Mira forced herself to remain calm and carefully sat her fork on the now empty plate. “How did you know that?” she asked before deliberately changing her voice. “Don’t I sound enough like a California girl?”
“You do that very well,” he said, “but you can’t fool me. I spent a large part of my life in and around Boston.”
“Small world isn’t it?” Mira murmured. She smiled brightly at James and reached her arms above her head in a long stretch. “That was an excellent meal, but I should probably get home soon it’s getting kind of late.”
He motioned to the waiter and they were very quickly in the car and on their way back to Mira’s house. He knew that he had pushed her into this date, but he wasn’t ready to let it end. Despite, or because of, the fact that they seemed to be dancing around each other, he had found the evening stimulating. With a vague notion of talking her into a late movie, James glanced at the clock. “For God’s sake,” he said. “It’s barely 9 o’clock. What possible reason can you have for getting home so early on a Friday night? Are you purposely trying to cut the evening short?”
“You know,” Mira replied, “that’s not such a bad idea but,” she sighed. “I’m not quite as devious as that. If you must know, I’m going running.”
“Now? I won’t allow it. It much to dark for you to go alone.”
“No, of course not now. Tomorrow morning.”
“How early?” They pulled up in front of her house and James shut off the engine.
“Around 6 o’clock.” She opened the door and climbed out.
“Are you crazy?” He quickly got out of the car and followed her up the sidewalk. “Most sane people are still asleep at that time. Can’t you go a little later?”
Mira sniffed. “If I go any later it will be way too hot and I like silence of that time before sunrise when it seems like I’m the only person in the world.” She dug in her bag for the house key, but before she could open the door James stopped her.
“You’re not the only person out at that time. Don’t you ever watch the news? It’s not safe for you to run alone.” He understood the need for solitude and he could even understand the appeal of running because it was something that he enjoyed on occasion, but the thought of her out there on her own while it was still dark scared him.
“I ran in the morning all the time when I lived in California and nobody ever bothered me. In fact,” she said with a grimace. “There were so many other runners out that I never seemed to get any time alone.”
“California is full of health nuts. Of course people ran. Raleigh is a Mecca for scientists and other intellectuals not to mention college students. I’m not sure how many of those people will be out running at the crack of dawn.”
Mira glared mulishly at him. Intellectually, she could see his point, but she really didn’t want to give up her morning runs. She pulled her hand from his grasp and shoved her key in the lock.
It was probably something that he would regret in the morning, but what the hell. James gripped Mira’s shoulder and spun her around to face him. “I’m going with you.”
“What!? The whole point is to be alone. Look,” she said reasonably, “I may have gone to dinner with you, but it doesn’t mean you have any say in what I do. I’m not even sure I want to spend any more time with you.”
“Tough,” he growled as he leaned forward and caged her against the door, “because I’m not going anywhere.” He dipped his head.
Any retort that Mira might have made vanished at the touch of his mouth. The lips that she thought would be firm and hard, were soft and silky, resting on her own in a kiss as delicate as a sigh. With a gentle press of his thumb, he urged her lips to open. She was sure that she was resisting, but her arms somehow crept around his neck and she let out a soft moan.
The soft sound broke the delicate tether on James’ control. With a desperate groan, he deepened the kiss.
Headlights swept down the street and, somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. Mira was oblivious, all her attention focused on the meeting of their lips and the delicious stroke of his tongue inside her mouth. With a helpless cry, she pulled James closer. The touch of his aroused body shocked her system and, in desperation, she pushed out of his arms. Without a word, she turned quickly and went inside.
For several moments James stared blankly at the closed door. His overheated body urged him to push his way into the house and finish what had been started, but his more rational mind told him that it wasn’t the time to push her. With a slightly unsteady gait he turned and walked back to his car.
Chapter 19
The loud pounding on the door woke Mira up and caused the leprechauns currently stomping around in her skull to go into an enthusiastic, foot-stomping jig. After James had dropped her off and given her that mind blowing kiss she might have indulged in a little too much wine. Now she regretted it, but whoever was at the door would regret it much more, she promised herself. Turning her head slightly, she stared blearily at the bedside clock. It was barely six and the sun wasn’t fully up yet. With a heartfelt groan she stumbled out of bed and prayed that her head would stay on her shoulders. Whoever was at the door this early was going to get their head ripped off.
James impatiently banged on the door again. After a restless night he had dragged himself out of bed at an ungodly hour and spent 20 minutes looking for his old pair of sweatpants before giving up and putting on the skimpy running shorts that one of his ex-girlfriends and insisted he needed.
Now he was standing outside in the steamy air feeling half naked and already beginning to regret his hasty decision. Mira was a grown woman and she insisted that she was capable of taking care of herself. He should just go home and crawl back in bed. Of course that would mean that he was the only one who suffered. To hell with that! With a vicious oath, he lifted his fist, ready to knock down the door if that’s what it took.
“What the hell do you want?!” Mira demanded as she yanked open the door and glared at James. The sound of her own voice caused her head to start pounding and she groaned loudly.
