Kat Attalla Special Edition (6 page)

Victoria
returned, carrying a silver tray with two glasses of Chardonnay. His gaze remained riveted to her slim hips and nicely rounded bottom as she bent down to set the tray on the coffee table. She laid out two linen cocktail napkins next to silver coasters. For someone used to tossing a can of beer across a room to his infrequent visitors, the display of well-bred manners left him feeling socially out of her league.

He lifted a large textbook off the mantel and read the title.
Quantum Physics: An Analysis of the Quantum Particle Theory.
The damn thing weighed a ton. “A little bedtime reading?” he asked.

She shrugged apologetically. “Not exactly. I wrote it.”

He glanced at the author’s name. V.R. Jansen, Ph.D. He pulled his foot out of his mouth and returned the book back to its special place on the mantel.

Seemingly undisturbed by his patronizing comment, she handed him one of the flutes. “Cheers.” She tapped her glass against his before taking a long sip.

After downing a large gulp of the dry liquid, he leaned against the wall. “So, what exactly is the Quantum Particle Theory?”

“It’s complicated to explain.”

“Afraid I might not understand?”

“Not at all. But I promised myself I wouldn’t discuss physics tonight.”

“Why not?”

She raked her fingers through the soft wisp of bangs. “Because I tend to put my dates to sleep that way.”

“Then I’ll have to read the book to find out.” He raised a mischievous half grin. “Or find another way to get the information from you.”

Although his suggestive comment brought the expected blush to her cheeks,
Victoria
seemed to have relaxed slightly. Wine had that effect on some women.

She took another sip from her glass. “Don’t be too sure, Erik. I’m very good at keeping secrets.”

He liked the way his name rolled off her lips with that trace of
New England
accent. “And I’m equally as good at extracting information.”

Slender fingers rested gently on his shoulder. “Then maybe you should retire from the Water Authority and join the National Security Bureau.”

Erik swallowed a choked cough. Did she know the truth?

Her warm brown eyes sparked in the firelight. She raised her hand and tentatively touched his hair. “Of course, they’d probably make you cut all this. They’re a conservative bunch of vultures.”

“Vultures?” Although she said the word without bitterness, the comment stung all the same. What did she know about the Bureau?

She crinkled her nose. “Maybe that was extreme. They’re more like hawks. Predators, ruthless in their pursuit.”

“You familiar with them, Tori?”

“Once.” She dropped her hand and took a step back. “In another life.”

Her mood changed immediately. Many scientists working on sensitive projects often dealt with NSB agents, but only in a protective capacity. What caused her to resent the agency, and did it have anything to do with the current case? He would have to convince someone in authority to unseal her file. The situation had become a need to know.

Chapter Four

Victoria
stood at the kitchen counter and sliced tomatoes for the salad. So much for leaving the past in the past. She slowly exhaled a deep breath, letting the tension ebb from her body. She probably came off as a nutcase, or worse, one of those moody, simpering women who couldn’t deal with life’s bumpy roads. That’s what half her colleagues thought when she resigned from the research center.

She’d tried to play by their rules, but principles and ethics didn’t always coexist with the goals in the defense industry. The best defense is a strong offense. Idealism often got lost in the pursuit. She’d made the right decision for herself and she could live with her choice. After the two years of forced protection from the government that followed her departure, she’d gotten her life back and carried no regrets. But apparently, she still harbored residual anger.

She arranged a handful of tomatoes on top of the lettuce leaves. Cooking usually allowed her to relax and take her mind off her problems. Did she plan to ruin her evening with an interesting and exciting man?

The sound of approaching footsteps and the spicy scent of aftershave surrounded her. During the long silence, she sensed Erik staring at her. Nerve endings stood at attention, giving rise to sensations she’d never felt before. At least he stayed, although she would have understood if he’d left. She owed him an explanation for her irrational outburst.

“I’m sorry,” he said before she could.

She turned towards him. “Why? I brought up the subject.”

“I didn’t want you to think I was mocking your work.”

“Not at all.”

He smiled uncertainly. “Then would you mind putting down the knife? It’s aimed towards a part of me I’d like to keep.”

“What?” She gazed down at the direction of the blade and groaned.

He reached out and carefully closed his fingers over hers on the handle. As she released her grip, he placed the knife in the sink behind her. The action brought him flush against her while pinning her to the counter.

“That’s better. I make you nervous enough.”

“No, you don’t,” she said with a slight quaver in her voice. Oh, he stimulated her nervous system, all right, but in a delightfully warming way. Any anxiety she felt sprung from desire, not fear.

She gazed up at him, noticing his height for the first time. Even with her heels, she barely reached his chin. He rested one hand on her hip. His eyes sparked with a raw hunger that left her breathless. A rush of adrenaline surged through her. She inched closer, placing her fingertips on his chest to feel his heartbeat.

And then he kissed her. A chaste brush of his lips across her forehead that both surprised and disappointed her.

He took a step back. “Need help with anything?”

Unable to speak, she shook her head. She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle on her silk blouse. Talk about mixed signals. She had her wires so crossed she might short circuit.

“Would you like me to set the table?”

“Sure,” she muttered, suddenly needing distance. “The plates are in the china cabinet along with the silverware.”

Once he left the kitchen, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Why had he backed away? True, she possessed no great knowledge of the male psyche, but Erik was a total enigma.

