Fallen Angel (8 page)

"Thomas?"

He glanced at her, the sound of her low voice finally penetrating his thoughts. "Yes?"

"You’re a million miles away."

He shrugged, summoning a smile as he met her curious gaze. "I haven’t missed the high points."

"I hope not. Why don’t we go back down to the kitchen? There’s a survey map in the pantry that shows the boundary lines of the acreage that’s also for sale. Shall we look at it?" she signed.

He nodded. "Good idea."

He followed Geneva as she led the way down the rear staircase, across the hallway, and into the spacious kitchen at the rear of the house.

She pulled open the double doors to the pantry. Once she found the map, she spread it across the kitchen counter for his inspection.

Thomas stood beside her, the subtle fragrance she wore teasing his senses.

She faced him. "As you can see, the property encompasses areas that have been designated as wildlife refuges. Nicholas will probably include a clause in any sales contract, which guarantees that those areas will remain undeveloped. The state of Nevada is also very protective of the refuges, especially the eagle sanctuary, and they’ll expect ironclad guarantees from you before they’ll sign off on the sale."

"Nick briefed me on the situation." Thomas stepped back after inspecting the property lines on the map. "I’m prepared to make an offer on the lodge and the acreage today." He named a dollar figure.

Her surprise at the amount showed in her startled expression. "I’ll convey your offer to Nicholas as soon as possible."

Thomas ignored her attempt to delay the process. "He led me to believe that you’re empowered to act on his behalf. Is my offer too low?"

"I am empowered, and I suspect you already know that your offer is quite appropriate, but the lodge is in a remote area. Being so isolated might not appeal to you after a few months. A trial run makes more sense, especially since you’ve spent the last several years of your life in the city. I think Nicholas would suggest a lease, with the option to purchase the property at the end of either six or twelve months. That way, you’ll have a chance to experience the winter months before you make a permanent commitment."

"It’s November," he pointed out. "And I haven’t forgotten what it means to be snowed in."

Geneva persisted. "I believe it would be best if we try a lease with an option to buy."

Although frustrated with her delaying tactics, he managed not to lose his temper. He also decided not to dance around the real issue at hand. "You don’t want me as your nearest neighbor, do you?"

"It isn’t that, it’s just that I…"

He reached out and touched her cheek as she spoke.

Geneva fell silent, her eyes locked on his face.

Thomas felt the stillness that settled over her, felt even more acutely the arousal that steamed through his own veins. "You’re holding your breath. Why?"

Geneva inhaled sharply, then took a step away.

He moved closer, turning her so that she could see his face. "I want you, but I’d never force you. Not under any circumstances."

She stiffened and stared at him.

"You don’t have to be afraid of me, Geneva. I’m not a threat, nor am I a fool. I realize you have some genuine concerns about my motives."

"Not afraid," she said, and she wasn’t. Not of him. She feared herself and her hunger for him.

"Then you doubt my motives?"

"I do not," she insisted.

He carefully weighed his next comment. "If you know yourself, then you know some very important facts about me."

She frowned. "I don’t understand what you mean."

"You will in time. Look, you know I want you. You knew that the first time we talked."

"You’re talking about sex. I’m not so irresponsible that I’ll sleep with a man just because he wants me."

He didn’t react to her flaring temper. "Making love is part of the equation, but it’s just part. I’m not asking you to be irresponsible, but I think you want me just as much as I want you, so why deny it?"

Spots of color flagged her cheeks. "Life isn’t that simple. Not my life, anyway."

"You’re right. Real life’s like a minefield most of the time."

"This conversation is pointless."

"I don’t agree," he said.

"Thomas, you don’t understand."

"Then help me to understand."

She gathered herself then, an implacable expression filling her face. "We’re here to discuss the lodge, nothing else."

Thomas ignored her comment. "What do your instincts tell you about me, Geneva?"

She hesitated, studying him so intently that he wondered if she’d bother to answer him. When she did respond, she surprised him.

