She blinked, not quite sure she’d heard him correctly.
“This is the part where you say you love me too,” he prompted. She could hear the wry tone in his voice, but beneath it, she could hear the yearning.
“I do love you.” She pulled his face down to hers. “More than I ever thought possible to love anyone.” She pressed her lips against his and sighed. All the problems of the world disappeared when it was just the two of them together like this. Something that felt this good and right couldn’t be wrong.
Shamus cupped her face with his large hands, tilting it to one side so he could deepen the kiss. She sighed, parting her lips and he slipped his tongue inside, coaxing hers to play with him.
The man certainly could kiss. She tried not to think of all the younger women he’d practiced with over the years. He was here with her now and that was all that mattered. Her fingers tangled in his hair, yanking him closer, holding him to her.
When they broke away, they were both breathless. They stared at one another and Cyndi could feel the emotional bond between them—the love. They leaned toward one another, their lips almost touching when the doorbell rang. Cyndi pulled back so fast, she struck Shamus’s nose.
He swore and glared toward the hallway as the bell rang again. It was then that she realized that the door to the office was wide open and there were still workmen in the house.
As if realizing the trail of her thoughts, he reassured her. “I’ve got them priming the walls in the library.”
Cyndi sighed with relief. That was something. The doorbell rang again and she hurried toward the front door with Shamus right behind her. She glanced over her shoulder as he swore again and almost smiled as he tried to adjust the front of his jeans. The bulge there was making the job difficult. He saw her grinning and shook his head. “It’s not nice to make fun of my pain, woman.”
“I’ll kiss it and make it better later,” she promised.
Shamus sucked in a breath. “You’re not helping the problem, Cyndi.”
As she reached the door, he locked his arm around her waist and drew her away. “I’ll answer it.”
The sober reminder that someone wanted to harm her made her smile disappear. She nodded, standing to one side as Shamus peered out the side window before opening the door.
“Linda Fletcher sent me for the rest of the furniture,” the male voice announced. “She said to give you this.” He handed over a small envelope.
Shamus opened the envelope and read the note before handing it to Cyndi. The stationary was from the auction house and he recognized Linda’s signature on the bottom. He’d seen it when she and Cyndi had been signing all the necessary papers to allow the furniture and goods to go to auction.
Once he was certain that everything was legit, he opened the door wide and invited the man in. He introduced himself to Cyndi, handing her a list of the furniture that she and Linda had agreed upon, so that she could check each one off as it was loaded on board. As he returned to the truck to open the back and pull down the ramp, Shamus rounded up the men from the library.
The next few hours were controlled chaos as the house was emptied of the rest of the furniture and boxes. Pete Johnson and his nephews called it a day as soon as the truck pulled away, promising to be back bright and early in the morning.
Cyndi was exhausted and exhilarated. It felt good for her plans to be proceeding so quickly, yet it was marred by the fact that someone wanted her gone and was willing to do just about anything to get her to leave.
As tired as she was, she made a quick call to her lawyer. It was time to get an update on what was going on with wresting control of her affairs from Harris and Hammond. She also needed to find out what Alicia had been able to uncover about her father’s illegal business dealings.
It was all progressing, but it would take time. Harris and Hammond were procrastinating and trying to find a way to stop her, but Alicia assured her that they didn’t have a legal leg to stand on. All they could do was try to pressure Cyndi into staying with their firm. If she held her ground, they’d have no choice but to hand everything over to Alicia’s office.
Of course, they’d take their dead time, but that was where Alicia came in. The other woman was quite confident she could handle Harris and Hammond, and indeed, seemed to be relishing the opportunity. Cyndi shook her head, not understanding how someone could be looking forward to such a battle, as Alicia obviously was. She was just glad she’d hired the woman to be on her side in this conflict.
The next thing that Cyndi did was contact the mayor’s office, and scheduled a meeting for the following morning. Yes, she had the paperwork giving her the right to have a B & B in this building, but she wanted to make it official.
Thankfully, she didn’t need to worry about permits for the renovation. Shamus had informed her earlier that he’d already taken care of it. In fact, he’d taken the time to stick them in the window earlier. She hadn’t noticed them because of the heavy curtains.
With nothing left to be done, Cyndi wandered to the kitchen, her feet echoing on the floor.
Each room she passed was empty or nearly so. The library had eight boxes of books she’d decided to keep, and the dining room had painting and building supplies stacked at one end.
Shamus was standing at the stove, a towel tucked around his waist as he stirred a pot.
“Hungry?” He didn’t even glance over his shoulder.
Her nose carried her toward him. The smell of tomato sauce and spices was heavenly. Her stomach growled in agreement.
He laughed when he heard the sound. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I thought I wasn’t hungry, but obviously I am. Is there anything I can do to help?” While she’d been busy on the phone, he’d been busy in the kitchen. Thick tomato sauce, bubbled on the stovetop and water boiled in a large pot, cooking pasta. And if her nose wasn’t mistaken, there was garlic bread in the oven.
