Chapter Two
Kat insisted on driving Mari to the airport, to the private terminal where the Wright International aircraft were kept. A sleek-looking Gulfstream V stood on the tarmac, waiting for its passengers to board while the pilot did his preflight check and took care of other last-minute business. Eli and Sydney Wright, and their teenage daughter, Lissa, were already inside the small terminal building and greeted Mari warmly.
Kat had seen pictures of them and always commented on what an extremely good-looking family they were—the tall, muscular man with the wavy black hair and a dimple in his chin, the slim redhead looking up at him with affection, and a younger female version with the same lustrous hair and slender build. She bet they looked good in magazine shots and newspaper publicity.
“I’m so glad you’re coming with us.” Sydney enveloped Mari in a quick hug. “I told the slave driver we need some ‘girl time’ while we’re there.”
“Mom’s right,” Lissa added. “And where you guys go, so do I.”
Kat hung back a little, pleased to see how the Wrights treated Mari as a person, not just an employee. It was obvious they considered her almost a part of the family. At forty-two, Eli was a self-made billionaire who conducted business in every corner of the world. It would be so easy for him to be arrogant and superficial, for Sydney to be a bitch, and for Lissa to be a spoiled brat. But as Mari had told her many times, the man was well grounded in good values and worked to keep his family the same way.
Now Mari reached out an arm and pulled Kat into the circle.
“I don’t think you’ve met my sister, Katherine. Kat, these are the Wrights. The best boss, and the best family in the world.”
Eli’s handshake was strong and warm, Sydney and Lissa hugging her in what was obviously a natural gesture for them.
“It’s nice meeting you,” she smiled at them. “Mari can’t stop raving about either her job or the Wright family. It’s nice to see her in such a good position.”
“Your sister’s a real treasure,” Eli said. “This trip is a partial reward for all her hard work.” He studied Kat. “Mari hasn’t said much about what you do. Are you in an office situation, too?”
“Oh,” Mari broke in, “Kat is—”
“A consultant.” Kat cut her off smoothly. “I consult on various special projects.”
“Oh?” Eli raised an eyebrow. “What type? I’m always looking for consultants.”
“Maybe we can talk next time I’m in town,” she said smoothly. “Isn’t that your pilot beckoning to you?”
He glanced out the window. “Sure is. Well, nice meeting you, Katherine. Ladies? Our chariot awaits.”
Kat followed them outside, waiting while they boarded the plane and watching the smooth taxi and takeoff. Even though she knew they couldn’t see her any longer, she continued to wave until the plane was just a spec in the sky.
“Well,” a deep male voice said behind her. “This is probably the last place I expected to run into you.”
Kat turned and came face-to-face with Mike D’Antoni, her stomach doing a flip-flop at the sight of the tall, dark aviator with the bedroom eyes. For a long moment, shock paralyzed her.
At first Mike had thought he was seeing things. Surely there were dozens of petite blondes with sun-streaked hair in the world. Who also had the same habit of tilting their head to one side. It couldn’t be her, right here in the private-hangar section of the airport. What would she be doing here, anyway? He’d stared through the glass of the door, his brain bouncing in his head.
Then she’d turned around, and every nerve and muscle in his body froze.
If anything, Katherine Culhane was sexier, and more appealing, than the last time he’d seen her two years ago. Of course, the last time he’d seen her she’d been a raging maniac, throwing everything she could get her hands on at him and screaming curse words that would make a sailor blush. The fact that she’d been absolutely right to react the way she did hadn’t made the episode any easier to take.
Back then the Phoenix Agency had been just the four of them—Dan Romeo, whose brainchild it was, Troy Arsenault, Rick Latrobe, and himself. They hadn’t even had an office, just a phone number with an answering machine. They flew low under the radar, taking missions that no one else would touch and excelling at it. Phoenix was, for all intents and purposes, a high-risk, international security company. They didn’t advertise. They had no website. Contracts were by referral only.
Then Rick’s little brother Joey had been shot in a blown mission assignment, Joey’s team leader Mark Halloran had been captured by a terrorist group, and Faith Wilding, now wed to Mark, had been at her wits’ end, trying to find someone to rescue him.
