Czytaj książkę: «A Kiss in the Dark: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance»

Chapter One

The alarm clock cut through Ryan’s blackout dreams, and he reached for it from under the covers, slapping it silent. He groaned, opened one eye, then quickly shut it. The morning light was way too bright, like needles in his eyeballs. His next breath awoke searing pain in his chest, which ignited a chain reaction of agony that shot through his shoulders, neck, and head.

“Too early,” a groggy female voice grumbled beside him.

Ryan’s eyes snapped back open. There was someone in bed with him. He lifted his face off the mattress and slowly turned toward the sound. Every inch of the journey was an exercise in misery. The room spun nauseatingly around, and it took a moment before his eyeballs finally settled in his head enough for him to see the pretty blonde woman beside him. Traces of last night’s makeup still rimmed her wide brown eyes and accentuated her high cheekbones. She had a salon tan and a gym body and he had no idea who she was.

She smiled and stroked his face, a gentle caress of her long, acrylic nails. “You were incredible last night.”

She grazed his eyebrow, and the flash of pain brought the memories back with razor-sharp clarity. The smell of the gym, sweat and aggression, bright lights on the ring, fists and blood. Three long rounds, a hard-won fight. His opponent was good, he’d made Ryan work for every point. Despite the regulation headgear, he was sure his face had paid some of the price. Then victory, his arms raised high into the air, and the announcement that he would advance to the finals. There was laughter and champagne—his gaze refocused on the woman in his bed—and the Ring Card Girl from the match.

She touched her fingertips to his lips, then rested her hand on his chest. “You’re going to be the champion for sure.”

Prickles of heat cascaded down his spine as her hand moved lower, tracing the path of dark hair over his pec to the center of his body. The scrape of her nails was intensely erotic, almost too much for his bruised body to handle, and every pleasurable shiver set off another wave of pain. She brushed his navel, but he caught her hand before she could do something he would not want to stop. This was nice and all, but the alarm clock had woken him up for a reason. He had to get to work.

He lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips. “Next time—” His chest seized up. Oh God, what was her name? He didn’t know her name! He smiled, trying to cover up the unexpected pause. “—Darling.” He kissed her fingers again. “I’d love to stay in bed with you all day, but duty calls, and my landlord is not a forgiving or generous man.”

“Call in sick,” she said, sex in her eyes.

It was tempting, but Ryan had a firm no ditching responsibilities policy. Drink hard, play hard, work hard. The playing had been fun last night—really fun as he was beginning to recall—but today it was time for work. He threw back the covers and got out of bed to remove any further temptation. The hardwood floor was cool beneath his bare feet, the morning air chilly on his naked skin. He took a deep breath to quell some of the heat sizzling in his blood and bring his body temperature back down to normal.

His nameless lover sat up and the sheet pooled around her waist, offering him a view a man would rightly die for. She was rumpled and tousled and sexy, and the sight of her made him want to seriously reconsider his decision.

She rubbed her eyes with her fisted hands, a gesture both innocent and seductive. “When will I see you again?”

“Two weeks.” He needed to get her motivated. He grabbed her top off his dresser, her shorts off the floor, and her panties from the edge of the bed as he circled around toward her. He offered her his hand to help her to her feet. “We’ll see each other at the finals.” She climbed out of bed, and he handed her the clothing. “I’m going to win it all for you.”

She chuckled and Ryan smiled back. He’d had fun last night. He wouldn’t mind seeing her again. If there was a next time, he’d be sure to learn her name.

She got dressed and he grimaced. Even in the harsh light, she was hot as hell in that tiny string bikini top, little black short-shorts, and high heels, but there was no way he was going to let her walk to the subway in that outfit in the middle of the morning commute. “Here,” he said, reaching into his dresser. He pulled out a dark T-shirt. “Put this on.”

She pulled his shirt on over her head and it came down to around her knees. Good. She slipped her arm through his, and he escorted her to the front door. He had a lot of work waiting for him at the office. His first order of business was to finish the coding on The Candy Connoisseur’s website. Then he was sitting in on a meeting about a new client, a swanky new cosmetics company specializing in high-pigment eye shadows. He needed to get himself on that project. If he could sweet-talk the team leader—or even bribe, he wasn’t above bribery—maybe…

“Okay, see you then,” his companion said, pausing on the threshold. She looked up at him and giggled.

He nodded absently and held the door open for her. He also really needed to update that art gallery’s website for one of the other senior programmers like he promised. He couldn’t believe he’d almost forgotten about that. Damn. It was going to be a long day.

