Cursed (9 page)

     “Any more
questions?”

     He smiled. “There
are always more questions.”

     “Is this a
cross-examination, Detective?”

     Her smooth voice with
an underlying hint of challenge intrigued him. “That’s your department. I’m not
a lawyer, remember?”

     “Sure feels like
one...”

Unable to resist, he leaned toward her.
“Believe me, Hope, if I ever cross-examine you, you’ll know it,” he said in a
low, velvet tone.

     The violet color of
her eyes darkened slightly and her lips parted on a soft sigh before she
shifted away. He sipped his wine and kept his eyes fixed on hers. “What exactly
was your brother doing while you were attending law school?”

     She looked at him a
moment longer while her lips curved in a mercurial smile. He could almost see
the wheels spinning in her shrewd attorney’s brain. “I don’t remember ...
exactly.”

     “Avoiding my
questions won’t help your brother, Hope.”

     Her expression grew
serious as though she were about to start her closing arguments in a case. She
leaned toward him, her eyes sharp and assessing. “I want to make one thing
crystal clear.” Steel edged Hope’s silky voice.

     “Oh, yeah, what’s
that?”

     “I’ll do whatever it
takes to protect my brother.” She spaced the words out evenly.

     “Anything?” He
stared directly at her. “Even break the law?”

     Her eyes narrowed.
“Are you accusing me of something, Detective? Because if you are, I’d rather
you just came right out and said it...” She finished in a crisp tone.

     His suspicion of her
raised another notch, but so did his respect. This woman kept him on his toes.
“I’m not accusing you of anything, Counselor. Why are you being defensive?”

     She pressed her
delectable lips together for a moment in a tight line then relaxed them and
picked up her wine. Hope watched him out of the corners of her eyes and threw
him a smile. “I’m an attorney. It comes with the territory.”

     The tension broke
and Nick grinned. It had been a long time since he’d spent such an enjoyable
evening dealing with a smart, enticing woman. “Would you like some more?”

     “More accusations?”
She countered as she sipped her wine.

     He smiled. “More
food.”

     Hope shook her head.
“I’m stuffed. It was wonderful, though. Thank you.”

     “You’re welcome.” He
gathered their plates and stood. “I hope you left room for the dessert you
brought.”

     She smiled and her
eyes danced mischievously. “I always have room for dessert.” Her husky voice
rippled over a knot of awareness filling his gut. “But I was hoping you’d show
me your greenhouse first.”

* * *

     They put on their
coats and stepped outside into the clear, frigid night. As they walked along a
shoveled path toward the southwest corner of the back yard, Hope could see the
outline of the greenhouse huddled in the darkness. Mysterious shadows danced
around the yard.

     She looked up at a
thin crescent moon hanging in the black velvet sky crammed with stars then
glanced over at Nick. Fear for her brother clouded her mind. She had to protect
him and the key was turning the tables on Nick Morelli.

     From Nick’s pointed
questions a few minutes ago, it was obvious that he thought Cullinan had
committed the robbery at Abel’s house. Did he suspect her as well? That crack
about breaking the law still rankled. She was an honorable attorney now, not
the cat burglar she used to be working jobs alongside her father and brother.
To top it off, she was attracted to Nick, the dedicated cop who was going to
try to bring her brother down. What was she going to do about her attraction?
Absolutely nothing. She had Cullinan to think about, not her own libido.

     Hope shivered inside
her coat against the cold. She wouldn’t see him again, she vowed silently.
Unless he came to her office on official business. Otherwise, no more home
cooked meals for two in the warm, cozy interior of his house or anywhere else
for that matter. She should have insisted he come to her office in the first
place instead of agreeing to meet him

on his own turf.

     She felt him walking
next to her, the warmth and scent of his body reaching out, surrounding her.
Their breath mingled and dissipated into the night. Her pulse tumbled. The man
was definitely hot. God help her, she was starting to forget the reason she was
here in the first place. Nick had raised the stakes considerably by focusing
his attention on Cullinan. She had to get a firm grip on her hormones and find
out everything she could about his investigation if she was going to keep her
brother safe. The insane attraction she felt for Nick had disaster written all
over it.

     When they reached
the small lean-to greenhouse, Nick opened the door and they stepped inside the
warm, humid interior. He flipped a switch and light washed through the space.
The air smelled of healthy plants, soil and fertilizer. Nick pressed a button
on a CD player sitting on a shelf by the door and the sound of a saxophone,
deep and sensual, permeated the room. Interesting, a man who nurtures plants
with music.

     Hope looked around
at the snug interior about the size of her office. There were three planting
benches along a wall lined with glass shelving that made an efficient use of
the small space. Plastic flats marked with the name and planting date of new
seedlings that appeared green and healthy filled the shelves ... “Lovely.”

     “Thanks.” There was
a hint of pride in his voice. “It’s got everything I need, a water supply, work
benches, a heater for controlling the temperature and shades to diffuse the
sunlight when I need to.”

     She had a sudden
image of her mother patting the soil around a newly planted rose bush. “My
mother would have loved it here. She had quite a green thumb.” Hope sighed.
“I’m not very good with plants I’m afraid, so you’ll have to educate me.”

     As they strolled
around the room, Hope grew warm and took off her coat. She wasn’t sure if it
was because of the temperature of the greenhouse, the spicy jazz playing, or
Nick’s presence by her side. Hope stopped now and then to study the pots of
flowers and herbs.

     Along the far end,
she spied a rather sickly looking geranium. “This one doesn’t look so good ...”

