McIver's Mission

by Brenda Harlen

  "Of course not, but—"

  "Do you think I've been seeing anyone else?"

  "Well, no, but—"

  "Then I'd say we're exclusive."

  Arden exhaled slowly. How was it, she wondered, that she never managed to win an argument against Shaun? "Exclusive implies a certain intention toward the relationship."

  "Uh-huh." He sounded almost amused as he scribbled on the credit card receipt the waiter had brought to the table.

  "I have no objection to you going out with other women, if that's what you want."

  "Really?" His lips twitched in the beginning of a smile.

  Arden's frown deepened. She didn't want him to date other women, but she wasn't in a position to set down rules for their relationship when she was the one who kept insisting she didn't want a relationship.

  "Well, I do object to you going out with other men," he told her.

  "I'm not going out with other men."

  "Good. Then we don't have a problem."

  "But if I wanted to, that would be my choice."

  "I don't think so."

  "I'm not going to argue with you about this," Arden said. "It's irrelevant, anyway."

  "Maybe it is. But you've missed my point."

  "What was that?"

  "I have no intention of sharing you, Arden." The confident assurance in his tone sent a quick thrill through her, even as it irritated her.

  "I'm not yours to share."

  "Yes, you are. You just haven't realized it yet."

  "This macho attitude isn't very endearing."

  "It isn't meant to be. I'm only telling you the way it is." He pushed away from the table and offered a hand to help Arden out of her chair. Deeply ingrained manners had her accepting, despite the fact that she was seething inside.

  She didn't say anything to him on the way back to her apartment. There was no point, she decided, in trying to have an intelligent conversation with a man who was little more than a Neanderthal. Her silence didn't seem to bother Shaun, which only irritated her more, and when he pulled up in front of her building, she was out of the car before he could come around to help her.

  Still, he was at her side before she reached the door, and he walked with her up to the third floor. If he thought that she was going to invite him inside for coffee, he was mistaken.

  To her further irritation, he didn't attempt to wrangle an invitation. He just brushed a soft kiss on her mouth. It wasn't even a kiss, really, just a brief touch of his lips to hers. Just enough to make her want more.

  "I'll pick you up Friday night at seven," he said, then turned away.

  "Wait a minute," Arden called to his retreating form. "We don't have plans for Friday night."

  He stopped at the top of the stairs and turned back to face her. "Sure we do," he insisted. "Judge Morrison's retirement party."

  She frowned. "I'm not going with you."

  "Why not?"

  "Because."

  "That's hardly a reasonable explanation," he chided, walking toward her again.

  Arden sighed. "If we show up together, if we leave together, people will think we're a couple."

  "Why is that a problem?"

  "Because I'm not ready to have my picture posted in the ladies' room as Shaun McIver's flavor of the week."

  "Flavor of the week, huh?" He sounded amused by the designation, which only annoyed her further. Then he bent his head to kiss her, stroking his tongue along the seam of her lips. "Mmm," he said. "I think it will take longer than a week to satisfy my craving for you, Doherty."

  "That's hardly reassuring," Arden told him.

  Shaun chuckled. "Will you go to Judge Morrison's retirement party with me if I promise to wear a badge that says 'Just Friends'?"

  Arden felt the corners of her mouth tilt. "Maybe."

  "I'll pick you up at seven," he said again.

  She blew out an exasperated breath. "Do you always get your own way?"

  "Always."

  * * *

  Arden prided herself on being a confident and successful career woman. She'd worked hard to earn the respect of her peers, to establish her professional reputation. After six years practicing as a family law attorney, she often still experienced nerves prior to a big court appearance. She'd never felt gargantuan butterflies kicking up a tornado inside her stomach before a date.

  But that's what was happening Friday afternoon as she counted down the last few hours until Shaun was due back from his conference in Washington, until he would pick her up for Judge Morrison's retirement party.

  So she wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed when Shaun called from the airport at six-thirty.

