The mouth-watering scent of garlic and basil wafted from the kitchen to where Maddie sat at her computer.
“Dinner’s ready,” Tom called.
She rolled her tired shoulders, logged off, and stood.
When she reached the kitchen, Tom handed her a full plate and poured two glasses of merlot.
“This smells like heaven. Thanks for cooking on my last night here. You spoil me.”
Tom set the wine bottle on the table. “I’m just glad you didn’t have to wait long for an apartment to open up. You ready to go tomorrow?”
“Yup. I appreciate your help.” She took a seat and cut the sauce-drenched pasta into manageable pieces. Her taste buds danced with joy.
Tom pointed a fork at her across the table. “I should take that food away from you for slicing spaghetti. It’s a crime.”
“Arrest me, officer.” She raised an eyebrow and continued cutting. “It’s America. I can chop up my pasta if I want.”
“They’d kick you out of a real Italian restaurant.”
She scoffed. “They’d kick me out for twenty other reasons way before that.”
“You’re a fiery one.” He swirled noodles onto a fork against a large spoon. “You’ve had a tough week. You okay?”
“Yeah, well, I’m still alive and kicking.”
“Thank God.” He held up his glass of wine in a salute.
She tapped her glass to his. “Are you going bowling tonight?”
“Yup.” He glanced at her. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here alone? I don’t have to go.”
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I know it’s been a crazy week. Thought I’d offer you company.”
“Absolutely not.” No way she’d ruin his night. And she couldn’t stand to be coddled. Besides, a warm bath called to her, and she wouldn’t feel right hogging the bathroom if he stayed home. When they finished eating, he stood and took his plate to the sink.
“Leave the dishes.” She got up from the table. “You cooked. I clean. That’s our deal.”
“I don’t want you to—”
“Stop it. I’m fine. Now go.” Crap. That had come out harsh.
His expression sank as he set his plate in the sink. “All right, then.”
Geez. Now she’d upset him. “Hey.”
He looked up.
“I’m sorry. I really appreciate the dinner. It’s just been a long week, and I want to help out since you were nice enough to make this.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about it.”
The doorbell rang.
“You expecting anyone?” he asked.
“Not yet.”
He strode to the door and peered through the peephole. “It’s Kaitlyn.”
When he let her in, she handed him a folder. “Scott asked me to drop this off to you.” She breezed by him dressed in a black mini-skirt, cream-colored clingy sweater, and spiked heels.
Tom’s jaw dropped. He blinked and then glanced at the folder. “Thanks. I need to make a couple of calls on this…but they could have waited until morning. Sorry to inconvenience you.”
Kaitlyn shrugged. “I stopped at the station, and he tossed this at me and said it was urgent.” She sighed. “You were on our way, anyhow.”
Tom remained frozen in place by the door, his gaze fixed on Kaitlyn as if seeing her for the first time.
“Wow, you look great.” Maddie patted Kaitlyn’s arm.
“Hey, girl. How’s the cheek?” Kaitlyn eyed Maddie’s bruise. “Looks green now. Still there.”
“I know. I’m okay, though. Where are you going all dressed up?”
Kailyn glanced at the bottle of wine on the table. She straightened. “Sorry, I interrupted you guys.”
“You didn’t.” Maddie shook her head. “We’re finished eating. Tom’s on his way out. What about you?”
Kaitlyn smoothed back her hair. “Going to dinner with someone. He’s waiting in the car, so I should get back to him.”
“Have fun tonight.”
“Where are you going to dinner?” Tom seemed to have found his voice.
Kaitlyn halted in front of him. “Anthony’s. Why?”
Body rigid, he stared down at her. After a pause, he shrugged. “Just curious.”
“Mm-hmm. Well, have a good night.” Kaitlyn strolled out the door.
“Pretty pricey, that place,” he muttered as he stepped onto the landing.
Maddie joined him. He crossed his arms and watched a tall, dark-haired man get out of a BMW and open the passenger door.
