Gull Harbor by Kathryn Knight Read Free Book Online Page B

bartender. “I’ll be back in a few,” he said, tossing a towel aside.
    “Let’s talk before it gets busy,” he said as he approached them. He settled his hand on the small of her back and steered her toward his office.
    “I’ll order you a glass of wine,” Dan said.
    Her heart knocked out a few panicked staccato beats. She had just assumed Dan would be part of this conversation. She turned back to suggest that he accompany them, but he was already exchanging greetings with a group of men at the bar.
    Relax, she ordered herself. A private discussion with an ex-boyfriend should hardly rate as dangerous to a woman who lived with an antagonistic ghost. She was giving this man too much power.
    Still, she flinched slightly when he closed the door to his office. “Have a seat,” he said, rolling out his desk chair.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Okay,” he said, pulling the chair forward and leaning on the back rest. “I found out some things about the house, and the last person that lived there, that might be useful.”
    She nodded, trying to focus as he recounted what he’d learned about the Williams family. But her gaze fell to his hands, gripping the back of the chair. They were exactly as she remembered: strong fingers with calloused pads that could pick out complicated guitar melodies with ease. Those fingers had once known every inch of her flesh.
    “Claire?”
    Her gaze flew back to his face. “Sorry, I was thinking about…something. So, ah, people suspected this Gary guy was dealing, but he never got caught?”
    “Right. And then he disappeared, just abandoning the house that had been in his family for decades.”
    “Hmm. Well, if he was a year-round resident, he had to have had some friends around here. Or drug connections, at the very least. Maybe I can locate some of his buyers, see what I can find out from them.”
    Max frowned. “I don’t like that idea at all.” He rolled the chair away and took a step toward her. “Listen, Claire…if you think Gary might be the key, I’ll hire someone to search for him. Just say the word.”
    She shook her head vigorously. “I can’t spend your money to do my job. That makes no sense.”
    “It’s not about that, Claire. It’s about keeping you safe.” He closed the distance between them, setting off alarm bells in the back of her mind.
    Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath. “I realize you’re trying to help me, and I appreciate that. But what gives you the right to worry about my safety?”
    “I don’t need the right.” He stood over her, and she took a step backwards, bumping up against his desk. His words shouldn’t have sounded menacing, but for some reason, they did. She nodded weakly.
    “I am going to keep you safe, Claire,” he said, his eyes flashing. He reached out and stroked her arm.
    A shiver ran through her, and she gripped the edge of the desk for support. “Okay,” she breathed. Every nerve in her body was calling for him. She closed her eyes as his hands moved up to cradle her head.
    His mouth seized hers, and her lips responded urgently. She lost herself in the kiss, her fingers weaving themselves around his neck and tangling in his hair. His hands moved to her waist, and she gasped as he hoisted her up on the desk.
    He pressed his hips between her legs, and she clenched her thighs around him as a moan escaped her lips. His mouth trailed along her jawline, grazing her ear as he whispered her name.
    A rap on the door echoed through the room the moment before the hostess burst into the office. “Max? They—” She stopped abruptly, her face falling in dismay. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
    “It’s okay, Katie.” Max turned his head but kept his arms wrapped around Claire. “What is it?”
    “They, ah, they need you…in the kitchen,” she stammered, backing out the door. “I’ll tell them you’re coming. Sorry.” She disappeared as fast as she had entered.
    “I should get back to Dan,” Claire murmured into