by Ana E Ross
“Adam,” she whispered his name.
“What?” he asked. “What do you want, Tashi?”
“I want—” She wished she knew how to ask for what she wanted.
“This?” he asked, drawing his fingers slowly up one leg of her shorts, as his other hand crawled higher along her back up to her neck, adding pressure, pulling her upper body down toward him.
“Yes,” she whispered, as his teasing fingers on her thighs sent shivers rippling through her. Her gaze slid to Adam’s sexy mouth and, compelled by her desire to kiss him, her hunger to taste him, she licked her lips as he drew her head slowly toward his lying flat against the cushion of the sofa. Her body felt warm and heavy and flushed. She was floating through space, yet seemed to be standing still as she took in the dreamy glaze in his eyes. Closer and closer, he drew her in until she could smell the heady scent of his masculinity, feel the warm whisper of his breath on her lips…
Then the shrill ring of his office phone pierced the silent air.
They both stiffened as if they’d been caught in a forbidden act. The dream had ended, but the remnants of its effect still lingered in the sound of their heavy breathing and the pulsing of their aroused sexes against each other.
They stared at each other in bated silence, waiting for the phone to stop ringing, but it didn’t. Their moment had come and gone. As if to prove her point, Adam swore—something Tashi had never heard him do before. When he turned his head and flung a frustrated glance toward his desk, Tashi took the opportunity to push herself up, and off him. She shot to her feet and stared down at him, still sprawled out on the sofa with his thick mass of hair around his head and shoulders and the outline of his arousal still evident at his groin.
He looked so sexy—this large, beautiful man who would become her husband tomorrow. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“About what?”
She had no idea. Was she sorry for involving him in her crime, for making him put his own life on hold, for almost seducing him, or was she sorry that they’d been interrupted?
His gaze skidded down her body before he sat upright, pushed to his feet, and walked across the spacious office. Instead of picking up the receiver, he pushed a button on the base of the phone, then another. He turned, facing her, passion still ablaze in his eyes.
“Adam, are you there?”
Tashi held her breath as Dr. LaCrosse’s voice broke the tense silence. Why had Adam put the call on speaker?
Adam paused on a frown before responding. “Yes, Erik. I’m here. Where else would I be? I asked to be alone. You know that.”
“Yes. I understand,” the doctor responded.
Why were they talking in code? Tashi wondered. Erik knew she was here with Adam.
“Glad to know you’re still alive.”
That’s why, Tashi thought as an unfamiliar voice joined the conversation. Who was that, and how did Adam know Erik wasn’t alone? Was he just being cautious or was he psychic?
“Massimo.” Adam inadvertently answered her question.
“I’m here, too.” Another unfamiliar voice, deepest of the three, spoke.
That had to be Bryce. Tashi clasped her hands together in front of her.
“You told us you wanted to lay low for a couple weeks,” Bryce began, “and we were prepared to respect your wishes. It’s not like you haven’t secluded yourself before, but we can’t ignore your parents’ request to check up on you. They’re worried, and frankly, we are too since learning that you put your household staff on an indefinite leave of absence.”
Tashi’s mouth opened in surprise. He did what? He’d told her he didn’t have a housekeeper.
Adam grimaced in obvious frustration. “Where are you guys?”
“On our way to see you,” Massimo said.
Tashi’s stomach crunched up into tiny little knots. She shook her head and mouthed the word, “No” to Adam. She’d just told him her deepest darkest secret, and he’d agree to marry her and protect her, and although she knew she’d have to meet his friends at some point, this was not a good time. She and Adam had to talk some more about what to tell everybody about her place in his life and his home. They had to get their stories straight.
“I’m fine. There’s no need for you to come. I don’t need anything.” He glanced over at Tashi and the lazy seductive look in his eyes indicated that he had everything he needed in the world already.
Tashi didn’t know whether she should rejoice or cry about it. She couldn’t be all he needed.
“Tell that to Uncle Alessandro and Aunt Bella. They insisted I visit you today and give them a full report.”
