Uneasy Alliance by Unknown Read Free Book Online

Latimer.
    Something flickered in Torr's eyes as he watched her face, an emotion
    that might have been either relief or satisfaction. Abby decided not to
    worry about it. She told herself she wouldn't worry about anything else
    that evening, in fact.
    The conversation went easily from one topic to another, bringing
    lighthearted arguments, unexpected agreements and a pleasurable
    contentment. The squid was delicious, just as Torr had predicted, and
    Abby was feeling sufficiently magnanimous to tell him so.
    "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said as he escorted her back out to the car
    and assisted her inside.
    "What?" she challenged laughingly. "You're not going to say 'I told you
    so'?"
    "I wouldn't dream of it. I know when I'm ahead," he added with a hint
    of amusement. "And now I'm going to take you home, kiss you good-night
    at your door and hope you'll say yes when I ask you out for tomorrow."
    Abby held her breath. "Where would you like to take me tomorrow?"
    she whispered.
    "The rose gardens," he answered unhesitatingly as he pulled away from
    the curb.
    "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to go." The decision had been made
    somewhere during dinner. She wanted to see Torr Latimer again.
    Portland's rose gardens were a source of city pride, and although she had
    been to them on several occasions, the promised visit with Torr was going
    to be very special. She sank back into the leather seat of the BMW and
    contemplated the night and the man beside her. Both seemed exciting,
    and both contained an element of the unknown, and she realized she felt a
    sense of anticipation about both which she hadn't experienced in a long,
    long time.
    "Are you really going to kiss me good-night at my door?" She dared to
    tease lightly, goaded by an inner need to explore the anticipation and
    excitement that had been building in her all evening.
    He threw her a hooded, speculative glance before answering. "Unless
    you invite me inside, yes. Worried?"
    "No." Then she realized just how true that was. "I don't feel worried
    about anything at all tonight," she added with a sense of wonder.
    "Good. When I watched you breaking daffodils and running wild with
    that flower arrangement last night, wilder than usual, that is, I wondered
    if something might be bothering you."
    Only that brochure showing up unexpectedly in her mail, she answered
    silently. But she had rationalized that to her own satisfaction. It was
    purely a fluke. She had simply gotten on the resort's advertising list.
    "Right now the world seems quite perfect," she assured him easily.
    "It rarely stays that way for long."
    "Spoilsport."
    He found another nearly hidden space on the street outside her
    apartment house, switched off the ignition and turned to face her in the
    intimate darkness. "I'm serious, Abby."
    "You're always serious."
    "I meant what I said. The world rarely stays perfect for very long," he
    continued huskily.
    "Are you about to give me a lecture on how we must live for today
    because tomorrow could bring disaster?" she mocked. "Is this a prelude to
    trying to seduce me with that old line about living for the moment and
    taking our pleasures while we can?" The first hint of frost was coating her
    words now as she realized the lovely evening was about to end.
    His dark head moved in a clear rejection of the accusation. "No, I'm
    only saying that if something is wrong, if your world is less than perfect
    when you wake up in the morning, I'll be around to deal with it."
    Startled by the intensity in his words, Abby lifted her copper nails to
    touch the side of his face. "That's very kind of you, Torr," she murmured
    unsteadily.
    He caught her fingers and crushed them with a degree of force that was
    one step beyond gentle. "I've told you before not to expect kindness from
    me and there's a catch to the deal I'm offering."
    The softness in Abby's face froze into a distant, aloof expression. She
    tried to free her hand and found it trapped where he pinned it to his
    shoulder.