his eyelashes were preternaturally long and curly then pushed the thought from her mind. No chemistry, she reminded herself. No chemistry.
Chapter 9
Ten seconds after he slid between the sheets, Kiel knew he'd made a mistake.
The sheets smelled like lilacs. The pillowcase smelled like lilacs. The whole damn room seemed to smell like lilacs.
And it was all his fault.
He should have left her on the couch, sleeping peacefully beneath her pile of blankets and quilts. But he'd never been one to leave well enough alone. He had to pick her up and deposit her in his own bed.
He groaned as the image of her naked limbs, moving restlessly against these very sheets, danced before his eyes. He was a scientist, damn it. Flights of fancy were usually the province of the more artistic types. The guys who walked around with their heads in the clouds. He was supposed to be having erotic fantasies about protons and neutrons, not the flesh-and-blood woman who'd warmed this bed less than an hour ago.
"Propinquity," he muttered, punching his pillow and closing his eyes. He'd been alone a long time. He was sure he'd feel the same way about any woman PAX might have sent to be his wife.
Propinquity and hormones.
A dangerous combination.
Living with a man, especially one like her new husband, brought with it a set of complications Lexi had never imagined. Even though he spent eighteen hours a day in his lab and slept for most of the remaining six, Lexi felt as if he was everywhere.
"No starch in the shirts," he said one morning as he passed through the kitchen en route to his lab.
"Don't tell me," Lexi said, looking up from her second cup of coffee. "Tell the laundry."
"That's a good one," Kiel said. "I like a sense of humor in a wife."
"If I weren't so tired, I'd throw something at you," she said around a yawn.
"Lexi!" Kelsey's high-pitched voice floated toward her from the front room. "It's time for Mr. Rogers!"
Kiel was laughing as he closed the door behind him.
Lexi woke up early one morning toward the end of the second week. Squinting, she glanced at the clock on her nightstand. Five minutes after five. The last time she awoke this early was Christmas morning when she was six years old.
She closed her eyes. Nothing. She didn't feel even remotely sleepy.
She opened her eyes again. Like it or not, she was wide awake.
"Make the best of it, Alexa Grace," she said, flinging back the covers. Take a shower, get dressed, and then surprise Kiel with a home-made breakfast when he returned to the house after a night's work.
Clad in silk pajamas and bare feet, she gathered up her clothes then hurried toward the bathroom. The door was ajar. A pool of light spilled into the darkened hallway. Kelsey, she thought as she pushed the door open the rest of the way, and that last glass of water.
She stepped into the bathroom and was met by a burst of steam, followed by a roar of male outrage from behind the shower curtain.
"What the hell are you doing here?" her loving husband demanded.
"What are you doing here?" she shot back. "You should be working."
He glared at her from around the side of the curtain. "You should be sleeping."
"Excuse me for waking up early," she said edgily. "I thought I would take my shower then make breakfast."
"I'm taking a shower."
"So I see."
"Yeah," he said, "and unless you want to see a hell of a lot more, you'd better get out of here."
"You don't have to be nasty about it," she said. "Believe me, you don't have anything I want to see." She paused then summoned up a wicked grin. "At least nothing I can't see perfectly well through that shower curtain." She headed for the door. "They just don't make plastic the way they used to, do they?"
She thought she heard him laughing as she closed the door behind her.
She couldn't stop thinking about the way he looked behind that transparent shower curtain.
What on earth had Mother Nature been thinking when she parceled out physical attributes? Didn't anyone notice that Kiel Brown had received enough for five men? Just when Lexi had grown accustomed to his gorgeous face, she discovered that his body was bigger, better, more amazing than anything she'd imagined late at night, alone in the bed they almost shared.
Those powerful shoulders...that broad chest with the thick mat of dark hair...the narrow waist and--
She poured orange juice into Kelsey's oatmeal, put the milk away in the cupboard, and didn't remember the bread toasting in the oven until smoke triggered the fire detector mounted on the far wall.
And wouldn't you just know he'd pick that day to join them for breakfast.
"Grownups are silly," Kelsey observed as Lexi placed a new bowl of oatmeal in front of her.
Kiel looked up from his coffee. "How come, Kelse?" he asked, eyes twinkling.
Kelsey told him about the juice and the milk and the toast.
"So I'm forgetful," Lexi said with a toss of her head. "So what?"
"Maybe you're distracted," Kiel said.
She glanced at him. "I can't imagine why."
"I can."
She lifted one eyebrow in what she hoped was a disdainful fashion.
