Page 8 of The Agent
“Oh, it was way worse than not sucking up. Of course, now I have to deal with two partners who have no hesitation about expressing their opinions.” Another click and he straightened, the span of his shoulders and the length of his legs outlined against the bright window. “Luckily, I can express mine right back and they can’t fire me.”
She laughed, picturing Tully, Derek, and Leland squaring off in a huge office at the top of a Manhattan skyscraper. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall at one of your partners’ meetings.”
“When they get too rowdy, I just pull out my six-shooter and fire a couple of shots at the ceiling. That quiets ’em down.” He dusted off his hands and took a swallow of coffee. “Ah, that’s good stuff. Your bars are installed. You just flip them up to open the doors and back down to brace them.” He fixed her with a serious look. “Remember to flip them down as soon as you come in through the doors. People get careless about that.”
“I promise. What do I owe you for the bars? I know I can’t afford to pay the hourly rate for your time.” She gave him a teasing smile.
He leaned his hip against the table so his thigh muscles flexed underneath the jeans and took another swig of coffee. “This was my idea, so it’s on me.”
“Seriously, buying security bars was on my to-do list for the day. Please let me reimburse you for those.” Gifts always came with strings attached, no matter how hard it was to see them. Although she was grateful to Tully for making her home safer.
“This fine cup of coffee is all the payment I need.” His tone said the discussion was over. She wondered how often his partners heard that tone and whether it shut down whatever they were arguing about.
“You’re very nice to do this for me.”
A shadow darkened his gaze for a moment. “‘Nice’ is not a word I hear very often.” He took another gulp and pushed away from the table. “I’ll just wash this and let you get on with your day.”
She leaped up from the sofa to step between him and the kitchen. “Please just leave it on the table. I don’t expect my guests to wash their dishes. Especially when the guest has been so helpful.”
She tried to think of a reason to prolong his visit. His presence unsettled her because it stirred longings that she didn’t want to feel. Yet at the same time, he made her feel protected. The combination was potent, so maybe it was better that he left now.
He put the mug down on the table. “I’ll sleep better knowing you have the bars, so they benefit both of us.”
It was just a figure of speech but she had a vision of him tangled in bedsheets—his chest and shoulders bare—thinking about her in the dark. Which sent a streak of arousal down into her belly. She swallowed a gasp at her unexpected response while her eyes flew to his. He must have seen something of her reaction in them because his gaze turned hot.
Just like that moment on the dance floor, they remained suspended, staring at each other before she dragged her attention away from the blaze in his eyes. She scooped up his mug and held it in both hands as though it could shield her from the attraction flashing between them.
His eyes were still locked on her when she glanced up again. With slow deliberation he reached out and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, sending delicious tingles flickering through her.
She caught her breath and stepped back. “You’ve been great. I don’t want to keep you any longer. It’s your day off.”
He gave a tiny shake of his head before he lowered his hand. “And yours. Have a good one.” He spun on one boot heel and strode toward the door. “Make sure you arm the alarm system after me.”
“I will. Thank you again!” She made it to the door as he was jogging down the steps. He lifted a hand in farewell without looking back.
She felt like an idiot. Even worse, a sexually frustrated idiot.
Tully settled into the Maserati’s leather seat but sat with his hands on the wheel. His body was coiled tight with physical tension. He was tempted to blow off work—it was Sunday, after all—and drive the extra thirty minutes west to the barn where he boarded his horse. The thought of flying across a field at a full gallop battled with the pile of projects that waited for him at the office. With a huff of frustration, he punched the ignition button and said “KRG” to his voice-activated GPS.
But his overactive conscience couldn’t stop him from thinking about Natalie as he drove.
He shouldn’t have surprised her on a Sunday morning but he’d been concerned. She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who was scared to walk into an empty house after dark. In fact, until last night, he had thought her elegant poise was impossible to ruffle. Whatever story Natalie’s customer had told her must have been bad because it had really spooked her.
So he’d barged in on her relaxed Sunday morning like a bull in a china shop. If she had been out, he’d planned to leave the security bars on her front porch so she could install them herself. The ones he had brought were a hell of a lot stronger than what she would have gotten at the local hardware store.
What he hadn’t planned on was Natalie looking like she’d just gotten out of bed, with sleepy bedroom eyes, rumpled hair, and breasts clearly outlined by her thin T-shirt. Even her slender bare feet with their pale pink polish had made his cock twitch. When she’d turned to lead him into the house, all he could think of was filling his hands with the tempting curves of her nicely rounded butt.
He had to admit that since the wedding activities had forced them to be a pseudo-couple, he might have had a few fantasies about seeing if he could get past that cool, controlled exterior to see what smoldered beneath. He thought he’d made progress after that dance, when their bodies had moved together so perfectly, almost like making love. Except that at the end, his cock still ached.
Last night, when she’d asked him to inspect her house, his cock had been hopeful again.
And this morning, when he’d seen her nipples harden so they pushed at the fabric of her shirt, he couldn’t stop himself. He’d given in to the impulse to touch her silky hair and brush his fingertips over the soft skin of her cheek. Her blue eyes were lit with the same arousal he felt, yet she’d backed away, her rejection clear.
He shrugged as he turned onto the highway that would take him back to Manhattan. He probably wouldn’t see her much now that Alice and Derek were off on their honeymoon trip around the world. Dawn and Leland’s wedding plans were still in the preliminary stages, so there’d be no reason for them to be together anytime soon.
He’d just go back to his fantasies. Only this time he could add a few more lust-enhancing details.
Chapter 4
