A Risky Business Page 9

  Having reached this sensible conclusion, she immediately abandoned it when she saw Leon's Blazer stopped directly behind hers, trapping it in its parking spot. Merle froze in her tracks. So, he thought he could force her to stay away from the well site, did he? She wondered how he was going to like having the side of his new Blazer bashed in.

  Leaving his truck running, Leon got out and stalked over to her. Wordlessly, he took her by the arm and started pulling her towards his vehicle.

  Trying to jerk free, Merle cried, 'What do you think you're doing?'

  'I'm taking you back to the motel,' he said firmly. Stopping abruptly, he turned her to face him, his jaw tight with determination. 'I'm tired of playing games with you. The only reason you want to go out to the site tonight is to spite me. Well, I'm not going to let you, so you can stop arguing about it. Behave yourself, and I might let you go out tomorrow—provided, of course, that your cold is better.'

  Merle's mouth dropped open, momentarily too astonished by the arrogance of his demand to even feel outraged. He took her bag from her and fumbled inside it, then pulled out her truck keys. 'I'll be keeping these until you're well enough to go back to work,' he explained, slipping them into his pocket and starting to propel her towards his truck.

  Merle tried to twist away from him, but his hold had her firmly in hand. Finally, she kicked out, catching his shin with her foot.

  'You little brat,' Leon snarled, wincing with pain. In one motion, he swung her up into his arms and started to carry her to his Blazer.

  'You won't get away with this,' Merle threatened, struggling in his arms and beating his chest with her fists. 'You can't kidnap me!' She threw her head back and started to scream, 'Ra…'

  His mouth on hers choked off the word. Merle rolled her head from side to side to escape the brutal pressure of his lips on her. He was still carrying her towards the truck, and she tried unsuccessfully to capture his lip with her teeth. He lowered her to the ground, one arm holding her firmly against the length of him, his other hand going to the nape of her neck to hold her head still.

  Although his mouth was still firmly on hers, his kiss was no longer punishing and Merle's resistance started to fade. The hard muscles of his chest crushed against her breasts, his thighs pressed against hers. Her hands, which had been clenched into fists, uncurled as she rested them against his shoulders.

  Slowly, his hands began to explore her back, moving down her spine to mould her hips closer to his. Gently parting her lips with his tongue, he explored the inner softness of her mouth. Merle moaned softly, arching against him. Wave after wave of warm desire was washing over her, awakening urgent hunger. Her pulse was thundering in her ears as he moved one hand to her breast, gently stroking it through the cotton material of her dress.

  He lifted his mouth from hers, and sprinkled light kisses over her face, before easing her away from him. An amused smile curved his lips as he noticed the languid expression in her eyes, the tinge of colour in her cheeks. 'You were saying something about rape?' he teased.

  Before Merle could react to his taunt, Leon had bundled her into the Blazer and was putting it into motion. For a moment, Merle fumed in silence but his kiss had crippled her anger and she couldn't restore it to its former intensity. Finally, more in an effort to save face than from emotion, she said shrewishly, 'I hope you get my cold now.'

  Leon looked over to her, laughter in his eyes. 'After that kiss, it would be a small price to pay.'

  Merle slumped back in her seat and stared out the side window, a smile suddenly twisting her lips. Just let him think he had won this round. Of course, she would have to walk back to the truckstop to pick up her Blazer, but it would be worth it just to score off him. He thought he had her because he had taken her keys, but he didn't realise she had a spare set in her room. And even if she couldn't find them, she could still hot wire the Blazer. At one time, she had dated a young man of dubious morals who had taught her how it was done. He had even shown her how to pick the door lock, a handy skill if one happened to lock one's keys inside. Whatever happened to Earl? Prison, probably.

  The truckstop was only about two miles from the motel, so within a few minutes Leon had parked and was escorting her to her room. Merle had expected him to leave her then, but he followed her inside despite the lack of an invitation.