He grinned. "Maybe you saw something that...unnerved you."
"Very unlikely. What I saw amounted to very little." It was his turn to look disgruntled and she laughed. "I may not be able to take it," she observed, "but I can certainly dish it out with the best of them."
"I'll remember to lock the bathroom door," he said.
"Do that," she said dryly. Faced with all of that male pulchritude for a second time she wouldn't be held accountable for her actions.
While she was in no danger of turning into the Happy Homemaker, Lexi settled into a routine with surprising ease. It wasn't much of a routine, all things considered, but Kelsey seemed content and the Incredible Hunk wasn't complaining.
In three short weeks she'd mastered the microwave, tamed the mysteries of the washer and dryer, and learned to peacefully co-exist with a four year old girl and her thirty-four year old father.
Not that she and Kiel saw much of each other. After the bathroom fiasco, both grew more careful about keeping their lives as separate as possible. While she never again caught him in the shower, he did catch her one afternoon in a very compromising position.
He'd been working hard on a particularly tricky permutation and decided he needed a break. He came back to the house, poured himself a cup of coffee, then proceeded to spill the whole damn thing on his shirt and pants. Muttering an oath, he headed for the bedroom to change.
And that's where he found her.
Her back was to him. Pale sunlight streamed in through the window, making her skin gleam like fine porcelain. And there was a lot of skin. Her gently curving hips were covered by a wisp of peach silk. A tiny, firm pinch of rounded derriere peeked out from the lacy edge of the leg openings. Her legs were surprisingly long for so small a woman. He grinned. They were damn fine legs at that. She was slipping into a wispy bra of the same peach color of her panties and it occurred to him that, if he was lucky, he might get to see her breasts.
He wasn't lucky.
She fastened her bra, turned around, then blushed the most amazing shade of crimson.
"Don't worry," he said, his voice abnormally husky. "I didn't see anything."
"I'm not worried," she said, wrapping herself in the bedspread.
"You look worried."
"You're crazy."
"You have a great body, Alexa Grace."
"Thank you," she said with all the warmth of an Alaskan winter. "Now I can die happy."
"I would've said something but I didn't want to startle you."
"Right," said Alexa Grace. "And I was born yesterday."
"Look at it this way," he continued, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Now we can stop wondering what the other person looks like naked."
"Why, you--!"
She had great aim. If he hadn't ducked when he did, the slipper would have hit him right between the eyes.
Although she wouldn't admit it even to herself, the midday meal with Kiel and Kelsey had become the highlight of Lexi's day. She found herself planning the menu at night, fussing with her hair and makeup after breakfast, and hoping that a beautifully laid table could cover a multitude of culinary sins.
While he never said outright that he even noticed the trifolded napkins or the candles burning cheerfully in the middle of the kitchen table, he did seem to be making an effort to keep up his end of the conversation. He told outrageous stories about a dog he'd owned as a little boy that had Kelsey laughing out loud but only made Lexi more curious.
"Pretty tame," she observed the first time he talked about Clyde the German Shepherd with an overbite. "With your background I figured you'd keep an ocelot or mountain goat as a pet."
He'd looked vaguely uncomfortable and sloughed off her comment with a wisecrack that didn't do much to alleviate Lexi's initial assessment of his devotion to wildlife, both endangered and otherwise.
"You spend an awful lot of time indoors," she'd continued, curiosity pushing her forward. "I still don't understand how you can count migrating birds if you're not outside long enough to see any."
Alaska was a wildlife paradise. Even she, who wouldn't know a bald-headed eagle from a nuthatch, found herself mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the land and its inhabitants.
"I mounted sensors in the area before you got here," he explained in a rush of scientific mumbo-jumbo. "Now I have to take the raw data as it comes in and...."
Uh huh, she thought, eyes glazing over as he talked on. I'll believe it when I see you notice just one Alaskan sunset.
"I think I have cabin fever," Lexi announced to Kelsey one afternoon following a particularly energetic game of Chutes and Ladders.
Kelsey, wearing her New York Yankees cap and one of Lexi's diamond bracelets, frowned up at her. "What's that?"
"A malady peculiar to adults with too much time on their hands."
Kelsey thought about it for a minute or two. "We could play Candyland."
"We played Candyland this morning," Lexi said, sounding not unlike a four year old.
"A movie," said Kelsey. Her blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "My favorite movie in the whole world."
"Great, honey," she said with a sigh. "I'll make us some popcorn."
