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 That was before. I don t want you to leave now.
Cali frowned.  Is that your way of telling me that you want to go back to Maine alone?
 What? His brow furrowed and he shook his head.  No. That s my way of saying I don t want
you to leave me.
Her head jerked back as comprehension dawned.  You re serious?
 I spent half the day lying to Michael about what we re doing. Before I tell anyone anything, I
want to make sure that we re on the same page.
 Umm... What would a relationship between us even be?
Rourke s hand tightened and tugged her closer where his mouth swooped in for a deep,
possessive kiss. Except he pulled away right as Cali started to lean in for more.  I d imagine it would
be something like that, he breathed against her.
Cali closed her eyes and replayed the kiss in her mind. Unexpected. Wild. Completely and
utterly erotic. She lifted her lids and stared into Rourke s dark eyes.  I was going to recommend we
go out for lunch, but I m thinking that I might have stuff to make sandwiches at home.
Rourke s hand went around her waist, pulling her tight against his body, his erection pressing
firmly against her stomach.  I think that I d love that.
She let out a little giggle and he smiled down at her, the dark eyes lightening as the sun peeked
out, highlighting the gold flecks in the irises.
 So what do I call you now? she asked.  Boyfriend? The word seemed too tame.
Too...normal for Rourke.
 Is that what you want to call me?
 Well, what would you call me? she countered.
 I d call you mine.
~~~~~
By the time Cali finally got to her apartment, she couldn t get the door to the building unlocked
fast enough. Even after the cab ride back, she hadn t cooled down in the slightest. Rourke took every
opportunity possible to touch her in the cab, taking full advantage of their new, more official,
relationship status.
Even though he didn t say a word, his hand constantly found its way to her bare knee rubbing
his finger along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, slowly traveling higher and higher so that by
the time the cab stopped in front of her apartment, he was only an inch away from her panties.
And making it into her building was made much harder by Rourke coming up from behind,
pressing delicious kisses along the curve of her neck. The key shook in her trembling hand as she
tried to get it in the damn hole. Then the satisfying click of the lock turning came and she pushed the
door open. Rourke and she practically tumbled inside, and she burst out in laughter at the thought of
what they must look like. Like randy teenagers who couldn t keep their hormones in check.
When Cali looked up to Rourke, she saw that he wasn t laughing. Instead, the heat from his gaze
threw a damper over her giggles as she practically ran up the stairs to her hallway, making a beeline
for her door.
Only to stop in her tracks when she saw it hung open on its hinges.
In a heartbeat, Rourke was between her and the door.  What are the chances you left that open
when we left?
 Considering I ve never once done that, I d say slim, she said softly. She didn t know why she
was whispering. It wasn t as if she were the one breaking and entering.
Rourke cursed under his breath.  Stay here, he warned as he moved away from her and into the
apartment.
Her eyes widened as he disappeared from her line of sight. What the hell did he think he was
doing? They needed to be calling the cops or the FBI, not going into a potentially dangerous situation
with no clue about what they were facing.
 Get back here! she whisper-yelled as she crossed the hallway to stand in the open doorway.
 I m calling the police, she said a bit louder when she didn t see Rourke in the living area or kitchen
visible from where she was standing. The good news was that she didn t hear fighting. No matter
what was in there, Cali knew Rourke wouldn t go down without a fight.
Even though she didn t think he was in real danger, she still let out a deep sigh of relief when he
came back into the entryway. Even though he was safe, the anger on his face was evident.  How do
you know Colin Carter? he bit out at her as he approached.
Cali frowned at the accusatory tone.  Colin Carter? I don t know him. He called me earlier
today and asked if I could meet to talk about something that had to do with Easson.
 And what did you tell him?
She tilted her head, trying to figure out what was getting at him.  I hung up on him. I m not
dealing with anything that has to do with Easson any longer. Which should ve been a good thing, but
Rourke sure as hell didn t look any happier.  What s wrong? What does Colin Carter have to do with
anything? She had a feeling Rourke thought this guy had been the one to break into the apartment but
had no idea where he was getting the information.
But it was hard to argue with his logic when Rourke strode over and held out a business card.
Cali tentatively took it from his hand and looked it over. The front was very simple white with black
lettering. All it said was  Colin Carter and a phone number. No job title or address of any kind. She
flipped it over and read the handwriting on the back.  We have a mutual problem. Meet me at the
Farrell Tower today at 4 p.m.
Cali shook her head.  No. If that son of a bitch thinks he can break into my home and hold my
sense of security over my head, he s wrong.
 Oh no, said Rourke.  You re going to that meeting.
Cali looked at him as if he d just grown a second head.  Excuse me? What on earth makes you
think that s a good idea?
A wicked smile covered Rourke s face.  Because I think it s time Carter learns you re under my
protection now.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Rourke had never been to Farrell Tower. The place was like any other office he d been in. The
outside of the building was impressive and grand while the inside was all grays and beiges with only
the views of Central Park to cut the monotony of the decorating scheme.
At least until the receptionist led them up to the fifty-fourth floor to a conference room built to
impress outsiders. The table was stainless steel and surrounded by high-backed leather chairs. The
black and gray scheme went through the entire room, accented by a few abstract-ish art pieces on the
walls.
Cali wrapped her arms around herself as she looked around the room. He could see the second
thoughts forming in her mind, but Rourke wasn t going to let her back out of this. He needed to know
what Carter wanted and let him know that Cali was off-limits when it came to intimidation.
It wasn t long before Carter walked into the room. He wore a suit like so many of the other men
in the building, but even so, he managed to stand out. Maybe it was because of his short hair, only
slightly longer than a buzz cut. Or maybe it was because he wore a black shirt under his black suit.
Not exactly normal corporate attire.
 Hello again. Carter pushed the conference room door shut, sealing the three of them in alone.
 What the fuck do you think you re doing? snapped Rourke as soon as the door was shut.
Maybe he shouldn t have brought Cali. He didn t need her seeing what he really wanted to do to this
son of a bitch.
 I think I m doing my job, said Carter, his voice not showing any hint of intimidation.
 Then tell us what your job is then.
Carter looked between the two of them, but Rourke moved between him and Cali, making sure
he was the one Carter knew he had to get through in order to talk to her.
But Cali wasn t one to stand behind a man. She set a hand on Rourke s shoulder and stepped out [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]