Fools Rush In by Ginna Gray Read Free Book Online Page A

Elise is in trouble?"
    "Not a chance, lady."
    "Then I guess we're even."
    He gave her a long intent stare. "I guess so," he said finally. A hint of laughter glittered in his eyes, and he leaned forward, his lazy self-confidence returning. "But since you brought it up, you sure responded passionately.. .for a woman who thought she was kissing her sister's lover."
    Erin tilted her chin, her jaw tightening. Already riddled with guilt, she had no intention of letting him pile on more. "I was pretending to be Elise."
    "Sure you were."
    "Oh, what's the use? You're determined not to believe a word I say, so there's no point in continuing."
    "Where are you going?" Max called after her when she hooked her purse strap over her shoulder and headed for the door.
    "I'm leaving."
    "It's two miles to the warehouse."
    "I've walked two miles before."
    "Down a mountain road in the dark?"
    "I'll manage."
    Max caught up with her in the entrance hall. He grasped her upper arm and tightened his hold when she tried to wrench away. "I'm sure you would, but as a gentleman, I insist on driving you back to your car. That is, to your sister's car." Ignoring her venomous look, he pulled a jacket from the closet and bundled her out the door and into the Continental.
    Deep down, Erin was relieved. The thought of running afoul of a mountain lion or stepping off a precipice in the dark had already begun to send little shivers of fear down her spine. Nonetheless, she would have bitten off her tongue before admitting that to Max. Gentleman, indeed!
    For the first minute or so they rode in silence. Erin sat as far away from him as she could get and stared straight ahead. Silently, she called Max Delany every dirty name she could think of. That he had tricked her and made her look like a fool was bad enough. His denial of any personal relationship with her sister really infuriated her. Poor Elise. She had given her heart to a shallow, callous charmer with a roving eye. Erin's hands curled into tight fists in her lap, every protective instinct she possessed aroused as she thought of the ease with which he had dismissed her sister, and of how hurt Elise would be if she knew.
    Then she cursed herself and her impulsive nature, which had landed her in the awkward, utterly humiliating situation. Concern for Elise already had her nerves stretched taut as a bowstring. She didn't need this added complication.
    Max glanced her way, and from the corner of her eye Erin saw the flash of his white teeth. "Aren't you uncomfortable, squashed up against the door like that?"
    She shot him a quelling look, then turned to stare out at the twinkling lights of Santa Fe, below in the distance.
    "Brrrr. It's cold tonight," Max said with a thread of laughter in his voice. "Even colder than usual. Maybe I should turn up the heater."
    Pretending he wasn't there, Erin maintained her stony silence.
    It took only a few minutes more to reach the warehouse. In that time Max made several more teasing attempts at conversation, all of which she ignored.
    He turned into the parking lot, but before he could bring the car to a complete stop Erin had the door open and was swinging her legs to the ground.
    "Since you're filling in for Elise, I'll see you in the morning. Office hours start at eight, so don't be late."
    The words, addressed to Erin's back as she was about to bolt out of the car, stopped her cold. With her hand still on the door handle, she turned her head and gave Max a long, level look over her shoulder. In a soft but precise voice she said, "Go to hell, Delany."
    She climbed out and slammed the door with enough force to tear it off its hinges.
    An amused smile twitched about Max's mouth. Amazing. Who would have thought that Elise—gentle, soft, serene Elise—would have such a firebrand for a sister. Daring, intelligence, spirit, plus his secretary's vivid coloring and lush beauty—it was a potent combination, one he found wildly attractive and exciting.
    He studied the provocative