The rescue mission was exactly the kind of thing Phoenix was originally created for—an assignment that politics blocked government agencies from attempting. He’d been with Kat the night he’d gotten the call to plan the mission. He’d been unable to give her an explanation, just . . . left. After the harrowing rescue in Peru, something else had come up, then something else again.
He’d made one stupid attempt to see her, giving no thought to what her reaction might be, and hadn’t realized until she’d shut the door on him what a mess he’d made of things. How important she really was to him.
Now, two years later, Phoenix had offices, a woman who juggled everything without a drop of sweat, an international reputation, and more contracts than they could handle.
But three of the partners were also now married, a sign that as they’d expanded the agency and taken on more agents, each of them could find a way to have a private life. Maybe it was time for him to think about the same thing. The thought didn’t scare him the way it used to. His problem would be convincing the woman he was sure was the one that he was different, that he could be trusted.
He still got the same punch to the gut when he looked at Kat. The breeze lifted the strands of hair, fanning them around her face. He knew the green of her short-sleeve sweater would match exactly the color of her eyes, and when she smiled—if she smiled—her entire face would light up. Black slacks clung to rounded hips that his hands still itched to touch, the memory of her silken skin still imprinted on his brain.
For a moment, he was tempted to walk through the other door, climb into the SUV waiting for him, and forget he’d even see her. Not a day had passed since the last time he’d seen her that he hadn’t wished he could take everything back. That he’d made the time to see her between assignments, to explain to her as best he could. Dan and Mark had both managed to handle it, and now so had Rick. But he’d been scared of commitment. He’d run from what she represented—giving up his footloose life for one woman—so he’d done what he had to. Stayed away from her.
And cursed himself every day for what he’d thrown away.
He’d probably be smart to get the hell away from her now, but his feet seemed to have a mind of their own as they carried him to the runway-side door. His hands automatically pushed it open. And then he was talking to her, the last thing he’d ever expected to do again.
From her reaction, she hadn’t planned on it, either. Her face paled under its Florida tan, her eyes widened, and although her mouth moved, no words came out.
“Yeah,” he managed. “Shocked me, too. How are you, Kat?”
She swallowed twice and finally managed a response. “I’m fine.” Her voice, though trembling slightly, could have chipped ice. “I trust you’re the same?”
“Taking a plane somewhere?”
“Just seeing off my sister, her boss, and his family.”
“Oh.”
Silence.
“She lives here in San Antonio and works for Eli Wright.”
That was interesting. “CEO of Wright International?”
Kat nodded. “Executive secretary. He’s taking her with his family on a combined business-vacation trip to Hawaii.”
“Very nice. So . . . you were visiting her?”
“Yes. So what are you doing here?”
“Business meeting with two of my partners. I just got in.”
More silence. Then they both spoke at the same time.
“Listen, Kat—”
“Mike, I’m not—”
He smiled. “Ladies, first.”
“No, you go ahead.” Now her eyes were flashing. She’d gotten her equilibrium back, hidden behind an invisible wall. “I’d really be interested in what you have to say.”
He studied her carefully, seeing the same fiery woman who’d nearly set him ablaze in bed. A woman he’d treated very, very badly. A woman he still wanted more than his next breath.
Two years earlier
The food was delicious, but enduring the meal was pure agony. Watching Kat put each bite into her mouth, chew it slowly, and lick those sensuous lips drove him out of his mind. When her small pink tongue caught stray crumbs on the fork, he thought his cock would burst from his slacks. He’d never met another woman who could turn a meal into a sexual experience.
All through dinner he kept picturing her naked, her round breasts with their dusky-rose nipples just begging for his hands to hold them, his mouth to suck them. The image of her spread out on the bed, legs wide, her sex glistening and tempting him, made his cock harden enough that he was glad the tablecloth concealed his crotch. It seemed no matter how often or how many times they made love, he couldn’t get enough of her.
