In the Arms of Danger

EIGHT

The little minx tried to lose him!

Cory shook his head as he watched her silver Audi drive toward him from up the street. The freeway had been packed, and Taylor crept in between cars and eventually lost him. Since he wasn't familiar with this part of California, he didn't know if he'd be able to find her. So he did the next best thing... drove to her house and waited. It hadn't taken very long to find where she lived since her father had given him the address.

The grand red and white brick, two-story house looming before him didn't surprise him one bit. Bay windows enhanced the front of the house. Tall hedges outlined the circular drive from the road as well as the gray-bricked walkway leading to the front door. He didn't have to wonder where she'd gotten the money to pay for such luxuries. He expected the billionaire's daughter to live as she'd been accustomed to all her life, on Daddy's money.

Her car turned into the long driveway. Grinning, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. She probably didn't even notice him parked due to the descending sun that had already been hidden behind the houses. That's good. He liked to surprise people. Could be why he enjoyed being a private investigator so much.

The wide door on the double-car garage took its time lifting before she drove inside the lighted area. He started his Blazer and hurried in behind her. The black trimmed walls of the garage were immaculate. Not even a smudge marred them. The enormous space was the dream of any handyman like himself, yet nothing hung on the walls. Cory would have had all kinds of tools decorating the empty spaces, and all within reach when he worked on his vehicles.

The minute Taylor opened her door, Cory jumped out of his Blazer. Their gazes met, her eyes widened at first then her forehead creased into a scowl. She snapped around and moved to the back of her car to take Meggie out of the car seat.

Still, she refused to look directly at him. He wanted to read her expression, to know what she really thought. He'd get the truth out of her one way or another. Of course, he'd rather not have Meggie present. He didn't want to frighten the girl.

Taylor's slender back-end stuck out of the door as she fumbled with the buckle on her daughter's carseat. From the window he watched the loving way Taylor gazed upon her daughter. The familiar expression made him want to stare at her forever...

"Let me check the house before you two go inside," he said, his voice lower than normal as he shook the improper thoughts from his head.

Her hands paused, her body stiffened. She still didn't look his way.

"You think someone's inside?" she asked.

"Just being cautious, Taylor."

He stepped beside her, waiting, trying his hardest not to stare at her cute little rump. Perhaps seeing her from this side wasn't a good thing, either.

She didn't look at him, just continued to gaze at her daughter. "The keys are still in the ignition and the code to the security system is sixty-sixty."

After collecting the keys, he moved to the side door leading into her house and punched in the code. Once the security system gave him the green light, he stepped inside. The light scent of lemons drifted around him. Sparkling clean floors and counters greeted him, and as he walked in further, a feeling of serenity washed over him. Peering around doors, gun clutched tight in his hands, he moved through every room on the bottom level, and then to the top.

With each step, a sense of belonging grew in his chest. Everything reminded him of what he'd loved as a child. The sanctuary of a devoted family, a safe haven where he could relax. Pictures of outdoor scenes hung on Taylor's walls. Plants and flowers decorated both the kitchen and the front room. Even the way Meggie's playroom had been set up made him smile. If ever there was a happy place to live, this looked exactly like what he'd imagined.

His mother dying so young had stripped away his childhood in his youth. After she'd passed on, Cory couldn't show emotion in front of his father. According to his old man, men didn't cry. It made them weak.

As Cory searched the top floor, he found only bedrooms and an office. He stood in the middle of Taylor's bedroom, her sensual lilac scent lingered in the air and tickled his nose, bringing back memories he wanted to forget. He'd loved her flowery smell, loved to bury his face in her neck and breathe in her intoxicating scent.

He glanced to the queen-size bed. How many boyfriends had Taylor taken after she'd left him for dead five years ago?

He swept his attention from corner to corner, surprised to see how clean she'd kept her bed, the floor, and even the closet as the door opened to reveal the neatly hanging clothes. During their time in Bermuda, she hadn't cared to straighten up their bedroom, or the hut where they'd played house in. Then again, she was too busy being entertained while in his arms.

He shook his head to clear away the memories. He didn't dare stay inside her room any longer than necessary for fear the memories would overwhelm him and make him want to do things he'd regret for the rest of his life.

