Free The Promise by Dee Davis Page B

arched against him, a moan
escaping from somewhere deep inside of her.
    His mouth found hers, and she opened it freely,
giving him everything she had. As their kiss grew more frantic, his
hand grew more bold and she realized suddenly that she was actually
hearing bells.
    Bells .
    Her mind slammed in gear and she jerked back, gasping
for breath. "It's the doorbell." His breathing was labored, too,
and the evidence of their passion was taut against the denim of his
jeans. He ran a hand through his hair, looking as bemused as she
felt. "There's someone at the door." She belted her robe tightly
around her waist and tried to smooth back the wild strands of her
hair.
    They both turned sharply at the sound of a key in the
lock. Cara reacted first. "Quick, get in the bedroom."
    He stood rooted to the spot, watching the doorway to
the mud room with narrowed eyes. "Who do you think it is?" The
words erupted with a staccato burst.
    "My housekeeper. She probably just came by to drop
off some supplies. Now, go." She tried to keep her voice on an even
note, but a thread of anxiety slipped in. "She wouldn't endanger
you, but to be safe, I think you should stay out of sight. I'll try
to get rid of her."
    Michael considered her words and finally, with a
terse nod, spun on his heels and disappeared into the bedroom,
closing the door firmly behind him.
    Forcing a smile, she walked forward ready to deal
with Roberta.
    "Cara? Are you in there?"
    She came full stop, her mind shifting gears,
confusion warring with surprise. Not Roberta. Nick Vargas .
But he didn't have a key. As if to contradict the fact, the
man belonging to the voice stepped out of the mud room, a key
dangling from one finger. She frowned. How the hell had Nick gotten
a key to her house?
    "There you are, darling." He smiled beguilingly. "Why
didn't you answer the door?"
    She eyed him warily. He was good looking in a smooth
sort of way. All blond hair and tanned skin, his face youthful in
appearance. One would never guess that he was over forty. "I was in
the shower." She waved a hand absently at her robe. "How is it you
happen to have a key to my house?"
    "I sweet-talked Roberta into letting me borrow hers."
The smile broadened, impishly charming, intended no doubt to
disarm, but Cara wasn't buying. She'd known Nick most of her life.
As a young man, he hadn't paid any attention to her. She'd been
little more than a child. But now that she'd returned to Colorado
as an adult, things had changed.
    He'd been pursuing her diligently. Offering picnics
in the mountains, moonlit hikes, even the pretense of being
interested in her paintings. Until today, however, he'd been more
of a nuisance than anything else. And despite it all, she'd managed
to keep him at arm's length without being rude. But, just at the
moment, he was pushing his luck.
    "Why would you need a key, Nick?" She tried to keep
her voice neutral, but couldn't stop the tremor of anger that
colored her words.
    "Why, Cara mia, you wound me with your
suspicions."
    "Don't call me that."
    He reached out and twined a rebellious strand of her
hair around his finger, tugging slightly so that she was forced to
step closer. "Little Cara, always playing hard to get." His eyes
raked downwards, stripping the robe off with a look.
    She pulled her hair free and stepped back, pressing
the lapels of her robe together.
    "Nick, you haven't told me why you're here."
    He leaned against the counter, crossing his long
legs, his perfectly creased pants riding up to show argyle socks.
Cara sighed and waited.
    "I was worried."
    "Worried? About what?" She frowned, puzzled by the
turn of the conversation.
    A loud thud echoed from the bedroom. Nick glanced at
the closed door, golden eyebrows raised in question.
    "The cat." Cara plastered on what she hoped was a
reassuring smile.
    "I didn't know you had a cat."
    She racked her brains for a reasonable answer. She
had never been a good liar. "She's new—to keep me from getting
lonely." She met his gaze,