If a few pints of Guinness didn’t get rid of this preoccupation with Ellie Thorpe, then he’d have a few more.
4
LIAM STARED out the front windshield of his car, the view of the Charlestown neighborhood blurred by the drizzling rain. “I want out,” he murmured. “I don’t care about the money. Consider the work I’ve put in so far my gift to you.”
“You can’t,” Sean replied. “We’re too close. Sooner or later Pettibone has got to show up.”
“How do you know he hasn’t got the money?” Liam asked. “How do you know that he didn’t pull this off on his own?”
“You said it yourself. They were lovers. She admitted that much to you. Pettibone took that money and she has to be in on it. They’re playing it cool. Staying away from each other so they don’t arouse suspicion.”
“I don’t like this,” Liam said. “She seems like a nice person.”
“Some criminals are nice,” Sean said. “Embezzlers win over your trust, then they rob you blind. It’s part of the M.O.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier just to confront her? I could just ask her if she stole the money and watch her reaction. I read people pretty well and I’ll know if she’s lying.”
“And then what? She’s going to hand it over?” Sean laughed. “That’s a plan.”
“Maybe. Maybe she could make a deal and give the money back in exchange for them dropping all charges.”
“Li, what is your problem with this woman?”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“Then just do the damn job,” Sean said. “It’s your watch, I’m going home.” He opened the car door and stepped out into the rain. At the last moment Sean braced his arms on the edge of the roof and leaned back inside. “Don’t screw this up. We’re close. Let’s just finish it.”
Sean slammed the door and Liam watched him jog to his car. He tipped his head back and sighed. This whole thing had gotten way out of hand. Though he was used to charming women, his main goal had always been a passionate night in bed followed by breakfast the next morning. Both parties were left well satisfied and nobody got hurt.
But this was different. His goal here was to put Ellie Thorpe in jail. And the more time he spent with her, the more he began to feel that no matter what she’d done, she didn’t deserve twenty years behind bars.
With a low curse, he raked his hand through his damp hair. After the kiss they’d shared, Liam felt as if he was the one in prison. Thoughts of her filled his head, the way she tasted, the soft warmth of her body in his arms, and his instant and very intense reaction. Kissing women had always been one of the true pleasures in life for him. But with Ellie, it had been different. Kissing her had been exciting and disturbing and confusing all at once.
It hadn’t been just one kiss, either. Over the past few days they’d spent a fair amount of time repeating that first encounter. Every moment they spent together seemed to be filled with tension that only a long and very deep kiss could relieve.
“To hell with this,” Liam muttered, shoving open the door. As he’d told Sean, all he had to do was ask and he’d have his answer. But as he walked toward Ellie’s apartment, he realized that after he had his answer, the questions would only become more complicated. Right now Ellie was a beautiful woman, bright, sexy, funny. He’d known his fair share of women and they all possessed similar qualities, but Ellie had them in a unique combination.
But what was it that made her different? Was it the secrets she kept? Had Liam found her attractive because, for once in his life, he couldn’t read a woman’s thoughts? There were moments when he wished he could strip away everything, like peeling away layers of clothes. The closer they got to intimacy, the closer he got to the truth.
Liam glanced over his shoulder as he crossed the street to her apartment. If he crossed that bridge, he might never come back. It was clear from the intensity of the kisses they’d shared that he and Ellie would be incredible together. Even now he could imagine the feel of her skin beneath his hands, the weight of her body on top of his, and the heat that would race through his blood when he was inside her. If he tasted that, there might be no going back.
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed her number, then stared up at the third-floor windows. When she answered, he caught himself grinning. “Hey, there.”
“Hi,” Ellie said.
Liam imagined her face, the tiny smile curling her lips, her eyes bright. “What are you doing?”
“Working on cover letters, reading the want ads. I made a few calls to some headhunters about jobs in Washington, D.C., and Chicago.”
Liam’s jaw went tight at her comment. He didn’t want to think that she’d be walking out of his life as quickly as she’d walked in. “Why don’t you forget about that and come out with me?”
“Where are we going?” Ellie asked.
“I don’t know. I thought, since you’re new to the city, I’d show you the sights of Boston. I’ll pick you up in ten or fifteen seconds. Be ready.”
He switched the phone off, then took the front steps to her building two at a time. When he’d buzzed her apartment, she’d unlocked her door and was waiting for him on the third-floor landing. She wore a faded pair of jeans and a bulky wool sweater. Her dark hair was tied back in a pretty scarf, and though she wore very little makeup, she still managed to look gorgeous.
“Where were you?” Ellie asked.
“Out front,” Liam said, jogging up the stairs. Without even thinking, he grabbed her around the waist and gave her a quick kiss, their tongues touching for an instant and the taste of her going straight to his head.
“You’re a pretty confident guy, aren’t you?” she murmured, pressing her palms against his chest.
“No one can resist my charm,” Liam teased. “Get your jacket. It’s raining.”
