Home Is Where the Heat Is (31 page)

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” A grim smile touched his lips. “I’m fine.”

She curled up against the door and closed her eyes. Conflicting images flitted through her hazy mind: the spinning Roulette wheel, half-naked showgirls dripping with diamonds, mountains of food, her ruby, Kurt’s glasses on the end table, JT’s lips on her breast… all three of them reflected in the dark window, naked and tangled.

The last picture stuck with her, burning into her brain. Maybe making it work required more than two.

Chapter 25

Kurt seriously contemplated creating a virus and emailing it directly to Claire’s computer, but he’d have to hurry to see her and stop it before it spread through the whole network.
I have no problem with that.

As he worked through his plan, one flaw after another popped up. He’d get caught, fired, and then he’d never see her again. Better to come up with another reason.

Hell, he’d seen her naked. Why did he need an excuse to walk into her office? He closed his eyes and imagined the conversation.

“Hi Kurt, how was your weekend?”

“Hi Claire, I didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.”

Hmm… awkward much?

He could go up there and tell her to keep her eyes open for a new virus, one some lovesick pervert had created to get a girl’s attention. Then she’d wonder why he hadn’t sent the information in an email.

Damn it.
Modern technology screwed him again.

Kurt wolfed down the last of his sandwich and tossed the paper bag in the trash. Afternoon already and he hadn’t seen or heard from her.

What did he expect? The last time he’d been in Claire’s presence she’d been tangled up with another man. They might still be in that bed for all he knew.
Lucky bastard.

His cell phone buzzed with a text from his boss. So much for an hour lunch. He shoved through the break room door and slammed straight into the object of his obsession.

Claire swept her displaced hair behind her ear. “Hi Kurt, how was your weekend?”

Oh shit.
“Hi Claire…. It was great. I had a lot of fun. You?”

“Me too.” A guilty smile touched her lips.

“How’s JT?”

Her eyes lost their sparkle and she shrugged. “I haven’t heard from him.”

Oh my God!
Did they break up? “What happened?”

“It’s complicated. We had a fight, and I left.”

“I’m sorry.”
Don’t smile.
“What did he do?”

She shook her head. “Nothing really. I just….” She clamped her mouth shut as the DA’s assistant, Becca, strolled past them.

“Let’s go to the pub. We can talk in private over there,” he suggested. Would she give him all the details? Did he want to hear them?

Claire let out a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

He sent a text to his boss.
‘I’m dealing with an emergency. I’ll be back when I can.’

They ducked down the stairwell to the lobby and out into the street, where the bright afternoon sunlight gleamed off buildings, nearly blinding Kurt. His eyes adjusted when they walked into the bar, and he directed her toward a quiet table, then ordered a big basket of fries for them to share.

Now what?

She rested her chin in her hands, apparently lost in thought. He would have to start this conversation, but she’d already brushed off his questions about the weekend.

Start with something harmless.
“You never told me how you met JT.”

Her gaze shifted and she glared at him through narrowed eyes. “And I never will.”

“All right.” He sat back as the waitress set the huge plate on the table, and waited until she disappeared behind the kitchen’s swinging doors before turning back to Claire. “Did I do something to piss you off?”

“No.” She grabbed a hot fry and dropped it. “Yes. You left without saying goodbye.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Their snack no longer appealed to him. He scooted closer, but stopped short of touching her. “You looked so happy. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

She pushed the plate away. “I was happy.”

Shit.
Had he hurt her? He’d known their tryst carried the potential for disaster, but he thought they’d avoided it. “So… what changed?”

She sighed and stretched her arms across the table as if reaching for him. “I think I did. Winning that jackpot turned me into a monster. I could have anything I wanted… so I did. Including you two.”

He couldn’t hold back a smile. “I’m not complaining.”

This time she laid a hand on his arm and stroked him. “You don’t feel used?”

Not if you keep touching me like that.
“Maybe a little, but I didn’t mind.”