“Nice wheels.” Maddie whistled.
“That’s the new model seven-fifty.” Tom kept his gaze on the car until it disappeared from view. “Expensive restaurants, fancy cars. Who is this guy?”
“I don’t know. But Kaitlyn seems happy.” Maddie went back inside so Tom wouldn’t see her smirk. Score one for Kaitlyn.
He followed but remained oddly silent. No banter or chitchat. Maybe he was brooding about Kaitlyn on a date. About time he opened his eyes.
“I’d better get going. See you later.” He picked up his bowling ball bag and left.
Maddie sighed. Poor Tom. He really was a great guy. She stared at the dishes on the table. Screw it. They could wait. What she needed was a relaxing bath and no one fussing over her.
While running the water, she added some peach-scented bubble bath, and sank down into the warm suds. Her mind still ran in overdrive, reliving the events of the past week.
She’d swear Scott had been about to kiss her in his apartment the other day. The tenderness in his expression had almost given her hope. But that was Scott. Hot one minute, cold the next. Impossible to figure out. He pushed all her buttons and then stepped away. Like she needed that shit.
She sunk deeper into the tub, closed her eyes, and forced her body to relax.
The doorbell rang, and she jerked. She blinked a couple of times and sat up. The bath water had turned cold. She must have fallen asleep.
After toweling off, she threw on a short-sleeved terry-cloth robe and stuffed her feet into the bunny slippers. When the doorbell rang again, she called out, “Hold on, I’m coming.”
She traipsed down the hall, through the living room, and peeked out the hole.
Scott.
Her heart leaped. Damn his effect on her. Just because he lived below didn’t mean he could knock at all times of the night. She glanced at the clock. Huh, it was only eight.
She opened the door, ready to protest. One whiff of his cologne caught the words in her throat. The forest-green T-shirt he wore molded to his ripped abs and pecs. And yeah, she stared at them.
A chilly breeze blew in. She stepped aside and cinched her robe tighter. “Come in, before I freeze.”
Scott entered and closed the door behind him.
She lifted her arm to push back her wet hair. “What do you—?”
“Damn. I never saw this.” He sucked in a breath and leaned down to inspect the bruise on her arm, courtesy of the thief. When he raised his head, fury burned in his eyes.
He reached for her other arm and gently checked the matching bruise. “I will find this bastard.”
Her skin warmed under his hand. “I’m okay.”
“Like hell.” He touched one of her sopping curls. Wound it around his finger. “I promise, he’ll pay for hurting you.”
She shivered from the cool air and his proximity. “Why are you here? Is Lucky okay?”
“Yes. I came to give you back your flash drive and show you our updated file on the case.” He kept his gaze on the curl around his finger as if mesmerized.
Maybe he remembered the way he used to play with her curls when they watched movies together.
She cinched her robe tighter. If another cold drip ran down her neck, she’d turn to ice. “I need to change and get this mop of mine under control. That’ll take a few minutes.”
His voice broke, causing her heart to do the same. “I remember.” He let go and took a step back. “No rush.”
“The computer’s on the coffee table if you want to pop that in.” She headed down the hall but stopped halfway to the bathroom. “Hey.” She turned. “What was up with Kaitlyn and that folder? Tom said he didn’t need it tonight.”
Scott shrugged. “I know. It’s all I had.”
“What do you mean?” Maddie wrinkled her brow.
He slid the flash drive into the computer and kept his gaze on the screen. “Sometimes you have to improvise. Tom needed to see her in that skirt. I found a way.”
Damn it. Maybe Scott thought Kaitlyn was hot. She’d sure caught Tom’s attention. “Why did he need to see her?”
Scott glanced up and raised an eyebrow. “Do you really have to ask?”
Relief washed over her. He’d been playing matchmaker. She bit her cheek to stop a grin. “So, were you—?”
“Stop interrogating me and go change.” A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and he turned his attention back to the screen.
