Scent of Roses (12 page)

Turning away, she went into the kitchen. She was surprised when Zach followed.

“Nice place.” He looked around at the bare tile countertops, just a toaster and a can opener; the small round wooden table with nothing but salt and pepper shakers in the middle.

“Nice and clean, you mean.” She pulled a can of decaf down from the cupboard. “I keep meaning to decorate the place, but I can't seem to get my mind wrapped around the fact I'm back here in San Pico. When I was in high school, all I ever thought about was leaving.”

“Why'd you come back?” He was standing right behind her, so close she could feel his breath against the nape of her neck. Her nerves kicked in. As she reached for the bag of coffee, she tried to keep her hand from shaking.

“I needed a place to recover from my divorce. My dad was here, my sister. Now Dad's gone and my sister's moved away. If it weren't for my job, I don't think I'd still be here.”

He moved a little closer. “I'm glad you are.”

The air snagged in her lungs. He settled both hands on her hips and slowly turned her to face him.

“What…what are you doing?”

“What I've been wanting to do all evening—getting ready to kiss you. I just hope you don't slap me as hard as you did that day outside Marge's.”

She looked up at him, saw the heat in his eyes he no longer tried to hide. For the first time, it occurred to her that she had been wanting him to look at her that way all evening. “I won't slap you.”

“Thank God,” he said an instant before he bent his head and kissed her thoroughly.

It was an incredible kiss, his mouth like hot, damp silk. It burned across her lips, taking and taking, making her catch fire along with him. She could feel his heat, his hunger. She knew now it had been there all along.

Zach kissed her and kissed her, deep, penetrating kisses, hot, drugging kisses that made her insides turn to mush and her knees wobble. He backed her up against the table, trapping her as if he thought she might try to escape, and kissed her some more. Elizabeth looped her arms around his neck and slid the tips of her fingers into his thick dark hair.

His tongue was in her mouth and she could taste the maleness of him. No man had ever kissed her this way, as if he couldn't get enough, as if he needed to kiss her as much as he needed to breathe. Her nipples tightened, throbbed inside the cups of her white lace push-up bra.

“You drive me crazy,” he said against the side of her neck. “I can't stop thinking about you.” Her head fell back and he began to rain kisses along her throat and over her shoulders.

“This is insane,” she whispered, but she was talking to herself and not to Zach.

She felt his hands on her breasts, cupping them over the fabric, gently kneading. “I want to make love to you. There's nothing insane about that.”

She shook her head, knew she should pull away. But she wanted to feel the heat, the fire, just for a few minutes more. She tried not to think of Lisa Doyle, of the women he had in L.A. She tried not to remember what Carson had said,
I can't believe you're letting Zach use you this way.

She heard the buzz of her zipper, felt his hands slide inside her bra to cup her breasts. Desire roared through her. Heat tugged low in her belly, speared out through her limbs. She had to stop him. This was happening way too fast. She wasn't Lisa Doyle. She didn't do one-night stands.

He nibbled the lobe of an ear. “God, you taste so good.”

She swallowed, tried to move away, but his fingers were tugging on her nipple, his hands testing the size and shape of her breasts, making them swell into his palms.

She hadn't been with anyone since Brian. It was only natural, she told herself, to be excited by the touch of a man.

But this wasn't just any man, this was Zachary Harcourt and she didn't trust him. Couldn't afford to trust him.

He unfastened her belt and tossed it away, buzzed the zipper the rest of the way down over her hips. He started to slide the dress off her shoulders, but Elizabeth caught his hand.

“I can't do this.”

He kissed the side of her neck. “Why not? We're both adults. We can do whatever we please.”

She stepped a little away, took a deep breath and looked him straight in the face. “Carson says…he says you're just using me to get to him.”

Zach's jaw hardened. He caught her hand, pressed it against his erection. He was big and hard. He thickened even more at her touch. “Carson has nothing to do with this.”

“I'm not like Lisa.”

“No, you were never like Lisa.”

“Zach, please.”

There must have been something in her tone, something that made him understand that she was fighting not just him but herself.

With a sigh, he reached behind her and zipped up her dress. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rush you. It's just…”

Her hands trembled as she adjusted her clothes. “Just what?”

“I've wanted you from the moment I saw you that day at Teen Vision. I've made myself go slow. I wanted to give you a chance to get to know me. I've tried to be patient, Liz. I'm not a patient man.”

