if he ever actually smiled. “I, uh, no problem.” Oh great, now she was stuttering.She leaned forward to open the door, hoping he didn’t see the heat she felt in her cheeks.
She didn’t move back quite fast enough and Dane’s chest brushed along her arm and breast as he moved past her. Now heat was a problem in more body parts than she could hide. She took a step back, hoping he’d leave quickly.
Dane was halfway out when he turned again, forcing Adria to face him. She wanted to groan. What was it about this man? Go. Stay. Both words were on the tip of her tongue.
“If there is more to this, I’ll find it. Trust me on that.”
She realized she did. Not just because she was strongly attracted to him. Or because she had no one else to trust. But because of his decency. Granted, it was well hidden most of the time behind his autocratic attitude, but bottom line—Dane Colbourne was a decent man.
She just hoped he was as good an investigator as he kept insisting he was. It was becoming alarmingly apparent he’d have to be if she had a prayer of coming out of this mess with her career intact.
“Thank you. Will you call me when you find out anything?”
He gave her the sort of stare that made hersupremely self-conscious. The sort of stare that made her
really
wish she wasn’t wearing raggedy shorts.
If she was as candid as she liked to think she was these days, she’d admit it was the sort of stare that made her wish she wasn’t wearing anything at all.
She felt herself lean toward him as if drawn into his heat. He lifted his hand toward her face, then just as suddenly dropped it.
“I’ll be in touch, Adria,” he said, his voice darker and a bit rough. This time he walked away without looking back.
Adria
. First “the look,” then “the name.” She watched him drive off, and only when he was completely out of sight did she give in to the need to fan herself. And it had nothing to do with the August sun.
FIVE
Dane jerked his head off his desk when the phone beside his ear leaped to life and threatened to deafen him. A quick glance at the clock showed it was two-thirty in the morning. He’d been asleep for less than thirty minutes. He grabbed the receiver before the second ring, a sinking feeling telling him that those scant thirty minutes were all he was going to get. Please, he asked silently, let all the planes be in the sky where they belong.
“Colbourne.”
“It’s Adria Burke. I’m sorry to disturb you.”
He bolted upright. Disturb him? You don’t know the half of it, he thought morosely. Most of those thirty minutes he’d spent sleeping had featured Adria as the star player in eroticdreams. “What’s wrong? Did you get another call?”
“Yes. Just now.”
“Same person?”
“I couldn’t tell. I think so.”
“Same message?”
“No.”
She sounded anxious, but not hysterical. Still, that she didn’t immediately burst into a full explanation spoke volumes to him. She was spooked.
“I’m glad you called.” He hoped she didn’t read the depth of sincerity there was in those words. “Will you be able to go back to sleep?”
A moment’s hesitation, then: “Probably not.”
He held back the question her response immediately prompted him to ask. His restraint lasted about five seconds. “You want to talk?” Her long sigh told Dane he’d done the right thing. The pleasure that gave him made him wonder if it might also be his biggest mistake. “You got any Coke?”
If a smile could be heard, he heard hers. “I think I can manage that,” she said.
Dane instantly felt revved up to full speed. “I’ll be there in less than an hour.”
“Thank you, Dane.”
Damn, did she have to say his name like that? All soft and breathy? It had been a long time since he’d heard anything that soundedhalf as good as Adria Burke’s voice at two-thirty in the morning. Dane gripped the phone tighter. “No problem.” He worked hard for nonchalance. “I’m up, you’re up.
She didn’t move back quite fast enough and Dane’s chest brushed along her arm and breast as he moved past her. Now heat was a problem in more body parts than she could hide. She took a step back, hoping he’d leave quickly.
Dane was halfway out when he turned again, forcing Adria to face him. She wanted to groan. What was it about this man? Go. Stay. Both words were on the tip of her tongue.
“If there is more to this, I’ll find it. Trust me on that.”
She realized she did. Not just because she was strongly attracted to him. Or because she had no one else to trust. But because of his decency. Granted, it was well hidden most of the time behind his autocratic attitude, but bottom line—Dane Colbourne was a decent man.
She just hoped he was as good an investigator as he kept insisting he was. It was becoming alarmingly apparent he’d have to be if she had a prayer of coming out of this mess with her career intact.
“Thank you. Will you call me when you find out anything?”
He gave her the sort of stare that made hersupremely self-conscious. The sort of stare that made her
really
wish she wasn’t wearing raggedy shorts.
If she was as candid as she liked to think she was these days, she’d admit it was the sort of stare that made her wish she wasn’t wearing anything at all.
She felt herself lean toward him as if drawn into his heat. He lifted his hand toward her face, then just as suddenly dropped it.
“I’ll be in touch, Adria,” he said, his voice darker and a bit rough. This time he walked away without looking back.
Adria
. First “the look,” then “the name.” She watched him drive off, and only when he was completely out of sight did she give in to the need to fan herself. And it had nothing to do with the August sun.
FIVE
Dane jerked his head off his desk when the phone beside his ear leaped to life and threatened to deafen him. A quick glance at the clock showed it was two-thirty in the morning. He’d been asleep for less than thirty minutes. He grabbed the receiver before the second ring, a sinking feeling telling him that those scant thirty minutes were all he was going to get. Please, he asked silently, let all the planes be in the sky where they belong.
“Colbourne.”
“It’s Adria Burke. I’m sorry to disturb you.”
He bolted upright. Disturb him? You don’t know the half of it, he thought morosely. Most of those thirty minutes he’d spent sleeping had featured Adria as the star player in eroticdreams. “What’s wrong? Did you get another call?”
“Yes. Just now.”
“Same person?”
“I couldn’t tell. I think so.”
“Same message?”
“No.”
She sounded anxious, but not hysterical. Still, that she didn’t immediately burst into a full explanation spoke volumes to him. She was spooked.
“I’m glad you called.” He hoped she didn’t read the depth of sincerity there was in those words. “Will you be able to go back to sleep?”
A moment’s hesitation, then: “Probably not.”
He held back the question her response immediately prompted him to ask. His restraint lasted about five seconds. “You want to talk?” Her long sigh told Dane he’d done the right thing. The pleasure that gave him made him wonder if it might also be his biggest mistake. “You got any Coke?”
If a smile could be heard, he heard hers. “I think I can manage that,” she said.
Dane instantly felt revved up to full speed. “I’ll be there in less than an hour.”
“Thank you, Dane.”
Damn, did she have to say his name like that? All soft and breathy? It had been a long time since he’d heard anything that soundedhalf as good as Adria Burke’s voice at two-thirty in the morning. Dane gripped the phone tighter. “No problem.” He worked hard for nonchalance. “I’m up, you’re up.
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