Mira’s eyes were so bloodshot that it was almost painful to look at them. She was also wearing the same clothes as last night, minus the shoes. Her hair was flat on one side and sticking up on the other like a reject punk from the 70s. Her strange appearance coupled with her amusing show of temper completely neutralized James’ anger. It was all he could do not to laugh. He did, however, need a cup of coffee. With a quick step forward, he pushed her inside and shut the door behind them.
“Hey!” Mira protested. “This is my house and I didn’t invite you in so you can just turn around and go back where you came from.”
“Of course you invited me,” he said as he pushed her toward the stairs. “We were supposed to go running this morning, remember?”
A fuzzy memory tried to work its way into her clouded brain and she momentarily stopped struggling and allowed herself to be guided up the stairs.
“Which one is your bedroom?” She pointed silently and he gently prodded her inside. “Why don’t you wash up and get ready and I’ll put on some coffee. I’ll give you 20 minutes.” He pulled the door shut and, with a jaunty whistle, jogged down the stairs to find the coffee.
Mira glared menacingly at the door and considered going back to bed and ignoring the rude man downstairs. It would serve him right. Of course, he would probably have no problem coming upstairs and dragging her out of bed. With a deep sigh, she stripped off her clothes and headed for the bathroom. Maybe a nice cold shower would clear her head.
When she came down the stairs 15 minutes later, dressed in her favorite exercise outfit—a pair of skimpy, black running shorts with a deep purple line down the side and a matching, fitted tank top—she was feeling almost human again. A couple of aspirin and a big cup of coffee were just what she needed now.
James glanced up when he heard Mira clattering down the stairs. She looked much better than she had earlier. In fact she looked way too good for this early in the
morning despite the fact that her eyes were still bloodshot and she seemed slightly unsteady on her feet. Without a word, he got up and poured her a cup of coffee. With a flourish, he sat the cup and two pills on the breakfast bar before resuming his seat.
Mira reluctantly slid onto the stool next to James and downed the pills and half a cup of coffee in one swallow. The steaming brew felt like ambrosia going down, but it singed her tongue so she carefully sipped the rest of it. When the cup was empty and she felt a little steadier she got up silently and poured herself another one. With her back resting against the counter she looked pointedly at James and waited for him to speak. He seemed perfectly content to sit there and stare at her exposed legs. With an impatient movement, she put down her cup and stomped over to the door. “Are you coming?” she demanded.
Tearing his eyes from her legs, James quickly got up and followed her out the door.
By the time they had run a mile, Mira was starting to feel better. Her muscles were loose and limber and the blood was pumping hotly through her veins. In another few minutes, she figured, they would reach the paved trail in the nearby park and she could really stretch out. Strangely enough, she was no longer angry at James. He was making a much better running partner than she had thought he would be, easily keeping up with her stride without feeling a need to outdistance her.
For almost an hour, they ran silently, winding their way around the manmade lake. James settled into an easy pace and listened to the wind whistling through the trees and the sounds of small animals waking for the day. He felt great. With a deep breath, he inhaled the fresh air and wondered why he didn’t run more often.
By the time they got back to Mira’s house the sun was already a large yellow ball in the sky and both of them were dripping sweat. The easy companionship of the morning had been unexpected, but very welcome and Mira was starting to feel like she had the old James back. She felt comfortable enough to invite him inside and offer him breakfast. First, though, she got him a towel and showed him to the downstairs bathroom. She quickly cleaned up, slipped into a flowing forest green skirt and a loose brown shirt that she pulled in around her waist with a wide black belt, and headed to the kitchen.
While she was busy preparing breakfast, James took himself on a tour of the townhouse. Upstairs, he found one room that was empty except for a can of paint. He wandered down the hall and peeked into the next room. The large bed in the middle proclaimed this to be Mira’s bedroom, but it was completely lacking in personality. Apparently, she hadn’t gotten around to decorating yet. The smell of bacon frying lured him downstairs, but when Mira shooed him away he shrugged and decided to explore the rest of the house.
He had already seen the kitchen and living room so he headed down the small hallway to the right of the door. He passed by the bathroom and opened the door at the end of the hallway. This, he realized, was the heart of the house.
A large drafting table sat against the interior wall, tilted to catch the best light from the windows. Just in case sunlight wasn’t available the room was also equipped with state-of-the-art lighting that looked to be controlled by a panel of switches on the wall. A large, utilitarian storage cabinet with dozens of individual drawers was pushed into a corner. What really caught his attention though, were the drawings that hung on every wall. Some were surrounded by polished wooden frames, others hung unadorned. They came in different shapes and sizes, but they all dealt with the same thing — enchantment, something outside of cold reality. There was a knight sitting in a shady grove playing a lute for his lady, colorful fairies peering from tree branches at a group of children playing below, and even a ferocious green-eyed dragon with wings spread and muscles bunched ready to spring into the sky. Something about the dragon seemed to pull at him and he slowly walked forward.
