“You haven’t been looking?”
“Yes. But it was strictly professional.”
“And what did you think?”
“She’s got a nice body,” Liam commented. “A great body. And whoever took that bank photo of her ought to have his shutter finger amputated. It’s those kinds of photographers that make us all look like hacks.”
“What else did you find out?”
Liam shrugged. “I don’t think she’s a criminal.”
“She’s a woman,” Sean said, his expression tight. “A beautiful woman. And you’re blinded by her beauty.”
“I just met her,” Liam said. “I don’t get blinded until the fourth or fifth date.”
“What did you talk about?”
“Life. Romance. Work. Nothing in particular.”
“Introduce her to me. I’ll date her.
“Oh, right. You’ll charm her with your rapier wit and your bubbling conversation,” he said sarcastically. “Besides, we’re not dating. I had dinner with her, that’s all.”
“What’s her name?”
Liam frowned. “You know what her name is. Ellie. Eleanor Thorpe.”
“You’re falling for her. The way you say her name. You smile when you say it. I’ve seen that before. It always means the same thing.”
“I’m getting the hell out of here,” Liam said. “You’ve got your case back now-you can watch her.”
“I can’t. I’ve got to follow up on the case from Atlantic City. Husband’s heading off on a business trip to Syracuse and I’ve got to trail him there.”
“No way. I’m not spending another day in this attic.”
“Then spend as much time as you can with her. You have my permission. Whatever you get, you get.” Sean walked to the door, but at the last minute he turned around. He reached into his pocket, withdrew a wad of cash, then tossed it to Liam. “Three thousand,” he murmured. “That’s half of the retainer they gave me. It’s yours. Just don’t screw this up.”
The door closed behind Sean, but Liam didn’t move. Instead he stared down at the wad of cash in his hand. Three thousand dollars. He would have spent time with Ellie for free. But now, with the money in his hands, Liam realized that he wasn’t just playing at private investigator for his brother. Sean expected him to come through and ultimately that meant putting Ellie Thorpe in jail.
Liam shoved the cash into his pocket. Until this moment the women in his life had been conquests and challenges and, sometimes, lovers. Charming them had been part of his nature. But now, Ellie Thorpe was something else. Charming her was a job-a job he’d been paid to do. And if he was to succeed, he’d have to ignore the urge to romance her.
Liam had never done that before. “I guess there’s always a first time,” he murmured.
ELLIE STARED at the keypad mounted next to her apartment door. “I thought you were going to buy me a new lock.”
Liam smiled and casually draped his arm over her shoulder. “You remember that conversation?”
She felt a blush warm her cheeks at the memory of their dinner. And the blush was intensified by the blood pounding through her veins at his touch. Ellie knew it was simply a friendly gesture, but the warmth of his arm against her nape made her knees a little weak and her brain a little fuzzy.
She couldn’t deny her attraction to him. What woman wouldn’t be attracted? That dark hair that never seemed to see a comb. And those eyes, always with a devilish twinkle that made him seem all the more dangerous. Ellie knew she couldn’t let herself surrender to that kind of charm, but sometimes she couldn’t help herself. “I remember most of what happened,” Ellie murmured. “Especially the headache I had the next morning.”
Though she’d been more than a little tipsy, the wine hadn’t affected her memory, just her inhibitions. The things she’d said to him, the things she’d done, still brought a flood of embarrassment. She remembered throwing her arms around his neck and begging him to dance. She also remembered being scooped up into his arms and carried to the bedroom. And she remembered how much she’d wanted him to kiss her. But after that her memory got very fuzzy.
Still, it didn’t matter. Memory or none, when she woke up fully dressed the next morning, Ellie knew that nothing had happened. Liam Quinn had been the perfect gentleman. Maybe it was all for the best, Ellie mused. If something were to happen between her and Liam, she’d certainly want to be in full possession of her faculties when it did.
“I’m never going to drink wine again. And I’m never going to figure out how to use this. Look at all these buttons and lights.”
“This is better than a new lock,” Liam said, handing her the manual. “It’s a whole security system. It will keep burglars out.”
Ellie groaned inwardly as she took the manual from his fingers and wandered over to the sofa. Every time she had to program her VCR, she had to spend a half hour with the manual. She’d even found a self-help book called
And now she’d be held prisoner in her apartment by a bunch of wires and circuits and a very loud alarm. She wasn’t sure she’d ever want to go out again. “But I don’t need a security system. I could just get a dog.”
A very loud dog. But then she’d have to feed it and walk it. Ellie sighed inwardly. A man would be a better choice. If she had a man in her bed every night, she’d be able to get some sleep…or maybe not. Especially if she had a man like Liam Quinn in her bed. “Stop it,” she murmured, pinching her eyes shut and driving the thoughts from her mind once again. “How much is this going to cost? I can’t afford this now.”
Liam glanced over at the security technician who was picking up the last of his tools. “Ed is a friend of my brother, Conor. He put the system in at the pub. He’s doing this one as a favor.”
“All right,” Ed said. “These are the keys for the new locks. All the directions for programming in the code are in the manual. It’s easier than programming a VCR. I’ve wired all the windows and the door, so if any of them is opened when the alarm is set, it will go off. I’ve also installed glass-break sensors. The alarm will go to the security company who will call the police.”
“Great. Thanks, Ed.”
“Yeah, thanks, Ed,” Ellie echoed.
“No problem,” he said. “Call me and we’ll set up a time for you to come over and take pictures.” After Liam shut the door behind Ed, he turned to Ellie and smiled.
“Pictures?” she asked.
“He wants some photos of him riding around town on his new motorcycle. I told him I’d take some.”
“Then this wasn’t really free.”
“It was a good trade. And now you’re safe.”
“No,” Ellie countered, “my stuff is safe. No one can get in when I’m not here.”
“And no one can get in when you
“I’m not sure I’m going to be able to work this.”
“Come here,” he said. “I’ll show you how. It’s easy.” Reluctantly, Ellie got off the sofa and crossed the room to the door. “You just push the star key twice, then wait for the red light, then punch in your code. We’ll do 3-5-5-4. See, that spells ‘E-L-L-I.’ Ellie. That turns it on and shuts it off. I’ll make an extra copy of your new keys to leave with the security company. If the alarm goes off when you’re out, they’ll come over and check the apartment.”
“I guess,” Ellie said. “But this whole thing scares me.”
“It’s meant to keep you safe,” Liam replied.
“Safe from what? Do you think that burglar will be back?”
“Probably not. But it’s better safe than sorry.”
“You’re right,” Ellie said. She stared at the keypad, a tiny sliver of fear niggling at her brain. What if the burglar did come back and Liam wasn’t here to save her? The burglar obviously hadn’t gotten what he’d come for.
Liam’s finger hooked beneath her chin and he lifted her gaze up to his. “You don’t have to be afraid, Ellie.”
“I know. Thank you.”
Liam leaned closer and touched his lips to hers in the gentlest of kisses. He kissed her as if it had been the
