Behind The Red Doors (Santori Stories #1)(24)
Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson

She hesitated for what seemed like an eternity. He was on the verge of withdrawing his offer when she gave him a small smile. “I think it’s clear that I— I mean, we—need someone like you around.” She extended her hand as if to set the boundaries of their interaction. “You’re hired, Lieutenant Grayson.”

Carter shook her hand, but the jolt of awareness that shot through him when his fingers touched hers left him with the foreboding that this assignment could prove to be the most dangerous of his career.

CHAPTER THREE

Monday morning, February 3, 2003

“BREATHTAKING,” Stacy murmured.

“Mmm-hmm.” Faith looked from the spectacular twenty-seven-carat Valentino diamond safely tucked away under bulletproof glass to where Carter stood a few feet away. He was reviewing a procedure checklist with Ben Sills, the armed guard who’d delivered the stone and would be sharing security duties with Carter. Dressed in his navy uniform, Carter was an imposing figure, and reminiscent of the way he’d looked when she’d first met him after a robbery attempt at Zerrick’s Jewelry where she used to work. She told herself her gaze kept straying to Carter because he was an unfamiliar presence in the store, but, in truth, for the past two days she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the fact that she’d apparently underestimated his capacity to settle down.

Why wait around when you find the right woman?

“Hey, listen to this,” Stacy said, reading from a brochure. “The stone has a love legend. A man named Adrian Valentino bought a diamond mine to find the largest, most perfect diamond possible for his bride-to-be. When this twenty-seven-plus-carat diamond was discovered, he had it set aside for a pendant. But his true love died before they could be married. He claimed her spirit was in the stone, and remained unmarried so he could join her when he died. Says here that if you look into the diamond and the light is shining just so, you’ll see their two hearts entwined.” Stacy looked up. “Spooky, huh?”

Faith made a noncommittal sound and pressed her fingers against a twinge in her temple. She’d barely been able to concentrate Saturday after Carter had left the store. Yesterday he’d shown up about an hour before the Valentino stone arrived, but, thankfully, she’d been able to attribute her nervousness to the brouhaha surrounding the diamond. They’d barely exchanged enough words to constitute a conversation, yet she’d gotten even less sleep last night than the previous one. She’d spent long, dark hours replaying his features in her mind, reliving her reaction to seeing him again…and obsessing over the woman who had captured his big heart.

She knew it was a ridiculous, juvenile, pathetic exercise, but the man evoked such a powerful physical response in her, she couldn’t help but compare herself to the mystery woman. And some small part of her acknowledged that she had harbored a reunion fantasy about Carter—that they’d cross paths and something would…spark and they’d get a second chance at whatever might have been. Accepting that Carter was nearly engaged meant letting go of that fantasy and conceding that his limited interest in her had nothing to do with his aversion to commitment and everything to do with his aversion to committing to her.

“Earth calling Faith.”

She blinked. “Hmm?”

Stacy angled her head. “I asked if you’d seen the hearts in the diamond.”

“Er, no.”

“Are you all right?”

“Of course.”

“You seem…preoccupied. Are you worried about the crowds?”

“A little. I think I’m going to get some coffee before we open. Can I bring you anything?”

“No, thanks.” Stacy bent to peer at the glass-encased stone.

Faith tried not to frown as she approached the two men, who seemed to be embroiled in yet another dispute. They had agreed on little since the stone had arrived yesterday. Ben Sills was almost as tall as Carter, but not as broad. And while his fair hair and coloring made him seem less…dangerous, he wasn’t backing down from his line of reasoning.

“Gentlemen, is there a problem?”

Carter’s body language eased a fraction. “No, Faith. No problem.”

Ben Sills, lean and handsome in his own dark uniform of slacks and sport coat, gave her a pleasant smile. “Ms. Sherman, I was saying I think it would be better if Officer Grayson—”

“Lieutenant Grayson,” Carter interjected.

The other guard conceded with a nod. “If Lieutenant Grayson doesn’t wear a firearm.”

