Kiss Me If You Can (4 page)

He let out a low groan and forced himself to focus on the jewelry instead. “Apparently, the ring is part of a collection of jewels dating back to the 1950s.” He'd been unable to find an exact date yet. But if he sold her the ring, as she requested, he'd lose his connection to the story.

The same way he'd lose his connection if he just returned the item to Ricky. He wasn't ready to reveal to Lexie Ricky Burnett's sudden interest in reacquiring the ring. Coop was still gauging her truthfulness and he didn't know how she'd feel about having competition for the piece. Besides, he wanted her focused while she revealed information to him.

“So it's worth more than its appearance suggests,”
Lexie mused. “The same probably holds true for my grandmother's necklace. Who would've thought it had value? Okay, so what if we have your ring appraised and then discuss a price?” Clearly she wouldn't be easily dissuaded.

She was logical. And smart. He liked that combination in a woman. It just didn't help his cause. Because if they brought the ring to a professional jeweler for an appraisal, the appraiser would probably identify it. Worse, he might realize that the ring was linked to an unsolved crime from years past and blow Coop's exclusive to this story. Coop needed to figure out all the angles before he made any decisions.

Something the logical beauty might understand. She might even possess pertinent information about the jewels and their past. He'd already learned the hard way that she preferred honesty.

“Your grandmother didn't know the necklace had value?” he asked.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders. “She never said and I never asked. I never had any reason to. Money's not important to me except as a necessity to do the traveling I love. Do you like to travel?”

He shook his head. “Not much.”

Disappointment flickered in her eyes before she continued. “There are places in the world you can't possibly imagine. I love to see the beauty and the
colors of different countries, people and heritages.” Her cheeks flushed as she explained her passion.

A passion he'd like to see directed at him, not at foreign places that took her far away.

“Never mind,” she said as if catching herself. “Back to business. I wonder how my grandfather came into possession of something that once was part of an expensive collection.”

“I take it your grandmother never said?” he asked her.

“Nope.”

He was curious about the same thing. There were many unanswered questions, leaving Coop even more intrigued by the jewels and their history. Not to mention by Lexie herself. At least now he had an avenue by which to learn more. He could uncover answers by getting closer to Lexie. Not a hardship, he thought, meeting her gaze. And something he'd want to do regardless of the jewels.

Her grandmother hadn't shared much about the history of her prized possession. Because she didn't know? Or because she had something to hide?

“Could you ask your grandfather?” Coop asked.

“He passed away fifteen years ago,” she said softly, her eyes clouding.

“I'm sorry.”

“Thanks. But Grandma's a survivor. She's been hell on wheels her whole life and she wasn't about
to stop after Grandpa died. So she grieved and then picked herself up and went on.”

Coop grinned. “She sounds feisty. Like you.”

“Why, thank you!” Lexie drew up straighter, always pleased anytime someone compared her to her grandmother.

Her grandmother's unconditional love and understanding provided Lexie with the self-acceptance she didn't find within her immediate family. They were all overachievers, while Lexie had always been the one with her head in the clouds. They had goals; Lexie had dreams. Her free-spirited grandmother was the only one who accepted Lexie for who and what she was.

While Sam couldn't begin to understand how important it was for Lexie to be like the grandmother she loved, he'd picked up on the fact that she was like her. He didn't like travel, so theirs could never be a serious relationship. But a fling suited her just fine, and it had been too long since she'd had one of those.

She liked Coop, despite the serious side to his personality. But unlike her father and sister—both bankers—and her powerhouse attorney mother, whose life mission was perfect children, Sam didn't strike Lexie as uptight or unforgiving.

He interested her and he was unattached and single, another prerequisite Lexie demanded, thanks to Drew. Not that he'd been involved with someone
when they'd started dating, but he'd obviously been too open to other possibilities. She tried to gauge men better now.

“Hello, Earth to Lexie.” Sam snapped his fingers in front of her, calling for her attention.

“Sorry. I got lost in thought. I tend to do that.” And get called out by her family for being ditzy.

“As long as it's not the company that's boring you,” he said, a grin on his handsome face.

“Definitely not. It's more a function of my creative side.” She wasn't about to admit that she'd been thinking about him. “I start to dwell on things and go off into my own world. Next thing I know, a new Web site idea's come to me. Sometimes I'm not even daydreaming about work.”

“Looks like we have something in common.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Insanity?”

He laughed. “No, creative daydreaming. You see, I'm a writer.”

“I know. Crime beat.”

He leaned closer. “I mean I also write fiction.” He spoke softly, his words almost a whisper.

He was revealing a personal secret, making her, as the recipient, feel special. A warm feeling snuck up inside her and settled in her chest. “That's awesome! What kind of fiction?”

His shoulders relaxed. “Mystery. Sam Spade kind of stuff.”

“I'm a huge reader and I love mysteries! In fact—want to know a secret? I'm an old-time Ludlum fan.”

He nodded appreciatively. “A woman of complexity,” he mused.

“Are you published?” she asked.

“Small press but—”

“You have big aspirations,” she finished for him.

A mix of surprise and relief showed on his face. “How did you know?”

“Let's just say I recognize a kindred spirit.” She reached out and placed her hand over his, wanting to impart understanding.

Fireworks ensued instead. Touching him set off a spark of heat inside her body. The attraction, which had been simmering beneath the surface, exploded in full force.

Surprised, she started to pull away, but in a smooth move, he twisted his wrist and grabbed her hand instead. Liking the feel of him, she relaxed, letting him just hold on.

“Are you working on a novel now?” she asked, trying to keep some semblance of conversation going when all her focus had centered on the palm of her hand, where his thumb drew lazy circles on her skin.

“You could say something recently dropped into my lap.” He drew a deep breath. “Which reminds me—before this thing between us goes any further, there's another thing you need to know.”

