Free Stone, Katherine by Pearl Moon

soft—or so hidden—she hadn't detected it.
    And the greatest trickery of all: the way she'd felt when he'd
effortlessly broken her fall and appraised her with such interest. Maylene had
no name for those feelings. But they were completely, and dangerously, in his
control.
    She was supposed to have been in control, working with the Texan
because the Jade Palace meant so much to her and she needed him to make it
happen. Maylene had planned to be dazzlingly polite, all the while fortifying
herself with disdain.
    And now?
    The sexy blue eyes were glinting at her, invoking rushes of heat
that were thrilling and terrifying.
    "Please have a seat," Maylene offered.
    "In a moment. I think I'll wander around your office first
and admire the photographs of the buildings you've designed." Sam didn't
wander. But his eyes did, feigning amazement as they surveyed the barren walls.
"Oh, I see there aren't any."
    "I left them in London. The cost of transporting them all
would have been immense. I take it you brought yours with you, Mr.
Coulter?"
    "No, Ms. Kwan. But I didn't really need to, did I? Is this
your first major project? Be honest."
    His expression told her he wasn't going to let her be anything
else. "Yes."
    "Ain't love grand?"
    "I beg your pardon?"
    "Let's face it, your only credential for this project is that
your lover happens to be paying for it."
    "James and I aren't—" She stopped herself.
    "You and James aren't what, Maylene? Aren't lovers?"
    "That's hardly any of your business."
    "But it is. My business is building buildings. Anything that pertains
to the success—or failure—of that endeavor is my concern. The Jade Palace may
be a lark for you, but for me it's a very serious undertaking."
    "As it is for me. I'm an architect. This is my career." This
is all I have, all I ever will have. "James and I met after he
chose my design for his hotel. We have immense respect for each other, but our
relationship is professional—as it should be."
    Do you have a lover? a wholly unprofessional
voice wanted to know. Clamping down on that query, Sam said, "Let me tell
you about my usual professional relationship with an architect, okay? We work
very closely. Each of us brings to the project a spirit of cooperation—and, of
course, our energy and expertise."
    Glancing at the sheaves of blueprints strewn around the office,
Sam decided Maylene had ample energy, and her impassioned response to his
suggestion that the Jade Palace was merely a lark for her had convinced him it
was terribly important to her, too. But wanting it to succeed wasn't
enough.
    "I admit I don't have much experience," Maylene said.
"But before leaving London, I showed the blueprints to several top
structural engineers."
    Sam arched a slightly skeptical eyebrow. "Do you remember
what they said?"
    She had the right to bristle, and did before her sedate reply.
"I wrote everything down."
    "I'd be very interested in seeing what you have."
    Maylene turned to a file cabinet, removed a manila folder and
handed it to him. "I meant to type my notes but I haven't had a
chance."
    Sam opened the thick file and scanned the top handwritten sheet.
Her writing was legible and unadorned, and her notes revealed a focused grasp
of what was going to be so difficult about building the Jade Palace. He was
grudgingly impressed.
    "Do you mind if I just take a look at these now?"
    "No, please go ahead. If there's something you don't
understand... can't read..."
    Sam smiled. "I'll feel free to ask. Meanwhile, please have
the others come back in. I don't want to impede progress and I assure you they
won't bother me."
    "The others?"
    "The people who are assisting you with the drafting." It
seemed an unnecessary clarification, but it caused uncertainty in her—a
vulnerability that evoked in Sam the astonishing urge to protect her.
Clarifying further, with a gentleness that surprised them both, he said,
"There are three computers in this office, Maylene."
    "I'm using all of them."
    "No one's