Carter jammed his hands on his hips. “And I was saying that’s bullshit.”

“Mr. Sills,” Faith said in a calm voice, “why do you object to Lieutenant Grayson wearing a firearm?”

The fairer man hesitated, then passed a wary glance over Carter’s rigid bearing. “Would you excuse us for a moment, Lieutenant?”

Carter glowered, but stepped away several feet to stand in front of the entrance with his back to them, arms crossed.

“Ms. Sherman—”

“Please call me Faith.”

The guard smiled amiably. “All right. Call me Ben.” He stole a glimpse at Carter’s back, then leaned close. “Faith, I’ve traveled with this diamond for six years, and the only times I’ve had trouble was when I had to work with a cowboy type like Grayson. It’s not his fault—he’s a seasoned cop, and he’s overqualified for this job.”

She murmured agreement.

“Unfortunately,” he continued, “a man like Grayson can come across to the public as menacing, especially with a firearm at his side. I was put on this tour because I understand not only the security aspect of the job, but also the marketing aspect.” He lifted his hands apologetically. “We only want you to get your money’s worth. This diamond is supposed to be an accessible exhibit that people can enjoy.”

Faith pressed her lips together. “But the contract required that I provide an additional armed guard.”

“Didn’t you add an armed guard by the main entrance?”

“Yes…at the lieutenant’s suggestion.”

“That will satisfy your obligation.” He opened his sport coat to reveal a revolver in a shoulder holster. “Meanwhile, my firearm will be here and unobtrusive.”

She smiled. “All this talk about guns makes me a little nervous.”

“So you see my point?”

She sighed and nodded. “I’ll talk to Lieutenant Grayson.” Faith moved toward the showroom entrance where Carter stood. The other man was right—Carter looked like a thundercloud, dark and intimidating. She didn’t remember him being so edgy before, but then again, she’d already determined she hadn’t really known him. She walked up and turned on her most cheerful voice. “Join me for a cup of coffee downstairs?”

He turned, and she wondered when over the next two weeks she would become immune to this man’s presence. Something hot flashed in his eyes, then disappeared. He was angry with the other guard. It was absurd to think that he harbored any anger toward her over the way she’d ended things. After all, if she hadn’t gotten into the cab that night, he might never have met his live-in lover—the woman he wanted to marry. Besides, if he were angry about that night, wouldn’t he have said something before now?

He studied her until her skin began to tingle. “Coffee? Sure,” he said finally, then held open the red door for her to exit. As she walked under his extended arm, she caught the barest scent of his earthy cologne—evergreen and spice. He moved with the casual grace of a large animal, in command of every muscle, even the ones compromised by his injury.

“How is your leg?”

“Coming around.”

“How did it happen?”

He shrugged. “Drug bust that went down wrong. Caught a stray bullet.”

Faith shivered. He could just as easily have been killed. “Would you like to take the elevator?”

“Not for my leg, but I do need to double check the elevator’s operation.”

Yesterday he had double-and triple-checked every inch of the place—doors and windows, heating and air ducts, even the chimney. He had watched their opening and closing procedures, observed traffic patterns, and asked a hundred questions. Faith was grateful for his expertise, and had already enacted his recommendations. The man made her feel so safe, yet at the same time so vulnerable. This was the enigma, she told herself, that she had mistaken for infatuation when they had known each other before.

She led the way down the catwalk to the elevator, highly aware of his body moving next to hers. His size was no small part of her initial attraction to him—she wasn’t a small woman, but felt diminutive standing next to Carter. He was beautifully proportioned, but everything about him was oversize: his shoulders, his limbs, his hands and feet. When he’d kissed her, she’d had the sensation of being absorbed into his body. And during their more heated kisses, she had felt the promise of his impressive arousal. She had shamelessly wanted to sleep with him, a feeling that she could call up even now because he was the only man who had ever made her feel so wanton.

“Faith.”

She blinked. “Yes?”

He was holding the elevator door with his arm. “After you.”