Dawn pulled up a velvet-covered stool, her rose-colored skirt pooling on the floor around it. “I don’t think you and Derek have ever taken off that much time combined.”
“I know.” Alice’s lips curved into a dreamy smile. “I’ll have him all to myself for the entire trip.”
“You mean when you’re drinking the nasty spring water in Bath? And seeing all the skulls in the catacombs of Paris?” Natalie asked.
Alice had chosen some of the destinations because they appeared in her favorite books.
“Yeah, that’s just creepy,” Dawn said. “But safer than that place in France where you drown if you’re walking out to it when the tide comes in.”
“Mont-Saint-Michel, and it has a bridge now,” Alice said. “You make my honeymoon sound like a nightmare. Besides, you’re forgetting the glass bathtub in our villa in the Maldives. I mean, Derek, naked, against a turquoise sea.”
There was a moment of awed silence before they cracked up. “We will never, ever tell him that we were all picturing that,” Natalie said.
“You are the best girlfriends ever,” Alice said, her laughter turning misty eyed.
“Because we’re drooling over your new husband?” Natalie said with a teasing smile. “You have a strange idea of what girlfriends should do.”
Alice sat up and swung her legs off the chaise longue. “Because you’re happy that I have an incredibly handsome new husband, and you don’t think it’s weird that he loves me.”
Alice’s mother had made her daughter believe she was unattractive all her life, so Alice still felt unworthy of the stunningly attractive Derek.
Dawn threw a glance of exasperation at the ceiling. “Did you look at yourself in the mirror today? You’re just as gorgeous as he is.”
“Today doesn’t count. Natalie and my dress designer made me look amazing.” Alice reached out to clasp each of their hands in hers. “Thank you for getting me to this day. I wouldn’t be here without your support and belief in me.”
“Sweetie, you would have gotten here without us,” Natalie said, her heart swelling. “But we wouldn’t have had the pleasure of sharing your joy, so thank you.”
“Group hug,” Dawn commanded.
Amid the perfumed billows of satin, lace, and chiffon, Natalie took comfort in the strength of these two amazing women and wished for them all the happiness she had been unable to find.
Chapter 2
When the bride and groom finally departed in a glossy stretch limousine, showered by torrents of birdseed, Natalie joined the crowd of guests meandering back to the ballroom in order to retrieve her purse and wrap. She dropped into her chair at the dinner table to pour herself a glass of water from the cut-crystal pitcher set out in the middle. Leaning back, she admired the arrangement of exotic lavender and white blossoms that cascaded down from a six-foot-high crystal pedestal in the center of the table and thought how wonderful it would feel to take off her high-heeled silver sandals.
She sat up straight when Tully settled himself in the chair next to her. “That looks like a good idea,” he said, grabbing a glass and filling it. He lifted his water goblet to touch hers with a clink. “Helluva wedding!”
“It was a beautiful ceremony,” she said.
“It got me like a mule kick to the chest.” His voice sounded as though he was holding back his emotions.
She nearly laughed at his vivid image. “They’re going to be very happy together.”
“As long as they stay out of trouble.” He shook his head and she knew he was remembering how close Alice and Derek had come to being shot by a crazy computer hacker.
She took a sip of her water but watched him over the rim. His black silk bow tie was untied but still draped around his neck, allowing his collar to stand open down to the first stud in his pleated shirt. He’d shed his tux jacket and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. She couldn’t help noticing the shift of muscles in his neck as he drank or the dusting of brown hair over the tanned skin of his forearm where it rested on the white linen tablecloth. She had a powerful urge to touch his skin in both places to test its textures.
She choked on her water.
“You okay?” He leaned forward in concern.
“Fine,” she sputtered. “Just went down the wrong way.”
He drained his glass. “Can I offer you a ride home?”
She studied him, trying to decide if he was asking her because he’d felt the flare of attraction between them or if he was just being polite. Alice and Derek had put a limousine at her disposal for the entire day, so she had a ride. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to accept after that unexpectedly heated dance.
Then she thought of the creepy anonymous emails and walking into her empty house late at night while the darkness pressed around it. The prospect of having Tully’s big, powerful presence nearby when she got home was appealing.
Irritation flashed through her. She hated the anonymous creep who was making her afraid to go home alone. It stirred up feelings she’d worked hard to push into her past.
“A ride home would be appreciated, thank you.” She hoped that made it clear that the ride was all she was accepting.
Should she ask him about the emails on the drive back to her house? No, she didn’t want to mar the joyful afterglow of their friends’ wedding with such unpleasantness.
He nodded before he pulled out his phone and tapped at it. “My car will be out front in five minutes.” After shrugging into his jacket, he pulled out her chair and offered his arm. “Shall we?”
“We’re not walking down the aisle any longer.” Natalie picked up her purse and the fine wool wrap that matched her dress before she slipped her hand through his proffered elbow. She might as well enjoy the chance to feel the muscles in his arm again.
“That wedding planner made us rehearse so often, it’s a habit now,” he said with a grin.