They apparently hadn’t called Massimo back since the satellite interview, Tashi thought, grateful that Adam’s parents had kept their promise to their son. But for how long? Even though she didn’t understand Alessandro’s last statement just before Adam had cut him off in midsentence, she’d heard the tone of disapproval in the older man’s voice. He was upset with the decisions his son had been making lately, as any concerned father should be.
“We’re already on Andreas Drive,” Bryce said. “Almost at the gatehouse. We’ll be there in a few minutes. We’re not leaving until you see us.”
Tashi clenched and unclenched her hands as Adam picked up a tablet from his desk and proceeded to type rapidly on it as if he were sending an emergency text. In a few seconds it chimed. He read the response, set it back on the table, and pushed a button on the base of the house phone.
What was he doing?
Tashi opened her mouth to call out to him, but he raised his hand to silence her, a crafty smile parting his lips. They waited as the low hum of a car’s engine came to a stop, followed by a murmur of male voice exchanges, and then…
“Seriously! You’re not letting us through the gate? This is ridiculous. He’s gone mad.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Andretti, but your cousin gave me strict orders not to allow anyone on the estate,” one of the guards said.
“I’m not anyone! I’m his family!”
“Are you sure he’s not being held hostage in his own home? Have you seen him, spoken to him?” Bryce asked in a more conciliatory tone, but edged with a touch of concern nonetheless. “His restrictions definitely don’t apply to us. Why don’t you call and check with him?”
“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but he said no one is allowed in,” the guard responded in an apologetic tone. “Mr. Andreas is not receiving today.”
“Receiving? Not receiving? What the hell is that? How can he not receive family?”
A smile spread across Tashi’s face as Adam began to laugh so hard, he fell back against the edge of his desk. His laughter was deep and rich and warm. It was the first time she’d seen him so amused.
Deprived of the luxury of expressing her own glee, Tashi clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle her chuckles. It had been so long since she’d laughed, had had reason to laugh. Already, she was feeling like a different person. The dark shadow over her heart had been lifted. Adam knew the horrible secret of her past and he hadn’t judged her nor condemned her.
“You think this is funny?” Massimo asked.
“Adam, you’ve had your fun. Let us in,” Bryce demanded.
Adam sent her a conspiratorial wink. “I’m sorry guys, but I really can’t see you. I’m already engaged for the rest of the day.”
“Doing what?”
“And with whom?”
“I can’t say. But I promise to show up for Little Erik’s birthday party tomorrow afternoon. Five o’clock, right, Erik?”
“Right. Our families are meeting an hour before the other guests arrive, just to catch up. We don’t get a lot of time to do that anymore.”
“Okay. I’ll be there,” Adam said, then mouthed “we” to Tashi.
Tashi’s nerves tensed immediately at the prospect of meeting Adam’s friends, especially Bryce and his wife—the couple she’d seen at the outlets just hours before she ran into Adam. Would they know her, recognize her as the gir
l they thought was very beautiful?
“And Adam, just so you know, I called your cell to warn you that we were coming by,” Erik said with a note of caution in his voice.
“Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it. I left my cell in the bedroom while I took a nap in my office.”
“Napping in the middle of the day? What’s this? Do you have a girl up there with you? Is that why you’re being so secretive?” Massimo demanded.
Tashi bit back a gasp.
Adam held her gaze from across the room. “I assure you, cousin. I do not have a girl up here with me.”
Now, he was lying for her.
There was a brief silence, then Bryce spoke. “Okay, Adam. We’ll give you one more day. But if you don’t show up tomorrow, we’re coming back whether or not you’re ‘receiving’. We’ll drive right through this gate if we have to.”
“See you tomorrow. Give my love to the wives and kids.” He hit the intercom button, ending the conversation.”
Tashi walked over to him. “Thank you. I know it wasn’t easy blowing off your friends like that, and especially lying to them about not having a girl up here.”
