The Devil She Knew(11)

"I think it was." She shrugged, playing along. "Guess I must be the bigger person."

He put the bowls down. "Really? In that case, I've been thinking how beautiful you are."

"Sure you were. A little competitive, are we?" Still, she felt a blush spread up her cheeks.

"You're as perceptive as you are lovely. And if it was a competition, I just won it."

"You think?" Finally, a chance to beat him at something. "Well, I want  to thank you for cooking. Not only does it smell delicious, but I admire  the way you put it together from what you found in the cupboards."

He grinned, his eyes sparkling in the light of the hurricane lantern.  "Now you're messing with my head. Stop before you freak me out."

She laughed, and was surprised at how good it felt. Sharing a joke had sucked the tension out of the air.

Besides, he had the most amazing smile. It was slightly crooked, his  lips quirking up higher on one side. It made his square, manly face seem  almost boyish, and she saw a ghost of the small, skinny kid he'd been,  the one she'd christened Milhouse. It made her heart lurch. If she could  jump in a time machine and go back to her teenaged years, she'd do  things differently. For a start, she would never have given him that  stupid nickname.

Nate went back into the galley. "Dalton obviously has his priorities  right. There are only a few cans of food in the cupboards, but plenty of  drinks. I've found sodas, wine, and beer. Even some apple cider.  They're all warm of course."

"Any white wine?"

"Coming up." He poured her a glass, got a beer for himself, and sat  down. "Not arguing is better," he said casually, before tasting the  stew.

"Agreed." She took a bite as well. Then another. It tasted every bit as  good as it smelled. Of course it did. Her stomach was grateful, but she  couldn't help an internal sigh. Cooking was something she did well, and  if only there was something she could do that Nate couldn't, maybe she  wouldn't always feel second best.

"How did you learn to cook?" she asked between mouthfuls.

He shrugged. "I live alone and don't like takeout."

"In New York?"

"That's right." He frowned. "I don't remember mentioning that."

Her cheeks warmed. "Laura told me." Dammit, now he knew she and Laura had discussed him.

"Has anyone told you that when you blush, it makes your eyes look very blue?"

That made her face even hotter, which was probably why he'd said it. She  could have said something about his eyes in return. Like, when the sun  hit them they were dusted with gold, but in the flickering light of the  hurricane lantern, they looked almost black. Of course she'd never tell  him she'd noticed. He might get the wrong idea.

She took a big gulp of her warm Chardonnay. Just because in the years  since high school he'd managed to become irresistibly hot didn't mean  she should be so attracted to him. You hear that, body?

Trouble was, her body had always been a rebel and it wasn't in the habit of listening to reason.





8





"What else did Laura say about me?" Nate mainly asked the question  because the topic seemed to get Suzie flustered. Was it bad that he  enjoyed watching the color rise in her cheeks?         

     



 

"Nothing," said Suzie. "Just that you live in New York and you write software."

He took a sip of his beer. It wasn't a brand he was fond of and it was warm. But better than nothing.

"You still live in LA?" he asked. "Not in the same suburb?"

She shook her head. "I'm not too far away, though. Near Covina."

"Tell me about your catering business. Have you been going long?"

"Not really." Her gaze dropped from his to settle on her meal, and she  didn't offer any more information. Didn't she want to talk about her  business? At least they were sharing a semi-normal conversation now,  which was an improvement.

But he had to be careful. Suzie had always been his weakness. And that  was even more true now, it seemed, than when they were at school. If  only she weren't so beautiful. No, that word wasn't enough to describe  the way she looked in the light of the hurricane lamp, with the red  highlights in her long hair shining. Her cupid's bow made her mouth a  work of art. She was so captivating, he could barely look away.

He ate the last of his stew, feeling a little uneasy. It would have been better if he hadn't seen her again.

Then he caught himself. What was he so worried about? Just because he'd  kept thinking about her over the years didn't mean he was in danger of  losing his head. His walls were strong and even Suzie couldn't breach  his defenses.

"It must be my turn to ask a question," she said. "You were testing some  software today, right? You said it was a self-drive system?"

"It's meant for cars, but I think it'll be easy to adapt it for boats. I'm trying to prove it."

"You went from travel software to a self-drive system? They don't have much in common."

"That was the point. I wanted a totally different challenge." He  inclined his head to her. "Like going from being a travel consultant to a  caterer."

She wrinkled her nose. "I ran out of money. If I didn't do something fast, I would have had to move back in with my mother."

"But you like catering?"

She smiled. "Actually, I do. I love cooking, and it's the one thing I can do well."

Her tone was self-deprecating, like she didn't think she was good at  anything else. But last night she'd said her clients in her travel  consultancy had loved her. She was probably just being modest.

"If you like what you're doing now, there's no reason to be upset about my Journeyman software," he said.

She put her fork down. "I suppose not. But when you create something, do  you think about the negative effects it might have, as well as the good  things?"

"Never." He refused to feel bad about the things he couldn't control.  Guilt had destroyed Harrison's life, and he'd never let himself fall  into the same trap. He repeated the words he'd said many times over the  last few years. "No apologies, no regrets."

Suzie frowned. "What's that, a motto?"

"More of a rule."

She snorted. "Just when I think you're not so bad, you come out with  something like that. I suppose it means I'll never get an apology for  lying to your brother about me."

So she was still angry about the lie he'd told all those years ago?  Well, maybe it was time to come clean. Why hide what he'd felt back  then? It wasn't as though it still mattered.

"Instead of apologizing, I'll explain why I did it," he offered.

"I know why. You didn't want me to go out with Harrison because you  thought I wasn't good enough for him." She blurted it, then caught her  lip between her teeth as though wishing she hadn't.

He shook his head, startled. How could she have come to that conclusion? "Not even close."

She gave him a puzzled frown. "Then why?"

"I stopped you from dating Harrison because I would have liked to go out  with you myself. But you were a year older than I was, and you called  me Milhouse. It would have been pointless to ask."

Her lips parted and her eyes widened. "You had a crush on me?"

Why was it that the most beautiful women were surprised when others saw  them that way? He shook his head, not quite able to believe she didn't  know her own power. How could she not realize what she did to the men  around her?

"You were almost as lovely then as you are now," he said. "Even when you  cut me down with a sharp remark, or gave me one of your killer glares."

Her tongue flicked out to touch her bottom lip and he wanted to put his  mouth over hers. To capture that little pink tongue and subdue it. He  wanted it so badly he had to look away for a moment, to control the  urge.         

     



 

"So will you tell Harrison you lied?" she asked.

"If it means that much to you, I'll call him now." It was about time he  checked on Harrison again anyway. He pushed his empty plate away and got  up from his seat to get his cellphone.

"What? No, that's not what I meant."

Where was his phone? Oh yes, he'd left it on the table in the cockpit.  He grabbed it and went back into the saloon. "I'm sure Harrison would  like to say hi."

She got to her feet, shaking her head. "No, Nate, don't call him. He'll think it's stupid."

Nate hit the speed dial. "He won't. You'll see." But as it rang, Nate  felt the same twinge of concern he always got. Would his brother answer?  If he did, how would he sound?

"You're not really calling him, are you?" She looked like she was about to make a grab for his phone.

The line connected. "Nate? That you? Man, it's late."

"Yeah, it's me. Did I wake you?" Nate let out a relieved breath, his  shoulders loosening. Harrison wasn't slurring his words and there was no  trace of the dull monotone that meant he was going through a bad patch.