  'What now, Leon?' Merle asked in a resigned tone, turning to face him. 'You've had your way. You've brought me home, so why can't you just leave me alone?' It would take some time to figure out where she had put the keys and she wanted him out of here so she could start looking for them.

  'I will as soon as I've picked up the spare keys.'

  Leon's eyes flicked around the room. Even now that she had a daily maid, it wasn't much neater than it had been the first time he had seen it.

  'The spare keys?' Merle asked innocently, her spirits plunging. She hoped she could remember everything Earl had taught her.

  'That's right.' He grinned at her, then walked unhesitatingly to the dresser and, lifting aside a magazine, picked up the extra set of keys to her vehicle. As he slipped them into his pocket, he turned around to look at her.

  Merle's eyes were wide, her lips parted in astonishment. 'How did you do that?' It would have taken her hours to find the keys.

  'X-ray vision,' Leon explained, drily. A half-believing look flickered across Merle's face so he continued, his expression dead-pan, 'You've discovered my secret, Merle. You see, I am not the mild-mannered oil executive, Leon Crane. In reality, I was born in a galaxy far from earth. I was sent here as a small baby when my own planet was destroyed.'

  'I should have known,' Merle admitted, injecting a note of awe into her voice. 'I saw your movie three times.'

  'Really? You've seen Superman three times?' He came over to her, looping his arms casually around her waist.

  'Superman?' she asked, her forehead pleating in a frown. 'I was talking about E.T.' She tilted her head back to look up at him, barely managing to keep her smile from breaking free.

  'Ouch!' Leon winced, laughing, and Merle joined in. 'I walked right into that one, didn't I?' He grinned down at her, then kissed her lightly on the forehead. 'You feel warm. I'd better let you get to bed. I don't suppose you'd invite me to come with you?' he asked, hopefully.

  For a long moment, Merle just stared at him. She was tempted, very tempted to say yes. He was so attractive to her, both physically and mentally. Despite the fact that he could make her angrier than any man she had ever known, she knew instinctively that he would take her higher than anyone else ever could. If only they could have met at another time and in another place.

  Finally, she shook her head and answered, 'I don't suppose I would.' Her hands were resting on his chest as he held her in the light embrace. She could feel the steady throb of his heart under her palms, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. That kiss in the truckstop parking lot was still fresh in her mind and her pulse was hammering. It wouldn't take much pressure from him to make her change her mind, so she slipped out of his hold before temptation overruled good sense. With a few feet between them, Merle found it easier to stand by her decision, though she couldn't help missing the warmth of his arms around her.

  Merle looked over to him. She suspected he was well aware of what she was thinking. He gave her one of those mocking looks she was all too familiar with, then bid her good night. As the door clicked shut behind him, Merle sighed, not sure whether it was with relief or regret.

  She didn't understand herself anymore. Her desire to defy Leon by going out to the well tonight had been lost somewhere in that light-hearted exchange. She had to admit that her will to defy him on anything was becoming seriously impaired. It was rather frightening to think she might actually like his taking charge of her. With another sigh, Merle went to prepare for bed. It wasn't until she was hovering in the edge of sleep several minutes later that she recalled he never did tell her how he knew where her spare keys were.

  She awoke after only a few
hours' sleep, the rumblings from her stomach deafening in the silent room. Her cold felt much better, but she wished she had had more for supper. If only they hadn't got into that stupid discussion about her mother, she might have stayed and had a sandwich as Leon had wanted her to. But, she really couldn't have Leon as a confidant. She had managed to reach the age of twenty-five without one, and to cast the man she was working against into that role was utterly ridiculous.

  Merle switched on the light and rummaged through the litter on her bedside table, checking the discarded potato chip bags for crumbs. Finally, she admitted she would have to go down to the vending machines if she wanted something to eat.

  She got out of bed and slipped a robe on over her nightdress. It was one o'clock in the morning and unlikely that anyone would be moving about the hall. Even if they were, the dressing-gown was hardly revealing. The quilted, rust-coloured satin reached her ankles, the high neckline, her throat. Only the rope belt knotted at her waist gave any hint to the shape concealed beneath the folds of the robe.

