Part 5 (1/2)

Somehow he had to keep Amber in the offices of Barlow & Charles. In a few short days sheAEd become a necessity to the smooth running of the firm. And though he was reluctant to admit it even to himself, she was rapidly becoming a necessity to the harmonious existence of Grayson Charles.

Roger, if he knew, would die laughing at the irony of it all.

But as he maneuvered the Mercedes through the busy evening traffic, Grayson found business to be the last thing on his mind. His traitorous thoughts kept straying into other possibilities.

What was she like away from the office? He couldnAEt help wondering. Did the consummate professional Ms. Shaw own anything that wasnAEt a power suit? Did the contents of her closet include a pair of beat up blue jeans? Was there a frayed old teddy bear hiding in a box in her storage locker like an ugly secret?

oWhat are you smiling about?o Grayson jerked back to the present. No, stuffed toys certainly werenAEt Amber ShawAEs style.

oI was just thinking about the last time we were here,o he said, turning the car into the parking lot.

She glanced over at him, her expression guarded. oAnd youAEre laughing?o oIn retrospect it was funny.o oI donAEt recall you thinking so at the time.o oI seem to have rediscovered my sense of humor.o He held the door open for her, wondering if sheAEd glare in return for his chivalrous gesture. She offered him a smile of thanks.

oMaybe Roger was right about you working too hard. ItAEs not good for you.o oIAEm sure Roger will be delighted to hear you thought well of him,o Grayson said as they followed the hostess to their table.

Right or wrong, he was determined to forget about work tonight. As soon as he got that one detail out of the way, the rest of the night was his. He intended to spend it on pleasure.

A warm breeze stirred the candles in spite of the lateness of the season. Piano music drifted across the terrace. Only the crimson leaves drifting down onto the terra-cotta tile from neighboring maples betrayed the truth. Another few weeks and the trees would be bare, but if she closed her eyes, Amber could believe it was still July and the incident last time she visited The Terrace had never happened.

Candlelight added golden highlights to GraysonAEs dark curls. Tips of flames reflected in the dark depths of his eyes. A woman could get lost in the intensity of his gaze. A woman could be lured into a false sense of security by his attentiveness, his quiet humor. Why this man? Had the circ.u.mstances been different, she might laugh at the irony of it all.

oWhen is John Barlow coming back to work?o Amber asked as the busboy cleared away the last of their dinner dishes.

oWithin the next few days.o Grayson dumped a lump of sugar into his coffee and stirred it. oWhy do you ask?o oI got the feeling he didnAEt like me.o Amber stopped short of revealing sheAEd eavesdropped on their entire conversation.

oHe didnAEt even meet you, Amber. What makes you so sure?o She shrugged and contemplated the menu of fattening deserts. oA hunch. IAEm good at reading people.o She decided to pa.s.s up a slice of the sinfully chocolate layer cake.

oI suppose it comes with the territory.o oLawyers must develop a sixth sense for people as well. You know, who really did it, and whoAEs innocent.o oIt isnAEt my job to judge their souls, Amber.o oThe ones with tarnished souls are obvious to me.o Grayson tipped back his head and laughed heartily. oAnd what about me? Is my soul tarnished?o AmberAEs eyes narrowed across the flame between them. oIAEm reserving judgment about you.o oReally? IAEm not guilty as charged?o oSentence hasnAEt yet been pa.s.sed.o oLucky me. I guess IAEd better be on my best behavior.o He reached between them, taking the gla.s.s of ice water the waitress had just refilled and moved it to his side of the table. oI think IAEll keep this over here, just in case.o oRelax, IAEve changed my modus operandi.o Grayson shook his head. oI do have to hand it to you, Amber. No one I know could have made a business of such a strange specialty.o Amber felt herself blus.h.i.+ng and hoped the darkness covered it. oActually, I was a dismal success as a private investigator.o Now, why did I tell him that?

In good grace, he let the comment drop.

