The Inconvenient Laws of Attraction

by Trish Wylie

  ‘Gotta go.’ Her brother looked Blake straight in the eye. ‘Be seeing you.’

  Letting the latter slide, Olivia took an automatic step forward. ‘What happened?’

  ‘You know the ten codes as well as I do.’ He backed away, pointing a finger at her. ‘Stay out of trouble.’

  Shaking her head, she watched him jog across the square until he disappeared. When she looked at Blake she found a familiar glint of amusement in his eyes.

  ‘You have the police codes memorised?’

  ‘They were funny about that at the academy.’ She checked her watch. ‘We’re early for the next viewing; you want to stop and get coffee?’

  His brows lifted. ‘You were a cop?’

  ‘Yes.’

  There was a brief pause, then, ‘Makes sense.’

  It did? She glanced sideways at him as they walked to the crossing.

  ‘How long were you a cop?’

  ‘Six months.’

  ‘Not cut out for it?’

  ‘Something like that.’ Waiting at the kerb for the signal to change, she glanced up at him again. The smile on his face was different from any of the ones she’d seen before. Her eyes narrowed. ‘What?’

  ‘New information. I’m absorbing it and trying to get a mental picture.’ He nodded. ‘The uniform’s working for me.’

  Olivia rolled her eyes when his smile turned into something more familiar. The man was incorrigible.

  As the traffic stopped, he laid a large palm against the inward curve of her spine, leaning closer as they crossed the street. ‘Not the only one who clams up when it’s something they don’t want to talk about, am I?’

  ‘Meaning I should stop asking questions?’

  ‘Some subjects are easier than others,’ he allowed, his gaze focused on their destination. When they were standing in front of the coffee shop, the scent of roasting beans rich in the air, he dropped his arm and turned towards her. ‘Why do you need to know?’

  ‘Knowing you better might make my job easier.’

  ‘That the only reason, is it?’

  Feeling distinctly as if she were crossing an invisible line, Olivia breathed deep and answered honestly. ‘No.’

  When he stared at her, she tried to find a way of justifying it that made as much sense to her as it would to him. ‘It’s part of a cop’s job to know why people do the things they do. Everyone has a story—you just have to put the pieces together so you can understand it.’

  ‘You’re not a cop any more.’

  ‘True, but lawyers are taught the same thing. If it makes you feel any better, I do it with everyone I meet.’ Her gaze lowered to the open collar of his white shirt when she found it difficult to look into his eyes.

  If she was being completely honest, she would tell him she didn’t want to know everyone’s story as badly as she needed to know his. But the fact she’d admitted it to herself was the much needed reminder that had been missing in the square when she came so close to kissing him. Giving in to sexual attraction was one thing, caring about him was another and if she knew more than she already did…

  Reaching out, she pushed open the door to the coffee shop. ‘Of course you have the right to remain silent.’

  ‘Tell me you still have the handcuffs.’

  She chuckled softly. ‘You’ll never know.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THE place was a wreck.

  Sidestepping debris, Blake looked up at the broken panes of glass; the beat of several flapping wings echoed around the huge expanse of space as they interrupted the resident wildlife. Most of the second floor had fallen in, as had part of the roof, but he was willing to bet there were some great views of the river from higher ground.

  ‘How sound is the structure?’

  ‘Will need shoring up before we put the second floor back in, but it’s not bad.’ The man who had met them with the keys stayed with Liv while Blake walked around. ‘The details are in the architect plans I brought with me.’

  The commercial elevator was shot, but the staircase beside it looked sound enough, barring a few missing steps. Placing a palm on a large wooden crate, Blake bent his knees, twisted his waist and bounced onto the surface, slapping his palms together when he was upright and reaching out a foot to test the first step. When he put weight on it, there was a loud crack.

  Liv took a step forward. ‘Be careful.’

  When he flashed a grin, she rolled her eyes.

  Testing each step before he put his full weight on it, he made his way up to what was left of the second floor.

