Free Falling (8 page)

Maybe people like Mac were right. Maybe she
was fooling herself. Maybe her salvage work didn’t make a
difference.

No! It did. People like Mrs. LeMont and even
Julius Faraday understood. The past did have a place in the
present. And no one would ever make her believe otherwise.

Chapter Four

“Mac, are you listening to me at all?”

Mac jerked his attention back to the present
and wheeled around. He had been staring out the wall of windows
behind his desk at the sleek office buildings that made up
Enterprise Drive and hadn’t heard a word Jake said. Mac frowned and
tried to recall the thread of the conversation. “I’m sorry, what
were you saying?”

“If you have other things on your mind, we
can discuss this issue later,” Jake offered. He rose from his chair
on the other side of Mac’s desk.

Mac shook his head briefly. “No, no. Stay. We
need to get this ironed out. I don’t want to begin the work week
with the Chenille Street issue hanging over my head.” He kicked his
abandoned chair from his desk, and sank into it. Jake settled back
into his chair.

“I was just saying that the residents on
Chenille Street are still pursuing landmark status for that house.
They’ll never get it, of course. The fact that some obscure
historical character stayed there when he passed through Huntsville
umpity-ump years ago won’t be sufficient. And, of course, all our
permits are in order. Legally speaking, it’s a done deal. My
concern is the stink the opposition can stir in the media.”

Mac’s frown deepened. “We don’t want that if
it can be prevented.”

“I got a call this morning from a fiend at
the
Times
. They’ve gotten three letters to the editor on the
issue. He has to print at least one of them. I asked him to hold
off until next week, to give us a few more days to resolve it.”

“Good thinking,” Mac agreed. John had known
what he was doing when he’d selected Jake Larsen as McFerrin
Enterprises’ legal representation in Huntsville. “I plan to check
out that site again today. Maybe I’ll up the demolition date. Get
the work done before it becomes a public issue.” He shook his head.
“I just don’t see what’s so great about those old places. Termite
traps, most of them.”

Jake nodded in agreement. “I’m with you.”

Mac’s thoughts strayed back to Friday before
last and his gypsy neighbor’s silly stories.
Tell me what you
see in this room. A man and a woman making long, slow love.
Free’s words echoed inside his head. Mac hadn’t seen a damned thing
but a dilapidated old house that needed to be torn down before it
became a safety hazard. But she had seen more, much more. She was
like the people on Chenille Street, stuck in the past. Mac wanted
nothing to do with the past. He wanted to keep moving
forward—straight into the future. He didn’t let anything tie him
down or slow his progress. The preservationists on Chenille Street
wouldn’t change his mind, nor would his bewitching neighbor.

“I’ve lost you again,” Jake said, his words
bringing Mac once again to the conversation.

Mac blew out his frustration and massaged his
right temple. “Sorry. I just can’t seem to concentrate.”

“I know that symptom all too well
myself.”

Mac stilled. “What symptom?”

“Lack of ability to concentrate,” he said
flatly. “With guys like us it can be attributed to only one thing—a
woman.”

Mac straightened in his chair, the leather
complaining almost as loudly as his sensibilities. “There is no
woman at the moment and even if there was, I never allow my
personal life to interfere with business.”

“Now you’re insulting my intelligence,” Jake
said. “I saw you and Free Renzetti together, remember? It was
impossible to miss the attraction between the two of you.”

Mac narrowed his gaze at his new
associate—and friend, if truth be told. He didn’t make friends
easily, but Jake just seemed to slide into the part without any
effort. “And you think I’m having difficulty keeping my mind off my
strange neighbor?”

“Are you denying the charge?” Jake countered
with complete self-assurance.

Mac shot out of his chair and paced back and
forth between his desk and the credenza. “Yes, counselor,” he
growled. He rubbed his temple again and arrowed Jake an irritated
glare. “No,” he conceded reluctantly.

Jake grinned, then stood and shoved his hands
into his pockets. “Don’t feel too badly. I’ve got the same problem
myself.”

