Twice Kissed - Lisa Jackson [107]
“How long has Mary Theresa been with him?” she asked.
“Six, maybe eight months.” Thane lifted a shoulder. “Too long.”
She heard Wade stomping around on the second floor, then rapid-fire footsteps as he hurried down the stairs. He didn’t bother to step into the kitchen again, though Maggie, from her position at the table, watched him fly through the door to the garage. His coat sailed behind him as he carried a bundle of clothes toward a sleek navy blue BMW. The door to the garage slammed shut before Maggie saw much more, but she heard the sounds of the garage door cranking open, a keyless lock beeping, a powerful engine firing, loud music blaring, and then everything receding as Wade and his sports car made tracks.
“How was that for a breath of fresh air?” Thane asked, still staring at the door.
“Different,” she said, but realized that Mary Theresa didn’t really have a “type” where men were concerned. None of the men in her life had fit into any kind of mold. Including Thane.
“Come on, I’ll buy you dinner,” Thane offered.
“I’ll take you up on that, but first I need to check into a hotel and rent a car.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the broom closet. Expertly she activated the security system. As the alarm beeped softly, she and Thane hurried outside. The air was frigid, the stars bright, and the few streetlights glowed against the snow-covered terrain.
“Why rent a car?” he asked. “I’ll drive you wherever you need to go.”
“Don’t you have a ranch or two to run?”
“I have foremen who can handle whatever comes up.”
She hazarded a glance at him as they trudged in the melting path they’d broken earlier. He didn’t belong in this neighborhood of sprawling mansions and tended acres. He looked as out of place as a mustang in a paddock of thoroughbreds, a man who belonged on the windswept plains of Wyoming where he’d been bred. She told herself to stay away from him, that he was dangerous, at least on an emotional level, maybe more. And yet there was something about him, a subtle sexual aura that seemed to smooth out the rough edges, something that caught hold of her and wouldn’t let go. His hawkish nose, deep-set eyes, and untamed hair seemed more appealing than ever. She had only to think of the kiss they’d shared, the kiss she’d wanted so desperately in Mary Theresa’s study, to realize that she wasn’t the least bit immune to him. “I think I need my own vehicle, Thane.”
She reached for the handle of the truck’s door, but he placed a hand near her head, holding the door closed. “Do you? Why?”
“I want my independence.”
One seductive eyebrow raised. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want to depend on you.”
“I’m pretty damned dependable.”
“But not honest,” she said, turning and leaning her buttocks against the pickup’s dirty fender.
“You don’t think so?”
“Call it feminine intuition, or a gut feeling, or even say that it’s because I believe in the old adage of once burned twice shy, but the bottom line is this: I think, no, I suspect would be a better word, that there’s still something you’re not telling me, Thane. Something important. And it has to do with my sister. You didn’t leave your ranch in Wyoming, drive all the way to Idaho to shanghai me back to Denver unless you had a reason, a stronger one than that you wanted me to vouch for you with the authorities.”
“No?” He didn’t deny it.
“So spill it.”
“You won’t believe that I just wanted to see you again.”
Her heart caught. But only for a second. “Don’t even start that with me, okay?” She held her hands on either side of her head, as if in surrender. “You’ve been divorced a long time. If you wanted to see me again, you could have called.”
“You were married.”
She shook her head. He wasn’t going to fool her, sweet-talk her, or, God forbid, seduce her into believing a lie. “That wasn’t it, either. There’s something else going on with you,” she insisted, her eyes searching the ranch-tough blades of his face. “Something big.”
“You’re such a damned skeptic.”
“I wonder why?” she tossed back, only to have his arms surround her and his lips crash down on hers