Taming the Lone Wolff(29)
Winnie paused and looked over her shoulder. “You’re sure about this Wolff Mountain thing?”
“I am.”
She nodded once. “Good night, then.”
He watched her intently, seeing her slim legs and bare feet disappear from view. What would his relatives back home make of Winifred Bellamy? She was comfortable with money. So the Wolff riches would mean nothing to her. But she lived her life alone. And Larkin’s family members were a boisterous lot.
He checked in with the night crew and then took a shower. His erection bobbed thick and full, giving lie to any notion that he wanted to take things slow with Winnie. He wanted her in his bed. Now. Or in hers. Hell, the location didn’t matter. But he was going crazy wondering how long it would be before he could take her. And despite his mental gymnastics, it was definitely “when” and not “if.” A man could lie to himself for only so long. Not even Winnie could deny that the connection between them was real.
* * *
The next day, it rained. The sullen weather suited Winnie’s mood. She had made a mess of the covers last night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Part of her unease was apprehension about going to Wolff Mountain. But the encounter with the photographer had reminded her of all the reasons she needed to leave.
Midmorning, she worked in the dining room with her case files spread out and a half dozen lists in the making. She had hired a trusted friend to come and live in the house…to play Winnie’s role as mother hen while she was gone. Larkin’s team would keep intruders out, but there was much to be done with the day-to-day running of the estate.
When Larkin interrupted her just before eleven, she told herself she was irritated. But her pulse raced and her heart leaped in her chest. “Did you need something?” Her voice was deliberately cool.
He lounged in the doorway, so darned masculine and appealing he made a woman want to throw caution to the wind.
Larkin nodded. “I’d like to meet with the women as soon as possible. With you gone, I think it would be good for them to know how they’ll be protected. Exactly who’s on-site when, and how the security system works.”
He had a good point. “How about right after lunch. I’ll go down and explain why you’re going to talk to them. Then I can call you to come.”
“Works for me.” He motioned toward the tabletop covered in papers. “You’ve never really explained how all this works. Is there a set time a family can stay? How do they ‘graduate,’ so to speak?”
She tidied a pile of folders and wished she could pretend he was just a man. Larkin Wolff did something to her guts. Call it pheromones or a crush or whatever…but in his presence she was jumpy and not at all herself. “It’s different from case to case. When convictions are made and a husband or boyfriend is safely behind bars, the women can sometimes go home.”
“And if not?”
“We have many women who will never press charges. Their only hope is to disappear. We have contacts who can help handle that. But it means moving to a new city, using a new name. No friends, no family. It breaks my heart.” She heard the wobble in her own voice and took a deep breath. The only way she was able to help the women who came to her was to keep an emotional distance, though that was easier said than done. But like a doctor tending terminal patients, if she allowed herself to get too close, she would burn out rapidly.
Larkin stared at her in such a way that she felt exposed. She could almost see the wheels in his brain turning. “It must be very difficult to watch them leave,” he said quietly.