Now the fantasy had become a reality again, and he was forcing himself to exercise control so the show wasn’t over in five minutes. They’d gotten naked five minutes after reaching Kat’s place, but Mike was making himself to slow down, to give her as much pleasure as he could.
He kissed the side of her neck, the hollow at her throat, licked the tender spot behind her ear. He inhaled her taste, pulling it deep inside him. Jasmine and a hint of summer. His tongue traced the outline of her mouth, the seam, touched the corners before traveling the delicate line of her jaw. Then back to her lips, urging her to open for him.
He pressed the length of her body against his as his tongue plundered her mouth, sweeping everywhere, tasting her delicious flesh. While he ate at her mouth, his hands stroked her body, loving the silken feel of her skin, the dips and swells as he touched her everywhere. When one hand reached to cup a breast, his thumb rasping a taut nipple, she moaned into his mouth and pushed herself harder against him.
God, she was so fucking responsive. If it were possible, he would have stayed in bed like this with her forever.
He took his time with her, kneading each breast, finally leaving her mouth so he could put his lips to her nipples, sucking and pulling them one at a time until her tiny series of moans became one long one. His balls ached, and his cock was demanding attention. But he pushed away the needs of his own body to satisfy Kat’s. That was always a priority for him.
When her nipples were hard and swollen, he moved his lips down her body, licking the valley between her breasts, his hands holding her hips as the tip of his tongue traced the indentation of her navel. He urged her thighs wider apart with his shoulders, and spreading her labia with his thumbs, took a long, slow lick of her wet slit.
God, she tasted so damn good! Better than fine wine or aged brandy or anything else he could think of. He could lap up her cream forever.
Kat moved restlessly beneath him, her fingers fisting in his hair, the same little delicious sounds rolling from her throat like an erotic piece of music. Her clit was a nub of flesh that thrummed as he sucked it into his mouth, his teeth just nipping the very tip.
“Please,” she cried. “Oh, please, Mike.”
He knew what she wanted, and he gave it to her, sliding two fingers into the simmering channel of her core, curling them to scrape lightly over that fiery sweet spot. While he worked his fingers in and out of her, he continued to suck and bite her clit, drawing on the hot button until her hips thrust at him and the moans became one long plea.
He moved away from her only long enough to grab a condom and roll it on before placing the head of his cock at her opening. Taking a deep breath, he drove into her hard with one fast stroke.
“God, yes,” she cried, lifting her legs to wrap around him. “More. Deeper.”
He moved slowly, dragging his shaft in and out of that slick tunnel, watching the flush on her face darken with lust.
“Do it, Mike,” she begged. “Now. Please.”
He was at the end of his control. She always did that to him, frayed the last edges until he couldn’t stretch it out any longer. Dragging in a breath again, he quickened his pace, pounding into her, feeling her feet dig into the small of his back as she lifted to meet his strokes.
When he felt her spasms begin, he let himself go, taking them over the edge together. Shouting her name as he came.
Afterward he held her close to him, inhaling her scent, loving the feel of her body as it molded to his. She gave him a feeling of contentment that he’d never found before. Anywhere. With anyone. He just hoped he didn’t screw it up.
Mike exhaled slowly, chasing away the dream, and mentally crossed his fingers, hoping some of the same memories still danced around in Kat’s mind, enough so they could take a step forward. So that she’d be willing to give him a chance again.
“I don‘t suppose you’d be willing to have lunch with me? I owe you an explanation and an apology, and I’d rather not deliver them standing in the middle of the airport.”
She started to refuse him. “I really don’t think—”
“Please? Just lunch. Then if you’re still mad, which you have every right to be, you can dump my drink on my head and walk out.”
He watched her trying not to laugh.
“All right,” she said at last. “Just lunch. I am curious to hear what you have to say. I have my car here, so I’ll meet you. Just tell me where.”
He named an upscale restaurant she was very familiar with. It was a place where people went to have quiet conversations.
“Good choice. Okay. I’m on my way.”
Mike followed her through the small terminal building and out to the parking lot, watching the sway of her hips and the bounce of her sun-streaked hair. All the memories came flooding back, including his recollection of what a jackass he’d been.