“What is it?” she asked, suddenly wary of his intensity.

“The ring isn't just expensive—it's likely stolen property.”

“What? Stolen? How?” she asked, her mind spinning with the implications. If the ring had been stolen, then what about her grandmother's necklace? A sick feeling settled in her stomach.

He shook his head. “I don't know. During my quick Internet search, I discovered that the ring was part of a set that had been stolen back in the 1950s here in New York. I need to do more research. And that is another reason why I can't just sell you the ring.”

She exhaled a slow breath and eased her hand out of his. She couldn't concentrate when he was touching her and she needed to think clearly. “I don't want you to do anything that's going to hurt my grandmother. I'm certain she knows nothing about this and it would devastate her.”

“Are you?”

“Am I what?” She tipped her head to one side, unsure of his question.

“Are you sure she knows nothing about its history?”

“As sure as I am about myself,” Lexie stated. “Look, I can talk to her about it, but I wouldn't get your hopes up that she has the answers. And before
you ask—no, I don't think my grandfather was a thief,” she said, acknowledging the next logical question.

He held up his hands in a gesture of defeat. “I wasn't about to suggest it. He could have come into possession second-, third- or fourthhand,” Coop said, although he wasn't ruling anything out.

She nodded. “I don't want to upset my grandmother by even mentioning the fact that her necklace might have been stolen.” Lexie drummed her fingers on the table, desperately trying to come up with a way to find out more without directly involving her grandmother. “Maybe Sylvia would know something.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Who's Sylvia?”

“Grandma Charlotte's best friend. They're like Frick and Frack. The Thelma and Louise of their generation.”

Coop shook his head and laughed. “The more I hear about your grandmother, the more I think I'd like her.”

“Most people do.” She paused, then met his gaze. “We need to find out more about these jewels. Maybe you're wrong and they aren't stolen property. Maybe they're a copy of the originals or something.”

“Could be,” he agreed. “Wait. What do you mean
we
have to find out more? I'm a reporter. I'll do the digging and get back to you.”

“I'm the computer geek. I can find out more with a few clicks of the mouse than you can discover in a week's worth of questioning. Besides, if we work together we'll find things out that much quicker. Sounds to me like we need each other.”

He groaned and looked a little put out at the notion. Just a little. Because that spark of attraction was still simmering between them. She could see it in his eyes and the way his gaze fell to her chest every so often in pure appreciation.

She wasn't above using it. Not when she felt the same way about him. “Oh, and Sam? There's one more thing you should know. If the ring turns out to be a fake, I still intend to buy it for my grandmother.”

“I suppose we can add
stubborn
and
determined
to your list of attributes?”

She edged closer to the table, resting her elbows on top. “I can be very persuasive when I want to be.”

“I'd like to see you in action.” His gaze traveled from her lips to her chest and back up again. “So what did you have in mind?”

“Well, since we'll be working together, I think I can help you in other ways, too,” she said.

“I'm listening…”

“For one thing, I'm very good at what I do and I was thinking, even with a book published by a small press, you need a Web site. Especially if you're going to make that jump to the big leagues.”

His eyes opened wide in surprise, and knowing his mind had been on their sexual tension, Lexie let out a laugh. “While we're digging up information on the jewelry's history, I'll work up your Web site. If you like what I do, we can apply some of my charge toward the cost of the ring. So what do you say?”

“And if the ring's stolen and has to be returned?” he asked.

Lexie didn't want to think about that. “I'm an optimist. But if you insist on being more pragmatic and covering all bases, in that case, my work would be on the house.”

“Why would you work for free?” he asked, skeptical.

“Truth? Because part of my designing any Web site involves me getting to know my clients. And I want to get to know you.”

A ruddy flush darkened his cheekbones.

“I take it you're interested?” she asked, and before he could reply she added her standard client pitch. “You must realize that Internet presence is key today. In the case of an author like yourself, if I get to know not just you but also your product, I can convey the real you to your readers. Then there are the basic reasons for having a Web site. You need to connect with your readers through other social Web sites to bring traffic back to your site. And you need good
S.E.O. I'm a pro at doing it all.” She waved her hands animatedly as she described her reasons, hoping he'd see and understand them as clearly as she did. “Well?”

He shook his head. “I'm sorry, but you lost me at S.E.O.”

She hadn't expected him to say no. Disappointment tasted bitter in her throat and her heart pounded hard in her chest.

“But you had me at,
I want to get to know you,
” he said in a deep voice.

Lexie exhaled in relief, picked up a paper napkin, rolled it into a ball and tossed it at him. “Not nice, setting me up that way.”

He grinned. “Payback for setting
me
up with that little sexual innuendo first.”

“Just so you know, I'm very good at follow-through,” she said, gathering her purse. She pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “This has my e-mail and cell phone, so you can reach me any time. I'm guessing your work hours depend on what's going on in the city, so…you call me, okay?”

He accepted the card, his fingers deliberately brushing hers. “Okay.”

“But just in case you're thinking of avoiding me and doing the research alone, give me a way to contact you, too.”

“Smart girl.” His lips curved upward in apprecia
tion. “Don't call me at work. I want to keep this separate.” He grabbed a paper napkin and wrote his address and cell phone number on it, handing it to her.

She tried to pay, but he waved away the gesture. “It's on me. If not, my father will think he did a poor job raising me to be a gentleman.”

“How can I argue with that? Thank you. I enjoyed myself, Sam.” She rose to her feet.

He did the same. “One more thing. My friends call me Coop.”

She nodded. “Friends. Is that what we are?”

He placed his hand on the small of her back. Weaving their way through tables and then the bar crowd, he walked her to the exit. As she reached the door, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I hope to be much more.”