“So you’re okay with….” She glanced over his shoulder at the couple seated at the bar. “With what happened between us. And him.”

How many times had he relived the experience? On the plane, in the shower, at the office. He’d lost count. More than okay. Much, much more. “I am. I was pretty nervous at first, but once I saw how much you enjoyed it… that’s all I needed.”

She nodded, staring at her hand linked with his.

Her mute response made his skin prickle. “Are
you
okay with it?”

A slight smile lit her face, but her soft words barely reached his ears. “Having sex with the two of you was the most amazing experience of my life. I don’t regret a thing.”

The prickly sensation wouldn’t go away. He had to know what had gone wrong whether she wanted to tell him or not. “Then why did you two break up?”

She sighed and sat back, breaking the link between them. “I thought the problem was that he didn’t understand me. Now I realize he does, but I’m not sure I like who I am when I’m with him.”

“Uh-huh.” She’d revealed something, but the information did not compute. He tried to imitate her language, hoping it might click for him. “Do you like who you are when you’re with me?”

She smiled and stroked his hand. “Yeah, I do. You’re good for me, good to me.”

Now that made sense. His skin tingled, sending awesome bolts of lightning straight to his heart. “I will always be good to you.”

“I know.” Her words escaped in a breathless rush.

He leaned in to kiss her, but she clapped both hands over her face. “I just wish I knew why JT makes me feel like this!”

Kurt recoiled.
Whoa, what just happened?
“Like what?”

“Conflicted.” She glanced around the bar then scooted closer to him. “All right, I’m going to tell you the truth, but you have to swear on your geeky life you’ll take it to your grave.”

Along with their Vegas exploits. “I swear.”

She cast another guarded look at the patrons around them, but nobody made eye contact. “I met JT when he was selected for the jury on Alex’s last murder trial.”

Whoa. Game changer.
“Even I know communicating with jurors is not cool.”

“Don’t remind me,” she snarled, but her anger seemed to be directed inward, or at least at JT instead of him. “He flirted with me right in front of the judge, and she expressly forbade him to speak to me. But he didn’t listen.”

Kurt didn’t want to listen either, so he skipped over the details. “One thing led to another and…?”

The tension left her body. “He challenged me. Made me think about who I was and what I wanted from my life.” And then a dreamy smile appeared. “I was always the girl who came in second best, but with JT, I’m the winner. Literally. “

He’d hoped this path would lead to a different destination, so he tried to steer her back to the anger. “Where’s the conflict?”

She laid her head down on the table and groaned. “I don’t know how to
be
a winner. The money, the sex, it changed me.” But she popped up and a goofy smile brightened her face. “For one magical day and an unforgettable night, there was no competition. I was the best.” The light faded fast. “But all that ended when the money ran out, and now I’m plain old Claire again.”

He reached across the table and seized her hand. “You are
never
plain. And you’re younger than I am.”

She withdrew and looked at him like he’d turned into an alien. “Are you always so literal?”

Obviously he’d missed something. Wouldn’t be the first time. “That’s who I am, Claire. I connect computers all day long, but I don’t really know how to connect with people.”

Her shoulders slumped, and she dragged the full plate of fries between them. “People are overrated. Stick with computers.”

Kurt picked up a cold limp potato.
How appropriate.
“What would JT think of that?”
Jesus, dude! What are you doing?

She stuffed a handful of fries in her mouth, swallowed the lump and shrugged. “Hard to say. Today, he’d probably agree.”

As much as he wanted to change the subject, Kurt had to admit the gambler played a huge role in their current encounter. “He brought us together. That’s something I could never do.”

Claire winked, much like JT. “Do you suppose we should thank him?”

“Screw him.” Kurt jammed a wad of fries in his mouth, then signaled the waitress and ordered a couple of Cokes to wash down the bitter taste. When he’d gathered his courage, he looked at Claire. “Are we together?”

“If you mean that literally, yes.” She grinned over the rim of her glass.

He shook his head. “I’m talking about a relationship.”