Ten minutes later they were settled down on the sofa in the living room with a big bowl of popcorn between them. Kelsey had a cup of milk. Lexi had a diet cola.
"Now?" asked Kelsey, aiming the remote control at the television.
"Now," said Lexi. Did it matter that Gaston was beginning to look pretty cute to her? She grabbed a handful of popcorn, leaned back, and then closed her eyes. First the legend about the spoiled prince and the curse placed upon him, then Belle as she drifted through the tiny French town, then the sound of Uzi sub-machine guns and--
She sat straight up. "Kelsey!" The screen was filled with firepower. "What on earth--?"
"Rambo," said Kelsey, a beatific smile on her little face. "This is the best part."
Lexi grabbed for the remote control and stopped the tape. "I can't let you watch that--that trash! Your father would be furious."
Kelsey shook her head. "Daddy likes Rambo, too."
"I'll just bet he does," said Lexi, "but I can't believe he'd let you watch something this violent."
"He does," said Kelsey. "Lots and lots of times."
"Well, your daddy isn't here right now and I'm afraid I don't want you to watch it."
Kelsey's eyes narrowed. "You're mean."
Lexi nodded. "I suppose I must seem that way."
"My real mommy would let me watch Rambo."
Lexi didn't flinch. "Maybe she would."
"I'm not a baby. I can do what I want."
"You're not a baby," Lexi agreed, "but you are a child. And there are some movies that children shouldn't watch."
"But I've already seen it."
"Then you don't need to see it again." She got up and crossed the room. They kept videotapes in a big wicker basket and Lexi rummaged around for something they could agree on. "Old Yeller!" A brand-new, unwatched copy. She popped out Rambo and popped in Old Yeller. "This is a wonderful movie, Kelsey. You'll love it."
Kelsey looked suitably dubious but Lexi was filled with enough enthusiasm for both of them.
In the lab Kiel let out a whoop of excitement. He wished Albert Einstein were around to give him a high-five.
This was what he'd been waiting for. The nuclear equivalent of the Rosetta stone. He'd been at it for twenty-seven hours straight, hot on the trail of a major breakthrough. It wasn't the answer to the problem but it was the beginning of the answer and success was so close he could see it, even if he couldn't yet reach out and touch it.
He couldn't call O'Neal or anyone at PAX. That's not the way things were done. Information had to be passed through a series of encoding devices, processed, and then transmitted in non-traceable batches. Eureka just wouldn't cut it.
He needed to talk to someone, to share the excitement if not the details. Kelsey might appreciate the fact that her old man was feeling pretty darned happy about something but she wouldn't get the importance.
Hell, neither wou
ld Alexa Grace but the thought of seeing her smile up at him with those big blue eyes of hers twinkling like starlight more than made up for that fact.
He powered down his equipment and locked the door behind him, remembering to activate the retinal ID device.
People made mistakes when they were feeling cocky and he was too close now to get sloppy.
Not that he had reason to believe anyone suspected him of being anything but the environmental research scientist he claimed to be. Once the wedding was over he'd settled back into anonymity, which was exactly the way both he and PAX wanted it. Except for the occasional invitation to a potluck supper--which Alexa Grace politely deflected--everything was back to normal.
If you could call being married in name only to a beautiful woman you barely knew normal.
He opened the back door and stepped into the kitchen. The smell of popcorn greeted him and his stomach rumbled in response. He couldn't remember when he last ate something. Yesterday morning? The day before? He didn't know. It was after four o'clock. Too late for lunch. Too early for dinner. Popcorn sounded perfect.
"Where is everybody?" he called out as he headed for the living room. "There'd better be some popcorn left or--"
He stopped in the doorway and stared.
Alexa Grace was sobbing into a paper towel as if her heart would break. His little girl stood next to her, a wonderful look of concern on her face, as she patted Alexa Grace on the shoulder and said, "It's only a movie."
He glanced at the television screen. "Old Yeller," he said with a shake of his head. "You were asking for trouble."
Lexi looked up at him. Her big blue eyes were drenched with tears. "Where were you when I needed you?" she managed through her sobs. "I'd forgotten how it ended."
"Daddy," said Kelsey. "Make her stop crying. It isn't real," she said to Lexi. "It's only a movie."
That didn't stop Alexa Grace. In fact it occurred to Kiel that she was actually enjoying the experience more than a little bit. He'd heard there were women who loved a good cry but he'd never actually met one.
"I don't think she wants to stop crying, Kelse," he said to his daughter as he rewound the tape.
The Bride Came C.O.D. (Bachelor Fathers) Page 10