He bunched his hair in his hands and tucked it behind his ears. “You’ve been interrogated enough for today. Let’s leave some drama for tomorrow when you meet them. As my wife.” His eyes and voice softened on the last three words. “I didn’t lie to them. You’re a woman, Tashi, not a girl.”
His elucidation brought Tashi a giddy sense of awareness. She was a girl when she first came here, but she’d evolved into a woman. “They care about you, and they’re worried,” she said, deciding not to follow through on his perception of her.
“As they should. It’s what friends do. They look out for each other’s best interests.”
Friends. She and Adam had been colliding strangers in a café, wary strangers on the street, intimate strangers on an estate, and now she could honestly say that over the course of the past two weeks, their relationship had evolved into a trusting, genuine friendship. And tomorrow he would become her husband at the request of a friend.
Agent Dawson was his friend. Agent Dawson. Tashi repeated the name in her head. It was so nice to have a name to put with the face—a face she might never see again, but one she could never forget. What was so special about her that two men—total strangers to her—were so willing to lay down their lives to protect her? She might never know Agent Dawson’s reason, but she could understand Adam’s sense of duty to grant his friend’s request.
Their marriage might be temporary, but based on what just almost happened on the sofa, Tashi knew that it didn’t interfere with their desire to be together. It was pointless to try to recapture the moment right now. They’d just have to wait until another came around again, and make certain there were no interruptions when it did.
And speaking of interruptions… Tashi folded her arms and frowned up at him. “Adam, you told me you didn’t have a housekeeper. I should have known you couldn’t maintain the upkeep of this mansion by yourself. Just how many people did you put out of work?”
He dipped his head and smiled sheepishly. “They’re not out of work, just on a paid vacation. And I don’t have a housekeeper. I have six, along with eight gardeners, two butlers, four kitchen staff, and a driver. The only staff members I kept are the four armed guards at the gatehouse. And it’s a good thing I kept them around, or we’d be entertaining three inquisitive men right now. Would you have been able to handle the pressure?”
She shook her head. “No. It would have been too soon.”
“We need time to digest all that has happened today and prepare for what’s coming tomorrow and the days following.”
Guilt raised its ugly head in Tashi’s mind. “Adam, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you have to put your life on hold and place yourself in danger for me.” Tears choked her.
He clasped his hand under her chin and raised her face to his. “What are you talking about, sweetie? My life isn’t on hold. It’s exactly where it should be. These two weeks I’ve spent secluded with you have been the most amazing of my life. I’ve had time to reflect on my past mistakes, my desires, my dreams. I know what I want, and it’s you, Tashi. I want you in my life. So stop apologizing. Promise me that you will. Promise,” he reiterated, his electric blues piercing through to her heart, warming her.
“Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll stop apologizing.”
His eyes pierced her for a few tense seconds, then he dropped his hands to his side. “However, I have to apologize to you for something.”
“What could you ever possibly do to upset me, Adam?”
“That remains to be seen.” He picked up the pad he’d used to send the text to the guards and while typing on it, he strolled to the other side of his office where a built-in door swung open from the wall. He reached inside and pulled out something, then turned around. “I was able to retrieve this the day after it was stolen. I don’t know how much—”
“You found my money?” Tashi screamed as she raced across the room. She grabbed the bag from him and hugged it to her chest like it was a long lost child coming home. Tears of joy raced down her face as she dropped into the nearest chair. She set the bag on her lap and opened it.
“The thief swore he hadn’t spent any of it. Since I don’t know how much you had, I don’t know if he told the truth.”
Tashi dumped the contents of the bag on the floor, then got down on her knees and began counting out the stacks of hundred dollar bills. “It seems to be all here,” she said, gazing up at Adam. “Who stole it?”
“Your landlord,” he said, his voice laced with barely controlled bitterness.