The Card-Girl lingered in the doorway, and Ryan became slowly aware that she was not moving. He met her gaze and the look in her eye said all that needed saying. She wanted a kiss goodbye. He didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. He wasn’t a monster after all—just a man who had to get to work. He gave her a nice, long, slow one before sending her on her way.

He shut the door behind her, the memory of her fading right along with the scent of her perfume. A part of him wanted to spin out fantasies of seeing her again, of maybe spending some real time with her, talking and laughing, getting to know one another. Every once in a while, the simple desire to have someone constant in his life made him acutely aware of just how lonely he was. But those thoughts were easily pushed aside. He’d witnessed the reality behind that particular fantasy far too many times to want any part of it. The way he lived now was good. Easy. And that was exactly the way he wanted to keep it.

He turned from the door and headed for the bathroom with a smile on his face. Sure, he hurt everywhere, and the hangover was really beginning to settle in now, but life was good. Really, really good. He indulged in a scorching shower, the hot water loosening his sore muscles. The mirror over the bathroom sink reflected his massive black eye in vivid detail, and he gave himself a jaunty wink while he brushed his teeth. God, he looked terrible.

His face hurt way too much to shave, so he let it go without a second thought. He went back to his bedroom and peered into the closet. He wasn’t seeing clients yet, so it didn’t really matter what he wore. Today he chose old, comfortable clothes—faded jeans and a navy cotton T-shirt. Thankfully he didn’t work in a suit and tie kind of office—unless you wanted to wear a suit and tie of course. Some people did. Ryan was not one of them.

He dressed, reassessing his priories for the day. He couldn’t wait for his new-employee probation to be over so he could do some real work, actually build and maintain a website for one of the eclectic and often flamboyant clients Sharpe Designs seemed to attract. That was still a while away unfortunately. When he was hired, he’d been told it would take a minimum of eight months, but probably more, before he got his own solo accounts. As of three days ago, he’d only been there six.

Seagulls were screaming over the Coney Island boardwalk, fighting over the spoils from last night when he exited his building. He said a cheerful good morning to the line of elderly ladies sitting outside the senior center next door, all ready to take in some sun in their plastic lawn chairs with their umbrellas and fans and packs of long, thin cigarettes close at hand. They giggled and waved, just as they did every morning he walked by.

The breeze off the Atlantic Ocean was crisp and invigorating, and he breathed deeply as he headed up the avenue toward the subway. People were already dotting the beach, surfers on the low waves. He passed Nathan’s, closed at this early hour, but the scent of the hotdogs ever present in the air. Underneath the aches and pains, his body wanted to move, to stretch, his muscles longing for the daily run along the beach he usually treated himself to. He was a little too late for that today though. He’d run later, when he got home from work. It was just as well. It would be cooler in the evening, and it would give his hangover a chance to subside a bit.

He descended into the darkness of the station and when the subway arrived, he got onboard, squeezing his way into the car with the other commuters. He allowed himself a small grin as he caught another glimpse of his black eye in the reflection of the doors. He’d made it into the finals. He never thought he’d make it that far. He was good, but some of the people he’d gone up against had been on the circuit for years. He was relatively new to the sport and exceptionally new to New York. He didn’t know his opponents, had never sparred with any of them, had no concept of their strengths or weaknesses. When he’d signed up for the tournament, he figured he wouldn’t make it past the second round, but at least he’d gain a working knowledge to take it all next year. But here he was, getting ready for the finals. It was out of control. He was going to have to call his mom when he got back home. He couldn’t wait to tell her.

The train burst out of the tunnel into a blast of sunlight, rumbling over the Manhattan Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge stood in the distance, lower Manhattan spread out before him. That view always got him revved him up, got his blood pumping. Philly was his home, where he was from, but New York was a pretty spectacular place.

His stop arrived, and he jumped off the train. He exited the station, turned off Broadway, and onto Spring Street. Commuters in suits and jeans, hipster gear and hippy skirts stood on lines for the corner coffee carts, fueling up for the day. He wasn’t all that late when he arrived at the converted brownstone that held the Sharpe Design offices, and he congratulated himself on a job well done.

He entered the daily bustle, waving to a few people as he made his way back toward his corner cubicle. The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee hung in the air, and despite his queasy stomach, the lure was too powerful to resist. He needed to check his messages first, then he was going upstairs to the lounge and grab a cup. When he arrived at his desk, he frowned, plucking a Post-It note off the monitor. Please come see me when you arrive – Ron, it read, the request written in elegant, flowing script.

