“I didn’t have sex with him for a reason!” she muttered vehemently. “And that was a valid reason! So why? Why is Fate putting him in my way again? I’m so close! So close to finishing this stupid job! Why would Fate do this to me?”
A deep male voice interrupted her thoughts. “You know that I can hear every word you say…right?”
Startled, Frankie spun around and glared up at the man she’d vowed never to see again. He’d moved from the chair to the doorway of the rough office, leaning a shoulder against the frame of the door.
She looked into those eyes – silver, she realized – and noticed the dimple on his left cheek as he unsuccessfully tried to hide his amusement…and groaned, closing her eyes as she realized what she should have caught back in Dallas. And she might have, if she’d been in her right mind!
“No!” She stomped her foot, shook her head, and sighed. Reluctantly, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Why did it have to be you?”
He chuckled and pushed away from the doorframe, walking towards her. “Well, that’s an interesting question.”
Frankie held her breath when he reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Frankie still hadn’t taken the time to get her hair cut, so now the curls were just past her shoulders, riotous and messy. But oh, she loved his touch!
She told herself to move away from him. She ordered her brain to move her feet, to duck from his fingers. But she did none of that. Nor did she understand why she stood there, letting him touch her.
“I guess I could ask you the same question.” He chuckled. “What is a city girl like you doing way out here, in the middle of nowhere?”
“This isn’t nowhere,” she shot back.
“Close enough,” he countered with a one shouldered shrug.
“Please tell me that you’re not Kade Wilson,” she pleaded.
He chuckled again. Frankie couldn’t stop the shiver of awareness that bolted through her system. She remembered that laugh. Remembered how sexy it had sounded when she’d first heard it so many months ago. Different city. Different moment. Different circumstances. Same sensuous reaction!
“I’m afraid I am Kade Wilson, honey.”
Her mouth opened and closed, as if she wanted to argue his point but wasn’t sure how. “But…you live in Dallas!” she blurted. “I met you in Dallas!”
He nodded, the sunshine making his dark hair gleam. “Yeah, well…I was only there briefly.”
Wait a minute! Had he just hesitated? It had been slight, but Frankie had heard it! What was he hiding? Frankie’s spidey sense kicked in. As a child, she’d learned to sense hesitations and lies. Because of her childhood, she’d made a career out of discovering those secrets!
So, what was he hiding?
Whatever it was, hopefully, it wasn’t her problem. Besides, just like back in Dallas, she wouldn’t be around long enough to get to know him well enough to care about his secrets.
Furthermore, Frankie had a job to do! A very important job worth a great deal of money. Edward Meyers, her bastard of a client, had offered her a bonus if she could convince the third son, the last of the children that he’d ignored over the past thirty plus years, to come to Seattle. Ten thousand reasons why she needed to focus on business.
“I need your DNA,” she blurted out, then flinched, realizing how her request probably sounded. Crossing her arms over her stomach, she glared up at him. “Sorry,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
Kade Wilson. It was a very nice name. It wasn’t the name Edward Meyers, her client, had given her when he’d hired her for his third son, but that was not unexpected. Lots of people changed their names for all sorts of reasons.
She’d been hired to find this man and discover if he was one of Edward’s sons. If so, her client wanted her to somehow get this guy back to Seattle for a conversation. Only a conversation, Edward had assured her.
With that reminder firmly in mind, she pulled herself together and looked him right in the eye. “As you already know, I’m a private investigator, Mr. Wilson,” she started off, trying to be professional. “My client hired me to find his three sons. Your father is interested in talking with you.” If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, Frankie might have missed the way his eyes shuttered. A moment ago, those fascinating silver eyes had been glowing with curiosity and…dare she admit it? Desire. But at the mention of a father, those eyes had gone blank.
Interesting reaction, she thought. “My client would like to reunite with his children in the hopes of passing along a substantial amount of money.” She shifted on her feet. “I would need to confirm your DNA to ensure that you are my client’s son, which can be done easily and painlessly with a simple DNA test. A cheek swab that I’d send off to a private lab.”
There was a long silence. Flashes of their last moments together, that kiss, the heat that had swept through her…and all the nights since then, when she’d dreamed about him doing a whole lot more!
So, this silence felt…awkward. Painful, almost.
Finally, he shook his head. “No,” he crossed his arms over his impressively muscular chest.
Frankie blinked, surprised by his outright refusal. No questions or curiosity. He didn’t ask about the man who might be his father, nor about the amount of money involved. Just a simple, flat out rejection.
“No?” she repeated. “Just no? You don’t want to find out about your father?”
“My father died about six years ago,” he said flatly. His arms dropped and he moved closer. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
She blinked again, startled by abrupt subject change. She was still wondering why he wasn’t interested in meeting his father and…his father died? Dinner? Had he really just asked her out to dinner?
Wait. No, that wasn’t a question. That was a command. Which, of course, caused Frankie to bristle. She’d never been good at taking orders!
Giving herself a mental shake, she focused on the ten thousand dollar bonus that she desperately needed. “No dinner. Give me some spit,” she countered.