Mac stopped pacing and stared at Jake. “What
do you mean?” Had Free drawn Jake under her spell as well? When had
the two of them been together other than at the jail that one time?
Jealousy flowed swift and hot through his veins. Mac scrutinized
Jake’s lean, rugged appearance. He supposed that women would find a
guy like that appealing. His heart pounded in time with the anger
that crashed against his skull.

“Alex,” Jake told him to answer the question
Mac refused to ask. “She’s been driving me crazy for months. Her
father hired me last year when the partner he’d had for thirty
years retired. Alex graduated from law school right after that and
came to work for the firm, expecting to fill her father’s shoes
eventually. Things had been going great until then.” Jake shrugged
as if he didn’t care. “She hates me. The woman lives to make my
life miserable. She’s all but begged her father to get rid of me.
In three more months my name is supposed to go on the office
stationary right next to Carlisle. Making partner in this firm has
been my dream for a long time. Alex is trying every angle to make
sure it doesn’t happen.”

“What does her father say?”

“He pretends the situation doesn’t exist. To
him everything at the office is just hunky-dory.” Jake sighed.
“Since he was diagnosed with cancer, I’ve been pretty much running
the office.” His gaze connected with Mac’s. “The cancer’s terminal.
Alex will be hell to live with when he’s gone. Mr. Carlisle is the
only person who can keep her in line.”

Mac leaned against the credenza and crossed
his legs at his ankles. “Sounds like a tough situation.”

“It is, but I can handle it. The only reason
I shared this unsavory business with you is because I thought maybe
you could use some advice on how to handle your situation with
Free.”

Mac eyed Jake warily. “I don’t see the
connection.”

“Well, let me spell it out for you,” Jake
said patiently. “Although Alex and I fight constantly and, to all
appearances, hate each other’s guts, the sexual attraction between
us is mind-boggling.”

“So, how are you handling that?”

“I’ve decided to take an alternate approach.”
He rocked back on his heels and grinned. “Instead of fighting her,
I’m going to keep her happy. I agree with everything she says, and
I’m so nice she can’t possibly find any fault with me. When I’m
finished, she’ll be following me around like a long-last pal.”

Puzzled, Mac asked, “You want her to follow
you around like that?”

“Just until the partnership contracts are
signed. Then she’ll have to learn to live with the real me
again.”

Mac shook his head. “What’s the moral of this
story for me?”

“You’re only going to be in Huntsville for a
short time. Why not make the most of it? If Free sends your libido
into warp speed, why not get to know the lady better? That way you
can stay on top of her work schedule if you’re worried about her
getting behind on the salvaging. Plus, you won’t have to worry
about any more feuds with your neighbor.” He shrugged. “She’s
beautiful and she’s nice. A little romance might make your stay in
Alabama a lot more pleasant. Besides, if you’re going to be mooning
over her all the time, you might as well do something about
it.”

Mac bit back the colorful phrase he wanted to
hurl at Jake. “I don’t want to have an affair with the woman. I
want to forget about her,” he said harshly. “Hell, I can’t sleep at
night for thinking about her. I can’t concentrate on my work. I
can’t even eat without remembering how she tastes.”

Jake looked surprised. “It’s worse than I
thought. You’re already infatuated, huh?”

“I kissed her,” Mac hissed through clenched
teeth.

“Just once?”

Mac gripped the edge of the credenza with
both hands. “No—twice.”

“That settles it then.” Jake crossed his arms
over his chest. “You’ll have to have her or you’ll never be any
good around here.”

“I don’t want to have her!” Mac snarled.

“Hey, buddy, I’m on your side. But I promise
you, now that you’ve kissed her, you’ll never stop thinking about
her if you don’t have her. But once you’ve had her, you’ll realize
that she’s just like any other woman, and all will be well in your
world again.”

Mac exhaled noisily. “What if it doesn’t
work?”

Jake’s smile widened with genuine confidence.
“Oh, it’ll work all right. I’ve never met a woman yet, no matter
how intriguing she appeared, that wasn’t just like all the rest
when you got down to the nitty-gritty.”

Mac had to admit that the idea of making love
to Free Renzetti was more than a little appealing. She did seem
just as attracted to him as he was to her. “Do me a favor, will
you?”

“Name it,” Jake offered without
hesitation.