     Nick moved up behind
her and looked over her shoulder. Hope smelled his soap and the light tangy
hint of aftershave. She closed her eyes, took a long, slow breath and just
breathed him in. Hope wanted to lean against him and see if his chest was as
solid as it looked. Her eyes popped open in shock at how quickly she brushed
aside her vow to control her attraction.

     “My mother had it in
her kitchen...” He stood so close that his breath blew against Hope’s ear. She
swallowed hard as desire made her skin grow warm and tight. The only reason she
felt this attraction, she reminded herself, was that it had been too damn long
since she’d had sex. Yes, that was it. Nothing more.

     “I should have known
better than to give her a plant.” Nick’s voice rang with affection, seemingly completely
oblivious to her growing desire. “In a few more weeks, you’ll never know it had
been neglected.”

     Hope had begun to
feel neglected herself. Sexually speaking, that is. Her own fault, she
supposed. She’d been focusing solely on work for the past several months. If
she had been going out on a regular basis, she wouldn’t feel this intense
attraction for Nick. Maybe if she told herself that a few hundred times she’d
start to believe it.

     The music changed to
a familiar song, and Hope couldn’t help but smile at the memory it evoked.

     “Why are you
smiling?” Nick asked, still looking over her shoulder.

     Startled out of her
thoughts, Hope turned. He was close, much too close but she couldn’t bring
herself to step away from his enticing maleness. “I was just thinking that I
haven’t heard that song since the night of my prom.”

     His blue gaze slid
to her mouth. What if he tried to kiss her? Would she let him?  Yes, a
voice said in her mind. No, her more rational side answered.

     “Want to dance?”

     Not a good idea. Her
pheromones were already running amok. “I don’t think I remember how.” 
Darn it, her voice had a breathless quality she was unable to control.

     Nick moved closer
and slid one arm around her waist. Only a dizzying current of lustful awareness
separated their bodies.      “Sure you do.” His soft
statement stirred her desire. “It’s just like making love. Once you get busy...
all the moves come rushing back.”

     Heat curled through
her belly at the sound of his deep, sexy voice and the way he wrapped his
tongue around the words “making love.” A sudden vision of what he might look
like naked popped into her brain and her heart rate kicked into overdrive. She
shook away the image, trying desperately to shift her Emotions back to solid
ground again. Just because the guy was a definite turn-on didn’t mean she had
to do anything about it, right?

     Nick locked eyes
with her and seemed to probe to her very soul. The air between them grew thick
with tension. Her pulse throbbed and her heart shuddered with desire. He was
getting to her. His eyes, his mouth, everything about him tempted her senses.
She needed to get away from his irresistible male attraction before she did
something they would both regret.

     Before she could pull
out of his embrace, Nick grasped her right hand and lifted her arm before
easing her into a slow dance. Little wings of sexual need beat steadily in her
stomach. Warmth from his hand burned through hers and into her body. Her breath
grew shallow and her knees felt weak as Nick kept his gaze directly on hers.
The music slowed as the song ended. He crowded her next to a table and stopped.
When he removed his arm from around her waist, she suddenly felt cold.

     With delicate
precision, he traced around her mouth with his finger. His breath fanned over
her lips. Hope’s throat grew tight and her mouth tingled. For a minute, she
imagined him caressing her not just with his finger, but his whole hand -- no,
make that body. What was she thinking?

     Slowly, he lifted
the hand he still held gently in his and kissed her palm with just a hint of
tongue. Her stomach slid to her toes.

     “Thanks for the
dance.”

Chapter Five

     Cullinan perused a
stack of invoices at his desk in the shop and forced himself to concentrate.
Despite his best efforts, Tess’s words echoed through his mind.
I never
thought you capable of hurting anyone
.

     He tossed the
invoices aside and leaned back in his chair. How could she think such a thing?
Besides,
I stole from only the ultra rich just as Dad taught me and donated a portion of
the profits to charity
.

     His gaze fell on the
jade egg still sitting on his desk. He reached over, picked it up, and rubbed
his thumb over the carved Chinese figures and three white stones set into its
surface. Of all the baubles his father had stolen through the years he loved
this one the most. He was glad his father had decided to keep it.

     Was Tess right? Did
stealing in hopes of completing his father’s mission and giving a portion of
the profits to charity justify his actions? He’d always thought so; at least
until Tess walked back into his life. Now he wasn’t so sure. Even if caught and
eventually put in jail, he would never be able to reveal the truth. A wry smile
curved his lips. They wouldn’t believe the story anyway. Frowning, he set the
egg carefully back into the gold stand.

     Tess.

     After all this time
the woman he’d given his heart and soul to still thinks of him as a common thief.
How could she believe he would steal her pendant? Would he have stolen it if
he’d known that it was
the
pendant and put an end to his father’s quest?
Seeing her, holding her, kissing her again brought up old feelings, the love he
thought he had buried finally when she walked away from him eight years ago.
All it took was a look, the sound of her voice, the sweet taste of her lips,
and the emotions flooded back.

     An image of her face
loomed in his mind. She still cared for him too. No matter how much she tried
to hide it. Attraction shone vividly in her eyes. A ray of hope touched his
heart. Did he have the chance to win her back? He smiled slightly. Maybe he
could.

     His smile faded.
What would it take? He thought about the small job he had planned for the end
of the month. He’d researched carefully, hoping the particular piece he planned
to steal would be
the
one. Only stealing wouldn’t help him win Tess. He
would have to stop altogether. Was he willing to sacrifice the mission to
secure his own happiness? A curtain of sadness cloaked his heart. No, he knew
he wouldn’t stop until the quest was complete.