Kade looked down at the tiny woman with the flaming copper hair and the lustrous green eyes. He hadn’t been able to see her eyes in the bar that night back in Dallas. The green color suited her perfectly. She was a true redhead with pale skin and freckles across her nose. But it was hard to see the freckles. Her eyes dominated her features. Add in a killer body that was wrapped in dark denim jeans, a plain, white tee-shirt and boots…bless her heart, Kade loved a woman who wore boots…and Frankie Windward was a spitfire! She had more energy in her pinky than most women had in their whole bodies. Plus, it was such a fascinating package, it was no wonder that he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind over the past six months.
Dallas. Damn, he remembered watching her walk into the bar. Frankie walked as if she owned everything and disdained the rest of the world. Until she smiled. Her smile changed everything! When he’d watched her smile at the bartender, just a friendly expression when she’d ordered a beer, his gut had tightened with…a hell of a lot of reactions.
Then their eyes had met. It had been all over after that. She’d paid for her beer and sauntered over to his table, sitting down across from him and he’d been lost. Completely lost in those eyes and that smile. He had been turned on from the first words out of her mouth and he couldn’t even remember what their conversation had been about.
But he remembered laughing. Frankie had broken through the grief that had swamped him over the previous year. His mother had died. She’d been the last woman who had given a damn about him. The only woman who had genuinely cared for him. His mother hadn’t cared about his money or the power he wielded. His mother had demanded that Kade come home for Thanksgiving and call her every Sunday night, just to check in. His mother had consistently refused his money, demanding his time instead.
Frankie had done that for him too. She’d sat down across from him and reminded him how to laugh. She’d paid for his drinks, refusing his money. Those glittering gre
en eyes of hers had warmed his heart and reminded him that there was good in the world. And beauty! Damn, Frankie was gorgeous!
Not to mention delicate, but he doubted he’d ever be brave enough to say that out loud within earshot. She had one of those figures that men would fight over, would die for! But she probably had no idea of the impact her tight, petite body had on the male population. The woman wrapped herself up in jeans and boring tee shirts that did nothing to hide her tiny waist and beautiful ass! She had long, lean legs and strong arms. He’d seen the muscle definition when she’d pulled her leather jacket off. But there was something about Frankie that defied her daredevil image. Something delicate and vulnerable.
She was such an incredible mixture of contradictions.
“Why did you walk away in Dallas?” he demanded, needing to know.
She stiffened and he could tell that she was thinking hard. He could see it in her eyes.
The woman shuffled her feet uncomfortably. An interesting reaction, he thought.
“Because I had a flight the next morning,” she replied. “Remember? I wasn’t lying. It was the truth.”
Kade shifted, mirroring her stance by crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah. You mentioned that. But you didn’t even look back at me as you walked away.” He watched her carefully, then chuckled softly. “You were scared,” he said, the statement almost a whisper as he realized the truth. And yes, it was there. In her eyes! Damn, those green eyes were alluring.
“I wasn’t scared,” she shot back, her voice laced with heat. “You don’t scare me, Wilson.”
He slowly shook his head. “I scare the hell out of you. Why?”
Kade watched the flash of panic in her eyes, but it vanished almost immediately. It was hidden behind those beautiful green eyes and elfish freckles. The tough-girl façade was again firmly in place. That pointy chin lifted and those green eyes narrowed, almost as if she were trying to outstare him. It wasn’t working though.
“I’m not afraid of you, Wilson. But are you going to give me the DNA sample or not? Because I have better things to do than argue with you.”
“Temper temper,” he replied, chuckling. He contemplated his next move carefully. If he told her that he wouldn’t give her the DNA sample that she wanted so desperately…and yes, there was desperation in her voice…then she’d simply turn around and walk away. Maybe. Maybe not. There was a stubbornness about her that belied the idea.
And in that moment, an idea came to him. One that would play that adorable stubbornness to his advantage.
“I’ll make a deal with you.”
Immediately, she shook her head, her soft lips pressing together. “No way. No deal,” she countered, slicing her hand through the air decisively. “I have a schedule.”
A dark eyebrow lifted at her vehemence. “You’re a private investigator.”
“Was your first clue my admission of that fact?” she sneered, rolling her eyes.
He laughed again, amused that she wasn’t intimidated. At least, not outwardly. There was definitely something there, an intense attraction sizzling between them. That attraction was powerful and it scared the hell out of her. Since he was feeling it as well, Kade was determined to figure out how to ease her fears and understand her a bit more clearly.
So he continued, ignoring her statement of a schedule, suspecting that she had a bit more flexibility in her schedule than she was letting on. “A woman was here. About a month ago.” He saw her eyes change. He saw the interest and continued. “She was trying to find me, but as soon as I confronted her and asked why she wanted to talk to me, she got out of town. Fast! Suspiciously fast.”
Aha! He saw the spark of curiosity. Her shoulders…they didn’t shift so much as tighten, changing from anxious to curious. “What was her name?”
Hopefully, Kade managed to hide the sensation of triumph. “The name she gave to the innkeeper was Tonya Jericho. But that wasn’t her real name. I want to know who she was and why she was looking for me. She left some stuff at the hotel.”
