Page 17 of Edge of Secrets

He frowned. “What? Fire you? Why on earth would I want to do that?”

Before I had to come up with a reply, a guy opened the door of the SUV parked right in front of us, got in, and pulled out onto the street, leaving a parking spot right in front of my building. Which was unheard of. It simply never happened.

Burke pulled into it and killed the engine. “I’d better walk you up to your door.”

Oh. How very gallant of him. If only my heart would stop trying to pound its way violently right out of my chest. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” I told him, with a breathless laugh. “It’s a fifth-floor walk-up. I wouldn’t wish those stairs on anybody.”

“I’m fine with stairs. I always choose stairs over an elevator. You know. Cardio.”

Cardio, my ass. I looked over at his body, strangling a crack of laughter and transforming it into a cough. Then I got out and led him into my building.

Up, up, up. Those damn stairs never ended. I stopped in front of my door, glad for a legitimate excuse to be that breathless and flushed. “I appreciate the ride, and the company, and walking me up the stairs, and the listening ear,” I said. “You were very patient and kind. Thank you. It was good to lay it all out. It makes it seem less like, you know … like this vast, shadowy thing looming over me. Even though it still is.”

He nodded and kept standing there. A mountain, a monolith, just waiting for something from me.

But whatever it was, I just wasn’t ready to give it to him. And it looked like he was going to make me just say it, right out loud. Damn the man.

“I’m not going to invite you in,” I blurted out. “Not for coffee, or drinks. Or, ah, anything. Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but ...”

“Of course you won’t,” he said. “You hardly know me. I wouldn’t expect you to.”

But he did not make any leaving words, or moves, or noises. “So?” I prompted. “Then why are you still standing there? What do you want from me?”

“Something that I just can’t have, I guess.” He touched the end of a fuzzy ringlet that had escaped my bun and was now dangling at chin level. “I got this really strong feeling from you today. At lunch, in the restaurant.”

“Yes?” I felt my lips tremble. I pressed them sternly together.

“I got the feeling that you were trying to get my attention,” he said slowly.

Duh. I swallowed hard. “Well, yes. I suppose I was,” I admitted. “You were ignoring me so completely. I guess I sort of took it as a challenge.”

“Huh. Well. Whatever challenge you took on, looks like you definitely won.” He tugged the curl again, watched it rebound again. “I just want you to know that you’ve definitely got my attention now. All of it.”

“Ah. Well …” I laughed, a little nervously. “I’m not sure what to say, then. Now that I have it, I’m not quite sure what to do with it.”

“There’s a lot you can do with it,” he said. “It’s multi-purpose.”

“Um. Really.” The door pressed against my back. There was nowhere to retreat.

“Yeah. You’d be amazed.” He wound the curl around his finger, stroking the texture. “This is the thing—once you’ve got my attention, it’s really hard to shake. I can be like a dog with a bone, they tell me.”

“I noticed that,” I said. “The way you stared at that computer at the restaurant, a herd of elephants could have trooped by and you wouldn’t see them. But I won’t be doing anything interesting or notable with your attention tonight. Thanks again. For the ride, hearing me out, walking me up all those stairs. It’s nice to have a sympathetic ear.” I hesitated, waiting for him to take his cue. “Good night,” I prompted, pointedly.

“Is your sister here now?”

I considered saying yes, just to defuse the tension, but I had a feeling that if I lied to him, he’d see right through it, as closely as he was observing me right now. That would embarrass me to death. “No,” I admitted. “She’s driving to Delaware right now. She designs jewelry. Works the crafts fair circuit. She travels a lot.”

“You and your sisters have a lot of nerve, wandering around all alone, just doing your thing like it’s no big deal while an unknown stalker is out there gunning for you.”

I bristled at that, since it hit far too close to the bone. “That’s not fair. We don’t have any choice. We both have to make a living.”

“Yeah, okay,” he soothed. “I get that. You do have an alarm, at least?”

“Absolutely. Top of the line,” I said promptly. That, at least, was true.

He lounged against the wall, still in no hurry at all. “A dog might be a good investment,” he commented.

I snorted. “Hah. Hardly. First off, I can’t afford it. It wouldn’t be fair to the poor dog, the way I work. And you have no idea how small my apartment is.”

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