PASSIONATE ENCOUNTERS (11 page)

“Hello?”

“Mom? What’s wrong? You’re breathing heavy.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. I didn’t think I’d
make it to the phone before you hung up. I was in the, ah, bathroom.” She
averted her eyes from Mike, who was still standing there watching her.

“Oh, well I was just calling to make sure you got home
okay.”

“I’m surprised you have the courage to bring that up, after
abandoning me at the party. You’ve never gone off and left me like that before.”

“I, well I…”

A long pause followed and Emma knew Amanda couldn’t find the
words to vindicate her actions.

“Never mind, I think I know why.” She watched Mike make a
leisurely walk around her living room, picking up the occasional photo to study
it.

“Mike was nice enough to…”

“Mike brought you home?”

Emma could hear the excitement in Amanda’s voice before she
had a chance to disguise it.

“We can discuss this in the morning. It’s late and I was on
my way to bed.” Emma gently replaced the receiver after they said goodnight,
watching quietly as Mike continued to move about the room. He paused, studying
one photo in particular before turning his attention back to her.

The steamy situation that had taken place between them was
over, both having had enough time in the last few minutes to regain control and
come to their senses. And it appeared neither of them wanted to bring it up,
either.

Well, that was just fine with Emma. Their hot encounter was
the closest thing she’d ever come to a one-night stand. And while the sex
between them had been satisfying beyond her wildest imagination, it was
probably best they pretend it didn’t happen.

Hard to do when I have something hot, and probably
sticky, running down the inside of my thigh.

The silence between them was unnerving. Mike definitely had
something on his mind. Emma could see it in his eyes, which were still smoky
and reminding her of what happened. She swallowed hard, praying for the
awkwardness to go away.

Then his gaze narrowed on her, and Emma knew he’d gone from
lover to detective in that heartbeat. His eyes were hard and speculative.

“Amanda’s not yours,” he said with quiet emphasis, making
his way to her with a photo in his hand.

Emma’s glance dropped to the picture. It was an old one,
taken when she was only thirteen. She remembered the day clearly. The picture
had been taken at a family reunion and she was standing between her mother and
father. In her mother’s arms, bundled up in a hand-crocheted baby blanket of
pink was a newborn baby, just the tiniest bit of blonde tuft revealed over the
edge of the blanket.

She smiled like always when she looked at that particular
picture. It was the last snap shot of them together, taken barely a week before
her parents perished in a horrible car accident. Her baby sister, Amanda, had
been at home with her that evening. Emma had volunteered to baby sit while her
parents had gone out to celebrate their seventeenth wedding anniversary.

Sensing Mike’s thoughts might be going in the wrong
direction, she felt she needed to assure him. “You can relax, Detective, it’s
not what you think. I didn’t kidnap Amanda; she’s my sister. I was thirteen in
that picture.”

“I’d already guessed something like that. But you raised her
as your daughter; does she know the truth?”

Emma nodded. “She knows. We lived with an aunt for awhile after
the death of our parents. When I married Richard, she came to live with us. I
told her the truth when she was old enough to understand, but by that point
she’d been calling me Mom for so long she couldn’t seem to break the habit.”

“So, you and your husband never had kids?”

“No.” But it hadn’t been for lack of trying. She’d wanted a
baby so badly at one time that it had nearly destroyed their marriage. All the
tests had turned up nothing but a low sperm count and then the countless
procedures afterwards had ended in failure. After awhile she’d given up.

“Well, you’re a lady full of surprises, aren’t you?”

What does he mean by that?

Mike handed her the photo. “And as much as I’d like to stay
and discover a few more of them…”

His gaze suddenly narrowed on her but it would be morning
before she understood what the look in his eyes meant.

“I’m late for a meeting.”

Emma had no choice but to follow him to the door, wondering
if she’d ever see him again. “Thank you for the ride home, Mike,” she said
softly, standing back when he opened the door to leave. “And the doctoring.”

In spite of the fall air rushing in, she grew warm when his
gaze fell to her thigh. “We never did get around to putting a Band-Aid on
that,” he replied.