Butterflies invaded Ryan’s belly. He didn’t think he was in any trouble, but a note from the owner was not something anyone wanted to walk in to. He scanned his memory for what he had been working on lately, wondering what he might have screwed up. Nothing came to mind. He tossed the note into the plastic garbage can beside the cubicle and looked toward the polished staircase by the entrance. The only way to find out what was going on was to go up to the top floor and see what the man wanted. He grabbed a notebook off his desk and headed upstairs.

He jogged up, taking two steps at a time, and when he reached the top, he took a left. He passed by a small alcove and a line of executive offices. His sneakers were silent on the lush carpet. Ron’s assistant, Mary Ellen, was poised at her desk, lacquered nails tapping away on her keyboard. She was an elegant though hard woman, who took her job as sentry very seriously. If she did not want you to get to Ron, you didn’t get to Ron. Even Ron’s husband and partner, the CFO, Alan Altman, got turned away. She was not playing. No one was safe. Ryan held his breath while she called back, only exhaling when she waved him inside.

He stepped into the spacious office and smiled when he caught his boss’ eye. Ron had the same welcoming expression on his face that he’d had the first time Ryan met him. A little less than a year ago, Ryan had decided to attend a lecture on web design at a friend’s grad school in Philly. He’d been discontent with his job, feeling stagnate and bored, and he was hoping for some inspiration, maybe an idea or two on what he could do next. Ron’s presentation totally blew him away. The dapper businessman from New York encouraged the students to think about web design as a career choice, not because it was a growing industry or there was the opportunity to make lots of money, but rather because a web designer could actually make a difference in people’s perceptions. By designing a person or company’s website, your creative vision could and would dictate how people thought of that brand. It was an immense responsibility, but also deeply rewarding. Before Ron was even halfway done speaking, Ryan had already decided he was going to talk with the man that night. Six months later, he was the newest employee at Sharpe Designs and proud of it.

“Oh, good,” Ron said, standing up as Ryan entered. His coat was perfectly pressed even though he had been sitting, every hair in place. Ryan felt like a bit of a scrub with his faded jeans and black eye, but it was too late now. He had to just go with it. “I was hoping you’d be in around your usual time this morning.” He gestured to the guest chairs in front of his desk. “Please, sit down.”

“Thanks,” Ryan said, taking a seat. He rubbed his palms together, trying to get rid of the slight clamminess. “What’s going on?”

Ron grinned as Ryan sat. “That is a lovely black eye you have there. I hope you won.”

“I did.” Pride filled his heart once again. “I’m in the finals in two weeks.”

“Wonderful! Give the date to my assistant. Alan and I want to come.”

“That would be excellent,” Ryan said, deeply flattered that they’d want to see him fight. His new coworkers were unlike any he had worked with before. They actually seemed to care about one another. It was nice. Refreshing. “I’d love that.”

“Fantastic. We’ve very excited for you.” Ron leaned forward and folded his hands on the desktop. Ryan read the signs and sat up straighter. Small talk was over. It was business time. “I’ve been very impressed with the work you’ve done here, Ryan.”

Ryan blinked. This was not what he expected at all. “Thank you.”

Ron shuffled some papers on his desk, isolated a single sheet, and read it over before meeting Ryan’s gaze again. “I think it’s time for you to take on clients. I have the perfect one in mind. She’s coming in today. In a few minutes, in fact.”

Ryan’s mouth fell open. Today? No way. He was dressed like a bum, in pain, and worst of all, he was totally unprepared. “I don’t know anything about her.”

“It’s okay,” Ron said soothingly, obviously picking up on Ryan’s nerves. “It was a last-minute appointment. She was free, and I thought of you. I told her this would be just a consultation. You can go over with her all the things she would’ve normally filled out online. She’s not expecting any results yet.”

Ryan’s heart sped up in his chest. This was what he had been waiting for since the day he’d started with Sharpe. Finally, the chance to make something functional and beautiful and creative. He could not wait. “Who is she?”

“An author, named Grace Betancourt.” Ron flicked the mouse and called up something on his computer screen. “I’m giving you Kat Greer as the graphic artist on this one. Her role will be to set up the designs according to your and your client’s specifications, and advise you in any way she can about the general aesthetics.”

That was the best possible news. Kat Greer was the company’s top graphic artist. She’d won more awards than he could ever dream of even being nominated for. Ron was doing him a huge favor by letting him have her.

“Kat will meet with you and Ms. Betancourt today so she can get a sense of what the client is after and make you up some options to work with, but in the future, you will be meeting with her alone. You’ll still report to Dean, and he will advise you, but this is your project, Ryan. Total control.”

“This is amazing.” He was going to make something incredible for this woman. He couldn’t wait to meet her.

