She followed a few steps behind. “Since we were never married, it’s a moot point.” Brit had to say it, if only to convince herself.
“How did I fare as a bogus husband?” he asked, opening the car door for her.
Her pain translated to anger. She bit out, “On a scale of one to ten, a perfect twelve.”
Before he shut the door he said, “Which leaves me to wonder about my score if we had been legally wedded.”
Don’t say any more, Roman. It’s killing me.
He levered himself behind the wheel. “Why so quiet?”
“You haven’t mentioned my score.”
“We’ll talk about it when I get back.”
Oh, no, we won’t!
“Denise? It’s Roman Lufka.”
“Roman—You’re back! Brit said you’d be gone a week, but I guess your business took longer than you’d planned.”
“I returned as soon as I could,” came the vague explanation. The process had taken more like ten days. But I’m free now. Nobody owns me. “How was Disneyland?”
“It was fine. Thanks to you, everything’s wonderful now that Glen Baird has been put away for good. My parents and I sent you a check a couple of days ago. They want to meet you and thank you in person. But like Brit says, we can’t put a monetary value on what you did for us.”
“Thank you, Denise.” Roman warmed to her words. “It was all in a day’s work.”
“Not to us it wasn’t!” After a brief hesitation, “Do you want to pick up Clouseau, or shall I bring him over to your house? Whatever is best for you.”
He frowned. “You’ve got Clouseau?” An odd prickling raced down his spine.
“Yes.” She sounded surprised he’d even asked. “Isn’t that why you’re calling? To pick him up?”
“How come you have him?”
Another silence ensued.
“Didn’t Brit tell you?”
“Tell me what?” he demanded.
“I thought you knew she has a new client. He flew her to St. George to look over some property with him and work up a few preliminary sketches. Since her parents are on vacation, she asked me if I’d take care of Clouseau until she got back.”
“That explains why no one answered at her condo,” he said more to himself than to her. Roman’s disappointment at discovering Brit wasn’t even in Salt Lake was so acute, it had caught him completely off guard. The fact that she’d flown off in a private plane with a strange man did nothing to improve his mood.
“How long has she been gone?”
“Two days.”
“Do you have any idea when she plans to return?”
“No.”
“Do you have a number where she can be reached?”
“No. I’m sorry. Maybe if you called her firm, they could tell you.”
He took a deep breath. “It’s too late to phone now.”
“Roman—if you just got back, would you like me to keep Clouseau another night? It would be no problem.”
“No, no. I’ll come and get him now. Has he been good?”
“He’s been perfect. Brit practically fell apart when she had to leave him.”
That night in the kitchen he’d witnessed Brit’s reaction to the tiny kitten for himself. He’d investigated a dozen ads for new kittens until he’d found one that resembled Tiger. If she could give that much love to an animal, then he could only imagine the affection she would shower on a newborn baby. But not just any baby. His baby.
Yuri was right. There was no substitute for family. “One of your own, little bro. Remember, you’re not getting any younger.” That’s what he’d told Roman after Roman had left headquarters in Virginia to spend a night with his brother. Finally he was able to confide to him that he’d left the CIA before flying back to Salt Lake.
It came as a crushing blow to discover Brit wasn’t anywhere around. His eagerness to see her had turned into an ache that wasn’t about to go away. Since it looked like he was going to have to bide his time until her return, he’d have to make do with Clouseau’s company.
Of course he didn’t have a lot to go on. Roman knew enough about women to realize she liked him, but she’d given him no overt sign that her feelings for him ran as deep as his.
Out of frustration he’d purposely told her to take the wedding pictures because they were her property. He’d hoped that they meant so much to her, she’d be hurt that he’d simply pass them on to her without any indication that they were important to him, too.
When he saw the blood drain from her face and felt her frozen silence, he was filled with an elation he could scarcely contain. At least she wasn’t indifferent to him. But he couldn’t do anything about it until he’d resigned from the agency.
That was ten days ago. He’d returned a new man, only to discover that she was in St. George with a male client. When he’d heard that news, a surge of unprecedented jealousy consumed him.
No matter how absurd, Roman felt totally territorial where Brit was concerned. Except for a legal piece of paper, she was his wife in all the ways that counted, but one.
He hadn’t realized his emotions could be so savage. The thought of another male hanging around her, getting close enough to her to start a relationship was making him a little crazy. He could imagine the other guy touching her, holding her...
Every time he relived her passionate response to his wedding kiss, his desire for her burned that much deeper. His need had grown to the point that he had a good mind to camp out at her condo until she walked through the front door.
After being terrified for over a month, it would probably frighten her if she found him there, which would be the worst thing he could do on the heels of the stalking case. But since he’d thrown away the mask, he was running out of patience to remove hers.
A much better idea would be to ask security at the airport in St. George to call him as soon as she showed up with her client for the flight back to Salt Lake. All Roman had to do was give them a description of Brit, and they’d have her spotted in one second flat.