  "I'm sorry," he apologized. "My flight was late leaving Washington and we just landed. I'm going to be at least another hour."

  "That's okay," she said. "Marcy was about to head over to the courthouse, so I'll tag along with her."

  "I'll be there as soon as I can," he promised. Then, more softly, "I missed you, Arden."

  Her heart did a long, slow somersault in her chest. "You've only been gone three days."

  "You didn't miss me?" The disappointment in his voice cut through her self-protective instincts.

  "Maybe. A little."

  "That's good enough," he said. "I'll see you soon."

  Arden hung up the phone, completely unaware of the dreamy smile on her face, until Marcy spoke from the doorway.

  "That must have been your … friend," Marcy said, tongue-in-cheek.

  Arden felt her face grow warm. "Let's go drink to the judge."

  They hadn't been at the Banisters' Lounge ten minutes when Marcy was whisked away by another colleague to discuss a proposed custody agreement between their respective clients. Arden didn't object to being abandoned by her associate. She was pleased by how well Marcy was fitting in with the Fairweather legal community.

  So while Marcy was off talking shop, Arden mingled, trying to keep herself occupied while she waited for Shaun to arrive. She made her way through the throng of people to Judge Morrison, offered her best wishes for his retirement, then moved on again.

  She found herself hovering near the door, glancing at her watch every few minutes.

  "Looking to make a quick getaway?" a masculine voice teased close to her ear.

  Startled, embarrassed that she'd been caught watching the door, she turned to the speaker. "Hello, Warren."

  He smiled at her, revealing perfect white teeth. He was a classically handsome man, with thick dark hair, strong features and pale blue eyes.

  "Have you been here long?" he asked.

  "Not really," Arden said. "But I was thinking I could use some fresh air. It's kind of stuffy in here."

  Those pale eyes lit up with interest, and she realized—too late, obviously—how her words could be misconstrued.

  "Would you like to take a walk?" he asked.

  "Um … well…" Hell, she thought, berating herself for the slip. If she hadn't been so preoccupied thinking about Shaun, she wouldn't have found herself in this situation. "Sure."

  He smiled. "Great."

  She followed him out of the building. Warren took her arm to help her descend the concrete steps. It was a gentlemanly gesture, and yet Arden couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the touch. He dropped her arm when they'd reached the bottom. Arden wrapped her arms around herself, surprised by how chilly it had turned in the past hour since she'd left the office.

  "Would you like my jacket?" Warren asked solicitously.

  "No, thanks." She forced a smile. "I'm fine."

  He turned toward the park at the edge of the courthouse. It was almost dark, but she could make out the outline of the fountain at its center. It reminded her of Shaun and the day he'd found her there. She wondered again where he was, but she guessed he'd probably encountered some rush hour traffic.

  She bit back a sigh. She hadn't wanted to come to this party with him anyway. So why was she so disappointed that he wasn't here?

  She pushed him out
of her mind, tried to focus her attention on the man beside her. Warren had been in Fairweather only since June, having moved from California to fill the vacant ADA position. "Now that summer's over, what do you think of Pennsylvania?"

  Warren grimaced more than smiled. "It's cold."

  "This isn't cold," Arden told him. "Wait till the snow comes."

  "When should I expect that?"

  "Usually the end of November until the end of March."

  "I guess I'll have to get some boots."

  "And trade in your surfboard for a snowmobile," she teased.

  "That, too," he agreed.

  "Do you miss it?"

  "What … the sun, the sand, the surf?" He waved a hand dismissively. "What's that compared to all of this?"

  She laughed softly as the dried leaves crunched under their feet. "Do you have plans to go back?"

  "Not anytime in the near future," he said, as they turned back toward the courthouse.

  "There you are."

  She jolted as Shaun's voice carried through the darkness, an unexpected warmth spreading through her. The warmth chilled slightly when she stepped closer and saw his eyes narrow on the man by her side.