Better not blow it this time, buddy boy.
The sleek Gulfstream V touched down smoothly at the airport in San Diego and taxied to the small, private terminal. Eli unbuckled his seat belt and stood up, stretching out the kinks.
“We’ll grab some lunch while the pilot refuels and gets his own grub,” he announced. “Mari, we have a favorite restaurant near the waterfront we like to eat in. Is Italian okay with you?”
“Mr. Wright, anything is fine.” She grinned. “I’m just so excited and pleased to be included in this trip.”
He laughed. “You’ll earn your keep before it’s over,” he warned as he ushered the women down the foldout stairs.
Mari stopped at the bottom of the steps, adjusting to the scene. The sun was so bright it reflected off the tarmac and the paint of the two silver SUVs waiting for them. Texas was hot, but this was a moist heat, and already she felt the natural thickening of the air.
A young man wearing a polo shirt and jeans waited beside the lead vehicle. He was a lean six feet, and she guessed his age at no more than twenty-two, maybe twenty-three. The chocolate-brown of his shirt was almost the same color as his hair. His tan bespoke hours in the sun, and the corded muscles visible on his bare arms were an indication that this wasn’t someone who sat on his ass all day. Not long out of college, he was already making himself valuable at the company’s small San Diego office. Getting to drive the big boss around was an obvious perk for him.
“Thanks, Len.” Eli took the keys, and they shook hands. “Delivering cars for the boss isn’t really part of your job description. Especially on your day off. Mr. Lombard tells me you volunteered for the job.” He turned back to the women. “Lissa, you remember Len Randolph, right? He drove us around last time we were here.”
Mari watched the good-looking young man flush and carefully keep his eyes averted from seventeen-year-old Lissa Wright, who was trying to look anywhere but at Len.
Aha! Romance blooms!
“No problem, sir. Anytime. You just let Mr. Lombard know whatever you need when you’re in town, and I’m your man.” Harry Lombard ran the small San Diego office of the corporation.
Eli Wright chuckled, obviously aware of the byplay going on between his daughter and the nervous young man. “I plan to chat with him as soon as we finish lunch, so I’ll keep that in mind. Too bad he couldn’t join us. How about you? Got time to have lunch with us?”
Len nearly strangled on his tongue, trying to be cool about his acceptance. “Um, yes, thank you, sir. If it’s all right. I mean . . .”
Eli swallowed a grin and handed the keys back. “How about if you play chauffeur? That way you’ll feel like you’re earning your keep.”
He nodded to the second vehicle in line, the security team from the San Diego office that Mari always provided for him. Eli never moved without protection. Too much risk in these turbulent times. Len climbed in behind the steering wheel of their vehicle, with Eli riding shotgun and the women in the spacious back seat.
“You know where Il Maggiore is?” Eli asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“That’s where we’re heading. Hope you like Italian.”
“Yes, sir,” Len repeated, cranking over the ignition and pulling smoothly away from the plane.
The four men in the extended black panel truck had decided to call themselves Juan, Manuel, Pedro, and Carlos—Hispanic names that were so common most people paid little attention to them. Nothing that would stand out later and help identify them.
They watched as the people in the first silver SUV exited the vehicle, handing it over to valet parking and entering the restaurant beneath a bright red canopy, laughing and joking.
“They won’t be laughing much longer.” Carlos smirked.
“Just keep your mind on business,” Pedro told him. “We can’t afford any slip-ups here. I for one do not wish to bring the wrath of El Jefe down on my head.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” Carlos snapped back. “I know what to do.”
“Everyone just shut up,” Juan told them. He sat in the front passenger seat, binoculars adjusted to his eyes as he looked through the tinted glass of the window. “And pay attention, especially to the men in the second vehicle. We’ll have one chance to do this, so don’t screw it up.”
Manuel, the driver, had cracked the window on his side barely an inch, just enough to let in some fresh air. Although the temperature was cooler than it had been earlier in the week, the car was still stifling. Sitting there for more than an hour with the engine running, however, would have called attention to them. And that was something they could ill afford. So they sat, baking in the sun and watching as people exited the restaurant, as the minutes crawled by like snails, checking and coordinating their watches every five minutes.