The minute he knew her arrival, he could have her tailed and know exactly when she drove over to his house to take care of Clouseau. After the way they’d parted last time, he surmised she would attempt to come when she thought he wouldn’t be there.
If I put Eric on it, you won’t stand a chance, sweetheart. This will be his opportunity to make amends for the mischief he caused, and play cupid for real at the same time.
The three day trip to St George had lasted longer than Brit had wanted, but it couldn’t be helped. It was ridiculous to worry if Roman had returned to Salt Lake when it didn’t matter. She had no intention of seeing him again.
On the flight home, she decided that as soon as she could reach him, she’d tell him he could keep Clouseau. If he told her that it was impossible because of his schedule, then she’d take the kitten back and keep the knowledge of it from her landlord. But this business of going over to Roman’s house had to end.
Of course he might be gone weeks. Enough time to be with Angela again, whatever the situation. He was so vague about his private life, Brit had no idea of his plans, but it was absolutely essential that she avoid bumping into him again. He would put two and two together with the result that he’d end up pitying her for her obsession with him. An insupportable thought.
Their fake marriage had meant about as much to him as a plate of day-old baked beans left uncovered. She had her pride and wasn’t about to let him see that he’d managed to turn her world upside down.
With that settled in her mind, it came as a shock after arriving home in her car from the airport to learn from Denise that Roman had returned the night before and had taken Clouseau home with him. Because of Angela, she’d somehow imagined he’d stay longer.
Hurrying into the condo with her suitcase, she took a shower and fixed herself some soup for dinner. When she tidied the kitchen, she reached for the phone, intent on contacting Roman and getting this over with.
He was
probably out on a case, but she would give it a try. Even though she was terrified to talk to him, she couldn’t put it off any longer.
To her amazement he picked up the receiver on the second ring and said hello. Always when she heard his deep male voice, her body trembled. Now she was breathless and sounded like a fool when she finally found her voice.
“Hello? R-Roman?”
“Welcome home, Brit, or are you calling from St. George?”
She bit the underside of her lip. “No—I’m back.” Trying to calm that fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach she said, “How was your trip?”
“You could say it has made a new man out of me.”
She blinked in shock. “You sound happy.”
“I am,” came the low, resonant reply. “Probably happier than I’ve been in years.”
He and Angela must have gotten back together.
Her heart was on the verge of breaking. “I’m glad for you. I don’t know another person who deserves personal happiness more than you.” She cleared her throat, needing to change the subject. “Roman—about Clouseau—”
“He’s doubled in size while I’ve been away. I didn’t recognize him. Amazingly enough, he recognized me. The little guy has acted very pleased to be back on his own turf.”
“I imagine it’s because he’s chosen you for his owner.”
“Not quite. Maybe you haven’t noticed it yet, but you left your blue cardigan sweater on the chair seat in the study when you moved back to the condo. Whenever I can’t find Clouseau, he’s lying on top of it probably wondering where you are. So far I haven’t had the heart to remove it.”
Roman. I wish you hadn’t told me that. I’m already shattered at being apart from you. This pain is never going to go away unless there’s a complete break.
“That phase won’t last long. Pretty soon he’ll be prowling for mice. Roman—I’m designing a new complex of condominiums in St. George and will have to be down there quite often for a while. It’s going to take a lot of work and I won’t be able to keep regular hours.
“Starting tomorrow, I can’t even promise that I can come by your house, not when I have to maintain such a different schedule.”
There was a deafening quiet on the other end of the line. Girding up her courage she continued, “I think we need to decide which one of us is going to keep Clouseau. If you don’t feel you can be there for him enough of the time, then I’ll take him to my folks until I’ve finished with this latest project. Mappy. their last cat died, and I think Clouseau would fill a void. But that’s only a last resort.”
“I’ll keep Clouseau with me,” he replied in an even tone. “When I can’t be here, I’ll ask the woman who occasionally does housecleaning for me to look after him.”
You should be happy now, Brit. The operation is over and all ties have been severed. Tell him you have to go and hang up.
“I—”
“Congratulations on your new commission—” he broke in. “It sounds important.”
She drew in a shallow breath. “It is. I might even make enough money to send you a lump sum toward the balance I owe you.”
“Am I such an ogre that paying me back is all that occupies your mind these days?”
She’d made him angry when she hadn’t meant to. “Of course not, Roman. I guess I’m still in a daze because I don’t have to be afraid anymore. If you’ve never been in my position, then you can’t possibly know the depth of my gratitude for what you did. I’m truly sorry. I won’t bring up the subject again.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he ground out.
The fury in his tone unnerved her. No matter how wonderful he was, she would never want to cross him.
“I’d better go. As it is, I’ll probably be up all night working. I’m glad Clouseau has found a home with you.” Her words were coming out so jerky, she could sense tears threatening.
“Thanks again for everything, and g-good luck in the future.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth.”
The line went dead.