It'd been different when he'd thought she had disappeared off the face of the earth and was out of his life, when he realized she wasn't the woman she led him to believe. Back then he'd cared.

Now he didn't.

Why couldn't she have been the woman he'd wanted? Would he ever find a way to mend his broken heart and find happiness once again?

He tightened his hand around the gun. What have I done to deserve this torture? Perhaps if he explained to Stephen what had happened between him and Taylor back in Bermuda...tell him how Stephen's very own niece had been the reason he'd been shot and almost died.

No. He couldn't do that to his best friend. Besides, how else would he discover the truth if he didn't stay with this assignment and pry it out of her? He'd learned early in life that digging was the only way to get what he wanted.

* * * *

"Is everything safe?"

Taylor's voice echoing through the staircase brought him out of his thoughts. He exited her room and met her as she climbed the stairs.

He scowled. "Well, it hardly matters since you're already here."

She lifted her perky nose. "I figured my house was safe when the security system hadn't been set off." She walked past him with Meggie in her arms. "When Dad started getting threatening letters, I had a security system installed in my house."

He gritted his teeth. How dare she treat him like he didn't know what he was doing? He would have to make some ground rules very soon or he'd wring her slender, and very lovely, neck. No longer could she do everything she wanted. She must listen to him and obey his rules.

He spun on his heels and followed her down the hall. She entered Meggie's room, and he stopped at the doorway. The little girl rubbed her eyes as Taylor slipped off her daughter's shoes.

"Mommy? I don't wanna go to bed."

"Yes you do, honey." Taylor touched her hand to her daughter's forehead, sweeping back a lock of hair that had fallen in her eyes. "We've had a rough day. Both of us should go to bed early tonight."

Meggie glanced over Taylor's shoulder. "Where's him gonna stay?" She pointed.

Taylor's body stiffened. "He'll sleep here tonight. I'll put him in the room down the hall."

She helped Meggie slip out of her clothes and into a nightgown with a cartoonish lion and cub characters on it. As Taylor pulled the sheet to her daughter's shoulders, the little girl settled in her bed.

Leaning against the doorframe he was fascinated by the scene before him. Taylor brushed a loving hand across her daughter's face as she hummed a soft lullaby. She caressed Meggie's long hair, causing the girl's eyes to droop. Her little mouth opened wide in a yawn before she curled on her bed. Taylor lifted a heavier blanket to her daughter's chin, leaned over and kissed her forehead.

The adorable child, who could possibly be his, whimpered softly. His heart tugged. And then froze. If in fact, Meggie was his child, Taylor had purposely kept them apart. He could have been a father to her. He could have been the one humming lullabies and stroking the little girl's hair until she fell asleep.

When Taylor straightened and glanced his way, her humming stopped. Their gazes clashed. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. She must not have known he still stood watching them.

He gave her a slight nod and motioned toward the hallway. "We need to talk," he whispered.

With her jaw tight, she kept her back ramrod straight and walked past. He followed, closing the door behind him.

"Would you like a drink? I have some iced tea in the fridge," she asked.

"Iced tea would be nice." Anything to moisten his dry throat. Especially when it felt like he'd swallowed a pillow.

Walking behind her, he couldn't keep his focus from roaming her backside again, admiring how great she looked. She'd had a perfect figure five years ago, but now...

Again, he cursed his wayward thoughts. He didn't care what it took, even if it meant drinking ice cold drinks twenty-four seven, but he had to stop remembering how passionate she'd been in Bermuda. He couldn't think about the way she slid her lips over his, or the way she'd touched him with such gentle hands, or the way they'd laughed together and cuddled.

Where's that bucket of ice?

When he entered the room, he moved to the dinette chair and sat. Thankfully, she avoided looking at him as she moved around the kitchen, getting the glasses and tea. Her hand shook as she poured, and he couldn't help the victorious spurt growing in his chest. Obviously, she was just as disturbed as he felt.

Although he didn't want to appear mean, he did want her to know and understand why he was here, doing what he was doing. Because of her deceit back in Bermuda, he would never trust her again.

How could she have acted so innocent back then when he'd seen her talking with that man, batting her eyes like a cheap hooker? And to think she'd led that man right to him. Even the memory of her shrill laughter, as she'd talked with him, still rang through Cory's ears. He had no doubt they planned his demise from the start.

And where was that stranger now?