When the front door to the restaurant swung open yet again, this time to allow their targets to exit, Manuel picked up the small radio on the seat beside him and spoke a few words into the mic. Then he turned on the engine, backed up, and casually eased the van to the curb at the opposite sidewalk. They watched the younger man hand a ticket to the valet attendant, and all five people gathered in a tight group to wait for their vehicle. By a stroke of luck, no one else emerged with them, leaving the Wright group the only ones on the sidewalk.
The security vehicle pulled up right behind the Wrights, idling at the curb. As soon as the Wrights moved off, the security team following, the black van fell into line behind them, a tan sedan bringing up the rear. They stayed in a line like that, allowing other cars to fall in between them but always with their targets in sight, until the Wrights’ vehicle turned off onto the long empty road leading to the airstrip.
In the front passenger seat, Juan picked up the radio and said, “Get ready.”
The men in the van donned hooded masks and pulled around in front of the Wrights’ vehicle, forcing it to a stop. The security team stopped behind them, the men jumping out, guns ready. Pedro aimed quickly, and with four quick shots, both men were dead on the ground. He and the others raced from the van, jerking open the doors of the lead SUV.
Manuel swept up Mari and Sydney, while another man grabbed Lissa, pressing pieces of cloth to their heads, then carrying them to the van and tossing them inside.
“What the hell is going on?” Eli demanded, watching one of the men club Len on the side of the head.
“If you want to keep the women alive, get in the van and don’t make a sound,” Juan commanded.
“Jesus.” Eli swore. “You killed those two men.”
“And if you want to avoid the same fate, do as I said,” Juan told him, pressing the gun harder into his flesh.
At that moment the cries from the women suddenly stopped, and Wright tensed.
“What did you do to them?” he demanded as he was propelled forward.
“Nothing. Just helped them take a little nap. Get in.” He gave Eli a shove, and the man fell into the interior of the van.
It was over in sixty seconds. Manuel pulled back onto the roadway. Pedro and Carlos, now driving the two SUVs, hugged his bumper.
“Be sure you gave them enough to keep them unconscious,” he warned. “Don’t give the men a chance to do anything.”
“Our pilots will be looking for us,” Eli warned them, hoping to give himself an edge.
“Your pilots are resting comfortably far away from the airport,” the man said, grinning. “And how convenient that they left a message to have your plane tied down while you took a little side trip.”
Eli gritted his teeth and thought, Hell. No one will even be looking for us. Not right away.
That was his last thought as a soaked cloth was pressed firmly against his nose.
By the time they’d turned around and headed in another direction, then turned onto a road equally as desolate as the one they’d left, all five prisoners were out cold. Or appeared to be. Eli had managed to hold his breath enough to receive a smaller dose of whatever they were using, forcing himself to maintain some level of consciousness without letting his captors know. On a deserted road they stopped briefly to shove Len’s body out into the ditch, then a mile or so later, left the two SUVs with the bodies of the guards in one of them. As the drivers walked back to the van, one of them pushed a button on a remote, and both vehicles exploded in a cloud of fire and twisted steel.
Work done, the two men climbed back into the van and roared off again in yet another direction.
“How long until we reach the airstrip?” Pedro asked.
“Half an hour. I’ll tell you again, make sure you gave them enough to keep them out until we get them on the plane. I don’t need trouble. We have to take off on time, while our pet air traffic controller is in place.”
“No problem.”
Mike D’Antoni was already at the restaurant when Kat arrived. For a moment, she thought about leaving, forgetting about lunch with this man who played havoc with her emotions. But the hostess was already leading the way to a table in the far corner of the dining room, and the time for running was past.
Mike rose and held out her chair.
“Still the gentleman,” she commented, then couldn’t resist adding, “at least in some areas.”
The waiter appeared instantly and hovered until they gave him their drink orders, and then left menus for them to study. When their drinks arrived, Mike closed his menu, set it on the table, and waited until Kat had lifted her glass.