He would have made the same gesture regardless because he exhibited an old-fashioned gallantry toward women. It must be a cowboy thing. Living in New Jersey, Natalie hadn’t met many cowboys. She found it hard to reconcile Tully’s down-to-earth speech with the high-powered consultant in custom-tailored suits. Yet he wore the suits with the same ease and confidence he did his ornately stitched boots.
They chatted about the success of the wedding as he swept her across the rented mansion’s marble-floored hallway and through the front door. Idling at the foot of the front portico’s stone steps was a sleek black Maserati that seemed to be going a hundred miles per hour even though it was standing still.
“Nice car, sir,” the young valet murmured reverently as Natalie and Tully came down the steps.
“Thanks, son,” Tully said. “You didn’t take it joyriding, did you?”
“Oh, no, sir, I would never—” He caught the humorous glint in Tully’s eyes and smiled. “I was tempted.”
“I’d be disappointed if you weren’t,” Tully said, handing the young man a folded bill.
The valet glanced down at it and his eyes went wide. “Thank you, sir!”
Tully opened the passenger door for Natalie, his grip on her hand firm but gentle. She pulled the yards of her chiffon skirt inside the car and nodded that it was safe to close the door.
“You missed some.” Tully bent to tuck the last fold of chiffon inside the car. “Don’t want the hem of that pretty dress getting dragged through the mud.” When his fingers brushed the bare skin of her ankle, a flicker of delicious sensation danced over her skin.
So maybe he was her type in some primitive way. But she was old enough and wise enough to control her less intelligent impulses.
“Nice place,” Tully said as the Maserati growled to a stop in the driveway of Natalie’s Craftsman bungalow–style home. “You’ve got a lot of land for suburban New Jersey.”
“The woods in back are part of a Green Acres space that’s preserved for wildlife and hiking,” Natalie explained.
The windows of her house glowed with welcome, thanks to the lights she’d s
et on timers. She usually loved the three deep, asymmetrical roofs, the rustic stone foundation of the columned porch, and the embrace of trees around her backyard. Tonight, though, she felt a reluctance to leave the security of the powerful vehicle and the formidable man who drove it.
But Tully had already swung his door open and unfolded his big body out of the low-slung sports car. She was still gathering up her skirt when her own door opened. He held out his big square hand and she found her fingers once again enveloped by warmth and support. An echo of the awareness she’d felt on the dance floor shimmered through her, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake.
As she stood, she felt the urge to sway closer to him to get a last whiff of his distinctive scent, which she had caught again in the closed space of the car.
“I’ll walk you to the door.” He held out his arm and she took it without hesitation this time.
“I appreciate that,” she said as they stepped onto the flagstone walkway. “Coming home so late to an empty house makes me a little nervous.”
There, she’d admitted it.
“You should get a big dog. You’ve got the room for it to run.”
“I work too many hours to have a dog. I make do with a security system.”
He grimaced. “Tell me it’s not one of those with a recording of a dog barking.”
“No barking, just an ear-splitting siren and a call to the monitoring station.” As she lifted her skirt to navigate the steps, he glanced around with a disapproving frown. “What is it?” she asked.
“That siren better be real loud.”
“I know. My house is somewhat isolated by the green space.” Her porch floor was made of solid wood but she felt a slight sag when Tully stepped onto it. Something about that broke down the courage she’d been holding on to. “May I ask a favor?”
Surprise flickered over the craggy angles of his face. “I’m at your service.”
“Would you mind just, you know”—she waved a vague hand, finding it harder to frame her request than she expected—“checking through the house before you leave? I feel silly but it would make me less . . . tense.” She took a deep breath to calm the flutter of anxiety in her rib cage.
His gaze scanned her face like a laser. In return she gave him a straight look with no undercurrents. He finally said, “Be happy to.”
When she opened the front door and disarmed the alarm, his expression sharpened into alert watchfulness. “Lock the door,” he said.
She turned the dead bolt and stood with her back to the door, watching him prowl through the open plan of her first floor like a hunting cat—in his black tux, maybe a panther. He didn’t take just a cursory glance around the living room. He walked behind the sectional sofa, inspected the interior of the coat closet, and checked the window latches.
When he reached the dining area, he frowned at the big sliding doors that opened out onto the patio. An odd thrill ran through her when he pushed aside the sheer curtains and ran his fingers over the locking mechanism. “This would take about ten seconds to pick,” he said. “You need to put security bars on these sliders.” He scanned the opposite wall with an expert gaze. “Although at least you have glass-break sensors.”
“The alarm company was supposed to install the bars but they got busy and never finished the job,” Natalie said. “I forgot about it until now.”
She’d never felt the need for them before. She had always loved the way light poured in through the big doors, but now the darkness seemed to loom against them like a menacing shadow instead.
He continued his survey, striding into the kitchen to circle the marble-topped island. She followed him so that she could watch the coiled power of his body as he checked the pantry, his posture tense and poised as though he expected someone to spring out at him. She couldn’t decide if the seriousness of his inspection made her feel more secure or more frightened.