  ‘If you fall and break your neck I’ll make sure they put “terminal stupidity” as the cause of death on the certificate,’ she called up to him.

  ‘Feel free to administer mouth-to-mouth,’ he called back.

  The properties outside Manhattan were looking better already. He’d been right; the view across the river was great from the second floor—area was ripe for development, too. Be nice to have something within a block of the river that wasn’t a generic high-rise. Considering how many of them there were, the building had been lucky to survive. When he looked through a gap in the floorboards, he saw Liv peering up at him, her expression a mixture of disapproval and concern. He smiled.

  Placing his hands on his hips, he jerked his head in invitation. ‘Come on up.’

  ‘I’m good where I am.’

  ‘Where I lead, you follow.’

  ‘Yeah—’ there was a short burst of sarcastic laughter ‘—that’s not happening this time.’

  ‘Not good with heights?’

  ‘I have a very long bucket list.’

  Making his way across the floor, he stretched tall to see out of the windows on the other side, frowning as he rocked back. View was pretty good from that side too but it was also familiar. He didn’t get it. Had it been so damn difficult for his father to talk to him? Considering the envelope he’d been carrying around for longer than he cared to admit, he supposed it had. They’d been one as bad as the other.

  The silent admission made him search inside again for a hint of grief or regret. If he was the kind of guy who shared things with others, he might have admitted his biggest fear was that the great vacuum of nothing would expand like a black hole and swallow up the parts of him that still felt alive. Had he felt the same way after his mom died? No. He’d felt relief then. Partly because she was out of pain, partly because it was over and he was free. He’d felt guilty about the latter, but he’d sat on it, tucked it away and pretended it wasn’t there. Maybe that was when it had started. By ignoring it instead of dealing with it, the small dark place where he’d buried the things he didn’t want to face had quietly grown while he covered up the emptiness with good times, fun, laughter and the kind of freedom of choice he’d never had before.

  A hand lifted to his pocket to check the envelope was safe in a reflex born of habit. It was too late to change the past, so what was he doing revisiting it? Why hadn’t he told Liv to sell everything and get back to him when it was done? He didn’t need to look at it. Now he had. If there were more places he liked the look of he could find himself having to make decisions he hadn’t—

  ‘Blake?’

  ‘I’m coming down.’

  Fifteen minutes later they were walking in silence to the water taxi and he was holding a cardboard tube in his hand. Slanting a glance at Liv, he found her smiling.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I find it amusing we’ve looked at millions of dollars’ worth of property and this is the first one you’ve liked.’

  ‘I’m not a millions of dollars’ worth of property guy.’

  ‘You are now.’

  ‘I haven’t said I’m keeping it.’

  ‘You’re thinking about it,’ she said brightly. ‘That’s a step in the right direction.’ When he didn’t reply, she took a short breath. ‘You just need to find your place in this. Give it time, you’ll get there.’

  ‘Do I need to remind you about the rule on advice?’

&
nbsp; Stopping in front of the taxi landing, she turned towards him. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘What makes you think there’s something wrong?’

  ‘You were different when you came back down.’

  ‘Was I?’

  ‘You can talk to me, you know.’ She shrugged a shoulder, downplaying the offer with, ‘It won’t go any further—attorney/client privilege.’

  ‘I’ve known you two weeks.’

  ‘Is there someone you can talk to?’ Angling her head, she studied his eyes and blinked in surprise. ‘Wow.’

  ‘You don’t know me,’ he said tightly.

  ‘Does anyone?’

  ‘Don’t make this personal, sweetheart. It’s not.’

  ‘Fine. You’re right. I don’t need to know.’

  When she turned and walked away, Blake frowned. He hadn’t lied to her, hadn’t said anything overly harsh, so why did he suddenly feel the need to make amends?

  ‘I’m not going with you.’

  She stopped and turned around.

  ‘I live a few blocks from here.’