She disappeared inside the apartment, but Liam decided to stay in the hall. The urge to spend the afternoon necking on her sofa would be too much to resist. When she reappeared, she’d pulled a rain hat over her head and bundled herself in a jacket. She handed him her umbrella as she zipped up her jacket.
“We won’t need the umbrella,” he said.
“Let’s walk. I want to go see that pointy thing and it’s a perfect day for a walk.”
“It’s raining,” Liam said.
“I was reading this book last night called Experience Your Life. It was all about living for the moment. A walk in the rain can be refreshing.”
“It’s wet,” Liam said.
“It can cleanse the soul. Everyone needs their soul cleansed now and then.”
“All right,” Liam said, figuring his soul could use a decent bath. “We’ll go to the pointy thing, which just happens to be the very famous Bunker Hill monument.”
“That’s even better. We’ll get some history with our walk.”
Liam grabbed her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm as they started in the direction of Monument Square, a place he’d visited countless times as a Boston schoolboy. But they’d just reached the other side of the street when he remembered his camera. The light was unusual, the sun filtering through the haze every now and then, and the rain shimmered off the pavement, exactly the kinds of conditions for a great photo. “Wait here,” he said. “I’m going to run back to get my camera.”
He turned and jogged to his car, then retrieved one of his older cameras from the bag in the trunk. It was loaded with black and white film, but he grabbed a roll of color just in case. Liam hung the camera around his neck and strode down the sidewalk. When he reached the intersection, he stepped off the curb, intending to walk back to where he’d left Ellie.
She waved and called to him and he paused, thinking what a pretty picture she made in her rain slicker. She started across the street toward him and he lifted his camera, catching her through the lens.
Liam wasn’t sure what made him look away. Probably the sound of a car engine racing and the whir of tires on wet pavement. He caught a blur of mov
ement out of the corner of his eye and shouted to Ellie to stop. As if the entire world slowed, Liam watched the confused expression on her face. She glanced to her left and saw the black sedan racing toward her.
Startled, she froze for a moment and Liam’s heart stopped when he realized that she was about to be hit and he could never get to her in time to push her out of the way. But Ellie’s reflexes were quicker than he expected and she spun and threw herself at the front bumper of the car parked behind her. She fell to the wet pavement and the car roared away, splashing up a wave of dirty water that sprayed over her.
Once Liam saw that she was all right, he turned the camera in the direction of the car and quickly snapped off a few shots of the rear license plate. Although Ellie had stepped into the intersection unexpectedly, Liam got the distinct feeling that the car had been aiming for her.
When he reached her, Ellie was just struggling to her feet, her face dripping with gray water and the knees of her jeans muddy and scraped. He gently took her arm and tucked her into his embrace, skimming his hand along her body to see if she was still in one piece. “Are you all right?”
“I didn’t see him coming,” Ellie said in a shaky voice. “I looked but then he just came out of nowhere. If you hadn’t called to me, he would have hit me.” She pressed her hands against his chest and stared up at him. “You saved my life…again.”
Liam furrowed his hand through her damp hair and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Though he’d had his doubts about his part in “saving her life” that first time around, he knew he couldn’t deny his part this time. She was right. If he hadn’t heard the car, she’d probably be lying in the middle of the street right now, seriously injured…or worse.
“Let’s go get you cleaned up,” he murmured, his lips pressed against her temple. His heart still slammed in his chest and he consciously willed it to slow, worried that she might sense his panic. If the driver had actually been out to hit her, then Liam was going to find out why.
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and then crossed back to the sidewalk that ran in front of her building. But as he walked, Liam had the uneasy sense that the burglar and the car were somehow tied together. And that the case he was working on for Sean was at the bottom of both near-death experiences.
ELLIE PULLED HER KEYS out of her pocket and, with a trembling hand, tried to push the key into the lock. But no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t go in. For a moment she felt as if she’d pass out, or throw up, or just start weeping uncontrollably. But she couldn’t decide which, so she just stood numbly on the front stoop of the building, the keys dangling from her fingers.
“Here,” Liam murmured. “Let me.” He reached around her and opened the door, then gave her a gentle push inside. They climbed the stairs to her apartment without speaking and when they reached the third floor, he opened that door, too, making sure to deactivate the alarm.
Ellie headed for the sofa, but Liam stopped her and helped her out of her jacket. Then he turned her to face him. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Ellie nodded, giving her hands a shake to keep them from going numb. “Yes. I am. I just need a moment.”
Liam smiled down at her and brushed a thumb along her cheek. “Come on. Why don’t you get out of those dirty clothes and into something dry? Or maybe you should take a nice hot bath.”
“Okay,” Ellie said.
He pulled her into his embrace and she laid her head against his chest. She felt as if she could stay in his arms forever, that if she just waited, his touch would banish all of her fears. That car had passed within a few inches of her and she’d never seen it coming. An image of what might have been flashed in her mind and Ellie pinched her eyes shut and tried to put the horrible thoughts aside.
“First, I wasn’t safe in my apartment and now I’m not safe outside it, either.”