"My instincts tell me that you’re the first man I’ve ever met who makes me want to abandon my common sense. My instincts keep urging me to go with the moment every time you get near me or if you touch me. But other instincts, the ones that have kept me sane and safe for several years now, tell me to watch my step with you."

"That’s honest," he said.

"I’m always honest, especially with myself and with those people who are a part of my life."

"Does the latter category include me?"

She hesitated, then nodded with obvious reluctance. "It does now, even though I doubt the wisdom of it."

"I meant it before when I said I wouldn’t rush you or use you. I care about you."

"I care about you, too. And because I care, I’m asking you to accept the lease–option–to–buy plan I’m proposing. It’s the logical thing to do."

He grudgingly smiled. "You drive a hard bargain."

"Not really. I’m just trying to be practical. Spending close to three million dollars on a home and property is a major step. I don’t want you to regret it, especially since I’m not included in the transaction. Whatever happens, or doesn’t happen, between us is a separate issue."

His smile broadened. He liked her bluntness, even found it refreshing and in sharp contrast to the innuendo that most people indulged in. He especially appreciated her ability to hold her own with him.

"Regret won’t ever be an issue for me, Geneva. I’m here to stay."

"If your law practice isn’t a success, you might not want to remain in Cedar Grove."

"I’m not leaving, Geneva," he said, his voice as hard and sharp as a wedge of stone.

She nodded but only after searching his face, clearly taking the time to judge for herself the truth of his words. Turning to the map still spread out on the countertop, she rolled it into a snug cylinder.

Thomas placed a hand on her shoulder.

Geneva glanced up at him, her expression neutral.

"Cedar Grove is my home now. I’m not going back to life in the fast lane. I’ve had enough of it and the people who populate it." He hesitated. "I can’t do it anymore."

She frowned. "You have regrets about your past, don’t you?"

A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he answered her. "I have a lot of regrets, but I don’t plan on having any more."

As they studied each other, he recalled the last case he’d orchestrated on behalf of a well–known car manufacturer. He’d successfully thwarted a potentially crippling lawsuit against the company following a series of auto–related deaths.

The faces of the victims’ families still haunted him. Their lives had been shattered by devastating loss. He’d compounded their anguish by making certain that they received no just compensation. He knew he would live with his regret over the outcome of that case for the rest of his life.

Geneva reached out to him. Her fingertips grazed the tops of his knuckles, startling him from his memories. He met her gaze and saw her concern.

"Are you alright?"

Unaware of the sadness etched into his hard–featured face, he jerked a nod in her direction. "Fine."

"I shouldn’t pry. I apologize."

"You’re not prying. Someday, I’ll tell you about it. I need a home first, and I need to feel rooted again. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt as though I belonged someplace."

Her expression softened, a sad smile gracing her lips. "I understand about belonging. Until I moved to Cedar Grove, I never felt as though I was a part of anything even vaguely normal."

He chuckled, but the sound lacked real humor. "I think we have more in common than you realize."

"Perhaps we do." She studied him at length, a thoughtful expression on her face as the minutes ticked by.

He withstood her inspection, feeling for the first time in his life that he didn’t need to hide the emptiness he often felt. He already knew she understood isolation and loneliness, especially the kind that happens even when a person is surrounded by friends and colleagues. He needed her compassion, so visible in her expressive eyes. He needed her touch, not just because she aroused him on some intense, primitive level, but because there was a gentleness in her that spoke to his soul.

He needed.

So simple.

And yet, so complex.

He truly
needed
her.

Geneva managed a faint smile. "I think we should draw up the appropriate documents, don’t you?"

"If you’ll agree to a compromise."

"In what way?"

"A three month lease, with the understanding that my offer takes precedence over any others of equal or lesser value. The ceiling on the asking price will never exceed ten percent of my current offer. I also expect to be given thirty days at the end of the lease in which to execute or to withdraw from the purchase option."

