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the window. "Silly me. I thought when you invited me here for a drink, you were actually going to pay. I
should know better by now, shouldn t I?"
He couldn t see her face, but he would bet he d see sparks when she turned back to face him. He didn t
blame her if she was angry, but, to his surprise, a good-natured smile lit her face. She pulled a twenty
from her wallet and handed it to him.
As he took the bill from her fingers, warmth ricocheted up his arm and through his torso, surging to one
prime point. All she had to do was touch him and his interest peaked, so to speak.
"What am I going to do with you?" she asked, shaking her head.
He could think of a lot of things he d like her to do with him, but he knew she wouldn t agree to a single
one.
* * * *
As soon as she stepped into the night air, Gill realized how much alcohol she d consumed. Just enough to
make her light-headed, but that s more than she ever allowed herself to be affected. She really should
have headed straight home, not gone off with Cade to a bar, and she certainly shouldn t have had two of
those pineapple drinks. She stepped carefully down the wooden stairs to the parking lot, then walked
toward the truck. But they d tasted so good and, being honest with herself, she hadn t wanted to be alone.
Cade opened the passenger door and she climbed in. He crossed to the driver s door and got in beside her,
then turned the ignition. The big, blue truck sputtered to life. Sort of.
"When was the last time you changed the plugs on this thing?" she asked.
"Plugs?"
"Spark plugs. You know, they fire to ignite the compressed fuel in the cylinders and that makes the engine
go. You need to change them once in a while."
Cade pulled onto Carling Avenue and turned left. "Oh. Well, maybe I ll take it in next week."
"Good idea."
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She settled into the seat and gazed out the window, hoping the fuzziness in her brain would dissipate
soon. Cade turned on the radio to a soft instrumental melody, and she felt her muscles relax. The gentle
rocking motion of the vehicle relaxed her even more and her eyes closed.
"Gill, I need to know which direction to go."
"Which direction?" She flipped her eyelids open. Her head felt a bit foggy.
"Should I go east or west?"
She pushed herself up in the seat and saw the large green signs indicating highway 417 ahead on
Pinecrest. She must have dozed off for a few moments.
"Oh, you don t get on the highway to get to my place. Actually, you d better make a one eighty degree
turn. I m in one of those high-rise buildings by Mooney s Bay."
"Okay." He grinned at her. "You can go back to sleep if you like. I know the way."
She folded her arms across her chest and stared out the side window. "I wasn t asleep."
"Really? I guess that was someone else I heard snoring then."
She glared at him in indignation. "I don t snore."
"Now, sweetheart, you wouldn t exactly know that, would you? Unless you have an eyewitness report?"
She felt her face flush at the thought of someone watching her while she slept. And of course, he was
talking about a lover. She turned back to the side window, holding her silence.
He lowered his voice to a murmur. "If you don t, I d be happy to volunteer. And I ll say anything you like
about your sleeping habits."
She gritted her teeth. "I don t think so. But thanks anyway." Only a little sarcasm tinged her words.
She continued to stare out the window, focusing on the full, white moon, as he drove the rest of the way.
When they approached the vicinity of her apartment building, she gave him specific directions. Instead of
pulling up to the front entrance, Cade drove to visitors parking.
"I ll see you up to your apartment."
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She started to protest but he d already hopped out of the truck. She reached for her door handle but he was
already pulling it from the other side. He pulled open her door and offered his arm to help her out, but she
ignored it. She grabbed her pack and tugged her keys from the front pouch as they walked toward the
front door. She let them into the lobby, then Cade pushed the button to summon the elevator.
She leaned against the marble wall across from the elevator doors, knowing from experience they d be
here a while. "You re lucky, you don t have to put up with a long wait for an elevator when you go
home."
"Are you kidding? Sometimes I wait so long I think it would be better to take the stairs, even if I have to
go up& ."
She stared at him, wondering what on earth he was talking about.
"Why are you looking at me funny?" he asked.
"Cade, you live in a townhouse. They don t usually come equipped with elevators."
"Oh, right." He cleared his throat. "I mean at work. Sometimes I feel like I live there."
She smiled. "Really. I could have sworn you were living at the flying club." She eased her pack to the
floor, the weight of textbooks and other course material causing her shoulder to ache. "So you actually
have a job? What do you do?"
He shrugged. "You know. A little of this, a little of that. Kind of cleaning up after other people."
A janitor? She remembered the first day she d met him, she d thought he must work in maintenance in the
Farraday building, but he d been totally clueless about fixing a simple thing like a fan belt on his truck, so
she doubted he actually had a job where he was expected to fix things. Still, it didn t make a lot of sense
to her why a guy who was obviously bright and well educated wasn t doing more with his life than
janitorial work. Obviously, he had no ambition. No aspirations.
The elevator door whooshed open. Cade scooped up her pack and they climbed aboard. When it opened
on the eighteenth floor, she turned left and led him down the green carpeted hall to the last door on the
end.
"This is it."
She inserted her key in the lock and turned to say goodbye to Cade. That sexy half-smile curved his lips.
Funny. She d been trying so hard to avoid him and she should be anxious to get home, but she was
reluctant to take the last few steps and put a door between them. A big reason was because, once inside, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
the window. "Silly me. I thought when you invited me here for a drink, you were actually going to pay. I
should know better by now, shouldn t I?"
He couldn t see her face, but he would bet he d see sparks when she turned back to face him. He didn t
blame her if she was angry, but, to his surprise, a good-natured smile lit her face. She pulled a twenty
from her wallet and handed it to him.