“You can pour us each a glass of wine.” He motioned to the table with the wooden spoon. “I opened the bottle a minute ago.”
Cyndi poured wine and decided to take Shamus’s lead on the tone of the evening. They needed to forget their troubles for a short while, relax and enjoy a quiet meal together. It wouldn’t make their problems disappear, but it would help them relax and gain their strength for the next battle.
Picking up the two glasses, she walked back to stand beside him, offering him one. He took it and sipped, then lay the glass on the counter. Grabbing a clean spoon from the drawer, he dipped it into the pot. “Taste.”
Cyndi blew on it and tasted the sauce from the spoon. Spices exploded on her tongue. “Oh, this is good.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d like it spicy or not, so I went somewhere in the middle.”
“This is absolutely perfect.”
As she leaned against the counter and watched him, she was once again amazed by him. Her father sure as heck couldn’t cook and neither could her ex-husband. Shamus seemed to be at home in any venue. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
He deftly drained the pasta, drizzling it with olive oil before piling it on to the two plates he had waiting. “My sister made sure that both Patrick and I were capable of taking care of ourselves in the kitchen. Besides, I like to eat. I figured I’d better learn how to cook.”
The thick tomato sauce was added and then a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. He carried both plates over to the table and went back to the oven to pull out a foil wrapped loaf of bread, which he carried to the table and unwrapped.
Cyndi slid into her chair. “It all smells incredible. Thank you for this.”
“My pleasure.” He sat down next to her, took her hand in his, and kissed her knuckles.
“After dinner, it’s a hot bath for you and then bed. You’ve had a long, hard day.”
Pushing the nasty memories of the day out of her head, she smiled at him. “Only if you join me in bed.”
He gave her a roguish grin before nipping at her fingers. “What ab
out your bath?”
Her stomach jumped, and heat pooled low in her belly. “That would be good too.”
Shamus laughed and picked up his fork, twirling the spaghetti easily on the tines before popping it into his mouth. Cyndi watched him chew and swallow, feeling her nipples tighten as he licked sauce from his lips.
“Aren’t you eating?” he asked innocently.
She could feel the heat on her cheeks. Grabbing her fork, she jabbed it at her plate. The first mouthful was so good it made her forget everything else. Well, almost everything else.
They enjoyed their meal, keeping the conversation on renovation plans. Cyndi planned to pick out fabric tomorrow and place her order by the day after at the latest. Which led her to her next problem. “Do you know of anyone who sews around here? A professional seamstress?”
She wasn’t surprised when Shamus nodded. The man knew everyone. “Rebecca Tanner used to sew. I’m not sure if she does it any more, but I think her daughter, Casey, might sew as well. She’d just a teenager, but she’s mature for her age.”
“If you give me the number, I’ll call her tomorrow.”
“No problem.”
Cyndi hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. It would be a hassle if she had to go out of town to get the drapes made, but she would if she had to. Hopefully, either Rebecca or her daughter wouldn’t mind working for her.
Some of the upholstery, she could do herself, but a few pieces might need a professional.
“What about upholstery?”
“If it’s not too complicated, I should be able to handle it for you.” He bit off a chunk of garlic bread and chewed.
“Is there anything you can’t do?”
He shot her a leering grin. “Nothing worth talking about.”
Cyndi laughed and finished eating. Replete, she sat back and watched him polish off the rest of the bread. When he was done, they cleaned up the kitchen and headed upstairs, turning off all the lights as they went.
His hand was firm on her back as they walked up the stairs and into her room. “I’ll start the bath.” He nuzzled her neck, nipping lightly at it before heading into the adjoining bathroom.
Cyndi watched him go. The man had the best ass on the planet. The way it filled out a pair of jeans was probably illegal in several states. Of course, it looked even better out of a pair of jeans.
Heat suffused her body as she stripped off her clothing and wandered into the bathroom. She intended to forget all about her problems tonight. The only thing that mattered at this moment was her and Shamus.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next three days passed in relative peace even though she was incredibly busy. Her house was torn up as construction and painting continued, but all was quiet on the stalker front. Her meeting with the mayor had gone much better than she’d anticipated. The man was actually excited about the prospect of a B & B in town to help bring more tourists to the area. The fact that Cyndi’s home was a historic one helped tremendously.
The book of fabric swatches arrived and Cyndi quickly made her selections. She placed a huge order by phone and Janine sent the bolts of fabric via courier, knowing that Cyndi was anxious to get started.
She also had a seamstress lined up. She talked to Rebecca Tanner, who’d been too busy to take on the large job of curtains for the entire house, but her daughter, Casey, had agreed. Cyndi was hesitant until mother and daughter came out to the house to meet her.
The serious, green-eyed, black-haired girl immediately impressed Cyndi. Casey was only seventeen, but seemed much older, and was confident she could do the job. Rebecca assured Cyndi that she would be there to help if Casey ran into any problems, which she didn’t think the girl would. She’d been sewing for years.
They toured the house, matching fabric swatches with windows, while double-checked measurements and discussed the types of curtains for each room. Casey had taken her own notes, pinning them to the various fabrics.
