Burning Seduction (6 page)

The rather wealthy looking lady glanced around and smiled. “It looks wonderful to me.”

The tension in Charlotte’s shoulders released. “Come over to my work station and tell me what you’re interested in having done.”

The lady held out her hand. “I’m Elaine Goddard, by the way.”

“Charlotte Hart.”

For the next hour, Charlotte listened to the woman’s needs. Turned out, their tastes were quite similar—a contemporary flare with some antiques blended in. The woman had drawn the room she wanted redone in great detail, and even showed Charlotte pictures of the space.

“It will take me a few days to draw up some plans and gather all of the samples. Then we can go over my designs and you can pick which one suits you.”

Mrs. Goddard smiled then withdrew a check from her purse. “That sounds wonderful. Will a thousand dollars be enough for a retainer?”

Charlotte worked hard to keep her mouth from dropping open. Holy shit. Now she could buy a few pieces of furniture she’d been eying for her apartment. “Yes, thank you.”

Elaine stood. “I’ll be expecting you in a few days.” And then she was gone.

Charlotte couldn’t believe she already had her first client and had yet to open. Excited beyond belief, she studied the dimensions of the room Elaine had given her and then began a preliminary sketch of the new design, ideas flooding her brain.

After several hours of bending over the drawing table, her body ached, but she was pleased with the concepts she’d come up with. Wanting a break, she decided fresh air was just what she needed. That, and she wanted to share her good news with Sharon. Charlotte debated calling Patty, her boss up in Kalispell, but she thought it best to wait until she had the “before” and “after” pictures to show her.

Five minutes later, she was parked in front of her dad’s private investigation office and stepped inside. Sharon jerked her head up. “Oh, hello. You startled me. I wasn’t expecting anyone with your dad out of town.”

“Sorry. I should have called.”

“No. I’m happy for the company.”

Charlotte looked around. He sure could use a makeover in here. “Am I interrupting?”

Sharon swiveled her computer screen to face her, showing a solitaire game. “Nope.”

Charlotte laughed. “I’m glad. I wanted to share some good news.”

Sharon stood and dragged over one of the seats from across the room. “Do tell.”

“I haven’t even opened and I have my first client!”

Sharon clapped. “Your mom and dad are going to be very proud.”

“I hope so.”

“You want some coffee?” Sharon asked. “You look like you could use some.”

Charlotte dragged a hand through her tangled hair. She hadn’t even taken the time to check if she was presentable. “Sure. By any chance do you know of any young men who might be willing to help move out some furniture from my client’s home?”

“I bet I could find a few people for you. Need anything else?”

“I’ll need a contractor and a good carpenter, even though Dad suggested I ask Alex Hendrix, a friend of his. He owns a construction firm and might be willing to help, but I want a backup in place in case he’s too busy.”

Sharon made notes on a pad in front of her computer. “Give me a day or two to see who I can find. I bet there are plenty of University boys willing to earn a few extra bucks.”

“Great.”

While Sharon fixed the drinks at the table against the wall, she looked back over her shoulder. “Has Trent contacted you?”

Just hearing his name made her pulse jack up. “Funny you should ask. We ran into each other at the shooting range a few days after Dad’s party.”

Sharon brought over two cups of delicious smelling coffee. “How did that go?”

“He gave me some pointers.”

“Ooh. Did he wrap his arms around you?” Sharon leaved forward.

“A little.” Charlotte could still feel the delicious pressure, and if she closed her eyes, she could smell his spicy scent. Trent was all man. “Because it was close to supper, he suggested we go to Italiano’s. His brother works there and Trent needed to give him a lift home.” Charlotte wondered if Sharon knew about Harmon.

“How’s his brother doing?”

“Good. Did Trent mention him?”

“In passing. So are you going to see him again? Trent I mean, not the brother.”

Her shoulders sagged. “I don’t know what to do. At the end of dinner he was called away on a case, and I haven’t heard from him since. It’s been a couple days. What you think I should do?”

Sharon planted a hand on her chest. “
Moi?
”

“You, too, are out on the prowl.” It didn’t matter she was about her mom’s age. “I saw the way you were eyeing Dan Hartwick. What’s up with that?”

Sharon wagged her finger. “Let’s not change the subject. Dan and I are a work in progress. I’m interested in him, but I can’t say he feels the same way about me.” She blew out a breath. “Actually, he probably considers me a thorn in his side.”

“I doubt that. From what I’ve seen of the man, he is a bit uptight.” Darn. Here she thought Sharon had at the answers. “You must have some ideas what I should do. You’ve been married.”

She leaned back in her seat and wrapped her hands behind her head. “My motto has been if you want something, you have to go after it.”

That was what Charlotte thought she’d been doing. “I believe Trent likes me, but—”

“Oh, he likes you all right. When you were talking to those other cute cops, I could almost see the smoke coming off the top of his head.”

Excitement sizzled in her veins. She thought she’d caught him stiffening when Devon had his arm around her. “Even if he does, it seems as if work is more important to him than dating.”

Sharon smiled. “He sounds like Vic.”

“Dad’s with Mom now. What did she do to change his mind?”

Sharon lowered her arms. “Your dad never stopped loving your mother, so when she came back into his life, he knew he had to change.”

So much for learning the secret of love.