  Jerking his head to the right, he watched her gaze follow the movement and waited for her to put it together. If she’d been quick enough to figure out his reaction to the hotel, he reckoned she was smart enough to work out he hadn’t known about the warehouse on his doorstep either. It was getting to the point where it felt as if he should check the ownership on the lease agreement for his apartment.

  He’d thought it was a sweet deal at the time.

  When awareness entered her eyes, she nodded.

  Blake felt some of the tension roll off his shoulders when she didn’t push. ‘I’ll take a look at these plans and let you know my decision.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘And, unless I’m mistaken—’ he pointed the end of the tube at her ‘—you’ve got a party to go to.’

  ‘The benefit.’ She nodded again. ‘Will you be there?’

  He glanced over her shoulder. ‘Taxi’s coming.’

  As it got closer, the yellow and black hull tearing a swathe of white froth on the surface of the water, she remained still, the corners of Blake’s mouth tugging in reaction to her inability to leave him.

  ‘Go. I’ll see you later.’

  She clasped the handle of her briefcase in both hands and swung it around her body as she turned away, flashing a bright smile over her shoulder before she sashayed down the dock. Thought he was wrapped around her little finger, didn’t she?

  Dropping his chin, Blake chuckled as he left. He was going because he owed her; that was all. Knowing him, spending 24/7 with her would bring their relationship to a swift end. And he wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

  She owed him for this, big time.

  ‘…with the continued support of Warren Enterprises, naturally we hope to see…’

  His attention had long since left the continuing conversation between a State Senator, the Mayor and varying executives who surrounded him. They didn’t need his full attention for him to follow the gist. Not when he’d decided part of the role of a brand new billionaire was to assume an air of boredom, more interested in the never-ending supply of champagne circulating on round silver platters than anything business-related. Not that it happened too often, but getting drunk suddenly held a lot of appeal to Blake.

  Draining his ridiculously fiddly glass, he reached out an arm to set it on a tray as he smiled at the waitress who’d been circling him. ‘Don’t suppose there’s any chance you could get me a good old-fashioned American beer?’

  When the bottle arrived, he ignored the accompanying glass, rewarded the waitress with a smile and turned to look at the couples on the dance floor, his gaze seeking the one thing he did find interesting. In a sea of black and white it didn’t take much to pick out the shimmering gold highlighted in her hair by surrounding strings of fairy lights, but when the crowd rolled into a different position she disappeared like a ghost. There. This time her head turned towards him as long lashes lifted and her gaze locked with his. When the crowd shifted again, he frowned.

  Damn that dress.

  The rooftop pool deck offered unparalleled views of the Hudson River, Lincoln Centre, Central Park and the city, but even the sight of Manhattan sparkling against the night sky didn’t compare to the wondrous sight of the thin-strapped sheath of red silk that left inch upon inch of skin exposed from her shoulders to the dip in her back. Add the way the molten material hugged the curve of her hips, outlined impossibly long legs when she moved and barely skimmed the edges of the small breasts that would fill his palms and—

  He ground his teeth together as she waltzed around the crowded dance floor in the arms of a smooth model-type. A couple of years shy of Blake’s soon-to-be thirty-three, he’d bet the guy was nowhere near as capable of taking her on. He was batting way out of his league.

  Large eyes darkened to pools of midnight-blue by the muted light sought him out again before she focused her attention on her partner as the man led her into another turn. It allowed Blake a momentarily uninterrupted view of the perfection of her back. Desire rolled through him and settled heavily in his groin. He wanted to explore every inch of that skin. He wanted to touch and taste, to bury himself deep and get lost in her, those long legs wrapped around him as she cried out his name, and if that guy looked down the front of her dress one more time…

  He fought the need to go feral. The guy was holding her too close but Liv didn’t seem to mind as much as Blake did, a slither of awareness sliding across his senses when she looked at him from the corner of her eye and smiled. Still thought he was wrapped around her little finger, didn’t she? To prove she was wrong, he turned and walked away. She wanted him, she could come find him.

