Always by Iris Johansen Read Free Book Online Page B

same smoky intensity they had such a short time ago. She felt a slow languid melting sensation in the pit of her stomach. She knew she should look away, but it seemed impossible when the world had narrowed to contain only the two of them. She continued to gaze helplessly across the room at him.
    It was Donahue who finally looked away. “You’re not eating,” he growled as he turned to pour her a fresh cup of coffee. “No more talk until you’re finished.”
    They hadn’t really been talking in the last moment or two, but the bands of communication had been loud and crystal clear. Too clear.Lisa immediately grasped the excuse to avoid a confrontation with the exact nature of that communication. “Okay.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “Later.”
    Her throat was so tight she found it difficult to swallow. She managed to finish the sandwich and a little of the salad. She didn’t taste much, however, with Donohue leaning lazily against the cabinet and watching her with narrowed eyes. She pushed away the plates. “I don’t want any more.”
    “Good.” He straightened. “We can take your coffee into the study. Come on.” He crossed the room and lifted her from the stool. She felt a tiny shock of sensation as his hands grasped her waist. She inhaled sharply and hoped desperately he hadn’t noticed. She glanced up at him.
    He nodded gravely. “I felt it, too. Pretty explosive, isn’t it?” He released her and picked up her cup and saucer. “I think we’d better avoid physical contact for the time being. The study is down the hall and to your left.”
    “All right.” Lisa avoided his eyes as shehurried ahead of him down the hall. She was losing confidence by the moment. When she reached the study she chose a wing chair beside the huge mahogany desk and tried to look as businesslike as the room itself. That impersonality was immediately nullified when Donahue handed her coffee to her, then dropped down on the carpet at her feet, leaning against the desk, and linked his hands loosely about his knees.
    He stared at her. “I want to go to bed with you,” he said softly.
    She almost dropped the coffee cup. “That wasn’t what I wanted to talk about, Donahue.”
    “It’s the only thing I’m interested in discussing, but we’ll touch on the item that’s your primary interest first. I can’t let you go until Baldwin shows up.” He smiled with beguiling warmth. “Discussion closed. Now let’s talk about going to bed.”
    She drew a deep, exasperated breath. “Donahue, I won’t deny there’s a certain chemical attraction betw—”
    “Clancy,” he corrected. His eyes were fixedon her face. “I want to hear you say my name.” His voice dropped to a velvet whisper. “Say it, Lisa.”
    She would
not
be caught up in that breathtaking intimacy again. Yet she found herself repeating, “Clancy.”
    She was rewarded by that same rare smile. “I like that. Thank you, acushla.” The faint brogue was more pronounced now and so was the appealing Gaelic charm she’d noticed so fleetingly in the dressing room.
    She looked down at the cup in her hands. “I won’t let you dismiss the subject so lightly. You behaved outrageously and—”
    He suddenly sat upright, kneeling by her chair. “Look, you don’t understand.” He took the cup from her hands and put it on the floor beside the chair. Then he gathered her hands in his big, warm clasp. “It’s not important anymore. Even if I didn’t have a reason for using you to lure Baldwin here, we’d have to deal with him anyway. First, because he’s making you so damn miserable, and second, becausehe’s a part of your life I have to face and eliminate.”
    Her eyes widened in shock. “Eliminate? You mean …”
    He shook his head. “I wish I could, but I know it’s not that simple now. There’d always be a cloud hanging over our life if I conveniently ‘removed’ your first husband.”
    “First,” she repeated dazedly.
    He smiled. “First. I’m