Cursed (11 page)

     She laid the spoon
down with a clatter. “Show?”

     “You know, present
for sale.”

     Tess stared at him.
“I’m not sure. Those are only rough sketches, I haven’t perfected them yet. I
haven’t even made a list of the materials and tools I’ll need.” She paused and
leaned back against the sofa. “The only thing I know for certain is that I want
everything to be of the highest quality. Unfortunately, quality is expensive.
Maybe in another six months or so I’ll have enough saved to start purchasing
some materials.”

     Abel walked over to
the sofa and sat beside her. He took the tray and set it on the coffee table,
then laid his hand over hers. His skin felt warm, his palm smooth, not like
Cullinan’s callus-covered ones. She pushed thoughts of Cullinan’s rough, manly
hands to the back of her mind. She had to stop thinking of him and focus on the
future.

     “I’d like to throw a
little party for you.” Abel squeezed her hand slightly. “I have some friends in
town who are first-rate jewelers, and I think they would be very interested in
your work. Perhaps you can put a few pieces in their shops.” His tone was
enthusiastic.

     For a moment, Tess
allowed herself to envision her jewelry glittering in a showcase window.

     “How much money do
you need to get two or three pieces done?”

     His question jarred
her thoughts back to the present.

     She shrugged. “I’m
not sure exactly. I’d need to make a list. Why?”

     “I’d like to help
you get started by lending you some money.”

     Tess shook her head
and thought of Quinn’s enormous debt. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m
determined to do this on my own.”

     He smiled and the
look of romantic interest she’d seen earlier returned. Maybe she hadn’t
imagined it.

     “At least think
about it.”

     She slid her hand
from beneath his. “I’ll think about the party but not the money.”

     He nodded and rose
from the sofa. “Fair enough. I need to get back to the office. I’ll call you
tomorrow and see how you’re feeling. Promise you’ll get some rest?”

     Tess nodded. “I
promise.”

     After Abel left,
Tess sat and listened to the wind whistle around the eaves of the house. Once
again, her gaze settled on the picture of her and Quinn. She slid from the
couch and walked to the desk. The dim winter light shone in through the window
and illuminated their faces in the picture. Tess warmed at the memory and
touched Quinn’s face. What was her intuition telling her? She felt confused.
Feelings for Cullinan and feelings for Abel warred inside her. She thought of
the man who had just left and the interest she’d seen in his eyes. Had it been
real? Should she encourage him?

     Abel was caring and
protective. He offered safety just as Quinn had. Cullinan offered danger and
excitement. She’d given in once to Cullinan and to the aura of charm and energy
surrounding him. Not to mention the kiss he’d given her the other day, the kiss
she’d enjoyed. Just thinking about it caused desire to curl through her stomach
then move lower. Tess closed her eyes and then opened them. She couldn’t allow
herself to forget he’d broken her heart into a million pieces. Perhaps it was
time to follow her intuition instead of her heart.

Chapter Six

     Shrugging into her
coat, Hope exited the courtroom in the Denver City and County Building and into
the main corridor. People crowded the hallway. The chatter of voices and the
sound of footsteps increased the ache pounding at the base of her skull and the
tension gripping her shoulder muscles. After three hours of deliberation, the
jury acquitted the bastard. She’d tried her best, but a witness lied and the
jury believed him. The whole verdict hinged on his false alibi. The dirt bag
should rot in jail for shooting that young, innocent woman, a single mother
with no family. Unfortunately, he walked out of the courtroom a free man.

     She wanted to shut
out the court’s decision and not think about the deceased woman’s baby being
swept up into the child welfare system. She worried about the baby’s future.
Would she be adopted by loving, caring parents or end up being shuffled from
foster home to foster home?

     Hope gave herself a
mental slap. What was the matter with her? She usually didn’t become so
involved in any of her cases, but the baby reminded her of how her own mother
had died in a hit and run accident. The person responsible had never been
found.

     Still reeling from
the jury’s decision, Hope joined the flow of people in the hallway. She
intended to go straight home, soak in a hot tub brimming with bubbles and then
sleep for the next twelve hours. Hope headed toward a bank of elevators when
Nick Morelli stepped through the doors of an adjacent courtroom.

     For some
inexplicable reason, the sight of him helped smooth the ragged edges of her
bleak mood. A spark of sensual excitement raced through her blood. Her pulse
quickened while invisible fingers of warmth swept over her skin. A week had
past since they’d shared the intimate dinner at his house.

     She’d tried to push
thoughts of her nearly overwhelming attraction to him from her mind.
Nevertheless, the memory of Nick leading her in a slow, seductive dance before
caressing the boundary of her lips with just the tip of his finger invaded her
thoughts on a continual basis. At the time, she’d wanted him to kiss her until
she couldn’t think, but afterward she’d been grateful he had come to his senses
and backed away. Getting involved with Nick would be a huge conflict of
interest because he was the investigating officer in the robbery case and
Cullinan is his main suspect.

     Leave now before he
sees you
.

     Despite the mental
warning, her feet stayed glued to the floor. He wore a dark, conservative suit
and tie with his policeman’s badge clipped to the lapel of his jacket. His
wavy, honey-colored hair glinted under the courthouse lights. She thought he looked
good in jeans but in a suit...the man made her mouth water.

     Hope cursed inwardly
and buttoned her coat. What was the matter with her? The man suspected Cullinan
of a crime. No matter how hot and bothered Nick made her, she had to protect
her brother and the first step was staying away from him. She turned to leave
when his gaze locked onto hers. Her breath caught in her throat.

     Too late
.

