“And the pat down was to make sure I hadn’t taken anything before you walked in?”
“Smart girl.”
“No.”
He frowned. “No what?”
“Your earlier question. No, I don’t want to tell you what I was doing.”
“You’re one of those UC Irvine students, right?”
She had graduated from UC Irvine, but she still had no idea what he was talking about. “What makes you say that?”
He ran his fingers through his hair, giving him a sexy, tousled appearance. “Oh, come on. It’s been all over the paper. Upping the ante. Dare after dare. Basic college pranks on steroids. It’s dumb.”
She nodded, trying to look scolded. “Yeah. You’re right. It is.” She casually lifted one shoulder. “Uh, sorry?”
He exhaled, and she wondered if he was going to change his mind and call the cops. Or maybe the dean of students. Time to short-circuit this little têteà-tête and get the heck out of there. “Well, this has been a real treat, but I really should be heading out.”
He studied her, and as his gaze rose, so did the heat in her body, oozing up her legs, her stomach, her breasts, until she felt she might spontaneously combust. Then his lips curved into a smile. The kind of smile that said, “You can’t fool me,” but a smile nonetheless. Maybe she amused him. Shaharazadmanaged 1001 nights just for keeping the king amused, and got to stay alive in the process.
Maybe his grin was a good sign.
Or maybe she’d lost her grip on reality.
All in all, she really didn’t have the upper hand in this little scenario.
He stood right in front of her, and though he was only a head or so taller, he seemed to loom over her, one giant wall of masculinity. She swallowed and held her ground, but it was all she could do not to step back, to claim her space again. He had a presence, a compelling strength, and her pulse had picked up tempo simply from his proximity.
What on earth was coming over her? She stood straighter, taking deep, even breaths as she forced herself back to the moment. The real moment. The one where she’d been caught breaking and entering. Not the fantasy moment where the gorgeous, sophisticated man discovered her inner charm and whisked her away from “all that.”
After a moment he broke eye contact, stepping back toward the door that led into Miss Emily’s hall. His hand closed over the doorknob. “There’s no sense risking your neck on the trellis,” he said. “I’ll show you to the servants’ stairs. You can get out through the back door.”
She tilted her head and squinted at him, certain that at any moment a big, orange Warning! sign would start flashing over his head. As much as she wanted to get the hell out of there, something in her gut was telling her this just wasn’t right.
“You’re really just going to escort me to the stairs? That’s it? No interrogation? No bright light shining in my eyes? No water torture or hypodermics of sodium Pentothal?”
He shrugged. “Sorry. Not today.”
She squinted. “Why?”
“You seem like a nice girl.”
“I am. Yes. But—”
“Well, there you go. Just try to avoid hanging out with the wrong crowd at school.”
He waved his hand toward the door in a hurry-up gesture, and, just like that, sheknew. He wasn’t supposed to be in that room any more than she was. He was too eager for her to leave, too lackadaisical about her presence in the first place.
Had he come for the necklace? She didn’t know, but she didn’t intend to leave until she found out. She’d worked her tail off to return the thing to Emily, and she’d be damned if she was going to stand by and let this charlatan with the bedroom eyes rip the old lady off.
Besides, now that she was pretty certain he wouldn’t turn her in, this was becoming a fun little escapade. And, on the whole, a hell of a lot safer than bungee jumping.
Her mind made up, she took a seat on Miss Emily’s plush divan, then crossed her legs for effect. “Actually,” she said, conjuring a smile, “I think I’m going to stay awhile.”
* * *
KYLE RAKED HIS FINGERSthrough his hair and considered just picking up the slip of a woman and tossing her out on her rump. He decided against it. For one, manhandling women tended to be frowned upon. For another, he had no idea what she was up to. When he’d first seen her, his heart had raced, certain that she’d violated Miss Emily’s sanctuary. His pat-down had proved otherwise, though. Unfortunately, the pat-down had made his heart race for an entirely different reason.