She fumbled for something to say, her heart racing madly. “No one calls me Liz anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Brian didn't like it. He thought Elizabeth sounded more sophisticated.”

He leaned down and very softly kissed her. “They're just names for different facets of the same person. I think Liz is your sensual side.” He kissed her softly and she trembled. “You haven't done this a lot, have you?”

She shook her head. “I had a boyfriend before Brian. That's all.”

“And since then?”

She looked away. “I don't think I can handle a man like you, Zach. You've been with dozens of women. I don't have that kind of experience.”

He caught her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You said you weren't like Lisa and you're right. But a real woman doesn't need to use sexual tricks to satisfy a man. I'm hotter for you right now than I was when I was inside Lisa Doyle.”

She flushed. Zach was a virile, sensual man and he made no bones about it.

“Besides, I could teach you those things. Whatever you want to learn. We could do anything you can imagine.”

Her stomach clenched.
Anything you can imagine.
She had never thought of herself as a sexual woman and yet those words made a soft ache throb deep in her womb. “I—I need to think about this, Zach. You and I, we're different people—especially when it comes to sex. I—I'm just not that brave.”

He dragged her against him and started to kiss her again, his tongue sliding deep inside her mouth. Her body tightened, trembled. His hand found the hem of her skirt and he shoved it up till it rode at her waist. He palmed her sex over her white lace panties. She was wet. And she was hot. She couldn't remember ever being so hot.

“I think you're brave enough,” Zach said, sliding his hand inside her panties. “You just don't know it.”

She gasped as he caressed her, stroked her, caught her moan in his mouth. She was on the edge of climax when he stopped kissing her and pulled his hand away, eased her skirt back into place. He stepped back a little, leaving her trembling with desire, aching to have him inside her.

“I want you, Liz. I'm crazy to have you. But not for any other reason except that I'm attracted to you in a way I haven't been to a woman in years. I want to see you again tomorrow night.”

She wildly shook her head.

“All right. Next week then. I'll give you some time, if that's what you need.”

“I…I don't know, Zach.”

“Yes, you do, Liz. You know what you need and so do I. I'll see you next week.” Turning away from her, he walked out of the kitchen, crossed the living room, and pulled open the door.

At the echo of it closing behind him, Elizabeth sank down in one of the kitchen chairs. As a game player, she was certainly no match for Zachary Harcourt.

Then again, maybe he wasn't playing a game. Maybe he wanted exactly what he said. Maybe he just wanted her.

Her body pulsed at the heady thought.

It was insane, of course, and yet, why shouldn't she consider it? Zach said he wanted her. After tonight, it was clear how much she wanted him. She had always been careful where men were concerned, never done anything wild or reckless.

And where had it gotten her?

Married to Brian Logan, who had cheated on her nearly every day.

Maybe for once she ought to do something daring. Maybe she ought to explore her very limited sexual education with Zach.

She had a week to think about it.

Surely by then she would come to her senses.

T
he Integrity Home Inspection truck arrived at the Santiago house on Tuesday morning after Miguel had left for work in the fields. Elizabeth met them at the property, left them there for the three hours they would be working, then returned when it was time for them to leave.

“What did you find?” she asked Wiley Malone, the owner of the company. He and two of his employees had been hired to make a thorough inspection of the home. She would have to pay the cost herself, but the price he had quoted hadn't been all that bad.

“Good solid house,” Wiley said, a burly man in coveralls with thinning, gray hair. “No leaks, no problems with the plumbing. Walls have good insulation.”

“What about under the house? Did you find anything in the crawl space?” The house sat about three feet off the ground, supported by a concrete perimeter foundation, with wooden floors beneath the carpet.

Malone grinned. He had very large teeth. “Found some fat black widow spiders. Sprayed 'em for you—no charge. Didn't smell anything unusual, though, just a little mold and musty-smellin' dirt. If you're worried about the soil, I'd get Higgins Consulting out here to take a sample. They look for contamination, environment problems. Maybe they can find something.”

“Thank you, Mr. Malone.”

“It's just Wiley, and you're welcome.” The men collected their gear—ladders, flashlights and toolboxes—and headed over to the truck they had come in. Elizabeth watched them drive away, then turned to see Maria standing on the porch.

“What did those men find?”

“They said the house was sound.”

Maria nodded resolutely. “I did not think they would find anything wrong.”

“We still need to check the soil under the house, see if there is some sort of environmental pollution. I'll call the company today.”

“They will not find anything, either.”