“I’m so glad. Kat is expecting you, and I’ve arranged for you to use The Conservatory for your interview. When Ms. Betancourt arrives, she’ll be shown in there.”

“Thanks.” Ryan always got a laugh out of the names of the meeting rooms here. The Conservatory, The Billiard Room, The Lounge. It may be an upscale firm, but it had a wonderfully geeky heart.

“I know it may seem that sending you out to meet a brand new client with a black eye probably isn’t the wisest decision I’ve ever made, but as I’m sure your coworkers have told you, I have feelings about things. People.” He paused, held Ryan’s gaze. “And I have faith in you.”

Ryan was too blown away to respond. He knew Ron liked him, but this was crazy. He’d never been the kind of person to inspire faith in others. Yes, he was a hard worker, but he was a hard player as well—a fact that never escaped his former employers’ attention. He met Ron’s eyes once again and nodded to his boss, resolve thrumming in his heart. He was not going to squander this opportunity. When Ron rose to his feet, Ryan mirrored the action, shaking the other man’s hand hard.

Ryan left Ron’s office, his step light as he headed back down the hallway to the small alcove Kat Greer shared with his direct supervisor, Chief Programmer, Dean Kirkwell.

“Hey, Kat,” he called as he ducked into their inner sanctum. The seat beside her was empty. “Where’s Dean?”

Kat looked up at him from her desk, her cornflower-blue eyes expertly lined in black. She glanced over at the empty chair. “He’s meeting with your BFF in finance. Something about the Fisher account.”

Ryan laughed. Gwendolyn Pierce was murder to deal with. She had to be the most negative and cankerous person he had ever met. For no reason he could determine, she mildly tolerated him. She most certainly didn’t seem to like anyone else. “Wow, poor Dean.”

Kat nodded sadly, but there was a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. “I just hope she returns him to me intact.” She sighed dramatically. “I do like him better that way.” She grabbed one of the legal pads on her desk. “Are you ready to go downstairs?”

“Yeah.” He was bouncing. His first project. He was going to make it great. “Any idea who this person is?”

“No,” she said. “A writer. Mysteries, I think. She’s got to be close with someone in the Family though. Ron asked me this morning if I could work on this. Appointments never happen that fast and anyone talking to Ron directly has got to be somebody.”

He stopped short. She had a point he hadn’t even considered. The Family, he’d come to learn, was what his coworkers called the mishmash of colleagues, friends, and lovers that comprised the Sharpe Designs world. If this woman was part of the Family in some way, then this was even bigger than he expected. He really had to make an impression. This was a huge chance. The best kind of nerves jangled his system, very much akin to the kind he felt whenever he stepped into the ring. He was ready to meet this challenge and win.

Kat stood up, taller than usual in super-high, razor-thin heels. He almost wanted to offer her his arm, afraid that she might topple over on the skinny stilettos. Those shoes didn’t look like they were meant to hold any weight, but she seemed to manage just fine, walking confidently past him toward the staircase.

Her hips swayed, and he had to work hard to keep his jaw off the floor. The way she moved in those heels and short skirt could do wicked things to weak men. She was everything he liked in a woman—small, blonde, hot, kinda dark and weird. But, alas, it was never meant to be. She was living happily ever after with his direct supervisor. And no matter how hot he thought she was, he could never give her anything like what she had with Dean. Their relationship was a constant source of awe, and if he wanted to be honest with himself, envy too. Sure, he’d show her a great night, but in the end, it would always be just one night. That was the simple reality of his life.

He dragged his gaze away and quickly joined her by her side. If she caught him gaping at her, she’d probably give him another black eye for his trouble. “I saw the latest edition of KLIVE,” he said as they descended the stairs. “It was awesome.” KLIVE was a gothic-styled web comic Kat wrote and illustrated about a chain-smoking, alcoholic, homicidal bunny working in customer service. He never missed an episode. She had a twisted sense of humor. “But did he really kill Drizz? I can’t believe he’s gone. He was such a good sidekick.”

Kat beamed at him. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”

They arrived on the first floor and headed for the meeting rooms. The Conservatory was on the right side of the building, a pleasant, airy room done in shades of tan and ivory. A silver tray sat on the conference table with a full French press of quality coffee, cups, spoons, a bowl of sugar packets and artificial sweeteners, and a small decanter of cream. That kind of attention to detail was one of the many things he liked about working at Sharpe Designs, and one of the things that continually pleasantly surprised him.

Kat settled down next to him on the same side of the conference table, their backs to the bookshelves lining the west wall of the room. She pointed to his eye. “Did you win?”

“I did,” he said with a grin. He could tell people that all day and never get bored.

“Dean and I want to be at the finals. When is that happening?”