"I believe Nicholas would accept your terms, although he might feel inclined to debate them simply because he enjoys the negotiation process. I personally don’t see any point in doing that, though."

Thomas relaxed. "Then let’s take care of the necessary paperwork."

Geneva nodded.

They walked to the front door of the lodge. Thomas sensed their relationship had shifted onto new ground. He also sensed that Geneva, who seemed subdued but less wary, felt the change between them.

She paused in the entryway.

Thomas asked, "Do you want to stop by your place before I drive you into town to pick up your Jeep?"

She nodded. "Please. I need to get my briefcase."

"We can take care of the lease agreement this afternoon."

"Sounds good, but I’ll need to confirm everything with Nicholas."

"I don’t have a problem with that."

She fell silent, briefly studying the planked floor of the lodge’s entry hall before lifting her face back into view. "I… I really don’t mind that we’ll be neighbors."

Thomas smiled. "I don’t mind, either. In fact, I’m looking forward to it." He reached for the doorknob, then hesitated. His smile faded as he cast an intent look in her direction.

"Have we forgotten something?" Geneva asked.

He exhaled, the sound ragged in the silence of the unfurnished lodge as he turned to her. "Just one thing."

"What?"

"I need to hold you."

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t speak or sign a response. She simply looked at him for several silent moments, then startled him when she said, "I’d like that very much."

A heartbeat later, she walked straight into his arms.

Shocked, he gathered her close without hesitation, unable and unwilling to question the impulse that had prompted his admission or the one that had guided her to him. He held her then, heart thundering in his chest as his senses registered the bounty of her high, full breasts, the flat plane of her abdomen, and the curving width of her hips.

Thomas steadied himself as desire for her stormed through his body. He wanted to absorb Geneva into his flesh, wanted to be absorbed by her. He wondered then what it would feel like to bury himself within her. The images that filled his mind were so erotic, his encircling arms tightened and heat surged into his groin.

She trembled against him, but she didn’t draw back. He felt her uncertainty, and he sensed that she, too, grappled with a level of desire that threatened to sweep her beyond the rational. He knew she wanted him, but it seemed like an eternity before she slid her arms around his waist.

Thomas exhaled his relief. As much as he desired Geneva, he didn’t want to overwhelm her. He fought yet again for control over his body even as she rested her forehead against his shoulder, slowly relaxing, slowly releasing the tension evidenced in the quick, shallow breaths she took.

Still battling the hunger she evoked, Thomas pressed his lips against the side of her neck. Her skin reminded him of satin—warm, fragrant satin.

He heard the soft sound, a combination of hunger and profound vulnerability that escaped her. In that moment he registered the depth of the isolation that had marked her life, not just as a consequence of her hearing impairment, but because of the self–imposed loner lifestyle she’d undertaken. He wanted to understand why she lived this way. He wanted that almost as much as he wanted her. Almost.

She shifted forward, her full breasts plumping against his chest, her hands sweeping up his broad back.

He groaned, pure instinct driving him as he cupped her hips with his hands and guided her closer. His loins ached, but he tortured himself nonetheless by rubbing his rigid sex against her pelvis. The resulting contact unleashed sensations throughout his body that nearly sent him to his knees.

Geneva sucked in a breath, then lifted her head from his shoulder. She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it, as if too bewildered to say anything.

Thomas met her gaze. He saw the desire that glazed her brilliant blue eyes, felt it in the trembling of her slender body.

"Talk to me," he invited, speaking slowly so that she could read his lips, because he didn’t want to take his hands from her.

"I don’t know what to say."

"What are you feeling right now?" he signed.

She answered, "Too much. Much more than I expected."

"I know what you mean."

"Losing control frightens me."

"What about loving? Does that scare you, as well?"

She paled. "Yes."

"Me, too."

Her eyes widened. "You’re being very honest."

"There’s too much at stake not to be."

She nodded, looking up at him with an expression of mingling shock, curiosity, and the barest hint of invitation. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lower lip.