Mira stood in the hallway watching James examine her work. She had piddled around with sketches when she was younger, but had really started drawing after her parents died. The fantastical scenes had been a place that she could escape to when she felt scared or lonely. Pragmatism and a need to eat had eventually turned her talents to architecture, but she hadn’t been able to give up her art. Lily and Sarah were the only people who had ever seen her pictures. She found herself anxious to hear James’ reaction.
“These are beautiful,” James said when he felt Mira come up behind him. “If you have talent like this, why aren’t you using it?”
“I am,” she replied, still flushing slightly from his praise. “What do you call the work I do for your company? Besides, you could say that a love of architecture is in my blood.”
He made a noncommittal remark and kept his attention on the dragon. It would give him a great deal of pleasure to see it hanging in his study. “I’d like to buy this one form you.” He reached for his wallet before realizing that he was still wearing running shorts. Oh well, he could pay her later. “How much do you want for it?”
“I’m sorry, but they’re not for sale.” The thought of selling something that was so much a part of her made Mira cringe.
“Pity.” He wasn’t willing to give up, but for now retreat seemed the best option. He brushed past Mira and headed towards the kitchen. “Did you say something about breakfast?”
Chapter 20
Mira absently picked up the envelope that had been slipped under her door and tossed it on one of her new end tables before throwing herself down on the sofa. Her purse tangled itself around her neck, almost choking her. With a frustrated sound she pulled the strap off her head and dropped the bag on the floor.
The last four weeks with James had been wonderful, but they had also been one of the most frustrating time that she could ever remember. There were many times that she had felt he saw her as no more than a potential conquest, but sometimes she saw a hint of the young man that she had fallen in love with so long ago. Since that first dinner, there had barely been a day that they hadn’t seen each other.
They had gone to see a purportedly scary movie that had made them both laugh so hard that they had nearly been chased from the theater by angry moviegoers. He also had gone running with her almost every morning although, to her disappointment, he had never again worn those tiny shorts. She had convinced him to go with her to a special late night Picasso exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art and they had wandered around the museum for hours with no light but the spotlight on the paintings.
Last Sunday, he had convinced her go to a baseball game in Atlanta. She had never been a fan of baseball, but in spite of herself she couldn’t help being thrilled when she had caught a home-run ball. She had executed a little dance that had made James laugh and give her a spontaneous hug. It was the first time that he had seemed to touch her without a calculated seduction in mind. She had treasured that moment and the few others like it, but it was the seduction that was causing her so much frustration.
She wasn’t really upset about the calculation because he did seemed to be just as drawn to her as she was to him. He may initiate most of the kissing, but he quickly lost control and became just as caught up in it as she was. They ended most dates on the sofa in her living room or in the front seat of his car making out like teenagers. Despite the temptation, though, she always managed to bring things to a halt. It was driving both of them crazy, but she wasn’t sure what to do. There was no way she could let it go any further without telling James who she was, but the thought of doing so terrified her. She didn’t want to risk losing him again.
With a heavy sigh she stood up and headed for the kitchen. She would pour herself a glass of wine, order a pizza and spend the night curled up with a romance book. Hopefully, the plight of the fictional lovers would take her mind off her own problems.
She had the wine poured and was checking her new oak bookcase for something to read when the phone rang. She determinedly ignored it. There were only a few people that it could possibly be and she had no wish to talk to any of them. If it was Pat he would want to talk about James, Amy would want to discuss James, and
if it was James calling, well, she would rather not talk to him either.
The annoying noise finally stopped and she pulled out an older Julie Garwood featuring a tough Scottish laird and a strong-willed English lady. With a glass of wine next to her, she curled up on the sofa and settled in to enjoy herself. Food could wait. She was fully immersed in Medieval Britain following the heroine as she made her way to the barbaric Scottish highlands, when her cell phone rang.
With an irritated groan she glanced at the caller id. The number wasn’t local, but it was definitely one she recognized. She supposed the book could wait. With a girlish squeal she hit accept. “Sarah,” she gushed happily, “am I glad to hear from you. When did you get back from Rome? How was the second honeymoon? Did you have fun? How are the kids? How’s Pete?”
“Everyone’s great,” her other best friend said. “And Italy was wonderful, but I didn’t call to talk about me. This is about you.” She paused. “Lily called me.”
“Ah,” Mira said in comprehension. She finished her wine and stretched out on the sofa. This would be along conversation so she might as well get comfortable. She smiled as she pictured her beautiful friend curled up in a corner of a large sofa in the den of that huge ranch house in Montana. Her Golden Retriever, Lucy, was probably curled up at her feet and Matt and Anne were arguing in the background. Wait a second, she thought, there was no noise. “Where are the kids?” she asked. “It’s way too quiet.”
“I’m in the bedroom. I didn’t want to be interrupted. Now, what is this I hear about James Kelly? Lily says that you’re working for him. She seemed very worried that you’ll do something stupid and end up getting hurt again.”
“I’m working at his company,” Mira hedged,” but everything is fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Running from Fate Page 14