She replaced the receiver with a hand that was shaking. “Okay—” she cried out to the empty condo. “That’s it—You’ve just seen the last of Roman Lufka. Now what are you going to do with the rest of your life?”
The answer was too horrendous to even contemplate.
“I’ve got to get out of here.”
She grabbed her purse, locked the front door and took off in her compact car without a destination in mind.
A half hour later she found herself traveling up Emigration Canyon, her tears spent for the moment. Salt Lake was getting toward the end of September and it was cold out, especially in the mountains. She shut the window and turned on the heat.
The lights from the family owned café which had been there forever twinkled up ahead. When she saw a bunch of cars parked in front, she decided this was exactly what she needed—a place full of people and music from the jukebox.
After walking inside and ordering a hot chocolate, she changed her mind about staying. A couple of husky, college-age guys spotted her immediately and began making pests of themselves. She had the suspicion they’d come in here with too much to drink already.
She left her mug half full and turned to go. They started to follow her out the door. That was all she needed, she groaned.
“Don’t leave!” they called to her. “Come on back and let’s get acquainted.”
“Sorry. It’s my bedtime.” She hurried down the row of cars where she’d parked hers on the end.
“Mine, too,” one of them interjected. “Hey, beautiful—why don’t we go together?”
“Sorry,” she called over her shoulder. Brit had assumed they were pretty harmless, but when she heard footsteps directly behind her, she wasn’t so sure.
“You can’t walk out on me now, baby.”
“The lady just did.”
Brit gasped out loud and swung around to see Roman who’d insinuated himself between her and her pursuers, stopping them dead.
CHAPTER TEN
THE forbidding expression on his face made even her body quail. This was an entirely new facet of the man she loved. A tall, dark, cool and collected modern-day warrior who was awesome to contemplate. Especially when he was wearing a black turtleneck under his dark brown leather aviator jacket.
The world reeled for a moment. How in heaven’s name had he happened along?
When the answer came, she felt even more light-headed. He had to have followed her up here. Why?
“This is none of your business. Get out of the way!” the one closest to her challenged Roman.
In a lightning move, Roman displayed his ID. “Police. Turn around and put both hands on the car. You, too.” He motioned to the guy further behind. He spoke with unquestioned authority. She noticed they didn’t give him any more trouble. He’s magnificent.
“Ma’am,” he muttered, not looking at Brit. “Please get in your car on the passenger side and stay there till I give you permission to do otherwise.”
Passenger side?
She swallowed hard, doing his bidding without question. In this mode, she wouldn’t have dared defy him. For the first time since she’d known him, she was seeing him the way those on the wrong side of the law would perceive him. No person in their right mind would dream of disobeying him.
“You have the right to remain silent.” She heard him read them their rights as she shut the door and turned the key in the ignition so she could put down the window.
Now he was speaking into his walkie-talkie, calling for backup. In utter fascination she watched him frisk and handcuff them. They were so drunk, they each had to lie against the trunk of a car or they would have fallen in the dirt.
Deadly methodical, Roman approached their car and began examining the inside. While she sat there shivering from an inexplicable fear coupled with a heightened sense of excitement, she heard the mournful wail of a siren getting closer.
Soon lights were flashing an
d everyone in the café came outside to see what was going on.
With incredible calm, Roman told everyone to get back inside until further notice. His demeanor brooked no argument from a single soul. She knew he carried a weapon, but he hadn’t used it.
Steel inside the velvet glove.
To Brit, Roman was bigger than life.
You’re not only in love with him. You’re in awe of him. You always will be.
Within five minutes two police cars had converged and the young men’s arrest was under way. Brit watched Roman converse with one of the officers, then he turned in her direction. In a few swift strides, he swallowed the distance between them.
A tight band constricted her breathing when he got in the car and revved the engine once before backing out onto the highway. As they drove off down the canyon she thought she saw Eric in one of the company cars. He must have brought Roman to the café.
“R—Roman?” she ventured when she couldn’t stand the tension-filled quiet of the interior any longer.
“You have the right to remain silent, to obtain legal counsel. Remember that anything you say can be held in evidence against you.”
“Roman—” she cried out incredulously, but he refused to answer her or even look at her. “You’re frightening me.”
“You need to be frightened,” he bit out. “Maybe it will teach you not to go alone in places like that this late at night.”
“But it’s a cafe!”
“As you’ve just found out, it’s a favorite haunt of the drinking crowd from the university. It’s raided on a weekly basis.”
Brit didn’t know that and she’d lived here all her life. “But they wouldn’t have hurt me. They wouldn’t have dared with all those other people inside.”
“You mean all those others who were equally inebriated?” That little nerve was throbbing in his temple again. “For a woman as sophisticated as you are in some ways—you’re still amazingly naive in others.”
“Thank you very much,” she retorted, stung by his criticism. She would have said more but he was speaking into his walkie-talkie again, this time to Eric, telling him that he was on his way home and would get back with him in the morning.
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