Calder Promise (Calder Saga 8)

With a degree of regret, she flattened a hand against his chest and pushed back, dipping her head to pull in a breath that his kiss had denied her. His hands tightened on her in an attempt to draw her back, but Laura managed to maintain a small distance.

Peering at him through the top of her lashes, she murmured between deep breaths, “You do know the quick way to start a fire, don’t you?”

“I had help,” he reminded her.

Sensing his advantage, Boone again attempted to eliminate the space that separated. This time Laura laid two fingers on his lips.

“I think we both know where another kiss would lead,” she told him without any trace of false primness. “And I don’t know you that well—yet.”

He hesitated, gauging the firmness of her refusal, then loosened his hold on her. “That’s the most promising ‘no’ I’ve ever heard from a woman.”

Laura moved out of his arms and sat back in the seat. “I’m surprised any woman has told you ‘no’ before.” She removed a small mirror and a tube of lipstick from her purse and set about applying a fresh coat to her lips.

“There haven’t been many,” Boone admitted, aware that he’d seen only a rare few of them a second or third time, and lately, none at all.

“That’s what I thought.” Her sideways glance was bright with amusement. With her lips a shiny peach color once again, she capped the tube and returned both mirror and lipstick to her purse. “Quick, torrid affairs can be fun. But sometimes a person can get burned by them. And it isn’t going to be me. You need to know that.” She paused to meet his gaze. “So if you want to change your mind and forget about taking me to the country this weekend, there’ll be no hard feelings at all.”

He believed her. That knowledge made him all the more determined to possess her, even though there was a part of him that realized he was taking the risk of being possessed by her. Something told him that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“I’ll pick you up at two—as we agreed earlier.”

The slow and obviously pleased smile she gave him seemed to assure him that anything he gave up would be worth it.

Chapter Five

The stately Daimler limousine cruised along the rural highway that wound its way through the rolling hills of the Cotswolds. Spring had worked its magic on the land, greening its pastures and turning its trees into thickly leafed canopies.

The scenery was the quintessence of the English countryside, picturesque and quaint, but Max Rutledge had absolutely no interest in it or the easy chatter between Laura and Tara. Impatiently he flipped on the intercom.

Rudely ignoring the chauffeur, he addressed his words to the man riding in the front passenger seat, Harold Barnett, his personal valet who also doubled as his private nurse. “Dammit, Harold, how much farther is it to this place? I thought we were supposed to be there by now.”

“Honestly, Max, you are really a poor traveler,” Tara chided with easy familiarity. “You know as well as I do that the chauffeur told us that we should be there between four and five, depending on the traffic. It’s only half past four now.”

“Then we should be there, shouldn’t we?” Max said and glowered.

“Excuse me, sir.” The valet’s tenor voice came over the intercom speaker. “But it appears the entrance to the estate is just ahead of us.”

“About time,” Max grumbled and for the first time took an interest in the view outside his window.

“The batteries on his cell phone went dead about seventy miles ago,” Boone inserted his own explanation for his father’s impatience.

“I’d like to know why you packed yours in your suitcase,” Max threw him a glare. “You’re supposed to carry the damn thing.”

“I didn’t see the need. You had yours,” Boone replied.

“Both of you, stop bickering.” Laura smiled to take any sting from her admonishment. “You’re worse than a pair of old maids.”

Max opened his mouth to make a hot retort, then looked at Laura, checked it, and offered her a rare smile instead. “Maybe it comes from a lack of having the civilizing influence of a female in our lives.”

“And this weekend you’re going to have the company of two. We’ll see how much it improves your disposition,” Laura declared impishly.

Max nudged Boone’s arm and nodded in Laura’s direction. “This one’s got a brain. She’ll keep you on your toes.”

Laura laughed. “I can’t imagine any man being on his toes unless it’s Barishnikov.”

The slowing of the limousine as it approached the entrance to the country estate brought a natural end to the exchange, their attention shifting to their destination. A pair of wrought-iron gates stood open. A narrow lane curved away from it, lined with towering oaks that obscured the view. Leaning closer to the window, Laura waited for her first glimpse of the house, feeling a kind of building suspense.

“It’s a damned long driveway,” Max grumbled.