But the words kept coming, as if the one gla.s.s of wine sheAEd had with dinner had loosened her lips. And her hold on good sense.

oMy business was practically in bankruptcy court, until my friend Maureen asked me to track down her boyfriend.o oAnd you found him.o oOf course,o Amber said a little indignantly. oI am a good researcher.o oI had noticed.o oAnyway, I did find him. But Maureen wasnAEt satisfied. She wanted to get even with him for all the heart ache heAEd caused her.o oSo what did you do to the poor guy?o Amber grinned at him over her coffee cup. oOh no, Counselor. I never discuss the details of my cases.o oCome on, tell me.o She shook her head, crimson hair catching the candleAEs light. oUh-uh. It just wouldnAEt be professional.o oCruel to pique a guyAEs curiosity like that. I gather it didnAEt involve ice.o oNo ice. Suffice to say Maureen got her revenge. She told two friends, who in turn told two friends....o oDonAEt you ever get tired of it? Looking at the seedy side of love?o Coffee burned its way down her throat. She swallowed hard. Now where did that come from? If she didnAEt know better, sheAEd think Grayson had a similar talent when it came to reading souls. Fixing him with her coolest gray stare, she asked calmly, oIs there another?o oMs. Shaw, you are terribly cynical.o oOccupational hazard.o oYouAEve missed your calling, Amber. You should have been a lawyer.o oOh, I could never have afforded university.o The words slipped from her lips before she could call them back. Why on earth had she told him that? Forget I said that, she wished him earnestly.

oStill, you have a successful business.o He laughed, putting her at ease in spite of what sheAEd just blurted out. oAnd I wouldnAEt have wanted to meet up with you on the courtroom floor. Once was enough.o oYou won the case.o He smiled back at her. Eyes like dark jewels glinted in the candlelight. oThe settlement was more than I had hoped for.o Grayson reached across the table and covered her hand with his. His skin was warm against the slight coolness the breeze had taken on as the evening progressed. Wrapped in his, her hand looked incredibly small. Amber rarely thought of herself as a short person. Only when she stood next to someone extraordinarily tall, or had to climb on the stove to get something out of the cupboard, did the reality of her height intrude upon her self image. Most of the time she used nerve and persistence to make up for the lack. Next to Grayson, she couldnAEt help feeling slight and delicate. Normally the sensation would bother her, but instead she felt comforted, protected. And that bothered her a whole lot more.

Amber attempted to pull her hand from his. Grayson captured it with his other hand. Having no other choice, she looked across the table at him. Velvet brown eyes stared back at her. Her gaze dropped to his full lips and she had to physically restrain herself from leaning across the table to kiss him. The warmth of his touch spread up her arm. A rush of heat swept her body. A sudden vivid image of what those hands following in its wake flashed through her mind.

This she hadnAEt expected. Briefly, she entertained the possibility he might find her as unforgettable as she had him, then banished the thought. Breath caught in her throat. The sensation of protection changed to one of being cornered.

oAmber, thereAEs something IAEve been meaning to ask you.o She had to get away even if it was just to the ladies for a few minutes to gather her thoughts.

oWould you excuse me for a moment--o Amber moved to stand up. Her napkin slid from her lap. She pulled her hand from GraysonAEs, reached for it.

And felt his fingers close around it instead.

She looked up, into his face only inches away. His breath was warm against her cheek. He smelled of soap and the dusky undertones of coffee and wine.

Before she could draw away, he closed the distance between them. Feather soft lips covered hers. She felt the sweep of his long eyelashes. Then she was swept under.

Sensation rushed in a dazzling arc from her lips down her spine. Strong arms drew her closer. She went willingly into his embrace. Her own hands laced through his dark curls. For a man sheAEd thought to be cold he set her completely aflame.

Sounds of the restaurant around them retreated into the distance. Dimly, she registered the click of the waitressAE heels against the tile as she moved toward them, then turned abruptly away. We must make quite a sight. She hoped none of the staff recognized them from their last visit.

Brazenly, she realized she didnAEt care. GraysonAEs lips molded to her own. His tongue flicked against hers, and she responded with a duel of her own. He moaned softly, low in his throat. With more of those weightless kisses, he followed the line of her lips, then dropped lower to caress the soft skin beneath her ear. Those torturous lips withdrew slightly, drifting up the slope of her nose to deposit kisses like a gift on each of her closed eyes.

