Running From Fate (54 page)

“Good morning beautiful,” James said as he walked up behind Mira and wrapped his arms around her waist.
He lightly kissed the back of her neck as Zeus ran around them.
“Isn’t that my shirt you’re wearing?”

“Why yes it is,” she purred as her body hummed pleasantly.
“
Would you like it back?”

“I would,” h
e laughed softly
and tightened his arms
,
“
but later. 
We wouldn’t want to scandalize
old Mr. Perkins.”

“I suppose you’re right.”
She sighed and, closing her eyes, leaned against him.
She could really get used to mornings like this, she though
t as she let her mind drift.  S
he was beginning to crave them.
The problem, though, was that she was
still
unsure of James’ motives for being there.

He had practically moved in after she had
come home
,
staying with her every night.  She hadn’t had the heart or the willpower to turn him away.  But was he with her because he truly wanted to be or because he was still worried about her safety?
When the man who had attacked her was caught, would he go?
Before melancholy could take over and ruin her mood
she
sternly
reminded herself
that
she was a smart, resourceful woman.
All she had to do was find a way to make him want to stay.

“Wha
t would you like to do today?” s
he asked as she
gently disentangled herself and slid past him,
heading
inside
to put on coffee.

James followed her in
, with Zeus trailing,
and shut the door,
his eyes glued on
the movement of her silky legs under the mannish shirt.
Going nowhere sounded
pretty
good to him.
“We could stay in.”
He came up behind her and spun her around for a long, deep kiss.
“And spend the day in bed.”

“I like the sound of that,” she murmured as she twined her arms around his nec
k and leaned back
to run her eyes appreciatively
over his hair roughened body, barely concealed by a pair of low-slung jeans.
“After all it is Saturday.”

“Exactly,” he agreed silkily.
“It’s not like we have anything else that needs done today.
”
He bent his head and nibbled at her lips before running his tongue along the tiny indentations his teeth had created.

A whole day, Mira thought hazily, as his tongue made darting forays into
her mouth.  His play suddenly
ended
and he pulled her forward, sealing their lips together.
They might not be able to last through it, but it would be fun to try.
  She
gasped and
pulled back.
“Do you think
you can stay away from work for that long?”

“I believe I can manage.
”
He
reached behind her and turned off
the coffeepot.
“Why don’t you go on up and I’ll follow with a bit to eat.
We need something to sustain us.”

Now that sounded nice.
She pulled out of his arms
and almost stepped on Zeus.  He
barked once and, a
wakened from his short nap,
started running circles around them.

“Or,” James s
ighed
in resignation as he
saw his fantasy dissipate.  He
bent down to pick up the squirming puppy.
“You could take a shower and put some clothes on while I make
breakfast
.”
When she was gone he raised Zeus and looked into his liquid brown eyes.
“Perhaps,”
he mused
.
“We can tire you out enough that you’ll give us some time alone.”
The
puppy
stared back, uncomprehendingly.
“Don’t make me regret bringing you home.”
Zeus licked his face in reply.
“Ok,” he added as he sat the German Sheppard down.
“I
f
you behave while I take a
quick shower in the g
uest bath I’ll consider keeping you
.”

When Mira finally came down after taking a long, hot shower, shaving her legs, and rubbing scented lotion into her skin, James was standing at the breakfast bar in faded jeans and a black t-shirt.
He was sliding bacon, eggs, and a couple of slices of slightly charred toast onto two plates.
Zeus was curled in a corner chewing on what looked to be a piece of burnt bacon.

“Here you go.”
James slid a plate and a cup of coffee across the counter and walked around to take the stool next to Mira’s.
He thought that he might have cooked the bacon a bit too long and the eggs not quite long enough, as the
y
looked a little runny, but since she was
gamely
eating them, he had to as well. 
He steeled himself and dug in.  When
the plates were cleared, he picked them up and walked to the sink.
“So,” he said.
“I thought that it would be a good idea to take a trip to the mountains today.
It would take both our minds off things.
”

“What happened to a whole day of sex?”
Mira got up and grabbed a towel.
If he could was
h
, she would dry.
When his
back was turned
she twisted the towel and swatted him.
“Don’t think you
can do it
?”