“I’ll take care of it.” There was no way she was going to
allow him back to the scene of the crime. And a possible repeat of what happened.

“I guess this is goodnight, then.”

His deep voice enveloped her. The smile in her eyes was met
with quiet contemplation.

“See you around.”

He hesitated and Emma held her breath.
Is he going to
kiss me?
If he did, would she be strong enough not to let it go any
further?

After awhile he simply gave a brief nod and turned away.

She waited until he reached his truck before closing and
locking the door. With a wistful sigh she flipped off the lights and went to
bed, only to dream about an irresistible Zorro with sensual eyes and a mouth to
die for.

Chapter 9

The first thing Emma noticed in the mirror the next morning
while washing her face was the mark on her neck. Her mouth dropped open and she
leaned in closer to examine the purplish bruise, and then stood back blushing
like a silly schoolgirl as pleasant warmth enveloped her. Never in her life had
she ever had a hickey!

Her thoughts drifted back to the night before, recalling the
intimate moment between her and Mike, and wondering what would have happened if
Amanda hadn’t called when she had. She’d never thought of herself as a weak
woman but Mike’s mouth on her neck had certainly turned her bones to mush and
curled her toes.

Making love with him had satisfied the hunger in her completely.
With Richard there’d always been something lacking, something she had never
been able to put a finger on. Mike had found her erroneous zones all in one
night.

She ran her finger over the blemish, tingling inside. For a
moment she was fascinated with it, until covering it up became a bigger
dilemma. There was no way she was going to walk around town, proudly displaying
it like a badge of achievement or something, as Amanda had done once in high school.
Small-town tongues had a way of turning the smallest incidences into overblown
events.

Running a brush through her hair, she tried to arrange it so
that it covered the mark. “Oh lord…” She groaned at her reflection when her
hair proved to be ineffective. Maybe makeup would work She opened the medicine
cabinet and reached for the base she used, quickly finding out it wasn’t dark
enough. In the end she opted for a Band-Aid. It didn’t cover the whole thing
but it would have to do as a temporary fix. She was slipping on a pair of pearl
earrings when she heard an all-too-familiar voice.

“Mom! I’m here.”

Emma gave herself one last glance in the mirror before
leaving the bathroom. It didn’t surprise her to see Amanda closing the front
door, since they had a Saturday morning ritual of getting together for
breakfast. “Good morning, troublemaker.”

“Troublemaker? I don’t know what you mean.”

However, her smile said she did.

“Is that coffee I smell?” She slipped the keys into her
pocket, and continued toward the kitchen with the innocent lightheartedness of
a five-year-old.

Emma chuckled behind her. “Why would this Saturday morning
be any different?” She’d already taken the cups out and was reaching for the
coffeepot to fill them.

“How long did you stay at the party last night? You look
tired.”

Emma knew she hadn’t been able to cover the shadows beneath
her eyes with makeup. She hoped that was all Amanda noticed. She was tired
because she’d tossed and turned most of the night, thinking about Mike and how
good it felt making love with him.

She woke early in spite of going to bed late, exasperated
and if she were completely honest, a wee bit sexually frustrated. Well, maybe
more than a wee bit since it had been over two years since she’d had anything
more than a handshake from a man. Making love with Mike had awakened a strong
need for more.

She began pulling out the ingredients for breakfast,
watching Amanda as she walked to the sliding glass door and opened it. Immediately
the cool morning air rushed in, filling the room with the crisp freshness of
fall.

“I didn’t sleep well last night.” It was always better to
stick as close to the truth as possible. “Do you see Rosy out there yet?”

Amanda turned her gaze in the direction of the crab apple
trees that grew down by the lake, and shook her head when she didn’t see the
deer. “All I see is some boaters out on the lake.”

“Fishing no doubt,” Emma said unconsciously, taking a moment
to sip at her coffee.

“I go with Troy once in awhile; it’s very relaxing.
Sometimes he fishes and I just sit back and take in some sun or do a little
reading.” She walked back to Emma, and was just about to reach for her coffee
when she finally noticed the Band-Aid. Her eyes rounded with mild concern.
“What happened to your neck?”