Warmth filled her chest. There he was again. The old Scott. Mischievous, fun, caring about other people. Hell, he hadn’t been in town a full week and had figured out how Kaitlyn felt about Tom. And in one smart move had gotten Tom to notice her, when Maddie hadn’t managed to in over a year.
For a second, she let herself stare at Scott. The angles of his face illuminated by the light of the screen. She’d memorized every curve and line before he’d left for his assignment. Kissed his full, sexy lips and laced her fingers through his wavy hair.
Her eyes misted. She swung around to hurry down the hall. Away from him.
After changing into sweats, she came back out of the bedroom.
Scott stood near the kitchen, one hand on his hip, a deep frown on his face. His gaze rested on the table still set with the wine bottle and empty glasses. First Kaitlyn, now him. The last time she checked, it wasn’t a crime to eat spaghetti with her roommate. She’d told him she and Tom were just friends. For that matter, Scott had no right to be jealous even if they weren’t.
She crossed her arms. “Something wrong?”
“Red wine gives you headaches. Considering how many bangs yours has taken in the last couple of days, do you really think you should risk drinking it?” He waved to the wine bottle.
Her blood pressure shot up. “Excuse me? For your information, I had a glass of wine with a full meal. What are you gonna do, arrest me for it?”
“I’m just saying—”
“I took a bath, too. Maybe that was risky as well. Could have drowned, with a recent head injury and all. Where do you draw the line with all my reckless behavior?”
He took a step closer and scowled down at her. “Damn good question. There isn’t a line you won’t cross. Fighting off a thug to protect your artifacts, jumping in the river to save a dog. Where does it stop?”
His lips pressed into a disapproving line as his eyes darkened. This close, the spicy fragrance of his soap, likely from a fresh shower, filled her nostrils. She smacked away the temptation to bury her head in his shirt and breathe him in.
“Why do you feel the need to save the world?” he asked.
Pissed at herself for being turned on by him, she shot back, “Someone has to. Lucky would be dead if not for me.”
Scott’s eyes softened. “Who takes care of you, Maddie? I won’t always be here.” The corners of his mouth turned down.
The words punched a small hole in her heart. If only she could capture this moment and freeze in time the caring expression on his face. “I wish you would be.”
God, she hadn’t meant to say that aloud. Damn her lack of filter.
He took a step back. “No, you don’t.”
She held his gaze and her breath. “Maybe I do.”
“No.” He slowly shook his head. “You need someone nice.”
“Nice?”
The blank expression returned to his face. He spoke as if lecturing a science class on the properties of matter. “Yes. Nice. Reliable. Safe. That’s what you need.”
She brought her hands to her hips. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I need to go. You can check out the data on the computer. We’re done here.”
“Oh no, no.” She poked a finger in his chest. “You don’t drop that on me and then waltz out of here. You think I need ‘nice’?”
He hitched an eyebrow. “Yeah. Someone like Tom. Not him, because of Kaitlyn, but someone like him.”
“So, a guy who cooks meals for me, carries around a backup key to my car, and gives me a lift if I need one? You think that’s what I want?”
Scott glanced at the table. “I’m leaving.”
“No, you’re not. Your arrogance is unbelievable. What right do you have to tell me what I want? To even assume you know?”
He stared down at her, his face still impassive. “I know what’s best for you, even if you don’t.”
Her ears burned. Like hell. “Well, maybe I don’t want someone who apologizes to me when I get angry and backs down.” She took a step closer. “Or treats me like I’m fragile and can break. Do you know what happens when I date nice guys?”
Scott held his hands up, a pained look on his face. “I have no idea and don’t want to.”
“Too bad.” She didn’t stop her rant. He’d earned it, telling her what to do. “I walk all over them. I don’t mean to. And I feel horrible afterward. Like I kicked a puppy or something. That’s why I never dated Tom. He’s too damn nice.” She took a breath. “I hurt his feelings because I told him to leave after he’d spent the night cooking for me.”
