Braden removed his coat and started to hand it over when Zara reached out, her hand connecting with his cheek. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to punch you.”
Braden welcomed the impact, as her fist caused no damage but reminded him that he needed to focus. “I’m fine,” he stated as he maneuvered out of his coat while holding his light. “It’s hard to see, so I’d say we’ll be bumping into each other.”
Not that he was complaining about the prospect of randomly brushing against her. Braden actually welcomed the friction. So long as he kept his goal in the forefront of his mind, bumping into Zara was definitely not a hardship.
“I know I have a candle in here and one on the coffee table in the living room. The matches are in the drawer beside the sink.” She placed his coat on a hook beside hers. “I should try to figure out these gas logs in the living room first with the light of your phone.”
She eased past him, her feet shuffling along the floor. Braden held his light over to where she was heading. Pulling open a drawer, Zara grabbed a box of matches before coming back to him.
She started forward but stopped. “You better stay close so you don’t bump anything. I have several boxes in each room that are left from the move.”
Stay close? No problem at all. Braden slid his hand around the dip in her waist and gave her a light squeeze as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “How’s this?”
Beneath his touch, her body trembled. Just the reaction he’d wanted...except now he was on the verge of trembling, too, because damn, she smelled so amazingly good and her silky hair tickled his lips. Wait, wasn’t he the one who was supposed to be seducing? She wasn’t even trying, and she nearly had him begging.
“Well, maybe not that close,” she murmured as she attempted to put distance between them.
He moved with her, keeping their contact light so as not to freak her out right off the bat. Let her get used to his touch, his nearness. He planned on getting a whole lot closer.
“You realize this isn’t a good idea?” she asked.
“Lighting the logs is the best idea. It’s going to get colder in here if the electricity doesn’t come back on.”
Her soft laugh filled the darkness. “You know what I mean. I work for you.”
“I’m aware of your position.” With his hand on her waist, Braden held his phone toward the living room. “I know we need to get heat in here, and if it’s not with the logs, then we’ll have to use a more...primal method.”
Zara slowly started forward. “Acting on any desire because of the circumstances is a bad, bad idea for both of us.”
“I’ve forgotten nothing, Zara.” He allowed his body to move with hers, making sure to stay close. “Why don’t we work on keeping warm and finding more sources of light? Then we can discuss the circumstances and what’s going on between us.”
Zara threw him a look over her shoulder. “We can settle this right now. I need this job and even if I was attracted to you—”
“Which you are.”
“If I was,” she countered in a louder tone to cut him off. “I wouldn’t risk sleeping with you and damaging our working relationship.”
He could barely make out her face in the darkness, and his light was facing ahead. But the way her body slightly leaned against his, the way she continued to tremble beneath his touch told him that her little speech was as much for her as it was for him. A slight obstacle but nothing he couldn’t handle.
At first he’d been all about searching her home, and he still was, but there was no reason a little seducing couldn’t come into play. He was an expert multitasker, and having Zara plus finding his family’s heirlooms would be the icing on the proverbial cake.
After a fun romp and hopefully discovering his family’s scrolls, Braden would be on his way, and she’d never even have to know his true intentions. Nobody would get hurt, and everything about this situation was legal. See? He did have a moral side, after all.
She could deny wanting him, but he was a master at lying and recognized that trait in others. So, let her think what she wanted...he knew the truth, and he’d completely use her attraction to his advantage.
“Fair enough,” he told her. “I’ll not mention it again.”
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t touch her or seduce her with his actions. The darkness provided the perfect setting for seduction, but it could make it a bit harder to snoop. Granted, the darkness could also provide him the cover he needed to look without being seen.
So, as far as he understood, the nine scrolls, which had been in his family since his ancestor transcribed them from Shakespeare himself, were last known to be in this house. The history ran deep with his Irish family, and the precious scrolls were lost in the chaos of the fall of the O’Sheas during the 1930s. The trunk that had been recovered from this home after the Depression had shown up empty, so it only made sense the scrolls were here...somewhere.