  Taking a pocketful of change with her, Merle let herself out of her room, her slippered feet carrying her soundlessly down the hall to the machines. She dropped the correct number of coins into the candy machine and pulled the knob beneath a chocolate bar. While she was here, she decided she might as well get some soda, and pushed the button for an orange drink after depositing the required coins. The clatter of the can as it came down the chute was thunderous in the silent hallway and Merle flinched.

  She retrieved the soda and was turning to go back to her room when she heard a nearby door open. 'Hungry, Merle?' Leon asked, lounging negligently against the door jamb. He was wearing a navy blue, knee-length velour robe tied at the waist. As Merle's eyes moved over his bare legs beneath the robe, to the expanse of chest revealed by the parted neckline, her heart skipped a beat. The robe was all he was wearing, unless you counted the taunting smile that played about his mouth.

  'I just thought I'd have a midnight snack,' Merle admitted breathlessly. She couldn't seem to look away from that bared chest. It was deeply tanned, the bronzed flesh sprinkled with curling black hairs. Firm muscles rippled beneath satin skin as Leon straightened and walked over to her.

  'Come on. I'll fix you something to eat.' He slipped his arm around her shoulders, taking the candy bar and soda from her. 'From the looks of your room earlier, I'd say you've already had enough junk food for one day. Come into my room and I'll do you some eggs.'

  As Merle scooped the last bite of the fluffy, golden omelette Leon had made for her on to her fork, she felt a twinge of envy. The kitchen units at the motel were very comfortable and she wished she had thought to ask for one when she had checked in. There was a long bank of cupboards, providing both work and storage space, a compact fridge, and an electric stove. In addition to a small dining table, the room contained a convertible sofa and an easy chair arranged around the television in one corner to form a cosy sitting area. The bedroom was a separate room with a private bath adjoining it.

  Not that she would have been able to keep the unit as clean and neat as Leon did. Her eyes strayed to the gleaming kitchen counters. If she had cooked the meal, she knew they would have been littered with crumbs and egg shells and dirty pans. Leon somehow managed to clean up as he went along and she wished she could be as meticulous.

  Merle pushed away her empty plate, smiling across the table at her host. 'Thank you. It was very good? Though he hadn't eaten, Leon had joined her with a cup of coffee while she ate her meal.

  'I told you once I couldn't resist helping a lady in distress,' he dismissed her gratitude, returning her smile without a trace of mockery. She had been expecting him to give her a hard time about being hungry after her refusal to eat at the truckstop earlier, but other than that initial taunt, he hadn't teased her. Now, Leon stood, picking up the dirty dish. 'Why don't you take your coffee over to the couch and I'll take care of this?'

  She supposed she should offer to help clean up, but now that she was no longer hungry she felt delightfully drowsy, so she merely followed his suggestion. Setting her cup on the side table, Merle curled up on the sofa to wait for Leon to join her, tucking her legs beneath her.

  Although it only took him a couple of minutes to wash the dish and finish tidying the kitchen area, Merle was sound asleep when he went over to the couch. He should have sent her back to her room when she had finished eating and not given into the desire to have her company just a little longer. As he stared down at her, her face slightly pale under its tan, he asked himself again what he saw in her. Not that she was homely, but he certainly knew more beautiful women. Ones with better shapes, too, he admitted, thinking how her curves had suffered with her recent weight loss.

  He was asking for trouble by continuing to see her. Apart from anything else, she could create a lot of problems for him on this well. Had already done so, for that matter. But, he sighed, she looked like such a little kid when she slept. And he knew she couldn't take care of herself nearly as well as she thought she could.

  Leon reached down and lifted her into his arms, surprised that despite her slenderness she was still quite heavy. She didn't stir and he wondered how anyone could sleep as soundly as Merle did. As he started to carry her from the unit, he thought of the long haul to her room. On impulse, he changed direction and took her to his bedroom.