Time to reassess the situation. Could she deal with this kind of chaos in her normally ordered life?
Be careful what you wish for, girl.

* * * *

Erik beat a fast retreat to the dining room. The expression of bewilderment on
Victoria
’s face left him with an unaccustomed feeling of regret. Hell, he’d wanted her, and he got no resistance from her. He probably could have taken her right there in the kitchen. With the entire exchange on tape for everyone in the agency to listen to. Bad enough their evening would provide entertainment for his partner.

He never enjoyed eavesdropping on private conversations between men and women. Although he understood the necessity of his work, many elements bothered him, but never more than tonight. Corporate spying cost the government billions as well as damaging nationality security, but
Victoria
just didn’t seem the type of woman involved in illegal activities. Bugging her house and investigating her undercover seemed wrong. She trusted him.

A long-term relationship wasn’t in the cards for him. His job kept him on the road and undercover for weeks at a time. What woman would put up with that? Add to that
Victoria
’s dislike for the very organization he worked for and a short-term relationship didn’t seem likely either.

He pulled two plates from the china cabinet and laid them on the embroidered placemats. Did the fork go on the right or the left? Good thing he didn’t plant video cameras in her home because, right about now, his partner would be rolling in the street with laughter. If he were smart, he’d finish dinner and make a hasty excuse to leave. Then again, his boss always quipped that he had more nerve than brains. Which served him well.

* * * *

A gentle flutter brushed over
Victoria
’s nose. The last remnants of sleep clung to her like a cozy blanket. She grasped her pillow and gave it a punch. A muted grunt echoed in her ear. She opened her eyes and stared at the white buttons on Erik’s shirt. After a few groggy seconds, the reality of her situation dawned on her. How had she ended up in his lap with her leg wedged in between his?

She remembered settling on the sofa to watch the Monday night football game while Erik cleaned the dishes. Somewhere between then and now, she’d curled herself around him like a pretzel. She tried to unfold herself.

He tightened his hold. “Two minute warning. Don’t you want to see how it ends?”

“What’s the score?” she mumbled into his chest.

“Twenty-eight to three, Patriots are losing.”

“I don’t think two minutes will make much difference.” She lifted her head. “I’ve been asleep for three hours?”

He slid his hand down from her shoulder to cup her waist. Calloused fingertips drummed playfully against her skin. “Give or take a few minutes.”

She should have felt embarrassed by her poor hostess skills, but in truth, she felt too darned comfortable to care. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Are you kidding? It’s every man’s fantasy. A woman at my side who doesn’t talk during the entire game. I’d have to be crazy.”

“Male chauvinist.” She smacked her palm against his chest.

“Right to the core.”

She slipped off his lap and stretched her legs. Cool air replaced the warmth his body so sweetly provided. “Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?”

“I should be leaving.”

Raising a half-hearted smile, she tried to hide her disappointment. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t very good company tonight. I guess I’m still suffering from jetlag.”

Erik laced his fingers through hers and walked with her to the door. “You were better company than you think. You’re very … animated when you sleep.”

She chewed her bottom lip. Just what had she done the past three hours to give him that wicked glint in his eyes?

Erik paused at the door, facing her. He smiled and stroked his thumb along her jaw line. Despite the intimate gesture, he kept a distinct distance between them. Like earlier, he dropped a friendly kiss on her forehead and then opened the door. A gust of frigid air rushed in.

Just when she thought he would leave without saying good-bye, he slid his arm around her shoulder and urged her onto the porch with him. One minute he looked for a fast getaway and the next he pulled her along for the ride.
Men.

Face it,
Victoria
, you don’t know the first thing about men beyond the anatomy and physiology.
Nothing in her experience or her studies prepared her for someone like him.

Intense and self-contained, he was an enigma shrouded in a mystery.

She gazed at the starry sky. “Feels like snow.”

Erik leaned against the rail and tugged on her arm. The unexpected action sent her stumbling into him. Her hands gripped his shoulders, sinking into the buttery soft leather of his jacket. “I didn’t bring you out here to discuss the weather.”

“Then why did you bring me outside? It’s cold.”

“It was getting too hot inside. This way it will remind me to behave like a gentleman.”

“I don’t recall asking you to.”

“I know.” He cuddled her in his jacket. “But you should have.”

“Why?”

“Why?” he repeated in an incredulous tone. “What kind of question is that? You barely know me.”

“I know that you’ve been in my house several times and you didn’t hurt me in any way. You eat my cooking and pretend that you like it.”

“I do like it. That doesn’t necessarily make me trustworthy.”

Was he trying to let her down gently or was he naturally argumentative? “Look, I’m a big girl, Erik. If you’re not interested just say so.”

He cupped his hands over her backside and settled her between his legs. His erection pressed firmly against her belly, sending a thousand-megawatt charge straight through her. As far as points went, he’d scored a major one. Actions did speak louder than words, after all.

“Does that feel like I’m not interested?” His voice reverberated with raw emotion.

“No,” she whispered.

She’d thought she’d died and gone straight to heaven. Why did the man insist on bringing her back to Earth?

“Then, unless you’re going somewhere in a big hurry, we have time.”

She twisted against him, giving back her own brand of the erotic torment. “I suppose I could break one of my pipes so you’d have to come back and fix it.”

“You don’t have to go to that extreme.” He lowered his head, nuzzling against the side of her face. His warm breath along her neck sent a delightful shiver dancing along her spine.