The impudent smile reappeared. “I know. I was just trying to put it in a way you could relate to.”

“Thank you for that.” He took a big swig of Coke and let the fizz clear his head. “Was last weekend a one-time fling or do we have something more?”

She perked up at that. “I’d like more. Oh baby, that was the hottest sex of my life. You should try it.”

Had she forgotten him already? “Um… I did, remember?”

She laughed and rubbed his arm. “I’m teasing. Yes, I’d like more with you… and JT.”

“Seriously?” And just how serious did she want this fling to get?

She twirled a bent potato in her fingers. “Crazy, huh?”

“Just a little.”

“I know it can be done,” she said cautiously.

He didn’t have to ask how she knew.

She chomped on the helpless fry. “But can we do it?”

He leaned away from her, took a deep breath and held it while he considered the complicated implications. “Connecting with one person is hard enough for me. Two would be an epic quest.”

“That means difficult, right?”

“Monumentally challenging.”

“Got it.” She pushed the half-eaten food back and straightened. “I’m not going to give up. I got what I wanted once, without even trying. Who knows what I can accomplish if I put some effort into it.”

He had a pretty good idea what—and who—she wanted to ‘accomplish.’ “Does that mean you want JT back?”

Claire’s nod turned into an undecided head wobble, finished with a facepalm. “It means I have to figure out what I really want and go after it.”

But Kurt knew better. “Him.”

“And maybe you.”

He refused that hope. “Don’t tease me.”

“I’m sorry.” She grasped his hand. “I won’t promise you—or him—anything until I know what I’m doing.”

But he held onto a sliver of optimism, against his better judgment. “If you need help figuring that out, you know where to find me.”

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, then slid across and claimed his lips. His tongue invited that cruel kiss, then withdrew just as quickly. She pressed her forehead to his. “Thank you for this.”

“My pleasure.” And his pain.

Claire smiled and touched his face, then got up and darted out the door. At least she’d resolved things, or gotten on the right road.

But in doing so, she’d passed her conflicted emotions to Kurt, and he couldn’t bring order to the chaos she’d sparked.

Chapter 26

Goddamn paperwork.
The stiff leather chair squeaked under JT as he settled at his desk. He’d bought the thing almost six months ago, but had spent so little time in it that the seat hadn’t been broken in yet. He’d run out of the office yesterday to oversee progress on the job that had kept him and his crew working overtime last week. They’d repaired all the damage from the fire and spent Monday on new construction—back on track, and on pace to finish ahead of schedule… if his luck held out.

Linda had just brought him a fat envelope delivered by certified mail.

JT ripped it open and pulled out the fire marshal’s report. The summary page confirmed what he already knew: arson. He flipped through the document and skimmed the details, then realized a second report had been included. The first fire, the one that occurred the day after Thanksgiving, had been intentional as well!

Holy shit. Who’s doing this?

Neither report listed a suspect. JT deflated into the unwelcoming chair, a sickening dread rolling in his stomach. As long as this guy got away unknown, it could happen again. Nothing could stop him.

He made a list of people who might want to ruin him: business rivals, former employees and contractors, even ex-girlfriends, but no one stood out above the others. How could he go after someone if he didn’t know who to chase? He’d just have to wait and hope the arsonist made a mistake.

Linda knocked on his open door. “Mr. Langston is here to see you.” She stood quietly and waited for instructions.

Langston? Kurt?
Fuck me with a… what the hell is he doing here?
“Okay.”

She nodded and stepped aside as Kurt walked in. The shaky geek closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest.

JT almost laughed at the IT guy’s attempt to look intimidating, but he held it back when Kurt spit out a question.

“Why did you let her go?”

JT stood and strode out from behind his desk, closing the distance between them and making the nerd shrink back. “That’s none of your damn business. And how the hell did you find my office?”

Kurt straightened up. “She told me how you met.” He paused as if waiting for JT to crack, but JT held his poker face. “All I had to do was hack in to the courthouse files and look up your address.”