She shook off the memories and focused on her visitor. “The police said they skidded in the rain and hit a tree.”
“I’m sorry, that must have been rough…losing both of them at once.”
“I didn’t know my uncle well. They’d only been married a little over a year, but at least he made her happy before she—” Kayla stopped, realizing she was confiding in a total stranger.
“I’m sorry.” He paused. “John will be sorry, too.”
“Thank you.” She lowered her gaze before meeting his stare once more. “But my aunt being gone doesn’t change the facts.”
“Which are?”
“You came in here pretending to be something you’re not.”
He flinched. “And that was wrong. But John…he thought we’d hit it off.” He glanced down at his hands.
“Why didn’t you just say that when you came in?”
“Because you can’t trust someone else’s opinion. Hell, that’s like accepting a blind date. So I…came in here to check you out,” he admitted sheepishly.
“John must have told you about me a long time ago,” she said.
“Why’s that?”
“Because Charmed! rarely offers classes for the dating impaired anymore and neither does our brochure. We concentrate more on the international business arena now.”
He had the grace and manners to look embarrassed. “I knew the minute I walked in here I couldn’t pull it off,” he muttered.
“So you said.” Kayla narrowed her gaze. “Why is that?” she asked, hoping that her cup size had less to do with his answer than the chemistry. She was attracted to his looks, but a lot of good-looking men existed in the world. This one affected her on a deeper level.
“You’re even more beautiful than I’d hoped.”
A little too smooth, she thought with chagrin. So much for her futile hope he’d be special.
“But beyond that if you actually teach all these classes, there’s a wealth of knowledge in there and, I’m not ashamed to admit, smart women turn me on,” he said with a boyish grin.
Despite herself, she laughed at his obvious attempt at humor.
“Does this mean you’ll go out with me?” he asked.
Oh, how she wanted to, but dating a stranger wasn’t a smart move. She glanced at his determined gaze and doubted he’d take a straight no for an answer. “I wish I could, but I have to be here for the repairman.” She forced a regretful smile and squelched the female buried inside her who wanted to accept his invitation.
He unbuttoned his suit and slipped the jacket off his broad shoulders before flinging it onto the nearest chair. “It was that or be roasted alive.” He turned back to her. “Now where were we? Oh, yes…you going out with me.”
She opened her mouth to insist she’d made her final decision when the phone rang. She picked it up, grateful to discover on the other end the plumber returning her call. Gratitude quickly turned to dismay. She placed the receiver back on the cradle.
Kane raised his dark eyebrows. “Problem?”
She nodded. “The repairman. He’ll be here. Tomorrow. He hopes.” She plucked at her damp shirt.
“Well then.” He started to unbutton the cuff on his shirt. “We’d better get to work.”
“We?” she asked.
“You and me. I don’t see anyone else volunteering.” His gaze darted around the room. “Do you?”
“No, but…are you a plumber?”
“No, ma’am. But living in an old apartment, I’ve seen my share of broken heaters. So let’s get going.” With a flip of his wrist, he began rolling up his sleeve. When the first one was finished, he began on the second, revealing muscular forearms and bronze skin. With her fair complexion, she always admired deep-olive skin, but his coloring had little to do with the pulse-pounding adrenaline flowing through her system.
It was one thing to sense this man’s strength, another to witness the physical evidence of it firsthand. Kayla’s mouth grew dry and she grabbed for the bottled water sitting on her desk. She wet her parched lips before attempting to speak. “Wrench?”
“What?”
She plucked up the tool she’d deposited on her desk earlier. “I asked if you needed a wrench. To shut off the heat.”
“Take it along and we’ll see.”
She followed him into the back room. He knelt down to examine what she considered a foreign piece of equipment.
“The temperature’s already turned down,” he said.
“The cleaning crew must have turned it on by mistake. It was near ninety when I got here. I got the dial turned down but the heat didn’t follow.”
“It probably needs to hit its peak before it’ll start coming down.”
“You mean it’s going to get hotter?” she asked, fingering the damp bangs that stuck to her forehead.
“Count on it.” His searing gaze zeroed in on hers and the heat in the room seemed to soar. No man had ever had such a heart-stopping effect on her before. Drawing a deep breath, she wondered how to handle such raw masculinity. She’d made too many mistakes to mess up again.
He cleared his throat. “There’s another choice. We can hit the emergency switch and hope we don’t blow the unit in the process.”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. Can’t afford that kind of repair.”
“Then you have no choice but to let it run its course. In the meantime, do you have a bucket?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact…” She retrieved the pail her aunt had used to store cleaning supplies. “Here.” She offered it and he grabbed the handle.
“What about a skate key?” he asked.
She blinked at the strange question. “A what?”
He chuckled. “Never mind.” He reached around and patted the floor surrounding the heater. “Aha.” He held a small rounded key aloft. Triumph lit eyes that she now realized were stunning—an aqua mix that emphasized more blue than green and turned her already mixed up insides to pure mush.
She glanced at his find. “Let me guess. A skate key?”
“Sort of. Most of these old units need to be bled at the start of every season, sometimes more often. People familiar with them leave the key in a place they won’t forget. Otherwise you have to go running and hope you can find…”
“The nearest skater?” she asked wryly.
