Dark And Dangerous (8 page)

Relieved at the change of
topic, she looked back at him.

 
"They did?"

 
"Yeah. In fact my mother was talking
about inviting you over for a family dinner. But Yasmin told her to take it a
bit easy with you. Warned mom that otherwise she might scare you off."

 
"Oh." Was all Kayley could think of
to say.

 
"However, I told her I might be able to
convince you to come with me."

 
"You did?" She felt a spurt of
panic run down her spine.

Reading her reaction, he
smiled to himself. "Yes. Now, I was thinking about tomorrow night. We're
all having dinner together. Dad is probably going to grill and I think mom is
making her famous apple cobbler."

 
"But I ..."

 
"Mom is hoping you will come."

 
"But I can't impose on a family
dinner."

 
"It's not imposing when you're
invited," he said evenly.

Before Kayley could think
of an answer, the limousine stopped and their door was opened.

 
Embarrassed that she was still sitting on
Nathan's lap, Kayley hurried out of the car, doing her best to hide the blush
that crept up her cheeks at Timothy's smile.

Nathan didn't seem the
least bit affected though as he followed her. He simply took the picnic basket
and a blanket and led her down a small overgrown path, like it was something he
did
everyday
.

Maybe it was, Kayley
thought annoyed.

 
"This is a beautiful place. I've never
been here before. Have you?" Nathan asked.

 
"No." Kayley avoided the
considering look he sent her, and kept her eyes glued to the ground.

 
"Something wrong, Kayley?"

 
"No."

 
"You sure about that?"

 
"Positive," she lied through her
teeth and stubbornly avoided his eyes.

 
"You know," he said almost
thoughtfully, "I wouldn't have pegged you for a liar."

 
"I'm not a liar." Kayley's eyes
sparked fire. "I never lie."

 
"Then tell me the truth," he dared
her.

 
"I wasn't lying, because there is
nothing wrong. I was simply wondering how often you take women on
picnics." Her voice was icy with disdain.

 
"You jealous, Kayley?" He grinned
at the shocked look on her face.

 
"Certainly not," she said a little
too hotly.

 
"Good." He took her hand and
grinned again, when she tried to jerk it away. He simply tightened his grip and
lifted it to his lips. "You know, if you try to pull away from me, I'm
just going to think I'm right."

 
"You're insufferable."

That made him laugh
outright and kiss her hand again. "But just so you know, the last time I
went on a picnic I was fifteen."

 
"Oh." Kayley felt a blush climb her
cheeks.

 
"How about you?"

 
"Me?" she asked surprised.

 
"Yeah. When's the last time you went on
a picnic," he linked fingers with her, "and should I be
jealous?"

 
"I-" She looked up at him
exasperated. He just kept surprising her. "This looks like a nice spot to
eat." She said changing the subject quickly.

 
"Now you're making me curious. Do I have
reason to be jealous?" Damned if his jealousy didn't already stir at her
evasion.

 
"No, you don't." She could hear it
in his voice and felt better for it.

 
"This looks like the right spot."
Nathan set down the picnic basket and spread the blanket over the ground.

 
Chapter 8

 
They
ate by the side of a small peaceful river, in the cool shade of a tree, while
Nathan slowly pried information out of her about her past, so carefully a
little at a time, that she barely noticed it.

 
As they reached their dessert, Kayley took a
bite of rich chocolate cake, and sighed with pleasure.

 
"Mm, this is heavenly," she
exclaimed.

 
"Yeah, it really is." He took
another bite. "So you said your teacher made sure you went to
France?"

 
"Yes. Miss
Kans
thought I had talent, so she took me under her wing. She was very good to me.
She would invite me home
everyday
and give me a hot
meal, because she knew we were so poor. She even invited Joe to come as well,
when she found out I had a brother. She had a very good heart, and still
do."

 
"She sounds like it."

 
"She tried for years to keep Joe out of
trouble, and until I went to Paris I thought she had succeeded. But when I came
home he was gone, and I only saw him twice after that."

 
"So your brother and Miss
Kans
were close?"

 
"Yes, very. Even when I didn't hear from
Joe, Miss
Kans
always did. I think he would call her
every couple of months." Then her words dawned on her. She looked at
Nathan and saw he had drawn the same conclusion.

