Otherwise Engaged. Cara Summers

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      3

      FAKE. Even as the word spun through her mind, Tyler said, “Richard is most certainly not a fake.”

      “Richard James Lawrence was the third son born to Anita and Robert Lawrence of Louisville, Kentucky, and he died in an auto accident twelve years ago.”

      “That’s impossible.” Even as she spoke, an image had slipped into her mind: she was standing at the altar alone, her dress flowing around her. Fear twisted in her stomach.

      “The numbers don’t lie,” Nick said. “Sam traced him back to his birthplace using the social security number you gave. Whoever this guy is that Personal Connections hooked you up with, he’s not the Richard James Lawrence who belongs to that social security number.”

      Her fingers were tingling again. Curling them into fists, Tyler fought off a wave of panic. It couldn’t be true. Think! “Then who is the Richard James Lawrence who’s been working as an accountant for Cramer, Brooks and Stapleton for the past six years?”

      “Whoever he is, the scam he’s been running is about to come crashing down around his ears,” Nick vowed.

      When he started to rise from the bench, Tyler grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “I had Richard checked out. If he was dead, Sheridan’s security people would have found it out.”

      “Not if they didn’t check back far enough.”

      “Well, my roommate from college can tell you he’s real. She took a course with Richard at Columbia just two years ago.”

      “Is that the same roommate who dared you to run an ad in the Personals?”

      “Yes.”

      “I want to talk to her,” Nick said.

      “Fine. She has an office on Wall Street.”

      IN SPITE OF THE air-conditioning, the inside of the taxi seemed stuffy and warm. And silent. Tyler was grateful for that. She needed a moment to focus. To think of some explanation for what Nick had discovered about Richard.

      There had to be one. But she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what it could be. Because the man sitting only a foot or so away from her was distracting her. That kiss they’d just shared…the heat that had flowed through her, the wanting that it had left in its wake—No, she wasn’t going to let herself think about it now. She had to concentrate on Richard, the man she’d agreed to marry in eight days. Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath and tried to center herself. In a moment, the weakness would pass. She’d worked hard to develop willpower and control, and it would serve her now.

      The driver leaned on the horn as he aimed the taxi suddenly into the left lane. When he slammed on the brakes, Tyler made a quick grab for the handle, but she wasn’t in time to keep herself from sliding against Nick. She planted both hands against his chest just as he gripped her arms, and they were in the same position they’d been in when he’d kissed her in the park. Her response was immediate; she felt the heat pour through her, along with the knowledge. All either one of them had to do was close the small distance, and it would happen again. That sharp bright whip of desire, the dazzling spiral of pleasure. She knew now what was waiting for her. And she felt the pull, strong and steady, to move forward, just a little, and take—

      “No,” she said as she made herself draw back. “I can’t…I won’t.”

      “You already did, once,” Nick said as he leaned back against the door. If he could have managed to get farther away, he would have. Because for a moment there, he hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer. And he’d always been able to before. It was more evidence for his theory that Tyler Sheridan was different for him. And that made her dangerous.

      “Kissing you was a mistake. I won’t make it again.”

      He studied her for a moment. Her hair was still mussed from his hands, her cheeks were flushed, and the pulse at her throat was beating fast. She had to be thinking of what they’d shared, what they could share again, just as he was. “You’re wrong. We’re both going to make that particular mistake again.”

      “No.” She shook her head. “You said it yourself. It’s just chemistry.”

      “But it could be passion.”

      “There’s a difference?”

      “Chemistry burns out quickly. True passion just grows more intense with each indulgence. Of course, we’d have to experiment a little, find out exactly what it is between us.”

      Tyler stared at him. Did the man ever take anything seriously? But beneath the teasing light in his eyes, she could see something else, something that reached out to her. And she could feel deep within herself the desire to reach out to him, too. It was something she’d struggled all her life against. Something she’d wished all her life for? No, that couldn’t be true. She wouldn’t let it be true. “Passion or chemistry. I don’t care to indulge. It can’t, and it won’t, lead anywhere for either one of us.”

      “I’m not sure all the facts are in on that.”

      Chin lifted, Tyler met his eyes squarely. “I СКАЧАТЬ