He rubbed his abused posterior and turned to her.
“I
f
that wa
s supposed to insult me it didn’t work.
Besides,” he commented, impelled to defend himself.
“This had nothing to do with my endurance.
I just realized the day would be ruined if we had to listen to Mr. Needy here
,
”
he glared at Zeus,
“
whining at the bedroom door.”

“What
do we do with the puppy if we take a trip
?
  We can’t just leave him here.
”

“If we go to the mountains we can take him.
After a nice, long walk we could settle him down in some charming, pet friendly hotel and then you and I can have a quiet dinner, perhaps a little dancing, and then soak in a heated tub for a few hours.”

Mira considered all the things that she
had planned to do
today like work on the sketch she wa
s drawing for James, return Lily’s phone calls, or do
the laundry.
Then she thought about an entire day spent away from the house and the tension that seemed to be plaguing them both.
There really was no contest.

“We won’t be going
anywhere near the work site?” s
he asked suspiciously.

He crossed his heart. 
“I promise we won’t go anywhere near it.”

“OK.”
She put away the dried plates and turned toward the stairs.
“I’ll throw some things in a bag for us while you get Zeus ready.
She was halfway up the stairs when she heard his cell phone ring.
It could be nothing, but she stopped and turned around anyway.
There was no point in packing until she knew what was going on.

James dropped the leash he had been holding and looked around for his phone.
When he
located it
on the coffee table, he bent down to pick it up.
“James Kelly,” he said by way of introduction.
“Hello Mr. Andrews.”
Damn
,
this particular client was constantly calling to check up and he always had something he thought needed done immediately.
It was a big contract, howeve
r, so he had to put up with it
.

“I see,” he murmured when the man went into a rant about some wording that he decided he didn’t like in the contract they were negotiating.
“No,” he continued with a sigh, as he turned
and sent Mira a pleading look.

“Mr. Andrews,” she mouthed.
At his affirmative nod, she winced.
So much for a romantic weekend.
“Go on,” she told him
.
He came up to her and placed a light kiss on her mouth.
“Thank you,” he whispered before he brushed past her and headed toward the spare room, which he had
temporarily
converted into an office.

“No, I’m still here sir.
Yes, I do understand and I will certainly see what I can do.”

The doo
r cut off his flow of words. 
Mira sighed and went back downstairs.
Calling Zeus, she went to her own workroom.
Might as well get something done since he could be awhile.
At least, she thought philosophically, he wasn’t as bad as her father had been.

She had loved her dad, but she hadn’t had any illusions about him.
He had loved his family, but his work had always come first.
James’ company was still fairly young and it needed a lot of attention if it was going to survive in a market dominated by big fish.
She understood that, but when that wasn’t the case anymore, he would hopefully delegate more.
If he didn’t, she decided
resolutely
as she tilted the table and picked up a pencil, she would just have to make him.

**********************************************
************

Mira leaned back and stretched as she conte
mplated her work-in-progress.
It was coming along really well.
Already, she could almost feel the rush of wind as the mighty dragon beat his wings and stretched his neck, moments away from launching his powerful body into the air.
He was missing a scale from his shoulder and he sported a long cut
down his side
that slowly oozed blood, but he appeare
d undefeated.  The knight, whom
she was still working on, had a scorched shield and a fairly deep cut on his leg where the armor had been ripped away, but his demeanor was proud and defiant
. 
She felt that it was good, but
i
t was the first piece of art that she had specifically created for someone and it was making her a bit nervous.
In some respects, it was like giving away a
small, tangible piece
of
herself
.
James had better appreciate it.