“This wasn’t your fault,” Liam said, softly stroking her hair. “You and the car were just trying to occupy the same space at the same time.”
“I’ve had a streak of bad luck,” she said. “This book I’m reading called The Secrets of Self-Determination says that there is no such thing as bad luck. That we create every situation that we find ourselves in. But I don’t believe that. There was the burglary. Why did that guy choose my place? The people downstairs have a much nicer television. And I’ve had a terrible time finding a job. And I didn’t make that big brick fall off the roof of my building.”
“What brick?” Liam asked.
“It happened a few days ago. I was leaving for an interview and this brick came flying out of the sky and nearly hit me on the head. It looked exactly like one of the bricks from my building so I called the landlord to tell him he had some serious safety issues.”
“Was there a problem?”
“No,” Ellie said, frowning. “He found a few bricks on the roof but he figured that there were kids playing up there. They sometimes crawl up the back porches.” She smiled weakly. “Maybe I should take that bath. That might calm me down.”
“Do you want anything?” Liam asked. “I could make you a cup of tea.”
“That would be nice,” she said.
She wandered into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the old claw-footed tub. But suddenly she felt too exhausted to move. Though she’d only known Liam for ten days, he’d already become such a presence in her life. If she’d been alone on the street… If he hadn’t called out… If he weren’t here now to make her feel safe and secure… “My white knight,” she murmured, reaching over to turn on the water.
As the tub slowly began to fill, Ellie slipped out of her wet shoes and damp socks. Then she tugged her sweater over her head. The grimy water hadn’t reached the cotton camisole she wore underneath, but the damp still had seeped into her bones. Ellie rubbed her forearms as she stared into the tub.
“Here’s your tea.”
She glanced up at Liam who watched her from the bathroom door. “Thanks.”
“I’m not much of a tea drinker so I didn’t make it the regular way. I just nuked the water and stuck in a tea bag. I hope it’s all right.”
She took a sip of the lemony brew and it immediately began to warm her. “It’s perfect.” Ellie sucked in a deep breath then looked at him, fixing her gaze on his. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Do you think that car was trying to hit me?”
An uneasy look flitted across Liam’s handsome face before he hid it behind a warm smile. “Why would someone want to run you over?”
“I-I don’t know. I’m just-” Ellie waved her hand, then set the mug down beside the tub. She stood and nervously refolded a bath towel and hung it on the rack.
Liam came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Ellie tipped her head back and sighed as he softly massaged the tension from her neck. His touch felt so good, strong and sure. She moaned softly and focused on the warmth of his fingers as they skimmed across her shoulders and back. But when he pushed aside the strap of her camisole and pressed his mouth to her shoulder, she froze, her breath caught in her throat.
Then, as if all the fear had been suddenly washed away, Ellie turned to face him. She stared up into his eyes, with their indescribable mix of gold and green. Her gaze drifted down to his mouth and she remembered every kiss they’d shared, how exciting and exhilarating it had all been. She wanted that again, something sweet and soft to occupy her thoughts.
Ellie pushed up on her toes and touched her lips to his. But a brief kiss wasn’t enough and she decided she wanted more. Hesitantly she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her, her mouth meeting his with a clumsy bump.
But Liam didn’t seem to mind. He pulled her against his chest and gently explored her mouth with his tongue, teasing and tasting, lingering over her lips. Ellie knew she shouldn’t let it go any further. They barely knew each other. But in the past days, she’d learned to trust Liam with her life. How could a man who’d saved her not
once but twice possibly turn around and hurt her?
His hands slipped beneath her camisole and spanned her waist as he deepened the kiss. She’d wanted the taste of him to drive all the worry out of her head, but it was also sweeping her common sense right along with it. She’d made a vow to stay away from men for at least a year. She’d kept that vow for sixty-seven days and about six hours, and with just a few incredible kisses she was ready to throw it all aside.
Liam Quinn was not Ronald Pettibone. Nor was he Brian Keller, the stock analyst she’d been with before Ronald. Nor Steve Winston, the business consultant. Or any of the others that she’d thought she’d loved. Liam was…different. He was a man she could depend upon.
“I read this book once that said that people who have near-death experiences sometimes become more passionate in the aftermath. Do you think that’s what’s happening here?”
“I don’t know. Is that a bad thing?”
Ellie shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s just the author’s observation.”
“Maybe we should stop.”
She reached for the hem of her camisole and slowly pulled it up. “Maybe we shouldn’t.” Ellie gazed into his eyes, waiting for a cue, anything that would tell her that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. He slid his hand up along her rib cage and cupped her breast, stroking his thumb across her nipple and bringing it to an aching peak through the soft fabric.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “From the moment I first saw you, I thought about this.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “You were dancing a-” he paused “-around me with that-that phone in your hand, dressed in your nightgown.” He grinned. “You know, when you stood in front of the light, I could see right through it.”
“You looked?”
“I couldn’t help myself.”
Liam Page 8