Emma lowered her gaze, and pretended to be absorbed in what
she was doing. She felt her cheeks grow hot with guilt. She shrugged her
shoulders in an attempt at casualness. “A bug must have bitten me while I
slept.” The small lie almost stuck in her throat.

“A bug?”

Emma made the mistake of glancing up, seeing the speculation
on Amanda’s face as she examined the area more thoroughly, probably noticing
the discoloration she hadn’t been able to cover. She couldn’t recall a time
when she felt so frustrated, or embarrassed.

“Let me see it; the color looks bad. Maybe it was
poisonous.” She started around the island where Emma was grating cheese.

Emma quickly brushed her off, clearing her throat nervously
“That’s not necessary. Believe me, he wasn’t poisonous.”

Amanda pounced on her mistake right away. “He?”

“I meant it, the bug.”

Sitting back on the stool she’d just vacated, Amanda made an
obvious attempt at trying to hide a knowing smile behind her cup and doing a
poor job of it. Emma shot her a scowl but remained quiet, knowing she’d only
hang herself if she pursued it.

“So, anything, ah, exciting happen last night?” Amanda asked
after a few minutes of silence.

“Yes, as a matter of fact. On the way home last night a buck
standing in the middle of Bear Lake Road forced us to stop and then someone
took a shot at us. Or rather, at the buck.” She had the satisfaction of seeing
the knowing smile disappear off Amanda’s face. That clearly wasn’t the exciting
news she was hoping to hear. “But as you can see, I’m okay, so is Mike.”

“I was half-asleep when I heard that come across Troy’s
scanner, and then he took right off. He was gone this morning when I got up so
I haven’t talked to him. That was you and Mike?”

Emma nodded.

“God, I’m glad you’re both okay. That road is so dark at
night.”

“Yes, we were lucky. They shot out the window in Mike’s
truck.”

“You’re kidding!” Amanda’s gaze moved over Emma as if
looking for something. “I wonder if the incident was on the morning news.”

Emma shrugged, smiling to herself. At least she managed to
get Amanda’s mind off her bug bite. Anything else she could handle. Only Emma’s
small triumph was short-lived.

“So, ah, what happened after Mike brought you home last
night?”

“Nothing.” Emma lied without hesitation, slipping the
breakfast casserole in the oven. “Nothing at all. And if you want me to go to
the gym with you later today, you’ll drop it.”

Amanda knew when to shut up, but she couldn’t help the huge
grin of satisfaction spreading across her pretty face. So far it appeared her
matchmaking scheme was working, in spite of Troy’s warning that Mike wasn’t
shopping for female companionship. That might explain Mike’s weird idea of
letting Emma believe he was married.

Still, that alone was a clear indication he was attracted to
her and was using that to keep a wedge between them. Amanda was positive Mike
and Emma were perfect for each other. They just needed a little push in the
right direction. She’d made sure Mike saw her leaving with Troy the night
before, knowing he’d offer to take Emma home.

Sipping quietly at her coffee, she squinted at the Band-Aid
on Emma’s neck. She wasn’t stupid. She knew her sister was trying to hide a
hickey. Emma wasn’t immune to Mike either if she let him get that close so soon
after their second arranged meeting. All Amanda had to do now was come up with
more ideas on how to get them together.

Maybe Melissa could help in some way.

* * *
*

Mike cast his line out for the umpteenth time that day,
wondering why he wasn’t having any luck. He usually went home with a couple of
big ones that he and Melissa would have for dinner that night. There was
nothing better than fresh bass fried in beer batter. However, something was
definitely off. He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach at what that
something was. Or rather, somebody.

It came in the form of one shapely, troublesome female. And
one who turned him on quicker than he could take a breath. He glanced toward
the shoreline and beyond, where Emma’s townhouse was located. Is that her on
her patio? He squinted even more but the sun bouncing off the water nearly
blinded him. Grumbling with annoyance, he reached for his baseball cap, and
slammed it down on his head.