  Merle opened her eyes and stared into smiling green ones. She quickly shut her eyes again, wondering if it was her cold that was causing her to have such a crazy dream. Her eyes flew open again when a movement beside her, followed by the pressure of a very real hand coming to rest on her stomach, told her she wasn't dreaming.

  'Good morning,' Leon said pleasantly, as though they had been waking up in the same bed all their lives. 'How does your cold feel this morning?' The hand on her stomach slid upward, over her breast, along her throat, to her forehead. 'Mmm. You don't seem to have a temperature anymore. You must be getting better.'

  The hand took the return journey to her midriff, every bit as intimately as it had the first time, while Leon lowered his head to gently nuzzle the bare skin of her throat. Frantically, Merle flipped through her memories of last night, but still couldn't remember getting into bed with Leon. Granted, she had thought about it, but thought wasn't deed. 'Leon, why are you in my bed?' she finally asked.

  As she asked the question, she realised she was curious rather than angry—and she wasn't angry because she was exactly where she wanted to be. Her grey eyes widened as she watched him lower his head towards hers. Oh, you fool, she chided herself. You should have stayed away from him. You shouldn't have let yourself fall for him because you are going to have a hell of a time stopping this from going any further.

  His lips moved along her jaw line, leaving a trail of light kisses until he was near her ear. 'I'm not,' he whispered, answering her question. 'You're in my bed.' He caught her earlobe between his teeth, gently pulling on it. Merle felt the hand tug her nightgown upwards and slip beneath it. It moved in a slow caress over the bare skin of her belly until it reached her breast. Cupping it gently, Leon kneaded the rounded orb at the same time as his tongue explored the shell of her ear.

  Merle twisted her head away, trying to hang on to her sanity. They really shouldn't be doing this! You just didn't do things this way. Making love was supposed to be a rational decision, something you considered, discussed, prepared for, then you decided to move the relationship on to that plane. You just didn't wake up one morning in bed together. It was crazy, it was totally irrational. 'Leon, stop that!' she demanded in an agonised whisper.

  He lifted himself on to one elbow and grinned down at her. His hand didn't leave her breast but continued the tender caress, his thumb teasing the nipple. 'I thought you were enjoying it.' He shifted slightly so that his body was pressed against her side. She could feel his arousal, feel that he was naked beneath the covers.

  'Leon, please, we can't do this.'

  'Why?' He pressed his mouth against the pulse
beating rapidly in her throat.

  'Because…' It was hard to think of a reason when heat was coursing through every vein, bringing her senses to life. 'Because we can't. We haven't even talked about it. Anyway, we're…' The hand was moving again, slowly circling downward. 'We're enemies, Leon. We can't make love.'

  'I don't think of you as my enemy.' His breath fanned her throat as his mouth moved along the curve of her neck. 'Besides, isn't there something in the Bible about loving your enemies?' he asked softly, his lips brushing hers. 'If there isn't, there should be.'

  His lips moved sensuously over hers, parting her own with gentle intent. He ran his tongue lightly across the ivory of her teeth as his fingers found their goal. Merle arched her back, the intimacy of his caress destroying the last of her fragile defences. Desire was an aching hunger in the core of her being, a primitive need that could not be denied or ignored.

  Merle turned towards him and linked her arms around his neck as she met the demand of his kiss with demands of her own. He groaned softly as the hard nipples of her breasts pressed against his chest, her body becoming fluid as she yielded against him.

  Lifting his head a fraction, his lips left her. He felt the tremor that raced along the surface of her skin and whispered, 'My love, let me get rid of this.' Kneeling beside her, he placed his hands at the vee of her nightgown and pulled sharply.

  The lace parted easily, but when the tear reached the seam that ran beneath her breasts, it stopped abruptly. Leon looked down at the obstreperous material, his brow meeting in a puzzled frown. As Merle watched the changing expressions flicker across his face, she started to giggle. He threw her a hard look which only served to increase her amusement, sending her into gales of laughter.

  'You're a cruel woman, Merle,' Leon scolded her, his expression hurt.

  'If you could have seen your face,' Merle choked trying to swallow her laughter.