Struck by Lightning. Christa Maurice

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СКАЧАТЬ had been friends, she could have looked forward to having a great laugh over that line. Now, of course, she and Bess barely spoke and neither Max nor Billy would be as amused. Edie fluttered in long enough to drop off more stuff and pick up her share of the profits. Rebecca smiled up at the hero. “But what would I receive in return for these culture lessons?”

      “Dinner? Tomorrow night? I know a nice little Ethiopian place.”

      Ethiopian. Rebecca knew the only Ethiopian place in this corner of the state and it was traditional so everybody sat on the floor, giving him the opportunity to both impress his date with his taste while increasing his chance of sitting without having a pesky table between them. She wondered how many women had fallen for that. With those bright blue eyes? Probably dozens. He really did need to be notched down a couple of pegs. “I’m really not fond of Ethiopian. Do you know any Korean restaurants?”

      The only Korean place within one hundred miles was a filthy hole in the wall that would spring squid on unsuspecting patrons. And he didn’t know it, by the look on his face. “I bet I could find one. What do you say?”

      Rebecca leaned back in her chair, nursing her milk shake. She should be more amused by watching this gorgeous guy fall all over himself, and if it weren’t for the undercurrent of tension, she would be. This guy was not the usual catnip mouse to be played with, but didn’t that make him more challenging and therefore more fun?

      The hero helped himself to one of her jojos and looked around the gallery again. “How is that shelf attached to the ceiling?”

      Rebecca looked up. “I don’t know. Max did it.”

      “Is it stable?”

      “I guess so.” She remembered Max building that shelf. Standing on the very top of a seven-foot ladder screwing it into the ceiling and nearly strangling himself with the drill cord. She’d spent the entire time in a cold sweat, sure that he was going to fall and get himself killed.

      “You should make sure it is. You don’t want that falling on your customers.”

      She raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t tell me there would be a safety inspection.”

      “Comes with the territory. If you want, I can come by some time and make sure it’s screwed into a joist.”

      Next he’ll offer to fix my car, she thought. Oh wait, I don’t have a car. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. I’m sure Max did whatever he was supposed to. The building inspector looked at it.”

      “Oh.” The hero looked crestfallen. Then he brightened. He reached for her hand, which she had left sitting on the desk instead of holding food or in her lap where he couldn’t get to it.

      Now why did I leave myself open like that? I must be getting careless.

      “You never did answer me about dinner,” he reminded her, curling her fingers around his palm with his thumb.

      “I don’t know that I’m up for Korean right now.” She stood up, pulling her hand away, and walked to the other side of the gallery. She didn’t have time to play games with heroes. Her career needed her. Such as it was.

      “Okay.” He stood up. “Maybe another time.”

      “Yeah,” she answered, overplaying the brightness in her voice.

      “Okay,” he said again. “But just in the interest of science, I’m out of uniform and it’s not raining.”

      He’d crossed the gallery in three long strides and pulled her into his arms before she’d realized he wasn’t leaning on the desk any more. His tight embrace drew her up to her toes and she grabbed his shoulders for balance. He studied her for a long moment before leaning down to press his lips against hers. Rebecca closed her eyes, allowing every ounce of her to train on the pressure of his lips and the length of his body against hers. Her brain shorted out. Distantly, she felt the heat of the sun through the window and knew she shouldn’t be kissing anyone in the front window of the gallery where all the world could see.

      But she really didn’t care. She couldn’t even think beyond the end of the kiss.

      Which came sooner than she expected, just like the last kiss had.

      He released her, dropping her back on her heels, and stepped back a pace. “Now you have a control.”

      “A control?” Rebecca reached back and found the edge of Edie’s jewelry case before she slithered to the floor in a helpless pool. He was a really good kisser.

      “For your experiment. No uniform, no rain.” He grinned and walked out.

      No uniform, no rain? Oh, the excuse for the last kiss. The romance scale. She couldn’t let him get away like that. Too much like giving him the upper hand. She hurried to the door and yanked it open. “Thanks. So far the theory holds.”

      He stopped and turned around.

      “It is more romantic with the rain and the uniform.”

      He smiled, apparently pleased with that even though he shouldn’t be. “Good. Stop by the station sometime and we’ll try it with the uniform.” He waved and walked around the corner.

      Damn, he got the last word anyway. Rebecca scowled. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Had he actually parked down that street or did it just end the conversation before she got another comment in?

      “So, are you going into performance art now too? Or is this just the latest toy boy?” Bess sniped, stopping behind her on the steps.

      Rebecca wished Bess didn’t hate her so much so she could tell her about the entire encounter. She wanted someone to talk to. “You decide. Are you going to do your shift here today?”

      “That’s why I’m here.”

      “Then I guess I’ll go home. No need for two of us to wait around all afternoon.”

      Bess made a lemon sucking face and pushed past Rebecca into the gallery.

      Rebecca stared at the corner. He would be a challenge. She needed a challenge right now. The fine-art crowd was like shooting fish in a barrel. If she dribbled paint on a board and nailed it to the wall cockeyed, they would congratulate her on her vision. The hero, however obsessed he acted, wasn’t cowed and might not take all the torture she dished out. His maneuver just now proved that. She had to respect any man who wouldn’t let her have the last word.

      Now she just had to wait until he made another appearance. Which he would. They always did.

       Chapter 3

      That went well. Really, it went well. Dan kicked a rock off the sidewalk in front of him. That woman, Rebecca, was obviously a complete fruit bat who he should damn well know to stay away from and yet what had he done? He’d kissed her. And what had he done after that? He’d asked her to stop by the station. Then he’d turned down the wrong road so she wouldn’t have time to tell him no, causing him to have to walk seven blocks out of the way in the heat to get to his car.

      But now he knew where she worked and what her name was.

      Lew’s question СКАЧАТЬ