 
"Where does she live?" he asked
intently.

 
"She has a small apartment here in San
Francisco."

 
"Do you think she's home?"

 
"Yes. She never travels and barely ever
leaves her apartment now, but she does give private painting lessons. So
chances are she's there."

 
"Want to pay her a visit?" Nathan
asked.

 
"She would love that."

They packed up quickly and
headed back to the limousine. As they drove back into the city and through it,
Nathan wondered at the difference. Where Kayley's old neighborhood had been old
and rundown, her teachers were old and charming. The buildings weren't high and
mighty as you would normally think they were in San Francisco. Instead they
were small and lovely, nestled side by side.

 
They parked in front of one of the buildings
and got out. Kayley pushed the buzzer on the panel beside the door and waited.
It took a few moments before it was answered.

 
"Yes."

 
"Miss
Kans
,
it's Kayley Hamilton," she said in a clear voice.

 
"Kayley?" The pleasure was obvious
in Miss
Kans
voice. "Come in."

The buzzer sounded and
Nathan pushed open the door. "Elevator or stairs?" he asked taking
her arm.

 
"We might as well take the stairs. It's
only on the third floor."

When they reached it,
Nathan saw a small slender woman with gray hair tied in a lose knot on top of
her head, and cheeks rosy with joy. He watched as she opened her arms to Kayley
and hugged her close.

Then her attention turned
to Nathan. He noticed that she looked him over in a second, and apparently
approved of what she saw. Her smile bloomed and her eyes sparkled.

 
"And who is this young man?" she
asked Kayley, without looking away from him.

 
"This is Nathan Sanders," Kayley
said, thinking desperately of an apt way to describe him. Something other than
what she could see Miss
Kans
was already thinking.

 
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Kans."

 
"Oh," she said blushing a bit.
"Come inside."

Nathan followed Kayley
into a small cozy apartment, decorated with old antiques, flowery patterns and
frilly curtains. A big gray cat greeted them as they entered the living room
and another sat lazily on the windowsill, watching them with big green eyes.

"Hello, Arthur and
Guinevere," Kayley said. Hearing their own names, both of the cats meowed
and walked over to twirl themselves around her legs.

 
"Now, you two just take a seat and don't
mind Arthur and Guinevere," Miss
Kans
said,
walking into the kitchen. "I'm going to make us some nice
camomile
tea and we will have homemade cookies that I made
just this morning."

 
"Just sit down, Nathan. I'll go see if I
can help with anything," Kayley said, too softly for Miss
Kans
to hear.

She walked into the
kitchen as Miss
Kans
put the kettle on. "Can I
help with anything?"

 
"No, you just relax," Miss
Kans
said patting her hand, and arranged cookies on a
plate. "I like your young man."

Kayley winced. "He's
not my young man."

 
"Of course not." Miss
Kans
smiled overbearingly.

 
"He's really not. He's just ah..."
What
was he
, Kayley thought. "He's just the
brother of the gallery owner where my paintings are exhibited.

 
"Of course he is," she said and
patted Kayley's hand again. "Now, why don't you take these cookies into
the living room and I'll be right along."

 
"Okay." Feeling out of her depth,
Kayley took the plate of cookies and headed back into the living room. She set
the plate on the table, and sat down beside Nathan on the small sofa.

 
"So," he said in an undertone,
"I'm not your young man?"

Blushing, Kayley looked at
him.

 
"I ah
…
" She cleared her throat. "She seems
to have gotten it into her head that you are, and I was just trying to ah
…
"

 
"Trying to what?" he asked knowing
very well what she meant.

 
"Trying to
…
" She trailed off relieved when Miss
Kans
came back in carrying a tray.

Taking the tray from her,
Nathan set it on the table and made her blush happily.

 
"Why, thank you." She took a chair
across from them. "Now, you just go ahead and take what you want."

Falling back into their
old routine, Kayley poured tea and handed out cups.

 
"It's so wonderful to see you, Kayley. I
saw the article from your last exhibition. It received wonderful reviews."

 
"You keep track of her work?"
Nathan asked.

 
"Oh, yes. I keep every article."

 
"You do?" Kayley asked surprised.

 
"Of course I do."

 
"You must be very proud of her,"
Nathan said.