But then Grayson drew gently away. Amber groaned, a m.u.f.fled cry of reluctance. Within the fire of his dark eyes embers glowed like black opals.

oCome back soon,o he whispered. Retrieving her napkin he placed it on the white table cloth.

Amber straightened her skirt and fled to the ladiesAE room.

Cool tile against her back helped dull the fire inside her. What was I doing? What was I thinking? Sometime during the meal her good sense had taken a dive off the terrace. I canAEt believe I was just kissing Grayson Charles. He didnAEt seem to mind, she thought and swallowed hard. In fact it had been his idea. Or had it been hers?

Did it matter? Either way, it was a very bad idea. SheAEd been ordered by the court to work for him, as the result of a mistake heAEd sued her for. Tonight sheAEd meant to ask him for a few hours off. And completely forgotten about Fair Game, Inc. and her livelihood.

The Charles brothers were simply too good looking and too charismatic for their own good. But that didnAEt change the fact that she wanted Grayson desperately. A strange sensation, she hadnAEt wanted anyone since Eric.

In the end it made no difference, she decided. You couldnAEt have everything you wanted in life. Some things, even though desirable, just werenAEt good for you.

A relations.h.i.+p with Grayson Charles, like too much candy, was not in her best interest. Too much lay at stake--the business sheAEd built up from nothing, her professional integrity, and last but most definitely not least, her heart. Amber knew from past experience the consequences of risking your heart in a bad prospect. Emotional damage lingered much longer than bankruptcy.

Amber splashed cold water against her face. It helped to cool the fires raging inside. Rummaging in her purse, she found her compact and brushed powder over her nose. Well, she had the outside back together. The churning emotions inside sheAEd deal with later. After a long cold shower to restore her common sense.

She made her way back through the restaurant, back straight, projecting a confidence she no longer felt. Patrons thinned as the evening wore on. They ought to be going as well. She took her seat and smiled guardedly at Grayson.

oWhat did you want to ask me?o oIAEve been meaning to ask if you--o Grayson cleared his throat. oIf when your time with Barlow & Charles is over, if youAEd be interested in doing some contract work for us.o His words struck her like a blow. Is that what the romantic dinner, the pa.s.sionate kiss had been leading up to?

Silently, Amber called herself twenty types of fool. With one kiss Grayson had her casting aside a vow two years old. Never again, she sworn. From that day on sheAEd live for herself and build up her new business. Entanglements with men caused only heartache. Beneath the flowers, the dinners, the torrid kisses, there lay ulterior motives. A stab of ancient pain tore through her, followed swiftly by a wave of fury.

Thankfully, sheAEd seen through him in time. It would be so easy to fall for Grayson Charles with his devastating good looks and his kisses that stoked fires long dormant within her. If all he wanted was some contract work, then why hadnAEt he just asked? If he thought Amber ShawAEs soul was one of the fringe benefits included, he was sorely mistaken.

Staring across the table with that same earnest expression, Grayson waited for her reply.

oI do have a full schedule just now.o Anger clipped off the ends of her words with sharp precision.

His eyebrows drew downward at her tone. Hurt gathered in those dark eyes like storm clouds. oI could really use your help,o he said softly.

oPerhaps you could find something else to sue me for.o Oops! She hadnAEt meant to say that. And not with such venom. She watched his full lips harden to a thin line. Delightful tingles of that last kiss settled in her stomach in a cold weight. She choked back the pain she knew was coming. Later. A familiar pain, sheAEd dealt with it before. She could get over it again. Amber took a swallow of cold coffee.

oI guess we better get back to the office. The work you wanted me to finish tonight is still on the desk where I left it.o oYou havenAEt answered my question.o Anguish colored his tone.

I hurt him. Guilt tangled with the ache inside. Why was Grayson Charles hurting, when heAEd led her on like that? Humiliated her into thinking he felt the same attraction she struggled with.

oLet me think about it.o oPlease do.o Grayson motioned for the check.