Elizabeth sighed. “So you want me to believe there is actually a ghost in the house.”

“What if there is?”

“I'll call the soil company. Once we see what they find out, we can go from there.”

But Higgins Consulting didn't find anything wrong with the soil, certainly nothing that would explain the noises, or the cold or the sickening smell.

Or the hazy vision Maria claimed to have seen.

Frustrated and worried, Elizabeth was busy working at the office when Zach called. She dragged a curl of heavy auburn hair out of the way and pressed the receiver against her ear.

“You busy? It's Zach.”

“Hello, Zach.” Her fingers tightened around the phone at the familiar deep tones of his voice. “I'm always busy, but I'm not with a client right now.”

“I just called to see how you were, and how it went with the house inspectors.”

“I'm fine. The house is fine, too, unfortunately. I had Integrity Home Inspection and Higgins Consulting both take a very thorough look, and neither of them found a damned thing. In fact, they said the place was in very good condition.”

“I suppose something that obvious would have been too easy.”

“I suppose. Luckily, I don't think Carson knows they were there.”

“Lucky for one of us, at least.”

She chuckled.

“Listen, after I left San Pico on Sunday, I did a little research.”

“Yeah, what kind of research?”

“Research on ghosts. Guess what?”

“I'm not sure I want to know.”

“What you felt that night is called a cold spot. It's a commonly reported phenomenon in houses that are supposedly haunted.”

“I don't believe this. Are you seriously thinking there may be a ghost in the house?”

“I'm just telling you what I found out. I thought you might be interested.”

She rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling the beginning of a headache. “Considering I haven't got a single clue what else could be wrong, I suppose I am.”

“Listen, I'll be up there on Friday. I'll leave as soon I can get away from work. I'd like to take you out on Friday night.”

“Zach, I really don't think—”

“I know, I know. I didn't mean to let things get so out of hand last weekend. It just sort of happened.”

That was an understatement. She had been thinking of nothing but sex with Zach all week. The more she tried not to, the worse the obsession seemed to get.

“We'll just go out,” he said. “Go to the show or something, get a pizza, maybe. You don't even have to invite me in when I bring you home. What do you think?”

Was this really Zach Harcourt? He'd been pushy back in his youth, determined to have his way. Then again, maybe he was just as determined now, in a slightly different manner. Whatever the truth, she wanted to see him even though she knew she shouldn't.

“All right, I suppose going to the show would be safe enough.”

“Hey, is the old drive-in theater on Crest Lane still open?”

“What?”

“Just kidding.”

She smiled into the phone. “You are an evil man. What time?”

She could hear him chuckling. “Movie probably starts at seven. Pick something out for us to see and I'll try to be there by six. I'll call if I get tied up in traffic.”

Elizabeth hung up the phone just as the intercom buzzed.

“Your next appointment is here,” the receptionist, Terry Lane, told her.

“Send her in.” Elizabeth straightened the jacket of her cream linen suit, determined to force her mind back to work and not wonder if she'd been a fool to agree to another date with Zach.

 

The intercom buzzed on Zach's big glass-topped desk and his secretary's voice filled the room. “You've got a call, Zach. It's your brother.”

So much for Carson not finding out.
He pushed the speaker button instead of picking up the receiver just to keep a little distance between them.

“Carson. Good of you to call.”

“My ass. What the hell do you think you're doing?”

“I don't know. Why don't you tell me?”

“Fine, I will. You told Elizabeth Conners she could bring people in to inspect the Santiago house. You had no right to do that, Zach.”

“So what if I did? What the hell do you care? They didn't find anything wrong with the place. In fact they said it was in great condition. You ought to be ecstatic.”

Silence on the end of the phone. “I don't like it, that's all. I told her no, so she ran to you. You don't have squat to say about anything on the farm.”

“It was no big deal, all right? You're not out a dime. Liz is happy, and maybe Maria Santiago will be able to sleep a little easier.”

“I still don't like it. Keep your nose out of Harcourt Farms business.”

“I've never tried to interfere in your decisions, Carson. But remember one thing. I'm a lawyer and a good one. If I wanted some say in running that place, I'd find a way to get it.”

“Don't threaten me, Zach.”

“That's a fact, Carson, not a threat. Fortunately, for you, I don't want a damned thing to do with the farm. I never have. Just make sure you're putting Dad's share of the profits in his account and I'm a happy man.”

Carson grunted in reply and hung up the phone and Zach's thoughts returned to where they had been before his brother's call. Liz Conners.