He toured her small office, the powder room, and the attached garage, where he even knelt to check under her car.
She felt more than a little foolish by now. “You don’t have to be that thorough,” she said. “I don’t really think anyone would wedge themselves under my car.”
He straightened to his substantial height. “You looked worried. I take that seriously.”
“That’s kind of you, but now I feel like I overreacted.”
He came around the car to where she stood in the doorway, her chiffon skirt swirling around her ankles in the cooler air wafting in from the garage. Even in her heels and standing on the raised threshold, she had to tilt her head back to see him smile in a way that was meant to be reassuring but had a hint of steel underlying it. “It’s always better to take precautions. Let’s check upstairs.”
She nodded and pivoted to head for the stairs. She could almost feel his presence grazing the skin exposed by the low back of her gown. When they reached the foot of the staircase, he stopped her by clasping her nearly bare shoulder so that the heat of his palm seemed to leave an imprint on her skin, reminding her of his strong guiding touch while they had danced.
“I know it’s not gentlemanly but let me go first,” he said, lifting his hand away almost immediately.
She was amazed at how swiftly and silently he climbed her stairs. A man of his proportions should have sounded like an elephant on the uncarpeted oak treads. Maybe he really was part panther. By the time she got to the top step, he was already entering the guest room. She heard the closet and en suite bathroom doors open and close, and then he was back out in the hallway.
As he walked toward the door to her bedroom, she tried to remember if she’d left anything too personal out in plain sight. Since she’d done the wedding party’s hair and makeup at her hair salon, the Mane Attraction, she hadn’t left a scatter of cosmetics on her dresser or bathroom vanity. In general, she was tidy, partly by preference and partly because she hadn’t wanted to give her ex-husband fodder for his constant criticism.
Tully disappeared into her room while she stopped on the threshold again. Seeing his muscular, confident body moving around her most intimate space made something fiery coil low in her belly. He knelt to check under the bed, his hand braced on the pale blue quilt for balance. Seeing his masculine fingers splayed across the velvet she slept under fanned the heat into a flame.
She must have had more to drink at the reception than she realized.
When Tully opened her closet door, she closed her eyes to avoid seeing him touch her clothing. Still, she could hear the rustle of fabric and slide of hangers as he pushed them aside to check the depths behind them.
She retreated to the hallway before he went into her bathroom. She didn’t want her brain remembering the vision of this man in his well-fitted tux outlined against the delicate cream tile.
Natalie was examining the abstract landscape she’d bought from a local artist when Tully came out of her room.
“There must be another room up here,” he said, looking down the hallway. “The guest room doesn’t take up enough space in the floor plan.”
She was impressed, but she reminded herself that he was an expert at his job. “There’s a storage room down here.” She led him toward the back of the house, opening a low door and flipping on the light switch. Boxes of Christmas decorations stood against one wall beside a couple of trunks. A few miscellaneous pieces of furniture were lined up along another wall.
“You travel light,” he said with a note of approval in his voice as he surveyed the nearly empty room.
“I’ve only lived here about eighteen months,” she said. “There hasn’t been time to accumulate much junk.” And she’d brought virtually nothing from her married life with her.
“I know folks who would have filled this up the day they moved in,” he said, following her out of the room and toward the stairs. “Your interior is clear. I’ll take a look around outside before I leave.”
She turned. “That’s above and beyond. You really don’t have to tromp around outdoors in your tuxedo.”
She laughed. “I won’t tell Derek what you said about his shoes.”
“Oh, I told him myself,” Tully said.
“That I believe.” Holding on to the bannister tightly to counteract whatever alcohol seemed to be overwhelming her better judgment, Natalie descended the stairs. Tully made somewhat more noise behind her this time. She supposed he was no longer trying to sneak up on an intruder.
When they reached the front entranceway, Tully moved in front of her, his penetrating gray eyes softened by concern. “You don’t strike me as someone who gets spooked easily. You want to tell me what this is about?”
For a moment she was tempted to tell him about the creepy emails coming from a different address every time. He was a pro at this sort of thing, so it would be a relief to just drop it on his broad shoulders. But she stopped herself. They weren’t exactly threatening, just unsettling.
“One of my customers at the salon had her house broken into last week. She lives only about a mile away,” she lied with a rueful smile. “It made me feel a little anxious about coming home to an empty house. You’ve been so generous to indulge my case of nerves. I feel completely safe now.”
He searched her face again before he nodded. “Glad I could help. I’ll text you that everything’s clear outside before I leave.”
“You really don’t have to—”
He held up his hand to halt her words. She could see by his expression that he was going to inspect the outer perimeter of her house no matter what she said.
“Thank you for the ride home and the security inspection. I appreciate them both.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” Before she could puzzle out how to say goodbye, he leaned down and brushed a feather of a kiss over her cheekbone. She had to stop herself from leaning in to feel more of those warm, firm lips against her skin. “Good night.”
He was out the door but turned to look over his shoulder, the porch light finding golden highlights in his brown hair. “Set the alarm behind me.”
The Agent Page 2