“She’d do in a pinch…if she looked like you.”
A burning flush heated her cheeks. Thanks to her fair skin she probably resembled a tomato by now. “Look, Mr. McDermott, I appreciate your help, but you don’t have to flatter me.”
“Do compliments make you uncomfortable, Miss Luck?”
She shrugged, knowing he’d hit a nerve. In her experience, compliments were a means to an end.
“A woman like you should be used to them. I would think you’d take them in stride.”
“Let’s just say, I’d rather get back to the problem at hand,” she said, gesturing toward the heater. “I thought you bled a heater when there was no heat.”
“You do. But you might as well stabilize the system so you don’t have major problems when you turn it on again next winter.” He turned back to the heater and soon the sound of water running into the bucket filled the otherwise silent room. After her third trip to empty the water into the bathroom sink, he flipped the key and rose to his feet.
“All set.” He wiped his damp hands on his pants, unconcerned with the damage he did to his suit. “As for the unit, give it some time. Chances are it’ll cool off without the help of the repairman.”
“Just clueing me in might have saved me a small fortune. Thanks.”
“Not a problem.” His gaze bored into hers and a flash of dizziness assaulted her. She only wished she could blame the heat, but knew it was his penetrating stare that unnerved her.
“Reconsider that drink?” he asked.
She started to shake her head. “I…”
“Then I want lessons. And before you say anything, I know you don’t specialize in datin
g etiquette anymore, but consider this an emergency. I have dinner with my boss tomorrow night and he plans on bringing his daughter. I don’t want to get involved, but I’d like to make a good impression and bow out gracefully at the end. Dinner tonight so you can teach me the finer points of charm and class.” He grinned and she discovered one dimple in his left cheek.
“I think you have enough of both,” she said wryly.
“So humor me. I’m giving you an excuse to say yes…and you know you want to.” His voice lowered an octave. Husky and seductive, it flowed through her veins.
“And I think you’re taking a lot for granted. How about I make some calls and see if one of my instructors is available to, uh, meet your needs.” She groaned inwardly. It had taken years to learn how to cover her insecurities, but Kayla had managed. Yet around Kane McDermott, she became the awkward girl she’d once been.
“I’d rather go with you.” His intense gaze begged her to believe.
Could he possibly be interested in her? She shook her head.
“Too bad for me.” Disappointment tinged his voice and dulled his gaze. He pointed to the phone. “Guess I’ll be going with a stranger tonight.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m a stranger.”
“Funny, but it doesn’t feel that way.” His gaze locked with hers in a meaningful stare she couldn’t escape or mistake. There was a connection between them. They both knew it—just as they both knew he’d just changed her mind.
She lowered herself into the swivel chair behind her desk. Leaning across the wooden top, Kane came within kissing breadth of her lips and she caught an enticing hint of spearmint on his breath. “Are you going to disappoint a customer, Miss Luck?”
“Kayla.” She licked her dry lips.
He raised an eyebrow and straightened to his full height. “It seems I’ve made progress, Kayla.”
He most definitely had. “Well, I can’t very well accompany you if you’re going to call me Miss Luck all night,” she said.
The flash of white teeth came and went in a quick grin. “I heard about this casual place. I forget the name.” He buttoned his suit jacket. “I’m from out of town, so I’m not too familiar with the city. I expect to be visiting often, though, because the boss lives here.” His gaze never left hers.
“So it’s casual dinner?” she asked.
“Yes. You can run through wine ordering, dinner choices, all the necessary things I’d need to know for dinner with the boss…and I get your company. Like baseball?”
She nodded, feeling a little like she’d been blindsided.
“I’ve got tickets for the Red Sox game afterward and we can hit that later.”
“Somehow I doubt you need lessons on how to attend a ball game.”
“No, but by then I’m hoping we’ll be past the lesson stage. Sound good?”
She cleared her throat. “Sounds fine.” So fine it scared her.
“We’re all set then.”
She nodded.
“You won’t be disappointed.” His words held a wealth of meaning and Kayla had the distinct impression this was more than a business. That she was more than hired help to this extremely sexy man.
He reached out and grabbed her hand. The connection was instant, the knowledge frightening. She feared her deepest thoughts had just been confirmed. He jerked back without warning. Had he experienced the same unnerving reaction as she?
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a brown leather wallet, working quickly, as if he suddenly couldn’t wait to be gone. “Do you take American Express or Visa?” he asked.
“Either, but…” What could she say? That the thought of taking money in exchange for an evening in his company seemed wrong?
She glanced at Kane. He’d charmed her despite his initial pretense. Not only did she like him but she could use an evening out to enjoy herself. With the all-business attitude she’d had lately, she’d barely had time for fun. When was the last time she’d been out with a nice guy? The last time she’d let herself be charmed for once? Kane was most definitely good at that. She bit down on her lower lip and met his gaze, which had darkened to an unreadable, darker blue.
He flipped open his wallet. “I can pay cash if you’d prefer.”