“Mr. Yoder?” Shock and rage surged through Tashi. Mr. Yoder had seemed so nice, always smiling at her when he came by for the rent or to fix something in the building. He’d even stayed and had a cup of coffee with her one frigid winter morning when he’d come around to plow snow. She was the only tenant in the building who was home, and she’d just wanted to thank him for agreeing to their arrangement. Her uncle was right again. People couldn’t be trusted. “How did he know I had money?”
Adam dropped to his knees and helped her stuff the cash back into the bag. “Well, you were paying your rent with cash. You didn’t have a job. You’d bought nice furniture, a top-of-the-line laptop and camera. You wore nice clothes—not extravagant, but nice. He figured you had to have money stashed away somewhere. He was just waiting for the right time to get inside your apartment and look for it. I’m just happy that you weren’t home when he decided he’d waited long enough. It gives me chills to think of what he might have done to you if you’d walked in on him trying to steal from you, or worse, if he’d broken in while you were sleeping and you’d awakened to find him in your bedroom.
Adam’s last sentences sent panic rioting inside Tashi. Her fingers shook as she zippered up the duffel bag. “Where—where’s he now?”
“In jail, where he belongs.”
“He knows my name, Adam,” she said as her mind began to race again. “All he has to do is tell somebody, the police—suppose they want to question me about where I got the money. What do I tell them?”
He placed a finger on her lips. “Shh. I took care of it. I warned him to keep your name out of it. I told the police that he stole the bag from my car while it was parked near Mountainview Café. I go there all the time, so…” He shrugged and pushed to his feet, taking the bag with him.
Mountainview Café, where the story of her and Adam’s lives began. “What about my cell phone?” she asked, taking the hand Adam held out to help her up.
He reached into the vault again. “It’s here. It’s locked, so he couldn’t sell it or use it since it’s code-protected. It’s fully charged.”
Tashi snatched it from his hand and turned it on, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for it to go through the loading process. She typed in her security code and scanned the ‘Message’ and ‘Phone’ icons. Her shoulders slumped in despair. There w
ere no messages, no missed calls. Agent Dawson hadn’t tried to contact her. Her river of hope of ever hearing from him dwindled into a tiny trickle.
“Are you upset?” Adam asked. “I realize now what the phone means to you, but I didn’t tell you about the money because I was afraid you would leave. I’m sorry. I should have been honest with you.”
Tashi threw her head back and stared up at him. “Are you kidding me? Really? How shallow do you think I am, Adam? I just told you that I committed murder. You didn’t judge me,” she began, counting off on her fingers. “You didn’t condemn me. You didn’t call the cops. You didn’t throw me out. And on top of that you promised to marry me.” She flailed her hands in the air, irritated that she even had to point out the obvious to him. “How can I be mad at you for protecting me from myself? If you’d given me the money, I would have been long gone. In fact,” she continued, her voice dropping in volume and fervor, “I’d decided to leave Granite Falls the day you took me back to my apartment.”
“I figured as much, but why?”
“Because you wouldn’t have left me alone and I was starting to like you, and I didn’t want to like you.”
His eyes grew openly amused. “Was I that bad?”
She pursed her lips and smiled at him. “You were that good, Adam, and I knew your association with me would put you in danger. But once again, fate took the decision out of my hands. Leaving Granite Falls would have been the absolute worst thing I could do because I wouldn’t have gotten to know you, and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be—where Agent Dawson sent me. If you’d given me the money yesterday, I would have left. So in that regard, you did the right thing in keeping the fact that you’d found it from me.”
His chest rose and fell on a deep sigh. “Then all’s well.” He held up the duffel bag. “What do you want to do with this? I can return it to the vault and give you the combination, or you can keep it in your bedroom. It will be as safe there as anywhere in this house.”
Tashi stared at him, affection for him swelling full and deep inside her at his trust in her. Was there anything wrong with this man who was so compelling, whose magnetism was so potent? Did he have any flaws she could point out and use as a reason not to like him? “You can hold on to it.” Until it’s time for me to go. “I’ll keep the phone in case Agent Dawson calls.” She pushed the small device into the front pocket of her shorts as she held on to her last glimmer of hope.
