Free Tempting Fate by Nora Roberts

sophisticated attorney in the slate-grey suit. Then she remembered how natural he had looked in the short leather jacket and jeans. It wouldn't be wise to forget the less genteel side of him. "How are you?" she asked, lifting one of the glasses.
    "I'm fine." He sat back, studying her over the rim of his glass. He remembered her dress as one she had thrown onto the bed in a rage. It was thin turquoise silk and glowed against her skin. Her choice of colours, he mused, was very much like her choice of scent. Vibrant and daring.
    Diana lifted a brow as he continued to stare at her in silence. "Are you here alone?"
    "Mm-hmm."
    Sipping, she allowed the champagne to linger on her tongue for a moment, cold and dry. The icy rain outside was already forgotten. "I'm meeting Matt Fairman. I suppose you know him."
    "Yes," Caine returned with a hint of a smile. "I know him. Thinking about working for the D.A. now you've resigned from Barclay?"
    "No, I…" Trailing off, she narrowed her eyes. "How did you know I resigned?"
    "I asked," he answered simply. "What are your plans?"
    Diana frowned at him a moment, then deliberately relaxed. "I plan to open my own firm."
    "When?"
    "As soon as I take care of a few details."
    "Have you located an office yet?"
    "That's one of the details." With a frown, she ran a finger around the rim of her glass. She didn't want to discuss her problems with Caine, certainly not her doubts. Diana shrugged as though it were indeed only a detail rather than her entire life teetering in the balance. "It isn't quite as easy as I anticipated—if I want a good location and reasonable rent." Absently, she touched her damp finger to her tongue. "I have three possibilities to check out tomorrow."
    Her unconsciously provocative gesture was arousing; Caine felt something warm moving through him but checked it. There'd be other times, he promised himself. Other places. "I might know of some office space you'd be interested in."
    "Really?" As she shifted toward him, her hair swung to her cheek to be quickly tossed back.
    "It's on the other side of the river, within a couple of T stops from the courthouse." He drank, noting that the silk clung nicely, draping down from snug shoulders. He'd been wondering for weeks what those strong shoulders would feel like under his hands. The trouble was, he'd also been wondering how she was doing on her own back in Boston, now that she'd learned about her aunt and Justin. He'd wondered particularly after he'd heard she'd resigned her position. The concern he felt worried Caine a great deal more man the desire. "A two-story brownstone," he continued. "It's been remodelled to accommodate a reception area, conference rooms, offices."
    "It sounds wonderful. I can't think why the agent I'm going through hasn't mentioned it" Unless, Diana thought as she lifted her champagne again, it was a matter of the rent being as wonderful as his description. She wasn't going to touch the trust fund her aunt had set up for her. Her aunt, she corrected silently, or Justin? In any case, she wasn't going to touch a penny she hadn't earned on her own. "How did you happen to hear of it?" she asked him.
    "I know the landlord," Caine remarked as he poured more champagne for both of them.
    Diana caught something in the tone and studied him thoughtfully. "You are the landlord."
    "Very quick." He toasted her.
    Ignoring the humour in his eyes, she sat back, crossing her legs. "If you own such a marvellous building, why aren't you using it yourself?"
    "I am. That colour suits you very well, Diana."
    She drummed her fingers lightly on the arm of her chair. "Why should I be interested in your office?"
    "My caseload's packed," he told her, so briskly businesslike it took her a moment to make the transition. "I'm going to have to turn away some clients for the simple reason that I won't be able to give them my best in terms of time and energy."
    She lifted a hand, palm up. "So?"
    "Interested?"
    Her brows drew together as she