She paced the room. “I need someone with a thicker shell. Someone who can take a little fire. Someone who isn’t so sensitive I have to tiptoe around them and watch what I say so I don’t hurt them. Or push them away because they’re smothering me with kindness.”
“Well, if you could control that temper of yours—”
“Don’t you dare tell me how to act. What am I supposed to do, pretend things don’t get under my skin? Hold it all inside for fear of driving someone away? That means changing who I am, and I won’t do that for anyone.”
“Well, maybe you should.” He moved to stand in front of her. “Maybe if you had someone to keep you in line, you’d stop acting like you have a death wish and live a little longer.”
She huffed. “To what point? I don’t want to conform. I want to feel, to live, either alone or with someone who can take me for what I am. I don’t want to spend my life worrying about what I say or do.” She waved a hand. “What if I want to get wild in bed? Try something different? I can’t do that if the nice guy I’m with might not approve.”
“For God’s sake, Maddie.” Heat spiked in his jade eyes.
Her chest heaved as she gazed up at him. “What? You don’t want to hear about my sex life? How the last man I kissed was you? How I haven’t gone out with anyone in two years because I don’t want to kiss someone who can’t kiss me back like…like…”
Fuck it.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and yanked his mouth down to hers.
He didn’t pull away.
She dug her fingers into the back of his neck and kissed him. He tasted of mint. Sweet arousal flooded her body, and he crushed her against his chest.
His hungry mouth possessed hers as his tongue flicked against her teeth.
She opened for him and moaned.
He took the kiss deeper, slanting his mouth to cover hers.
She stood on tiptoe, reached up to go deeper. God, the man could kiss. Their tongues danced as he ran one hand down her side and the other through her hair. She rocked against his growing erection, and he groaned, a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through her soul.
When he dragged his mouth away and shifted back, she leaned into him and almost fell over. She tugged at his neck to bring him back down. “Scott—”
“No.” He pushed her away.
Her breath ragged, body revved, she reached again for him. “Don’t stop.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” His eyes blazed with torment. He brushed past her and out the door, shutting it soundly behind him.
She blinked and stared at the closed door. Her aching heart still pounded. He’d kissed her back and then walked away. The same as he had two years ago. Unlike her, he could shut it down.
Hot tears filled her eyes. She covered her face with her hands and let them fall. All the craziness of the last few days washed out as she cried. Not for long, but enough to leave her in an exhausted puddle. She dabbed a tissue on her wet cheeks and took a long, shaky breath. No more. She’d move, take her dog back, and keep Scott out of her life as much as possible.
When her phone rang, she jumped. Maybe it was him. She mentally cursed to herself at the spark of hope after she’d just been burned. Seriously?
The caller had blocked his number. “Hello?”
“I’m done waiting,” Victor said. “Maybe I need to clear out your storage room again so that you have more time to work on my survey. I expect you to be at the lot tomorrow. Tell the police and the first officer who asks questions won’t be around long enough to hear the answer.”
The line went dead. Maddie’s mouth went dry, and she froze. Victor had been behind the burglary. He hadn’t attacked her, so he must have hired someone. She touched the still tender lump on the back of her head. The man at the storeroom had beaten her up and might have killed her. What kind of a monster was Victor?
She paced the room as blood roared in her ears. That bastard. He’d jeopardized everything she’d worked for in one fell swoop by stealing the Native Americans’ artifacts. If he thought she’d be his puppet, he couldn’t be more wrong. And now he’d threatened her friends on the force. She slammed a fist on the counter and squeezed her eyes shut.
She’d burn the son of a bitch. Shut him down. He wanted her at the lot tomorrow. He’d get her, but only for half the day because she was moving in the afternoon. Too bad.
Once she started Victor’s survey, she wouldn’t stop digging until she uncovered something significant to put in his damn field survey report. Didn’t matter if it took weeks. He would never be able to build his resort if she found enough. Once she saw to that, she’d go to cops and tell them everything.
Screw Victor.