  "McIver," Warren said tersely.

  Shaun nodded. "Blake."

  The apparent animosity between the two men wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, Warren was an ADA and Shaun was a criminal defense attorney, but Arden sensed that their dislike of each other went beyond professional differences.

  What surprised her more was when Shaun leaned over and kissed her full on the lips. It wasn't a greeting, she realized with a mixture of shock and annoyance, so much as a brand.

  Warren shifted, tension radiating from him. "I didn't realize you two were here together."

  "Shaun just got here," Arden said, feeling a little overwhelmed by the testosterone in the air. She might have been amused at the way the two men circled each other like rabid dogs, if she didn't feel like she was the bone they were fighting over.

  "I got tied up out of town." He slipped his arm around Arden's waist, splayed his hand over her hip. "But I'm here now."

  "Warren and I were in the middle of a conversation," she said pointedly.

  "It's okay," Warren said, surprising her with his easy withdrawal. "We can catch up another time."

  Before she could agree or disagree, he'd walked away.

  "What was that about?" Arden demanded when Warren was out of earshot.

  "Why don't you tell me?" Shaun said.

  Arden lifted an eyebrow. "It was stuffy inside, so I accepted Warren's offer to get some fresh air while I waited for you to show up."

  He blew out a breath. "I'm sorry I was late. And I'm sorry if I overreacted. It's just that I've been looking forward to seeing you all day, and I didn't expect to find you with Blake when I got here."

  "You did overreact," she agreed, more puzzled than angry now. Then she raised herself on her toes to touch her lips to his in a brief kiss. "But I'm glad you're here."

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. Longer this time, lingering. "Let's get out of here."

  "You haven't even seen the judge."

  "Judge?"

  Arden smiled. "Judge Morrison. It's his retirement party," she reminded him.

  He sighed. "Five minutes. Then we're out of here."

  "You have other plans for the evening?"

  "You bet I do. And they don't include anyone but you and me."

  True to his word, they circled the room for no more than five minutes. Shaun made a beeline for the judge, spoke a few words to him, then whisked Arden away so fast she knew more than a few eyebrows had been raised. And she knew she'd get a full interrogation from Marcy the following morning.

  Right now she didn't care. Shaun had only been gone three days, but she'd missed him. It was disconcerting to realize how quickly he'd ingrained himself in her life. How much she'd looked forward to seeing him or talking to him every day. How much she was looking forward to some time alone with him. The depth of her own emotions scared her, but it scared her more to imagine her life without him in it. He pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, then helped her out of his vehicle. "You have five minutes to pack."

  "Pack?" She halted her steps and turned to face him.

  "Those plans I was talking about," he told her. "Just you and me and a little hotel by the lake."

  "I can't go away," Arden protested. "I have appointments tomorrow and—"

  "Marcy's already agreed to cover for you," Shaun told her. "We only have to drop your pager at the office on our way out."

  Arden didn't know whether to be grateful or annoyed that he'd considered and taken care of her clients. "You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

  He smiled. "I hope so."

  "Except that it's the end of October," she felt compelled to point out. "It's going to be freezing by the lake."

  His smile only widened. "I didn't figure we'd be doing much sight-seeing."

  "Then why do we need to go away?"

  Shaun brushed his hand over her hair, combed his fingers through the ends and tipped her head back. "Because you matter to me," he said. "And I want this weekend to be special for both of us. I want you to know how much you mean to me."

  "It will be special, as long as we're together," she assured him.

  He touched his lips to hers. "Let's go get you packed." She led the way up to her apartment, her stomach knotted with nervous anticipation. She'd never gone away for the weekend with a man before. When she pulled her small suitcase out of the closet and began to pack, the contents of her wardrobe made that fact painfully clear. She had nothing appropriate for a romantic liaison. Her lingerie ran to white cotton rather than satin and lace. Simple, not sexy.