She'd agreed to go out with him again. In a way, he was surprised. He'd damned near scared her away, pressing her so hard to get her to go to bed with him. He hadn't meant to. He'd had a feeling Liz was inexperienced when it came to sex and she was already skittish where he was concerned. Somehow he'd just lost control.

It didn't happen often and the fact it had happened with Liz just showed how much he wanted her.

And she wanted him, he now knew. Liz was one hot lady. She just didn't know it. Zach couldn't think of anything he would rather do than awaken the sexuality he had sensed in her as far back as her senior year in high school. Still, he had meant what he said. He wouldn't press her, not again. Liz was a woman worth waiting for.

Silently, he vowed that this time when he saw her, he would take things slow and easy, be careful not to frighten her away.

 

Maria phoned Elizabeth at the office early Friday morning. Terry had not yet arrived and the front desk was empty, so Elizabeth picked up the phone. She recognized Maria's voice, though it sounded high-pitched and shaky, the woman very near the edge of hysteria.

“Elizabeth,
Dios mio,
thank God, you are there.”

“Take it easy, Maria. What's wrong?”

“She…she came again last night. The ghost. She was there in my house.”

Elizabeth ignored a faint shiver as she remembered the frightening night she had spent in the little yellow house. Still, there couldn't be a ghost. She didn't believe in ghosts. “Was Miguel there when she came?”

“He was sleeping. I tried to wake him, but I couldn't. It was the same as before, only I could see her better. She said that I should leave the house. She said that if I stayed they would…they would kill my baby.”

“Maria, listen to me. We're going to figure this out.”

Maria started crying. “Señor Harcourt, he is sending all of the overseers to the County Farm Implement Show up in Tulare. Miguel will be gone for two nights. I am supposed to stay with Lupe Garcia. She is Chico's wife, another of the other overseers. I do not want to go. They all think I am loco, that I am behaving like a child.” She started sobbing into the phone.

“Don't cry, Maria, please. What nights will Miguel be gone?”

“Tomorrow night and Sunday.”

“All right, then. You have a place to go for those two nights and in the meantime…In the meantime, I'm going to try to find out what is happening in the house.”

Maria's breath hitched. “You are not…you are not thinking to stay there yourself?”

The notion had only been swimming around in her head. Now it seemed like a good idea.
Sort of.

“Yes, I am. I'm going to find out what's happening. I think this is the best way to do it.”

“But you should not stay there alone. It is not safe.”

“I'm not afraid of ghosts, Maria. I'll be fine.”

“I do not think—”

“Someone has to do this. We have to figure out what's going on.”

Maria's voice trembled. “You are right, but still I am frightened.”

“Everything's going to be all right.” Elizabeth hung up the phone, beginning to formulate a plan.

Tomorrow morning, she would go over and see Maria, make arrangements to get a key so she could get into the house that night. She owned a gun. With the kind of work she did, she even had a permit to carry, though she had never done it. Tomorrow night, she would take the gun with her just in case. Perhaps someone was playing a terrible joke, or maybe whoever it was meant to hurt the family living in the house. If they came while she was there, she might need the gun to defend herself.

Or maybe something had been wired into the walls and the inspectors had somehow missed it. If someone was there, manipulating the eerie happenings, she would be ready.

She worked hard all day, her mind skipping from her client appointments to the task she had set for herself tomorrow night. In a way, she was excited. Maybe there really was a ghost!

She laughed at the notion. Something was going on, but she doubted the place was haunted.

At five o'clock she finished up for the day and left the office. Her thoughts were on Zach now, on the evening ahead. All week she had tried not to think of him and rarely been successful. She had tried to imagine herself as the femme fatale Zach believed her to be but couldn't seem to conjure the image.

Still, by the time six o'clock rolled around, she was restless and growing more so by the moment. She had picked out a movie for them to see, but discovered she was no longer in the mood. When Zach called to tell her he was going to be half an hour late, she found herself prowling the apartment thinking about him, remembering the way he had kissed her, touched her, remembering the promise he had made.

I could teach you those things. Whatever you want to learn. We could do anything you can imagine.

Her stomach contracted. Desire slipped through her and her nipples tightened. It was ridiculous.

Wasn't it?

Then again, she was a woman just like any other. She had the same wants and needs.

By the time Zach knocked on the door, her breasts were tingling, her skin sensitive in a way she had never experienced before. Her hand trembled as she reached out to open the door.