She’d clearly just stepped out of the shower, and her citrus scent filled the room.
“Merry Christmas, sunshine,” he murmured.
She appeared momentarily flustered, as if she’d forgotten what day it was, and then she was moving toward the tray with brisk steps.
“Has your computer program found anything?” she asked.
“We can discuss it later,” he assured her, watching with pleasure as she filled a plate with three scones and a large dollop of cream. He didn’t know where she put the food, but he loved knowing that he could provide it for her.
Like he was some primal animal.
She took a large bite of the scone, unaware of his weird thoughts. Then she gave a shake of her head.
“No, I’d rather concentrate on our investigation.”
He arched a brow. “It’s Christmas.”
“And I’m about to spend it with the family I never wanted to see again, in a house where my parents died,” she reminded him in dry tones.
He grimaced. She had a point.
“Okay.”
He crossed the room to the desk next to the large window. Sliding out the leather chair, he took a seat and pulled up the program he’d used to investigate Lawrence Jacobs’s finances.
A silence filled the room as he sorted through the vast amount of information he’d already managed to gather. Most of it he deleted. He was more interested in the past than the current accounts.
At last he heaved a frustrated sigh. “So far it looks like Lawrence was telling the truth about the family business. It was running in the red before Lawrence closed the stores and sold the properties to pay off the creditors,” he told her.
She sat aside her empty plate and leaned over his shoulder. Instantly he was surrounded by her warm scent.
“And the estate?” she asked.
Griff cleared his throat, trying to pretend he wasn’t reacting to her like a hormonal teenage boy.
“Your grandfather’s will is written to make certain that house is to be passed to the oldest son.”
She moved back, turning to pace toward the large windows. “So my uncle has no reason to try to get rid of me.”
Griff grimaced. He truly believed the stalker had some connection to her past. But so far it was nothing more than gut instinct.
He needed proof before he could try to involve the authorities.
“I’m continuing to search,” he assured her, his brows tugged together as he skimmed over Lawrence’s private bank accounts. “Your uncle managed to use a large influx of cash to purchase three new big-box stores after your father’s death, but the accounts are so tangled together that it’s impossible to unravel where the money actually came from without more information.”
She heaved a rueful sigh. “We should have gone to Baltimore.”
Rising to his feet, Griff moved to stand next to Carmen, who continued to admire the view. Who could blame her? The morning sun was bright in the cloudless blue sky, while a layer of frost added a glittering beauty to the buildings that curved along the edge of the Ohio River.
A perfect Christmas morning. A damned shame they were going to waste the day with the Jacobs family.
“Before you start any ‘I told you so’s,’ I have something for you,” he said.
Clearly surprised by his soft words, she turned to face him. “For me?”
He pulled the long, narrow package from his pocket and handed it to her.
“For you.”
She studied the gold paper that was neatly wrapped around the box and the tiny bow.
“Where did you get this?”
“Do you ask Santa Claus where he gets his gifts?” He reached to tuck a curl behind her ear. “It’s Christmas magic.”
“But I didn’t—”
“Shh.” He leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. “Just open it.”
She wavered for a minute, then, lowering her gaze, she ripped off the paper and pulled the top off the box.
Griff stepped closer, watching as her face softened with shocked pleasure at the sight of the gold bracelet with antique charms that was nestled into the ivory satin.
“Oh, Griff.” She lightly touched a charm in the shape of a seashell with a dusting of tiny diamonds. “It’s perfect.”
Satisfaction raced through him. He’d contacted a friend who owned one of the most exclusive antique stores in L.A. He’d told him he wanted something unique. A special gift for a special lady. Then he’d paid an obscene amount of money to have it shipped overnight on Christmas Eve.
And it had been worth every penny.
“Good,” he murmured softly.
She lifted her head, her expression oddly vulnerable. “I mean it,” she insisted. “This is exactly what I love.”
His lips twitched as he reached into the box to pull out the bracelet.
“Does that surprise you?” he demanded, fastening the ends of the chain around her slender wrist.
The tiny charms filled the air with a tinkling sound as they moved, Carmen’s eyes wide with an emotion he didn’t understand.
“I think it frightens me,” she said.
Griff threaded his fingers through hers, tugging her until they were just an inch apart.
“Why?”
Her lips twisted into a rueful smile. “Because in a few days you know more about me than most people who’ve been my friend for years.”
He lifted her hand, pressing her fingers against his mouth. He didn’t doubt for a second that she was telling him the truth. She kept herself so closely guarded it was almost impossible for people to ever know the true Carmen Jacobs.
The thought that he was one of the very few to ever be allowed past her defensive walls humbled him.
“I intend to know you even better before this day is over,” he assured her in husky tones.
A flush of awareness touched her cheeks. “Griff.”
With a low growl he dropped her hands. Now wasn’t the time to start something they couldn’t finish.
“Get dressed and we’ll go to your family lunch,” he forced himself to say. “The sooner we eat, the sooner we can leave and enjoy the rest of our day.”
She glanced down at the charm bracelet around her wrist before sending him a wary frown.
“You said I was dangerous, but I suspect I’m an amateur when it comes to you, Griffin Archer.”
She turned to hurry back into her private bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her. Left alone, Griff pivoted to look down on the city that was still enjoying a sleepy Christmas morning. He didn’t feel dangerous.
He felt . . .
Hell, he didn’t know.
And, if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to waste his energy trying to figure it out. Not when he needed to focus his attention exclusively on protecting Carmen.
An hour later they’d left the hotel and driven across Louisville to pull to a halt in front of the house.
Turning off the truck’s engine, he pocketed the key and turned to study his companion.
She looked beautiful. Of course. Her curls tumbled to her shoulders with a shimmer of gold. Her skin was as smooth as silk, and her eyes as blue as the winter sky.
She was wearing the same skirt from yesterday with a soft red sweater that clung to the slender curves of her body.
His heart skipped with a familiar jolt of awareness.
It was ridiculous. He’d been in her constant company for three days. This giddy awareness that blasted through him each time he glanced in her direction should be gone.
Or at least dulled to a manageable zap that didn’t make him feel like he was being struck by lightning.
He gave a faint shake of his head, forcing himself to concentrate on her tense expression.
“Ready for this?”
She wrinkled her nose, unhooking her seat belt as she shoved open the passenger door.
“Like you said. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can leave.”
She slipped on her coat and crawled out of the truck, heading toward the door. Griff was moving to catch up to her brisk strides when a shadow appeared from the side of the house.
“Carrie.”
Carmen whirled around to face the man with a narrow, pock-marked face and pale eyes. Ronnie Hyde. The son of the housekeeper that Griff had seen Carmen speaking to when he’d returned to the house with Lawrence.