In reality, Kade didn’t give a damn about the mysterious woman. Plenty of people came looking for him. Kade maintained his anonymity ruthlessly. He wasn’t worried about a woman trying to get information on him. But he was interested in Frankie. Very interested!
His body tightened as he watched her chew her lower lip thoughtfully. Lips that weren’t colored with lipstick, he realized. Damn, she was gorgeous!
Her expression once again changed. It was calculating now. Daring him!
“Give me a DNA sample, let me find out if you’re who my client is looking for, then I’ll find this woman.”
He shook his head. “No deal.”
Her startled outburst almost made him laugh. “Why not?” she demanded, once again looking all bristly and sexy.
“Because you’ll disappear again, just like you did in Dallas. This way, I’ll have a hold over you.”
Frankie rolled her eyes, looking off to the side. He could almost see the gears turning in her head, calculating what to say next. But her question seemed to burst out of her. Almost as if Frankie didn’t want to ask, but couldn’t stop herself. “This woman…” he saw the worry in her eyes, “is she…pretty?”
He shrugged dismissively, not understanding why a woman like Frankie, with her gorgeous hair and brilliant eyes would give a damn about another woman. “She was pretty enough, I guess.”
Her green eyes narrowed, those red lips pressing together. Anger? That was unexpected.
“Is this request personal? Or business?”
Huh? What the hell was she actually asking? “Personal.” He paused, and considered her question for a moment, then shook his head. “At least, I think it’s personal. I won’t know until you find her and tell me why she was looking for me.” He tilted his head slightly. “Why do you care?”
She shifted again, those sexy boots that she probably thought looked tough and intimidating, scraped against the dirt floor of the stables. “Because I pick and choose my cases. And for my current case, I’m shooting for a ten thousand dollar bonus. Think you can counter that?” she challenged.
“Why do you need a ten thousand dollar bonus?” he asked, suspiciously.
That cute chin lifted again. “Because Louboutins aren’t cheap,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
He laughed again, glancing down her long, long legs. At least, they appeared long. She was short, so why did her legs seem so long? It was the jeans and the boots, he thought. Damn, he liked her boots! And her legs!
“You don’t look like the kind of woman who wears pretty heels.”
There was a sparkle of challenge in those green depths now. “You don’t look like the kind of man who would know that Louboutins are pretty heels!”
He threw back his head, laughing not just at her reply, but at her challenge and daring! She didn’t back down and that was…incredibly appealing!
When his amusement was back under control, he moved closer. “Find the woman who was trying to find me, and I’ll pay you the ten thousand dollar bonus.” He turned toward the door of the stables. But something she’d said echoed through his thoughts. He turned back to face her, his eyes shuttered. “You mentioned that there are three sons?”
“Yes,” she replied, slightly wary now.
He debated for a moment, wondering if he should ask. “You’ve…found the other two?”
She hesitated for a split second before admitting she had.
He smiled briefly at the pride in her eyes.
“Are they…?” he paused, searching for the right word. Then he remembered their conversation in Dallas and used her phrasing. “Are they good men?”
Again, she paused, but this time, her lips curled into a smile. “Yes. Very good.”
Kade watched her carefully, but saw only truth in her eyes. “Good. Maybe…” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe, I could meet them. Someday. But not the father.”
And with that, he left the stables.
Turning, she went back to her rental car. Once she closed the door, she contemplated her options. She could get the DNA sample from him if she was sneaky enough. But did she really want to trick him into that?
No, she sighed with frustration. “Sometimes, morals are really frustrating,” she grumbled as she started the SUV.
Frankie headed back into town, thinking about this latest confrontation with her mystery man. Kade Wilson. Huh! She was about halfway there when she made up her mind. “Fine!” she snapped. “I’ll do it. But only because I don’t have any other clients right now.”
Chapter 3
Frankie turned onto the long drive, already focused on the man sitting on a rocking chair on the front porch of the huge, sprawling house. His booted feet were propped up on the porch railing and he had his Stetson pulled down low over his face. He seemed to be asleep, but Frankie doubted it. There was just…a sensation of power behind his relaxed pose that belied the tranquil image. The man only appeared to be easygoing, she thought as she parked her car on the gravel driveway.
Kade Wilson wasn’t relaxed in any way, she thought.
Even as she thought it, he dropped his feet to the porch and readjusted his hat. Frankie could feel the weight of those silver eyes even from this distance.
“Right,” she muttered and grabbed the car keys and cell phone, slipping the phone into her back pocket. She might be walking only a hundred feet to collect the two big boxes at the man’s feet, but she’d learned the hard way never to be without her phone. She’d never put herself into a vulnerable position again.
“You’re late!” Kade called out, watching as she walked up the stone pathway to the house.
Frankie stopped, looking up at him. The sun was broiling today, with no clouds to block the heat. She wished that she had a hat because sunglasses weren’t enough against the intensity of the Montana summer sunshine. “Is that the stuff that the mystery woman left behind?”
After Hours Desire (Forsaken Sons Book 3) Page 3