As he took the bill from her fingers, warmth ricocheted up his arm and through his torso, surging to one
prime point. All she had to do was touch him and his interest peaked, so to speak.
"What am I going to do with you?" she asked, shaking her head.
He could think of a lot of things he d like her to do with him, but he knew she wouldn t agree to a single
one.
* * * *
As soon as she stepped into the night air, Gill realized how much alcohol she d consumed. Just enough to
make her light-headed, but that s more than she ever allowed herself to be affected. She really should
have headed straight home, not gone off with Cade to a bar, and she certainly shouldn t have had two of
those pineapple drinks. She stepped carefully down the wooden stairs to the parking lot, then walked
toward the truck. But they d tasted so good and, being honest with herself, she hadn t wanted to be alone.
Cade opened the passenger door and she climbed in. He crossed to the driver s door and got in beside her,
then turned the ignition. The big, blue truck sputtered to life. Sort of.
"When was the last time you changed the plugs on this thing?" she asked.
"Plugs?"
"Spark plugs. You know, they fire to ignite the compressed fuel in the cylinders and that makes the engine
go. You need to change them once in a while."
Cade pulled onto Carling Avenue and turned left. "Oh. Well, maybe I ll take it in next week."
"Good idea."
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/custo...ouds%20Elizabeth%20Batten%20Carew%20NCP.htm (77 of 157) [8/28/2005 6:27:04 PM]
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/customer/My%20Documents/e...ks/Beyond%20the%20Clouds%20Elizabeth%20Batten%20Carew%20NCP.htm
She settled into the seat and gazed out the window, hoping the fuzziness in her brain would dissipate
soon. Cade turned on the radio to a soft instrumental melody, and she felt her muscles relax. The gentle
rocking motion of the vehicle relaxed her even more and her eyes closed.
"Gill, I need to know which direction to go."
"Which direction?" She flipped her eyelids open. Her head felt a bit foggy.
"Should I go east or west?"
She pushed herself up in the seat and saw the large green signs indicating highway 417 ahead on
Pinecrest. She must have dozed off for a few moments.
"Oh, you don t get on the highway to get to my place. Actually, you d better make a one eighty degree
turn. I m in one of those high-rise buildings by Mooney s Bay."
"Okay." He grinned at her. "You can go back to sleep if you like. I know the way."
She folded her arms across her chest and stared out the side window. "I wasn t asleep."
"Really? I guess that was someone else I heard snoring then."
She glared at him in indignation. "I don t snore."
"Now, sweetheart, you wouldn t exactly know that, would you? Unless you have an eyewitness report?"
She felt her face flush at the thought of someone watching her while she slept. And of course, he was
talking about a lover. She turned back to the side window, holding her silence.
He lowered his voice to a murmur. "If you don t, I d be happy to volunteer. And I ll say anything you like
about your sleeping habits."
She gritted her teeth. "I don t think so. But thanks anyway." Only a little sarcasm tinged her words.
She continued to stare out the window, focusing on the full, white moon, as he drove the rest of the way.
When they approached the vicinity of her apartment building, she gave him specific directions. Instead of
pulling up to the front entrance, Cade drove to visitors parking.
"I ll see you up to your apartment."
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/custo...ouds%20Elizabeth%20Batten%20Carew%20NCP.htm (78 of 157) [8/28/2005 6:27:04 PM]
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/customer/My%20Documents/e...ks/Beyond%20the%20Clouds%20Elizabeth%20Batten%20Carew%20NCP.htm
She started to protest but he d already hopped out of the truck. She reached for her door handle but he was
already pulling it from the other side. He pulled open her door and offered his arm to help her out, but she
ignored it. She grabbed her pack and tugged her keys from the front pouch as they walked toward the
front door. She let them into the lobby, then Cade pushed the button to summon the elevator.
She leaned against the marble wall across from the elevator doors, knowing from experience they d be
here a while. "You re lucky, you don t have to put up with a long wait for an elevator when you go
home."
"Are you kidding? Sometimes I wait so long I think it would be better to take the stairs, even if I have to
go up& ."
She stared at him, wondering what on earth he was talking about.
"Why are you looking at me funny?" he asked.
"Cade, you live in a townhouse. They don t usually come equipped with elevators."
"Oh, right." He cleared his throat. "I mean at work. Sometimes I feel like I live there."
She smiled. "Really. I could have sworn you were living at the flying club." She eased her pack to the
floor, the weight of textbooks and other course material causing her shoulder to ache. "So you actually
have a job? What do you do?"
He shrugged. "You know. A little of this, a little of that. Kind of cleaning up after other people."
A janitor? She remembered the first day she d met him, she d thought he must work in maintenance in the
Farraday building, but he d been totally clueless about fixing a simple thing like a fan belt on his truck, so
she doubted he actually had a job where he was expected to fix things. Still, it didn t make a lot of sense
to her why a guy who was obviously bright and well educated wasn t doing more with his life than
janitorial work. Obviously, he had no ambition. No aspirations.
The elevator door whooshed open. Cade scooped up her pack and they climbed aboard. When it opened
on the eighteenth floor, she turned left and led him down the green carpeted hall to the last door on the
end.
"This is it."
She inserted her key in the lock and turned to say goodbye to Cade. That sexy half-smile curved his lips.
Funny. She d been trying so hard to avoid him and she should be anxious to get home, but she was
reluctant to take the last few steps and put a door between them. A big reason was because, once inside, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]