“To a fresh start,” he said, raising his glass to her.
She hesitated, then set her glass back down without drinking from it. “I’m not sure that’s in the cards for us, Mike. Lunch, okay. Starting over? I think history’s against us.”
He leaned forward, making the space between them more intimate. “There’s no way I blame you for your attitude, Kat. I was the consummate asshole, and I freely admit it. I did everything wrong.”
“It’s not that I don’t . . . didn’t understand about your work. You explained to me as much as you could. I could even handle you getting called out without notice and not knowing exactly when you’d be back. We’d been through it many times in the two years we were together.”
That didn’t mean it was easy for me, Michael. That I didn’t worry and wonder. But I’m a big girl, and I knew what the situation was from the beginning. But the last time when you left, it was different.
“But?”
Kat drew circles on the table with her fingertip, her eyes not meeting his. Images of them together flashed through her brain like a DVD on fast forward. Dredging up whatever control she could, she pushed them out of her consciousness. Remembering him naked wasn’t going to help her today.
“But I thought we had something special going.” She kept tracing circles with her finger, still focusing her eyes on the linen tablecloth. “Then you left in the middle of the night and didn’t even call me. Not even a text message. Okay. I got it. But I was sure when you got back from whatever hellhole you were in, you’d take one minute to call me.”
“I didn’t—” he began.
Kat held up her hand. “But then . . . then . . . you came back, and what did you do?” She was desperately trying to hold onto her cool, to not let the steadily building anger take over. “You sent me an email, for God’s sake. An email, telling me you were sorry about the way you ran out, but life was very complicated for you right then. Like I couldn’t understand if you told me? Explained to me? I knew what you did was not for public discussion, but you could have given me some kind of explanation, you know.”
“Kat, listen—”
“I’m not through yet.” She curled the hand in her lap into a fist. “A month later, about the time I’m finally beginning to put you out of my mind, you show up at my door, expecting me to take you in for the weekend. Like okay, I got mad, so let’s get past it and have some fun.”
He laughed, but it was edged with bitterness. “You certainly didn’t hold back on making your feelings clear that night.”
The hurt she’d felt at the time came surging back. “Just what did you expect?” she bit off.
“I don’t know,” he said in a quiet voice. “But I like to think I’m different now from that guy you threw out of your place. That I look at life a little differently.”
“Differently?” Her stomach knotted. “Exactly what does that mean?”
He twisted his lips. “That I try very hard not to be such an asshole anymore.” He covered her hand with his, refusing to let her pull it away, his touch like a spike of electricity firing through her. He looked as if he was having trouble finding the right words. As if he was coming to some kind of momentous decision. “Damn it, Kat, it wasn’t just the agency that got in the way. I was scared. I’d never let a woman get as close to me as you did. Getting . . . attached to someone was way in the future. I just . . .” He shook his head.
“Just couldn’t handle commitment and what goes with it,” she finished for him. “But I know that men in your line of work have families. Don’t tell me none of your partners are married, because I won’t believe you.”
She watched his eyes slide away, avoiding the answer.
“Listen, Mike. If we aren’t honest with each other about everything, there’s no new start in the cards. Ever.” She held up her hand as he opened his mouth. “And I’m not telling you there is one. I’m just saying. You know?”
“Okay. Three of my partners are married. Very happily, as a matter of fact. One of them just recently.”
“So it’s not an impossible situation.”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not.”
Kat didn’t know whether to be pleased at the admission or not. He certainly didn’t act as if he was ready to take the plunge. Of any kind. So what did he mean by a new start? She was having enough trouble keeping her hormones under control. Just the sight of the lean, dark-haired, dark-eyed hunk of masculinity was stirring up feelings she’d done her best to keep buried.
“I know you invented the words ‘playing the field’ and ‘unattached’ but . . .”
“Let’s just cut to the chase, okay?” He owed her an explanation, one he’d avoided for a long time, and he needed to own up to what he’d done. At the time he hadn’t expected it to bother him, but Katherine Culhane was different from every other woman he’d ever been with.
