“Not long. Can I help it if he’s proud of what he’s done?”
“Not only after, but before.” She grunted, then muttered under her breath, “I can’t believe I’m standing here listening when I should be on the phone talking to the police.”
Matt put his hands on her arms and stroked her coaxingly. “Come on, Lauren. It’s worth a try. You know how the police are—”
“I don’t know how the police are. I’ve never had dealings with them before, contrary tosomeof your friends.”
He kissed her forehead. “The police ask millions of questions and then get their minds set on an answer that isn’t the one you’ve given or the one you want to hear. These local departments just aren’t geared to taking the offensive, and they sure as hell wouldn’t call in the state police or the FBI in a situation like this.” His voice softened, taking on a hint of teasing that was reflected in his eyes. “If you were worried about contractors being chauvinists, just wait until you’ve met the police. They’ll treat you like a sweet little thing who’s slightly soft in the head.” He cupped said item in his hand and gently massaged her scalp. “And even if they decided that you just might be on to something, there’s the matter of red tape. They could step up their patrols, but that’d be all. They’d have trouble getting authorization for much else. More than anything, they’d be reluctant to do something that might backfire in court.”
Lauren was having trouble fighting him when he was so close and touching her so gently. “You’re not reluctant,” she stated, but the accusation she’d intended came out sounding more like admiration.
“Not one bit.” His thumbs traced the delicate curves of her ears. “I want whoever’s been harassing you to be caught. I have to believe that once we find out who it is, we’ll find a motive as well.”
“You’re seducing me,” she breathed.
“Me?”
“Don’t look so innocent. You’re seducing me.”
“I am not. I’m simply trying to convince you to let me have a go at it.”
“At what? That’s the issue.” Her voice was whisper-soft, not seductive in itself, simply … taken. “Do you want a go at playing cops and robbers, or at making love with me?”
“I’ll make you forget, Lauren,” he murmured, lowering his head until his lips feathered hers. “I’ll make you forget everything else.”
She caught her breath when he nipped at her lower lip. He was already making her forget, damn him—bless him. At this moment, she wanted to forget.
“I’ll make you forget everything else,” he repeated hotly against her neck. “And that’s a promise. Word of honor.”
Matt made good on his promise. Right there, propping Lauren against the kitchen counter, he made love to her with such daring that she forgot everything else but what she felt for him, with him.
He also made good on the promise to call his friend, the breaking-and-entering expert, who showed up at the farmhouse bright and early the very next morning with a carload full of booby-trap makings the likes of which Lauren had never imagined. She had to leave for work before the last of the snares were set, and remarked only half in jest that she’d never make it back into the house alive.
Matt called her from Leominster in the middle of the afternoon to say that he was going to have to attend a dinner meeting and that he wouldn’t be back until late. Disappointed but fully appreciative of the demands of his work, she decided to stay in the city after the shop closed to have dinner with Beth and then see a movie.
“Nervous about going home?” Beth teased.
Lauren chuckled—yes, nervously. “It’ll be dark, and they’ve hooked up so many gadgets that it’s very possible I’ll be the first one caught. You wouldn’t believe it, Beth. There’s a gizmo on the garage door that has to be deactivated, or else a huge black net descends on an intruder. And once the net falls,itsets off a god-awful clanging. The doors to the house have hidden latches that are attached to electrical devices that deliver a shock powerful enough to stun, and the shock in turn sets off an alarm.”
“You’re right in the middle of a spy novel. I love it!”
“You wouldn’t if you had to negotiate everything yourself. There are even hidden snares along the edge of the woods. You’d think we were trapping mink.”
“I’m telling you, you’ve got all the makings of a bestseller. Just think, when this is over, you can write it up. Before you know it, you’ll be signing autographs and doing the talk-show circuit.”
“Thank you, Beth. I’ll settle for catching one man and turning him over to the police.”
“But what if it isn’toneman?” Beth tossed out with imaginative anticipation. “What if there’s a whole syndicate that’s got some kind of grudge against you? What if you catch one man and another takes over where the first leaves off, so you catch the second? Meanwhile, the first dies mysteriously in jail, so the second decides to sing, and before you know it, there’s enough evidence to convict theentiresyndicate. You’ll be a hero!”
“Heroine,” Lauren correct dryly. “And I don’t believe we’re dealing with any syndicate. What would a syndicate have against me?”
“Maybe it was using your vacant farmhouse as its headquarters, and then you came along and, boom, moved in lickety-split, and there’s still some very valuable and potentially condemning material stored in the cellar—”
Lauren scowled at her. “What happened to your theory about the ghost of inhabitants past?”
“Too passé. I think I like the syndicate idea better.”
“I don’t likeeitherof them, and if we’re going to have dinner together, you’ll have to swear you won’t go on like this. You’re making me nervous.”