Cyndi was more than pleased when the girl gave her a quote for the job. It wasn’t too low, as one might have expected from a teenager wanting a job. The girl obviously valued her own skills.
But neither was it too high. The price agreed upon, the women carried the mounds of fabric to the car.
She and Casey decided that the downstairs drapes would be sewn first, as these would be the first rooms to be done. In fact, with the painting finished in the parlor, all it needed was new drapes and furniture to be complete.
Again, the experience with Rebecca and her daughter went better than she’d expected.
Rebecca was reserved at the beginning, letting her know that the only reason she agreed to come was because Shamus had called and asked her to. It seemed that Shamus had done a favor for Rebecca a long time ago and she was very fond of him.
But as the afternoon wore on, Rebecca gradually relaxed. Casey was nothing but charming from the beginning, but then, she wasn’t old enough to know anything about Cynthia’s father, or his way of getting what he wanted. It was a testament to her mother that the other woman hadn’t said anything about her or the James family. Cyndi appreciated that and it made her like and respect Rebecca Tanner.
Today, the men planned to finish painting the foyer. The desk area was ready and Cyndi absolutely loved it. It wasn’t large or obtrusive, but made the most of the small alcove it sat in front of. It was perfect for one person and the heavy oak and the trim matched the rest of the room. Shamus had built it himself, and Cyndi could see the quality and care that he’d put into it.
She’d already brought tables and chairs down from the attic. Most of the furniture just needed a good cleaning and waxing. The various chairs needed their fabric changed and she also planned to upholster all the seats for the dining room.
She figured she could tackle the dining room chairs herself. If she ran into problems, she could always ask Shamus for help. She’d never done any upholstery before, but the simple dining chairs didn’t look too difficult. She was eager to try her hand at it.
Her plan was to get at it first thing, but one look in the refrigerator during breakfast changed her plans. It was almost bare. There was plenty to eat in the freezer, but there was nothing fresh.
She needed milk and fruit and vegetables at the very least.
She’d bought food for one when she’d first arrived, but Shamus had a huge appetite. If he hadn’t brought the occasional item home from the store, she’d have had to go before now. As it was, there was no longer any choice. If they wanted to eat, she needed to grocery shop.
Working her way through the refrigerator and the cupboards, she made an extensive list.
When she was done, she went to the foyer to find Shamus. He was staining the desk he’d built for her and it looked gorgeous. He looked up from his work and smiled at her.
“It looks amazing.”
“I aim to please.” She blushed because he’d said the same thing to her last night, except he’d had his face buried between her thighs at the time.
“I’m going grocery shopping.”
“Hang on and I’ll go with you.”
She shook her head. “There’s been nothing for three days now, and besides, I can’t live like a prisoner in my own home forever. If I’m afraid to go out into the community by myself, that’s what I’ll be.”
“I don’t like it.” He wiped his hands on a rag as he came toward her.
“I’m going straight from here to the grocery store and home again. Nothing is going to happen to me in that length of time. I’ll be on the busy streets of Jamesville and in a public store. I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“You took time off earlier in the week to go to City Hall with me. You’re needed here to keep the workers busy.” As if on cue, one of the men stuck his head out of the library and hollered for Shamus.
“I’ll be right there,” he called back as he raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t like it.”
“I know, but it’s something I have to
do.”
“Just to the grocery store and home.”
She bristled at his command until she saw the concern in his eyes. Reaching out, she patted his chest. “Promise. I’ve got my cell phone in my pocket and I’ll lock all my car doors.”
“Park right in front of the store.” His scowl was fierce as he pulled her toward him.
“I will.” She knew he was worried, and with good reason, but if she was going to live in this town, she had to start acting like it. The only way to put the past to rest was to start living in the now. People had to get to know her for the person she was, not the person she’d been. The only way for that to happen was for her to actually go out into the community.
“Call me when you get in the store and just before you leave.”
She frowned, thinking he was getting a little zealous, but she agreed. “Don’t worry.” She kissed his chin and his lips. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
One of the men hollered for Shamus again and he growled in frustration. “Go.” He dropped another quick kiss on her lips before he headed toward the library. “Oh, and pick up some potato chips for me.”
She could see the worry in his eyes even though he was grinning at her to try to put her at ease. “I will.”
Grabbing her jacket from the coat rack by the door, she slipped it on and hurried outside, not stopping until she was locked safely inside her car. Mike had returned it as promised, good as new, with all new tires. It started easily and she quickly backed out of the driveway and headed down the road. Within minutes, she was pulling into the supermarket parking lot and luckily found an empty space not ten feet from the door.
Her hands were clenched tight around the wheel and she could feel her blouse sticking to her back beneath her coat. In spite of her bravado with Shamus, she was scared and nervous about being out in the open. Prying her fingers from the steering wheel, she took a deep breath and turned off the ignition. Collecting her purse, she climbed out and locked the door behind her, pocketing her keys.
The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke Page 24