formula? If the formula didn’t include the missing ingredient, would the man in the gray cloak come looking for it again? Mercy, that was a scary thought!
She needed to see Kaiden, needed to make sure he was all right. Once again, she searched her mind for some excuse to visit him and then smacked her forehead with her palm. She had the perfect excuse. He had offered to help her clean up the mess in Granda’s lab.
Smiling, she went into the kitchen, whipped up a devil’s food cake, and put it in the oven. She brushed her hair and her teeth, slipped on a clean sweater and a pair of jeans, and hurried across the street.
Thorne knew it was Skylynn even before she knocked on the door. He would have known she was nearby if he was deaf, dumb, and blind by the way his whole body yearned toward her.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly. “Is your offer to help me clean up Granda’s lab still good?”
“Sure. Just tell me when.”
“I was thinking about tonight, if you’re not too busy.”
His gaze met hers. “Never too busy for you.”
Her stomach did a quick somersault as his voice caressed her. Was that throaty, sensual purr something he practiced, or did it just come naturally? It slid over her skin like velvet warmed by the sun.
“Sky?”
“What? I mean, that’s great! I made a cake.”
“What kind?”
“Devil’s food. I hope you like fudge frosting.”
“Women and chocolate,” he muttered with a good-natured grin. “Is there a reason why you want to wait until tonight?”
“Not really.”
“Then let’s go. I’m not doing anything, and the sooner we get started, the sooner we can have that dessert.”
“Works for me,” Sky said, grinning. “I might even throw in a scoop of ice cream.”
“All the better.” After closing the door, he followed her across the street.
A patrol car pulled up as they reached the opposite curb and a ruddy-faced cop leaned out the window. “Everything okay here, Miss McNamara?”
“Yes, fine, Officer.”
“We’ll be keeping an eye on your place for the next few days. Be sure to call if you see anyone suspicious in the area.”
“I will. Thank you.”
With a nod, the cop put the car in gear and continued on down the street.
“Did anything else come up missing?” Thorne asked as they climbed the porch stairs.
“No. Apparently all the thief wanted was the formula, if that’s what he got. We really don’t have any way of knowing for sure what he took.”
“True, but my gut tells me it was the formula.”
In the kitchen, Skylynn filled a bucket with hot, soapy water. After pulling on a pair of rubber gloves, she grabbed a roll of paper towels, located a couple of old dishrags in a drawer, picked up the bucket, and headed for the basement.
“Here, let me carry that,” Thorne said, reaching for the pail.
“I’m not helpless.”
He inclined his head in her direction. “I know that. You’re a liberated female, but I’m still a gentleman. In my day, we looked after our women.”
She looked up at him, head canted to one side. “Your day? You couldn’t have been more than a baby when the women’s lib movement started.”
“Humor me,” he said with a wry grin.
With a shrug, she relinquished the bucket, then opened the door to the basement.
Thorne followed her down the stairs. Being a healthy male, he couldn’t help but admire the subtle sway of her hips, or the delightful curve of her derriere, nor could he ignore the flowery fragrance that clung to her skin. Or the way the front of his jeans suddenly felt very, very tight.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he reined in his lust. Drawing his gaze from her delectable backside, he focused his attention on Paddy’s lab. It looked as he had seen it last, except now every visible surface was covered with fingerprint powder.
Thorne quickly put the furniture to rights while Skylynn attacked the fingerprint powder. His was by far the easier task.
Sky muttered under her breath
She needed to see Kaiden, needed to make sure he was all right. Once again, she searched her mind for some excuse to visit him and then smacked her forehead with her palm. She had the perfect excuse. He had offered to help her clean up the mess in Granda’s lab.
Smiling, she went into the kitchen, whipped up a devil’s food cake, and put it in the oven. She brushed her hair and her teeth, slipped on a clean sweater and a pair of jeans, and hurried across the street.
Thorne knew it was Skylynn even before she knocked on the door. He would have known she was nearby if he was deaf, dumb, and blind by the way his whole body yearned toward her.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly. “Is your offer to help me clean up Granda’s lab still good?”
“Sure. Just tell me when.”
“I was thinking about tonight, if you’re not too busy.”
His gaze met hers. “Never too busy for you.”
Her stomach did a quick somersault as his voice caressed her. Was that throaty, sensual purr something he practiced, or did it just come naturally? It slid over her skin like velvet warmed by the sun.
“Sky?”
“What? I mean, that’s great! I made a cake.”
“What kind?”
“Devil’s food. I hope you like fudge frosting.”
“Women and chocolate,” he muttered with a good-natured grin. “Is there a reason why you want to wait until tonight?”
“Not really.”
“Then let’s go. I’m not doing anything, and the sooner we get started, the sooner we can have that dessert.”
“Works for me,” Sky said, grinning. “I might even throw in a scoop of ice cream.”
“All the better.” After closing the door, he followed her across the street.
A patrol car pulled up as they reached the opposite curb and a ruddy-faced cop leaned out the window. “Everything okay here, Miss McNamara?”
“Yes, fine, Officer.”
“We’ll be keeping an eye on your place for the next few days. Be sure to call if you see anyone suspicious in the area.”
“I will. Thank you.”
With a nod, the cop put the car in gear and continued on down the street.
“Did anything else come up missing?” Thorne asked as they climbed the porch stairs.
“No. Apparently all the thief wanted was the formula, if that’s what he got. We really don’t have any way of knowing for sure what he took.”
“True, but my gut tells me it was the formula.”
In the kitchen, Skylynn filled a bucket with hot, soapy water. After pulling on a pair of rubber gloves, she grabbed a roll of paper towels, located a couple of old dishrags in a drawer, picked up the bucket, and headed for the basement.
“Here, let me carry that,” Thorne said, reaching for the pail.
“I’m not helpless.”
He inclined his head in her direction. “I know that. You’re a liberated female, but I’m still a gentleman. In my day, we looked after our women.”
She looked up at him, head canted to one side. “Your day? You couldn’t have been more than a baby when the women’s lib movement started.”
“Humor me,” he said with a wry grin.
With a shrug, she relinquished the bucket, then opened the door to the basement.
Thorne followed her down the stairs. Being a healthy male, he couldn’t help but admire the subtle sway of her hips, or the delightful curve of her derriere, nor could he ignore the flowery fragrance that clung to her skin. Or the way the front of his jeans suddenly felt very, very tight.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he reined in his lust. Drawing his gaze from her delectable backside, he focused his attention on Paddy’s lab. It looked as he had seen it last, except now every visible surface was covered with fingerprint powder.
Thorne quickly put the furniture to rights while Skylynn attacked the fingerprint powder. His was by far the easier task.
Sky muttered under her breath
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