     His face brightened,
followed by a friendly yet cool expression. The corners of his sexy mouth
curved as he walked toward her. His body moved with ease, the muscles in his
shoulders shifting almost imperceptibly beneath his jacket. “Hello, Hope.”

     The deep timbre of
his voice caressed her skin. Because of his height, she lifted her chin and
looked up at him. His compelling gray eyes stared into hers, making her pulse
beat harder. Unable to resist, she inhaled the spicy scent of his aftershave
and let it fill her senses. A ripple of awareness curled through her stomach.
“Nick. Nice suit...you testify today?”

     Without taking his
gaze from her face, he loosened the tie at his throat, slowly pulled it off and
stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket. He studied her for a moment.

     What does he see?
How do I look to him?

     Nick’s long fingers
worked the first few buttons from their holes on the neck of his white shirt.
Dark hair curled through the opening. Why couldn’t he be plain and unassuming?

     “Yeah. Tough day?”

     People milled around
them, but Hope hardly noticed. He exuded an aura that clouded her mind. “It
shows, huh? Justice definitely wasn’t served.”

     “Want to talk about
it?”

     His gentle query
touched her. God, she longed to unload her frustration and anger about the
verdict. She couldn’t call Cullinan because he’d driven to Colorado Springs to
check out a lead on one of the pendant’s previous owners. Tess would listen but
she had financial troubles and Hope didn’t want to burden her further.

     Would Nick
understand her feelings about the baby having her mother torn cruelly from her
life? There’s only one way to find out...ask. How could she ask? Nick made her
want to give in to the chemistry arcing between them. Cullinan, the only family
she had left, hung in the balance. “Thanks, but I’m headed home to a hot bath.”

     For a moment, a
seductive light glimmered in his eyes. An image of Nick, naked and wet while
she rubbed lather all over his body popped like a neon sign into her brain. She
wished with every sexual female urge within her he would ask to join her.

His voice jolted her back to the present.

     “A new place just
opened up across the street...it’s supposed to be quiet with a nice atmosphere.
How about a drink first?”

     She looked at Nick.
She had to get a grip on herself. Cullinan had always protected her; now it was
her turn to return the favor. Did Nick have some news about the robbery at
Abel’s house or was he on a fishing expedition to find out more information
about her brother?

     She licked her lips.
His gaze drifted to her mouth then back to her eyes, while his voice, deep and
clear, urged her to say yes. She wanted to.

     “You can relax and
tell me why you look as though someone just licked the red off your candy.”

     As soon as the words
left his mouth he looked uncomfortable, surprised even that he’d said them, but
recovered quickly, putting an unreadable expression back on his face. Did he
regret asking her out? Did the words “licked” and “candy” spoken in the same
sentence make him question his motives? Just hearing them made her fantasize about
bare skin and heat. After her terrible day, she would like nothing better than
to lose herself in an hour or two of raw, hot sex, but not with Morelli.

     Instinctively she
knew sex with him would leave an indelible imprint on her soul. Her options were
clear—have a drink with Nick or go home to a lonely apartment. Nick won, hands
down.

* * *

     They settled in a
rounded corner booth by a window. Inside the bar, fashioned after an English
pub, Hope watched people flow into the cozy interior to escape the frigid
weather. Outside, snow drifted down and coated the sidewalk and street in a
fresh layer of white. People walked by bundled from head to toe, their breath
puffing out in opaque clouds before dissipating in the cold air.

     She glanced at Nick,
who sat near her, quietly watching her. His eyes looked dreamy in the low
lighting. He sipped his Irish coffee, leaving a glimmer of wetness behind on
his lower lip. He ran the tip of his tongue briefly over his lips then took
another sip. The scent of his skin, a mixture of soap and aftershave, made her
feel like a breathless teenager. God, the man smelled good.

     A nearly
overwhelming need to move closer to him, touch him and feel his body heat
consumed her. She fought her attraction and attempted to focus on her
surroundings. Subdued lighting, the tinkle of glasses and the murmur of hushed
conversations completed the intimate atmosphere but did nothing to cool her
libido.

     Nick’s knee brushed
her leg, just a whisper of a touch but enough to send a frisson of sensual heat
flickering over her skin. The warmth settled between her legs, making her grow
wet. Hope shifted to escape the sensation, the need growing stronger inside
her. She attempted to concentrate on her glass of wine and turned the glass
around and around between her fingers without taking a sip.

     “Talk to me.” Nick’s
gentle, coaxing voice convinced her to confide in him.

     She lifted her gaze
to his and nearly drowned in the tenderness she saw shining in his eyes. How could
she refuse? Hope told him about the case and the baby’s plight. When she
finished, he shifted closer to her side and laid his hand over hers. His
fingers felt warm, the palm slightly callused. Somehow, she knew his fingers
would be gentle. A man who cultivated plants would definitely be gentle with a
woman.

     A frown creased his
brow and he heaved a deep sigh. “That’s a tough one. I’m sorry. Are there any
relatives who can take her in?”

     Unexpected tears
sprang in Hope eyes. She shook her head and tried to blink them away before he
noticed.

     He rested two
fingers on her cheek and turned her face toward his. To her surprise, for a
moment he appeared terrified and helpless. She never thought of Nick as
helpless.

     He wiped away a tear
that slipped from her eye with the pad of his thumb. “Hey, easy. She’s still a
baby and that’s going in her favor. Most couples want to adopt an infant rather
than an older child.” He paused. “I’ve talked to a lot of people in my years as
a cop. I’ve seen them at their best and their worst, but seeing you with tears
in your eyes makes me damned uncomfortable.” He smiled. “Cheer up. Everything
will work out.”