 
"I certainly am."

 
"Kayley told me that if it wasn't for
you she would never have gone to Paris."

 
"With her talent I'm sure she would
eventually. I just sped up the process," Miss
Kans
said. "Or maybe she would have taken a different road, but I'm sure she
would have ended up where she is now anyway."

 
"She also told me you made sure she and
her brother got a hot meal every day."

 
"Anyone would have done that," Miss
Kans
stated.

 
"No, I don't think they would. In fact
I'm sure many people could have done exactly that and they didn't." He
reached over and took a cookie. "Kayley also told me how you tried to keep
Joe on the straight and narrow."

 
"He simply needed guidance. He was
always a good boy. He just needed a little help to find his way." She
beamed a smile at Kayley. "He called me about a month ago and told me how
well he was doing at his job."

 
"Is he still driving trucks?"
Kayley asked tensing.

 
"Oh, no. He met another truck driver
that recommended him to his company, and after working for them a few months
they promoted him to oversee their import details." She said it so
proudly, like a mother would. "He told me he lives in a wonderful
apartment, and even bought a boat."

 
Kayley gave Nathan a warning look. She didn't
want to burst any of Miss
Kans
dreams.

Understanding, Nathan
reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, telling her silently that he
understood.

 
Seeing the gesture Miss
Kans
smiled dreamily. They were such a sweet couple, she thought.

 
"What kind of import does his company
do?" Nathan asked.

 
"They import art from Europe."

He exchanged a look with
Kayley. "It sounds like he's really been turning his life around,"
Nathan commented. "What is the name of the company he works for? Maybe I
know it."

 
"Oh, what was it he called it. It was
something with an S I think. A common last name. Smith I think. Yes, that is
what it was. Smith Imports."

 
"Smith Imports," Nathan repeated.
"I don't think I've heard of them. Where are they located?"

 
"In San Diego. He said it is such a
lovely place."

 
"It is. I've been there several
times."

 
"Do you travel much?" Miss
Kans
asked Nathan.

 
"Not extensively, but I do get
around."

 
"Nathan owns a resort in Monterey,"
Kayley explained. "So he's used to traveling"

 
"Oh, my," Miss
Kans
said. "Is it big?"

 
"We have expanded it a few times, but we
have tried to keep the feeling of intimacy."

 
"I have never been to a resort, but it
sounds lovely."

 
"You know," Nathan said on a sudden
burst of inspiration, "my resort is exhibiting Kayley's work in about a
month. Why don't you come to the big
opening.
I'll
arrange for my driver to pick you up at your apartment and take you to the
airport where a helicopter will be waiting. What do you say?"

 
"Well, I..." Excitement sparkled
clearly in her eyes. "I don't know what I would do about Arthur and
Guinevere."

 
"I'm sure one of your neighbors could
take care of them," Nathan said.

Kayley watched in stunned
amazement as Nathan easily coaxed Miss
Kans
into
complying with him. He did it so smoothly that by the time they had said
goodbye and was back in the car, her head was still spinning.

 
"You're very smooth," Kayley
commented dryly.

 
"That doesn't quite sound like a
compliment."

 
"It wasn't." She looked
thoughtfully at him. "Why do you do all these nice things for me
Nathan?"

 
"I believe we've already had this
conversation."

 
"I'm still not going to sleep with you,
if that's what you think."

The corner of his mouth
quirked up, and his eyes laughed at her. "If that was my only intention
you would have done so already, and I wouldn't have needed to do all those nice
things for you, as you put it," he said confidently.

 
"Oh, is that right?"

 
"Yeah."

 
"So what, you think that just because
you're you, I would throw myself at your feet, because you're just that
great?"

 
Watching her eyes darken with anger, he
grinned at her. "I'm not saying you're easy, Kayley. I'm simply saying
that I wouldn't have to impress you with grand gestures to sleep with you. That
wouldn't work with you, and we both know it."

 
"Hmm." Unimpressed she crossed her
arms.

 
"And besides," he said still
grinning at her, "you wouldn't be able to resist my charm anyway."

Temper flashed in her eyes
and burned red on her cheeks. He laughed delighted with her reaction

 
"You're so cute when you're angry,
Kayley." He reached out to touch her cheek and had her slapping his hand
away.