“Two weeks. At a gym downtown. I’ll email you the details when I get back to my desk.”

“We’ll be there.” She gave him a wide smile. “I can’t wait to see you fight.”

The door opened, and Ryan and Kat rose to their feet as the receptionist showed in a well-dressed woman. She was tall, probably around five-eight or five-nine, wearing a sleeveless black silk shirt with a scooped neckline. Her long, rich brown hair was pulled away from her heart-shaped face, the ends curling around the swell of her breasts. Her skirt was black and white, simple and elegant, her shoes designer flats.

“Hi,” the woman said, leaning over the table to shake their hands. “I’m Grace Betancourt.”

Ryan took her hand, instantly captivated by the spray of freckles across the bridge of her upturned nose, the small dimple in the corner of her cheek. Cute, definitely cute. “Ryan Granger.” He gestured toward Kat. “And this is Kat Greer.”

With the introductions out of the way, everyone sat at the conference table, ready to begin. Ryan caught Grace’s eye and a sharp, electric spark of attraction hit him square in the gut. It was a feeling he knew well. Chemistry. And all the right kinds.

“Coffee?” Kat asked, depressing the plunger on the French press.

Grace smiled, lighting up her aquamarine eyes. The color reminded him of the water in the Caribbean, a sight he’d seen on a Spring Break trip long ago. She was very attractive. And in a totally different league than the women he usually hit on.

“That’d be great,” she said to Kat and then glanced over at him again. Yes, there was something there between them for sure. He could all too easily imagine breathing in the scent of skin right at the hollow of her throat. She probably smelled of roses, maybe even lavender. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice. I had to be downtown to meet with my agent today, and I decided to see if you were free.” She grinned. “I never expected to actually get in.”

That smile just about killed him, and Ryan crossed his legs beneath the table. His priorities were fucked. He needed to refocus. This woman was his client. His first client. He needed to do this right. That wasn’t going happen if he spent all his time thinking of ways to sleep with her. He cleared his throat, opened a fresh page in his notebook. “It’s great to meet you, Grace. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself and what you’re looking for.”

“Right,” Grace said, hooking her hair back behind her ears. Ryan got a better glimpse of her rounded cleavage and had to quickly look away. “I just signed a new contract for a cozy mystery series—a four-book deal.” Her eyes glowed. “I just had a basic website before with my contact information and not much else. But now I need something that’s going to attract some serious traffic.” She sat up, and there was determination in her posture, a steel in her spine, which only made him want her that much more. “I need to sell some books.”

Kat propped her pad up against the rim of the table and picked up her pencil. “Tell me about your series.”

“It’s called The Georgica Pond Mysteries, and it’s about Mia Keller, a former investment banker who leaves Manhattan to open an inn out in the Hamptons.” She tilted her head from side to side, seeming to find the description amusing. A tinge of a blush shaded her cheeks. “On the side, she solves crimes.”

Kat looked up from her notes. “What kind of body count are we talking about here?”

Grace sipped her coffee, thought it over. “At least one dead per book, but usually it’s two. The most I’ve ever had was six.”

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a lot of people dying in the Hamptons.”

Grace favored him with a smile that did terribly wonderful things to his libido. “It’s a dangerous place.”

Kat tapped her pencil against her lips, a faraway look in her eyes. “The creepiest thing happened to me last night. I don’t think I can use it, but you might be able to.”

Grace put her coffee aside, giving Kat her total attention. “I’m interested.”

Kat learned across the table toward Grace. “My boyfriend and I have this wireless printer in our bedroom, one we use mostly for non-work related stuff, so it doesn’t get turned on all that often. Last night, in the middle of the night, it came to life. It was probably just updating itself or something like that, but it woke me up. I laid in bed, in the dark, listening to the cartridges scrape and the wheels turn, just like they do right before they’re about to print something.” Kat gave an exaggerated shiver, but Ryan could see the delighted gleam in her eyes. “While it was doing its thing, I realized I had left my laptop in the living room. All I could think about was what if there was some stranger in the other room, using it to send me some kind of crazy message through the printer. I freaked out a little bit, thinking of the things it might say. Stuff like, ‘I see you’ or ‘You’re pretty when you sleep’. I think it would be a great riff on the whole, ‘the phone call is coming from inside the house thing’. ” She held Grace’s eyes. “You know what I mean?”

Grace grinned like a mad woman. “That’s a really good idea. Maybe not so much the horror story aspect, but maybe the killer could be sending notes, taunting her through the wireless printer. Or maybe he could even send her pictures.” She sat back in her seat and nodded. “I like it. Can I steal that?”