Before she had a chance to pick Sharon’s brain again, the office door swung open, and who should walk in, but Trent Lawson himself. She couldn’t have been more surprised, and from the way he was staring at her, he hadn’t expected her either.

“Charlotte, Sharon.”

Sharon grinned. “What can I do for you, Trent?”

“I wanted to see when Vic was coming back to town. I need his services.”

“He and Ellie are supposed to return a week from today, but you never know with those lovebirds.” She winked at Charlotte. “Do you need me to schedule you an appointment?”

“That would be great. Thank you.”

He faced Charlotte. “Been back to the range?”

“I wish. I’ve been too busy trying to open my store.”

He smiled. “Let me know when you want another lesson.”

Her heart flipped. She should say she’d be willing to go now, but if he turned her down because he had to work, she’d be embarrassed. Trent turned toward the front door, and Charlotte felt her chance of seeing him again slip out of her fingers.

“Hey, Trent,” Sharon called.

Trent spun around. “Yes?”

“Charlotte stopped by because she has some really good news.”

As much as she appreciated Sharon trying to put the two of them together, she could land Trent on her own terms. How though, she didn’t know. She was about to say her news was no big deal, but then stopped because his whole demeanor had changed.

His brows rose and a small smile came to his lips. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

If Charlotte told him the details right away, he would congratulate her and be on his way. She needed to be smarter than that. “How about after your shift ends, you stop by my house for a drink and I’ll tell you?” Her palms were actually sweating just asking him. Being this brave was not her style, but she was at a loss as to what else to do.

Trent held her gaze for a moment. “I can do that. I’ll text you when I’m done, since I’m not sure when I’ll be finished wrapping up the case for the night.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Trent flashed her a quick grin and Charlotte’s pulse soared. As soon as the door closed behind him, she let out a small yippee.

“I’m proud of you,” Sharon said.

Reality slowly filtered in. “Do you think he agreed just to be polite?”

Sharon’s brows pinched. “Why would he do that?”

“I don’t think I’m really what he’s looking for.”

“Oh, really? What kind of women do you think wants?”

“Trent is so fit and I’m, well, not.” She smoothed her palms down her pants.

“Charlotte Hart! You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a beautiful young woman and Trent would be lucky to have you.”

That was sweet of her to say. Sharon was overweight, too, so it would be rude to talk about being too curvy. “You’re right, and since Trent will be stopping by, I need to go and get ready. Wish me luck.” She pushed back her chair and gathered her things.

“Stop by anytime.”

“I will, and thank you.”

Chapter Six

W
hen Trent had
walked into Vic’s office and spotted Charlotte looking rather sleepy-eyed, something inside of him snapped. He’d worked hard not to think about her these last few days but all of his efforts had fallen apart when he neared her. Something about the woman turned him inside out. It had started when he’d protected her at the cabin, and she’d been so brave. Nothing seemed to faze her—that was until he dropped her off at his cousin’s, and she’d finally broken down. To be honest, he’d been glad to know she was human after all.

Trent still wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to stop over at her house after work, since from the way Charlotte had looked at him, she wanted to pick up where she left off at her Dad’s birthday party—kissing him. Hell, he wanted that, too, but there were a ton of reasons why he couldn’t—or rather shouldn’t.

It was too late now to back down. He’d already called her and told her he was on his way. He’d picked up a bottle of Malbec wine from the store, thinking the good news meant they needed to celebrate. Even though it was a Wednesday night, this felt like a real date, and with the week he’d had, he needed some release. By release, he meant some down time. That was all.

Sure.

Trent promised himself he would share only one or two glasses of wine, congratulate her, and then head home. Being in Vic’s house should be enough to squelch his desires. Hell, it wouldn’t be fair to Charlotte to date her for a few days, and then have to disappear when duty called. It didn’t matter that many people had relationships in which the partners were separated for periods of time. It still troubled him that he’d abandoned her at the restaurant and then had to ask her to do him a favor. Charlotte deserved so much more.

He pulled in front of Vic’s house and checked the mirror to make certain he looked okay then rubbed a finger over his teeth to polish them. Now he regretted not stopping home and shaving, but he didn’t need Harmon grilling him. His brother had already asked about Charlotte, and Trent told him he didn’t have time for a relationship. To say the least, that didn’t go over very well.

No sooner had Trent knocked than the door eased open. The harsh lighting from the party was gone, and in its place were two softly lit lamps. His cock stirred at the sight of Charlotte’s glowing blonde hair. Good sense told him to turn around, but the devil of old sat on his shoulder, encouraging him to stay. From the way she was dressed, she had seduction on the mind. Boy, was he in trouble now.

“Hey. You look pretty,” he said as he stepped in.

“Thanks.” The light was too dim to tell if she blushed.

He held out the bottle, not trusting himself to hug her. If he touched her, he feared he might do more. “I thought we’d celebrate whatever your good news is with this.”

When she clasped the gift, their fingers brushed, and his breath caught. He was a goddamn detective with nerves of steel, yet this woman seemed to have a way of making him come unraveled.

“You want to help me open this bottle?” she asked.

“Sure.” Trent followed her into the kitchen and couldn’t help but watch her ass sway. Charlotte looked hot in her tight pants and body-hugging shirt. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his hands off her, but he had to. “Where are the glasses?”