For Her Eyes Only Part 3. Шарон Сала

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СКАЧАТЬ he laughed and kissed her hello before putting her down. “And I was standing on the balcony when I saw you come through the courtyard.”

      She grinned. “You cheated.”

      “All’s fair in love and war.”

      A little ill at ease at being here with him, instead of on familiar ground, she ran a nervous hand over her hair and then smoothed the front of her dress.

      Stone watched her with open admiration, letting himself absorb the fact that she was in his home.

      “You look beautiful,” he said softly, fingering the gauzy fabric of her dress. “The blue matches your eyes.”

      Jessica blushed, but was determined not to let him get ahead of her tonight. “You look pretty good yourself. And you smell good, too. What is it called? Eau de smoke?”

      He laughed and pulled her close, nuzzling at a spot beneath her ear. “Damn, but you’re sassy tonight.”

      Jessica wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into his strength and smiling with satisfaction. Food was on the grill. She was in Stone’s arms. What more could a sane woman want? And then the thought slipped. Dare she assume she fell under the category of sane?

      Stone’s heart was melting by degrees. This crazy tousled-haired woman was making him nuts. Once more, he nuzzled against the curve of her neck, then bit, not hard enough to hurt, just making his mark on her.

      “Ow,” she muttered, and slapped him lightly on the arm. “If you’re that hungry, then I suggest you finish cooking our food. I’m not on the menu tonight.”

      Stone circled the jut of her breast with the tip of his finger, grinning when she blushed a shade of hot virgin pink.

      “Not even for dessert?”

      To Jessie’s credit, she met his gaze without flinching. “I’ll let you know later,” she drawled, then pointed toward the patio door behind them. “Is that supposed to be smoking?”

      Stone spun, took one look at the white clouds billowing out from beneath the hood of the cooker, and bolted.

      “Obviously not,” Jessica said to herself, and followed him outside.

      “Everything’s fine,” Stone said, and handed her a plate. “Here, hold this.”

      Jessica took the plate and then stood and watched him work as several minutes passed. But when he made no move to put anything on it, she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.

      Stone was poking a fork in the steaks with studied intent when she spoke.

      “Stone?”

      “Hmm?”

      “Why am I holding this plate?”

      He looked up and grinned. “I didn’t want our food to burn, and I figured you would need something to hold to keep your hands off of me.”

      Stunned by the audacity of the man, all she could do was sputter. He laughed aloud and took the plate she was holding, setting it on a nearby table.

      “You have real staying power, Jessie Leigh. I’d just come to the conclusion that you would have held it all night.”

      She arched an eyebrow and leaned against the railing in her sexiest pose. “There are some things I might do all night, but holding platters isn’t one of them.”

      This time, she had the pleasure of seeing him dumbstruck. Finally, he turned back to his cooking, shaking his head and muttering something beneath his breath about needing his head examined.

      Pleased that she’d gotten in the last word, she turned and gazed out across the courtyard and to the pool beyond. The apartment complex was a grouping of four separate buildings, but they shared the spacious area in between.

      Flowering shrubs bordered the base of the buildings, while pebbled walkways linked them together in a maze of winding paths. Tables with colorful umbrellas dotted the grassy areas between the paths, and just beyond, the sparkling blue waters of the pool beckoned.

      A couple walked hand in hand toward the building directly opposite, and as they opened the door to enter, a small boy, who appeared no more than three years old, darted out between them, making a break for the outside like a puppy gone wild.

      Jessica grinned as the child rolled and tumbled around on the grass, jumping and hopping and waving his arms. Even though she was high above him, she could see that he was talking to himself. As the moments passed, she kept expecting a parent to join him. Although the courtyard itself was enclosed, there were far too many hazards awaiting a toddler alone.

      When he darted toward their building, she leaned over the balcony, somehow convinced that she must keep him in sight.

      Stone was taking up the last of the steaks and happened to look up as she leaned. Almost dropping the platter, he grabbed her arm half in jest, half in earnest.

      “Easy, honey. You’ve already had one nasty bump on your head. You don’t want to fall from up here.”

      “Stone, look.” She pointed to the toddler who was dawdling toward the fenced-in area around the pool.

      He followed her direction and frowned. He’d seen the child and the mother before, but had no idea who they were, or where they lived. And while he was debating with himself about what he should do, Jessica suddenly gasped.

      “He’s going to fall in the pool.”

      Stone looked again. The child had turned away from the fence and was digging under some shrubs with a stick.

      “No, honey. Look, he’s playing by that bush.”

      She wrapped her arms around herself and started to shake. “No, no, no. Not there,” she moaned.

      In that instant, Stone realized what was happening. Jessica was seeing something that had yet to happen. Without looking back, he bolted through his apartment and out of the door, running down the stairs as if his life, and not the child’s, depended on it.

      When the door slammed behind Stone, Jessica jerked in shock, realizing he was gone. She gripped the balcony rail until her knuckles turned white. And even though she knew Stone must be on his way to the rescue, she feared it would not be in time. Already the child had made his way through an unlocked gate and was circling the pool with absent fascination.

      When he drew back and tossed his stick in the water, she unconsciously reached out, wanting to stop the inevitable and knowing it was an impossible feat.

      The stick hit the water with a splash, and the child shrieked with delight. But when it began to float out toward the middle of the pool, Jessica saw a frown creasing the little boy’s forehead. She held her breath, counting the seconds between the time the child leaned over, and when he tumbled headfirst into the deep end of the pool. At that point, her scream pierced the silence, and then she ran for the phone.

      Jessica’s scream was the first thing Stone heard as he burst out of the building. All he could think was, Don’t let me be too late.

      The child didn’t СКАЧАТЬ