  He was leaning on the balcony when she did.

  Dangling the neck of the bottle between his fingers, he watched her step up beside him to look over the city.

  ‘Run out of dance partners?’

  ‘Thought I’d get some air…’

  As he glanced at her, she tilted her head back, eyes closed and a blissful expression on her face as a light, cooling breeze lifted her hair from her shoulders.

  ‘Mmm,’ she moaned. ‘This is wonderful.’

  Blake counted to ten. He was not going to fold first.

  Turning ninety degrees, she leaned her elbow on the railing and studied his profile. As her gaze lowered and he felt it every place she looked, both down and back up his body, he ground his teeth together and wondered if she had any idea how thin a line she was treading.

  ‘In case I haven’t mentioned it—nice tux.’

  Lifting the bottle, he spoke over the rim. ‘And I got dressed all on my own.’

  ‘You hate every minute of this, don’t you?’

  ‘What gave it away?’ He turned his head to look at her, frowning at her expression. ‘It’s not funny.’

  ‘It’s a little bit funny.’ She stifled the smile sparkling in her eyes.

  ‘Next time I owe you an apology for something, you’re getting flowers like everyone else.’

  ‘I like orchids, rare ones.’

  ‘You’ll get daisies and be grateful.’

  ‘I love daisies.’

  Wouldn’t give an inch, would she?

  ‘What is it you hate most?’ she asked in a soft voice.

  ‘Where do you want me to start?’

  ‘Pick one.’

  ‘That—’ he tilted his bottle at the crowd ‘—isn’t a party. At a party—’ he leaned towards her and lowered his voice ‘—people have fun.’

  ‘They’re having fun.’

  ‘No.’ He stood tall again. ‘What they’re doing is networking and using the auction to demonstrate who has the biggest wallet.’

  ‘Okay, then.’ With another slight turn, her shoulder pressed lightly against his upper arm. ‘Champagne bottle guy, two o’clock, he looks like he’s having fun…’

  With a ten minute head start in the crowd-watching department, Blake inclined his head towards her
. ‘Bad day on the stock market. Drowning his sorrows…’

  ‘Marilyn Monroe lookalike, six o’clock…’

  ‘On the hunt for husband number three, trying to make it look like she knows how to have a good time…’

  ‘Stuck-in-the-eighties guy at eleven o’clock?’

  ‘Celebrating the purchase of a midlife crisis sports car,’ Blake said as the man held up a set of keys. ‘Using it to score with the woman half his age opposite him who comes from the right breeding stock…’

  Laughing, Liv lifted her chin. ‘Cynic.’

  ‘Just telling it how it is, sweetheart.’ He winked.

  The smile remained in her eyes as she continued looking up at him, lips parting as if she was going to say something then closing as a brief hint of a frown creased her forehead.

  ‘Say it,’ he demanded. ‘Don’t stop to think about it.’

  ‘You really don’t want to make that one a rule.’

  ‘Say it.’

  ‘I was just going to say you’re doing fine. Everyone has been talking about you.’

  Blake bit back the kind of response he would normally have given, taking a deep breath and forcing the truth out of his mouth. ‘That doesn’t help.’

  ‘Good things,’ she reassured him, her gaze slanting up and to the side as she added, ‘surprisingly…all things considered…’ She smiled mischievously as she looked into his eyes again. ‘Some of the women made a lot of highly complimentary comments.’

  Lifting his brows, Blake looked over the crowd with more interest. ‘Anyone you want to point out?’

  ‘Not particularly.’

  The change in her tone made him smile. ‘Shame—you could have been my wingman—might have livened things up.’

  The second she moved, he turned, stretched his arms out and grasped the railing on either side of her narrow waist. ‘They say anything you agreed with?’

  ‘I’m likely to admit that?’ She circled a finger in front of his face. ‘Head size, remember?’

  ‘How much champagne have you had?’