He studied her. “You seem surprised. Does that mean you didn’t see it coming?”
She shrugged. “I had my issues with Liz, but I never tried influencing Uncle Frazier about her. She was his business. I figured sooner or later he would come to his senses and see the type of person she truly was. Did Uncle Frazier give you any details as to what happened?”
“No.” And for that reason, Striker decided to have Stonewall run a background check on Liz Tillman. It was better to be safe than sorry.
“We need to talk, Margo,” he decided to say. While she’d been in her workroom, he had used the separation to think clearly. In order to continue to protect her, he needed to stay out of her pants.
She slouched back on the sofa. “What about?”
He wished she didn’t do that. Look so damn comfortable and beautiful at the same time. She was wearing an oversize blouse and a pair of black leggings. Both showed her figure, and already he could feel the area below his belt thicken. How he would manage to keep his hands to himself he wasn’t sure, but it was something he had to do. He had no options regarding that.
“The need for us to keep our hands to ourselves.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
He was surprised she was so agreeable. What part of what he’d said did she find amusing? “Am I missing something here?”
“Why would you think that?”
She wasn’t helping matters, he thought. If anything, she was making them more complicated. And if he was reading her right, she wouldn’t make resisting her easy. “I have to do my job, Margo.”
“Then do it. Why would I stop you?”
“Trust me. I won’t let you stop me.”
They stared at each other for the longest moment, and then, easing off the sofa, she said, “Great. Now I need to go upstairs. Think I’ll lie down awhile. Take a nap. Want to join me?”
She had asked in that same sultry voice she’d used when issuing that shower invitation. Her doing so nearly knocked the wind out of his sail. Almost made him say, Hell yeah, I’ll go upstairs with you and lie down. But you better believe we won’t be taking a nap. We will finish what we started in the shower this morning. But he held his peace, although the size of his erection was growing by leaps and bounds.
“I will go up the stairs to do my normal check. But there won’t be any funny business going on.”
“So in other words, you won’t let me take care of that?” she said, her gaze zeroing in on his erection.
Why at that moment did said erection begin throbbing? “That’s right. I won’t let you take care of it.”
She shook her head sadly. “What a pity.”
Christ. I am in trouble.
“If you’re ready, I will escort you upstairs, Margo.”
“I’m ready.”
Once they made it up the stairs, Margo moved toward her bedroom door. Before opening it, she turned to him and smiled. “If you change your mind about joining me, Striker, just knock.” She then opened the door, went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her.
He stood there and stared at the closed door. She was deliberately tempting him, and he knew he couldn’t take the bait. A lot was at stake, and making sure she was kept alive headed his must-do list. Why did she have to be such a challenge, one he couldn’t seem to get a handle on? When he thought he had himself back in control where she was concerned, something would happen to make him lose that control all over again. He was tired of going back and forth with her when the one constant was his desire. It seemed stronger for her than ever and was growing like crazy.
Heaving a sigh of frustration, he moved away from the door.
*
LIZ TILLMAN DROVE through the gates of the Connelly estate. She still couldn’t believe Frazier had ordered her to leave. Even while packing she’d expected him to walk into the bedroom they’d shared together, strip her naked before tossing her on the bed and having his way with her.
She couldn’t help wondering what had made him end things between them. Had he found out about that private investigator she’d hired? She’d only been looking to get a little insurance, to make sure he stayed committed to her. She’d only been driven to do such a thing because she’d picked up on him distancing himself from her.
If anyone had told her she wouldn’t be the mistress of the manor by now, she would not have believed them. At one time she’d all but had him eating out her hand. Then that bitch of a niece decided to move back to town.
She knew Frazier felt beholden to his dead brother to make sure his daughter was taken care of, but Margo Connelly was a twenty-six-year-old woman who could take care of herself. Frazier was so damn protective of her. The first time he’d picked up on friction between them, he had taken the bitch’s side.
And now her plans to marry Frazier were ruined thanks to Margo. And there was no way she wouldn’t believe everything was Margo’s fault. Now she had nowhere to go and no money to spend. While she’d been Frazier’s live-in lover, he’d opened a bank account in her name and had kept the funds pouring in to use however she liked.
Frazier had let her know before she pulled away that her bank account was closed. In other words, after she used what was in it now, she shouldn’t look for any further deposits. Had he found out she had used some of those same funds to hire that PI?
As Liz moved toward the interstate, the more she thought about her situation, the angrier she got. She bet Margo was somewhere laughing. Well, Liz intended to have the last laugh. She would make Margo Connelly regret coming between her and Frazier.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
WITH HER HEART beating hard in her chest, Margo leaned back against her bedroom door. Striker had finally moved away. He had stood outside her door for the longest time, probably trying to make up his mind about what he should do. Yes, she’d heard his words about them not making love again. He assumed that in order to protect her it had to be hands off. Well, he would find out soon enough how wrong he was. She had discovered since being around him just how strong sexual chemistry could be. And like him, she’d tried fighting it and had discovered doing so was a losing battle.
She had decided not to fight it anymore. The emotions she was feeling were all new to her, but she had accepted that, of all men, Striker could make her want to do things she’d never thought of doing in her entire life. Like being bold enough to invite a man to her bed, even when she knew the only thing between them was a strong attraction that neither of them could control.
Didn’t Striker understand they had crossed the line and in doing so were now in each other’s system? Granted, she couldn’t speak for him and had no intentions of doing so, but she could definitely speak for herself. Making love with him had been so off the charts she doubted if she would ever recover. It took skill and unselfishness, and it was obvious Striker knew a lot about pleasure. About how to give it as well as receive it.