Decades had passed, and Braden’s family had attempted to purchase the property, but Zara’s family had owned it since the O’Sheas lost it and they were adamant about not being bought.
Several attempts were made by Braden’s father to purchase the place, but the efforts were always blocked. Eventually Patrick opted to go about things the illegal way. Ryker had even broken in a couple of times when Zara’s grandmother had been alive. The old lady had been sharp, and Ryker had been forced to dodge the cops, but they were still left empty-handed. Patrick O’Shea had even mentioned waiting until the elderly lady passed and trying again to purchase the property, but Patrick had passed before Zara’s grandmother.
So, Braden would get the job done himself. Failure was not an option, and buying the place wasn’t necessary at this point.
Would the scrolls be somewhere obvious? Doubtful, or someone would’ve found them by now, and if those scrolls had been found, they would’ve made headlines around the world. His ancestor, a monk, had transcribed original works, supposedly plays that never came to be.
Zara sank to her knees in front of the fireplace. “Shine that light a little closer.”
He did as requested, waiting while she fidgeted with getting the pilot light going.
“Need help?” he offered.
“Damn it.” She sat back on her heels and shook her head. “This one isn’t working. It was always causing Gram issues, but I’d assumed it was fixed. I know the unit in my bedroom works fine because I’ve used it.”
Braden shouldn’t delight in the fact her bedroom had gas heat and nowhere else in the house seemed to, but he was a guy, and, well, he couldn’t help himself.
“Then maybe we should find those flashlights and more candles and head upstairs.”
Zara threw him a look over her shoulder as she came to her feet and turned to fully face him. “Get that gleam out of your eye. I’m on to you.”
Not yet she wasn’t.
“What gleam?” he asked. “It’s dark, so how can you see anything?”
“Oh, I can see enough and this can’t get any more awkward than it already is.”
“I’m not feeling awkward at all.” He focused back on her eyes and offered a smile. “Are you?”
“Damn it, you know I am. Even if this—” she gestured between them “—wasn’t making me nervous, you’re my first overnight guest in this house.”
Surprised, Braden shifted. “You mean Shane—damn. None of my business.”
Zara crossed her arms over her chest. “After rescuing me tonight, I’d say this is your business. Shane never stayed here. We were dating when my grandmother passed, but he wasn’t there for me much during that time. That’s when I started reevaluating our relationship.”
A pity Braden couldn’t have gotten away with punching Shane in the face, but he hadn’t wanted to cause any more of a scene at his home during the party. This was his first appearance as head of the family; he needed to hold tight to that power, that control.
What man wasn’t there for his woman during a difficult time? Shane had always been a bit of a stuffed shirt, a man who probably polished his cuff links and didn’t even know how to pleasure a woman properly. Braden knew for damn sure when he got Zara into bed, he’d know exactly what to do to her, with her and for her.
Seduction hadn’t been a key factor in his grand scheme, but he wasn’t looking the gift horse in the mouth. He couldn’t deny the attraction, and why should he ignore such a strong pull?
“I don’t want to talk about Shane.” Zara maneuvered around him. “Let’s go find the flashlights. I suppose you’ll have to sleep in my room, but that is not an invitation to any other activity.”
“I’ll be a perfect gentleman.” He’d have her begging before the night was over. “You won’t have to worry about a thing.” Except that he’d be snooping through her house once she fell asleep, and he’d be stealing back what was rightfully his.
Braden shone his light toward the steps and watched her head up. Like a predator after his prey, he followed those swaying hips snug in that killer dress. If he were totally honest with himself, he’d admit that Zara had the upper hand here. Even though she had no idea why she’d been hired and why he was so eager to be in her home, she had completely taken him by surprise with her professionalism, her kick-ass attitude and her sliver of vulnerability. She’d worked his party with a smile on her face and a firm hand where her assistants were concerned, all the while trying to keep Shane silenced and take on the difficult situation herself.