“I don’t usually get involved with women I
know nothing about,” he began, then exhaled in frustration. “Under
normal circumstances I prefer career-oriented women with whom I
have similar interests.” He shrugged. “Or common goals. I don’t
know anything about her past.”

“I have a source who can do an informal
background search, if that’s what you need,” Jake suggested.

Mac nodded. “That would be good.”

Maybe that was the answer. Maybe he would
succumb to a brief affair with his gypsy neighbor. Maybe if he had
her, just once, he could get her out of his system and then he
could get back on track. That, Mac decided wearily, was a hell of a
lot of maybes.

~*~

Free stripped, dropping her clothes at her
feet. She pinned her hair haphazardly atop her head and stepped
gingerly into the deep, claw-footed tub. A moan of satisfaction
vibrated inside her as the hot water and frothy bubbles enveloped
her. After a hard day’s work there was nothing in the world like a
long, hot bubble bath. Today, like all Mondays, had been a killer.
Everybody wanted everything
now
on the first day of the work
week. Free leaned back against the smooth, porcelain surface and
closed her eyes in ecstasy.

Slowly, she concentrated on relaxing her
muscles. First, her tight, achy neck; next, the tired, strained
shoulder muscles. The tension and stress of the day dissolved as
the warmth eased her body. The neck-deep water caressed her skin
like a lover’s touch. Free’s languid thoughts drifted to that day
in the Bower Street house when Mac had kissed her. The memory of
their first kiss in his kitchen joined the vivid mental pictures. A
wave of desire tightened her feminine core, creating another kind
of heat inside her. The man could definitely kiss.

Free moaned softly again at the sensations
stirred by the memories as she recalled every passionate moment she
had spent in Mac’s strong arms. Though they had nothing in common,
their bodies didn’t seem to notice. Free responded to Mac as she
had to no other man. He made her ache in places she had never ached
before; he made her yearn for things she had decided she would
never need. His powerful, muscled body beckoned to her on a very
elemental level. She wanted nothing more than to spend a night
locked in his arms making long, slow love. Another wave of desire
washed over her, making her breasts tingle. And Mac’s desire for
her on both occasions had been in abundance as well. It would have
been difficult to miss that hard ridge of male flesh pressing
against her.

Free slid her right foot over the rim of the
cool porcelain tub and focused inward on her image of Mac’s
perfectly sculpted body. She could just imagine touching that taut,
tanned skin, running her fingers over every plane and ridge. A
smile tugged at her lips as she rubbed her foot over the
contrasting coldness of the faucet. Her toes played over the old,
rough spout. Her mind centered on Mac—Mac as hard as the steel
beneath her sensitive toes, only he was molten steel, hot and
alive. She slipped her foot down to catch the warm water dripping
from the old, leaky spout. In the private theater of her mind, Free
stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss square on Mac’s lips. She thrust
her tongue inside his mouth and tasted his warm, unique flavor. Her
tongue, thrusting and retreating, as her arms entwined around his
neck, her body begging to be taken by him. She kissed him harder,
longer, and deeper. Her soul needing to be one with his. And then
his tongue thrust inside her mouth.

Free’s eyes popped open. She sat up straight
in the tub and stared at her foot, her eyes widening in horror. She
tugged gently and panic seized her. Her big toe was stuck in the
spout. She tugged again, a little harder, but it wouldn’t
budge.

“Oh, God.” Her heart thudded against her
ribcage. She’d gotten carried away with all that thrusting and
retreating and…”Oh, God,” she repeated.

Free gripped the rim of the tub with both
hands, bit down on her lower lip and pulled her foot harder.
Nothing happened. Fear coursed through her veins. Stuck. The cold
steel spout gripped her toe in an awkwardly bent angle. How could
she have been so stupid? An occasional droplet managed to slip
around her toe, slid over the top of her foot and down around the
arch. Quickly she scanned the bathroom for anything that might aid
her in disengaging herself. Nothing. No telephone to call for help.
No blowtorch to cut herself loose—which is probably what it would
take.

“Oh, God,” Free chanted once more. How would
she ever get out of this mess, short of summoning the fire
department? Adrenaline surged, renewing her fear.