“No.” She couldn’t take money in exchange for a date. No matter how he couched the word, that’s what it was. She treated him to a genuine smile. “Why don’t we see how things go and we can discuss it? Later.”
“Okay.” He snapped closed the billfold. “I’m staying at the Summit Hotel and I’ll be in touch, Miss…Kayla.” With a grin, he walked out the door, leaving her to wonder…
Could she really be that…lucky?
CHAPTER TWO
“YOU LOOK SHARP, McDermott.” Whistles and catcalls followed his walk through the station house. Kane ignored the harassment and parked himself in an open chair, kicking his legs out in front of him. He exhaled deep and easy, keeping up a steady beat. Relaxation came, but it was hard-won and destined not to last.
He’d taken one look at that angel-like face and known the geek cover wouldn’t work. He’d given it a shot anyway…because it would have been a hell of a lot easier to keep his distance from the woman if he wasn’t acting like himself. He was a professional. Attraction was never supposed to come into play.
Kane let out a groan. But he’d never seen eyes so wide-set and green and he’d damn sure never seen curves like hers anywhere but on a magazine centerfold. Desire hadn’t hit him so hard or fast since he’d been a teenager.
“Well? Did the McDermott charm do her in?”
At the sound of the commanding voice, Kane lifted his gaze. Since he’d been pulled into the assignment last minute, he hadn’t had a chance to go over his cover with Reid. Kane was grateful. He’d never live it down if the captain thought he’d gone in acting like a pencil-pushing geek. “She didn’t say no, if that’s what you’re asking. You get the tickets?”
Reid ran a hand over his balding head. “You’re a pain in the ass, McDermott. Yeah, I called my brother-in-law and told him my best detective was into bribery now.”
Kane shrugged. “Like I had a choice? Besides you’re the one who insisted I take some R&R.”
Reid’s face grew somber. “Don’t try to con me, McDermott. I’ve known you since you were a wise guy in the academy. You watch a kid get killed and you tell me you don’t need R&R?” Reid snorted. “I haven’t seen you so shaken since your first shot actually hit its target.”
Kane didn’t reply. The captain was right. When he was a rookie, Kane had fatally wounded a suspect when he’d closed a drug bust. The captain had picked Kane up and taken him home afterward, and, since then, the Reids had become the family Kane insisted he didn’t need.
The captain knew him well. More importantly, he had accepted him. Despite Kane’s surly attitude and attempts to remain aloof, Reid pushed anyway, including him on holidays and family gatherings. After a while, the older man’s persistence had paid off. Kane couldn’t bring himself to insult Reid or his wife by turning them down, though he squelched the small part of him that wanted to enjoy the sense of family they provided. Kane limited the occasions, but he still knew the Reid clan better than he knew anyone else.
“At least these tickets will work to our advantage,” Reid said in his raspy voice.
“You really ought to lay off the smokes, Captain.”
Reid scowled at him. “Worried I won’t be around to bug you?” He laughed. “I’m too tough to die.”
“You got that right,” Kane muttered, refusing to admit he cared too much about his boss.
“Thanks to the predicted drop in temperature, the lady should be more than eager to share body heat,” he said, ignoring Kane as usual. “She seem interested?”
Kane folded his arms behind his head and leaned back to ponder the question. The old chair and springs creaked beneath his weight in a familiar song. Had Kayla Luck been interested?
“More after I told her I knew Fredericks.” Their t
ip regarding Charmed! had come from a reliable source—an up-and-coming politician who’d gotten caught with his pants down. He’d been more than willing to talk in exchange for keeping his escapade out of the headlines.
Reid had gotten a list of Charmed!’s legitimate clientele over the past year. Fredericks seemed squeaky-clean and nervous to have his name tainted by scandal. Kane hadn’t trusted the guy to keep quiet should Kayla contact him about his salesman friend, Kane McDermott, so he’d concocted the story about Fredericks being transferred overseas. Fredericks had been jumpy but sincere and he’d sung Kayla Luck’s charms, including her honesty.
“At least you picked a winner out of the hat.”
Kane nodded in agreement. If Kayla had reacted badly to the name, the plan would have been shot to hell. “I’m good at what I do. Think she’ll take the bait?”
Kane recalled the sultry smile, the soft pout of her lips and the coyly phrased question. Why don’t we see how things go? “Yes…and no.” She’d been interested, all right. The thought caused a steady, pulsing rhythm in his veins. But he could deal with a sexual attraction. Lust and desire were two sensations he could easily handle.
The lady’s other qualities were another story. A naive innocence lurked beneath the seductive body. She lacked the hard edge he’d expected, the tough facade he’d been prepared to face. Instead she’d been uncertain and unsure. She might have grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, but life hadn’t visibly hardened her, at least not yet.
Lush curves on the outside and a gentleness on the inside. It was the softness that beckoned to him and that shook him up.
“Either the lady’s running more than a charm school or she isn’t,” the Captain said.
Kane shrugged, recalling her uneasiness at dealing with compliments and her unwillingness to accept his initial invitation. An act? A game designed to bait a man, to entice him until they fell into a sweaty tangle between the sheets? Or the ultimate rarity on this planet, an honest soul with nothing to hide? Kane had no idea.
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