  She sighed. Would Shaun be disappointed? Was he the type of man who went for frills? It had never mattered to her before. She'd never paid much attention to the things she wore closest to her skin. After all, no one ever saw them. Tonight, Shaun would see them. And she didn't want him to be disappointed.

  Unfortunately, there was little she could do about her predicament on such short notice. If he didn't like her plain white cotton, too bad. He could sleep alone.

  She hoped he liked white cotton. She didn't want to sleep alone anymore.

  * * *

  Chapter 10

  « ^ »

  The hour-long drive from Fairweather to Little Bandit Lake was a long hour drive. Every minute that passed, every mile they covered, brought them a step closer to their destination, and to the culmination of their mutual desire. It was, for Arden, like sixty minutes of deliciously excruciating foreplay. By the time Shaun turned into the long, winding drive that led to the picturesque hotel, her body was taut with expectation, the nerves along her skin fairly humming with anticipation.

  She'd only ever seen pictures of Wallingford House, and although she was duly impressed by the exterior of the majestic four-story brick building with towering columns standing sentry over the ornately carved oak doors at the center, she was anxious to see the inside. Inside their room.

  Shaun pulled up in front of the hotel, and before Arden could even reach for the door handle, it was opened from the other side by a uniformed attendant. He helped her descend, while another attendant took the keys from Shaun. A bellhop came out to take their luggage and escort them to the front desk for check-in. Shaun dealt with the formalities, while Arden admired the opulent decor of the lobby. There were enormous chandeliers dripping crystal, real Italian marble flooring, gleaming antique tables and fussy chairs and settees.

  "What do you think?" Shaun asked, returning to her side.

  "Wow." It was all she could manage.

  Shaun grinned. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction the first time I was here."

  Had it been with another woman? She decided she didn't want to know.

  "Come on," he said, taking her hand as the bellhop led the way to the elevator.

  The employee gave them
a brief history of the hotel as they rode to their suite on the top floor. Arden didn't hear a single word. All she could think was that they were finally here. Finally alone. Or they would be as soon as they could get rid of the chatty bellhop.

  But he was not to be rushed. He slid the key card into another ornately carved wood door. An interesting combination of the modern and traditional, Arden mused. Then he led them through the suite, turning on lights, opening curtains, demonstrating how the gas fireplace worked, reciting the hours of the dining room.

  Arden wandered through the suite. There were, she noted with some confusion, two bedrooms leading off from the sitting area, each with its own ensuite. She wandered back into the other room in time to see Shaun pressing several bills into the hand of their uniformed chaperon as he steered him back to the door.

  "I didn't think he was ever going to leave," Shaun said, flipping the lock on the door. Then he turned and held out his hand to her.

  She went willingly, if somewhat hesitantly. She still wasn't sure if she'd misunderstood his intentions in inviting her here for the weekend. She'd thought they were going to consummate their relationship, but the presence of the two beds suggested otherwise.

  Then he lowered his head to kiss her, and she tasted a hint of the passion he'd held in check over the past couple of weeks, and she met his need with her own. Mouths crushed together, tongues mated, bodies strained. She wanted him.

  Oh, how she wanted him.

  She didn't stop to think about the wisdom of her actions. All she'd done was think about her relationship with Shaun and where it was going, and she was still as confused as ever. But the wanting, that was real and compelling, and she wasn't strong enough to fight it anymore.

  But Shaun pulled away, his breathing harsh and ragged. "I didn't bring you here to seduce you."

  "Oh." She didn't manage to disguise the disappointment she felt. "Why did you bring me here?"

  "Because I thought you could use a break from everything that's been going on. And because I wanted to spend some time alone with you."

  "And if I don't want to have sex?" There was no reluctance behind the question, just simple curiosity.

  "It's your call, Arden. Whatever you want."

  Any lingering nervousness dissipated with those words. It wasn't just that he'd said them, but that she knew he meant them. He'd reserved a room with two beds because he didn't want her to feel pressured.