“Mike . . .” She tried to pull her hand away again, but he tightened his hold on it.
“I screwed up,” he told her in a voice that was almost pleading. “There isn’t a day since then that I haven’t regretted it. Not one minute. The instant I saw you today I knew what a fool I’d been.” He raised his eyes and looked at her, an anguished expression on his face. “But what if I’m not good at it? At relationships? I don’t mind disappointing the bimbos, Kat, but I couldn’t handle it if I couldn‘t be what you want.”
“Damn it, Mike.” She yanked her hand free. She couldn’t think clearly when he touched her. “You don’t even know what I want.”
“Then why don’t you tell me?”
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She wasn’t ready for this. Not now. She was still trying to adjust to even seeing him again. And she had other problems to resolve.
“Let me ask you something.” She deliberately switched topics.
He took a long swallow of his drink. “Anything.”
“Did your reluctance to . . . pursue something permanent have anything to do with, how shall I say it, my so-called gift?”
A strange expression flitted across his face. “Funny you should ask that. Two years ago, I might have been a little squeamish about it. The paranormal wasn’t exactly in my field of vision. But now . . .”
“Now what?” she prodded. What had happened to make him change his outlook? She lifted her wineglass with both hands and took a steadying drink.
“My three married partners? All of their wives have some kind of psychic gift. In fact, Mark never would have been rescued without Faith’s telepathy, and a vital piece of top secret equipment would have fallen into enemy hands without Mia’s visions. Rick’s wife even has a psychic dog, if you can believe that.”
Kat laughed, as much at the look on Mike’s face as at the realization that he’d had to come to terms with something he didn’t believe in. “You forget. Nothing’s too absurd for me.”
“All right, you want honest, here’s honest.” He leaned forward again, his eyes locking onto hers. “I don’t even know if we can go anywhere with this, but like I said, the minute I saw you again I knew I wanted to try. Can we at least test the waters? I promise not to leave you hanging again. To tell you what I’m doing if I can.” His mouth turned up in a rueful grin. “And not to be an asshole. I hope.”
She felt something inside her that had been wound so tight begin to loosen.
It bothered her that she was ready to give in so easily. Especially with everything going on in her life.
Oh no. I can’t do this again.
But he looked so appealing, so earnest. And this time there was something in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. The distant look was gone, replaced by heat and desire. And need. Strange, because Mike D’Antoni had never needed anyone or anything.
“Maybe . . .” She let her voice trail off. No, no maybes. Tell him, Katherine. Tell him you can’t do this again.
But then his words overrode her thoughts. “‘Maybe’ is a good start. A very good start. Let’s order, okay? The food here is excellent.”
As relaxed as Mike seemed while they ate, Kat was equally as tense and on edge, waiting for the next verbal axe to fall. She had to make him understand that they couldn’t just go back and start over.
“Mike, listen,” she began but her words seemed to fly over his head.
He just winked at her, then glanced at his watch. “Look. I have a meeting this afternoon with two of my partners and a potential new client.”
“Go ahead,” Kat said. “I have something I have to do today, too. Thanks again for lunch.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, just a minute here—you aren’t getting away that easily. How about dinner tonight? There’s a great new restaurant on the Riverwalk. Tell me where you’re staying, and I’ll pick you up at seven. If that’s all right,” he added.
“This great new restaurant wouldn’t happen to be at your hotel, would it?” She said it only half-jokingly, but she wouldn’t put anything past him. And she definitely wasn’t ready for that yet.
Mike grinned at her. “That would be just a little too obvious, even for me. No, I’m going to be on my best behavior. Scout’s honor.”
Kat sighed. “Okay. I’m probably making the biggest mistake of my life, but I’ll have dinner with you.” She pulled a small notepad from her purse, wrote Mari’s address and her cell number on it. “Do you need directions?”
Mike folded the paper and stuck it into his pocket. “Nope. I know the area.”
“Call me on my cell if anything happens to change your plans.”
“Trust me,” he told her, signaling for the waiter. “Nothing’s going to happen.”