Brianna heard the words, but she couldn’t quite absorb their meaning. “Excuse me?” she prompted with wide, worried eyes.
“As I mentioned, I have several…delicate…issues happening right now. And I can’t have you leaving here. The possibility of information getting out would be too dangerous for too many people at this juncture of the project.”
The image of the letter she’d poorly taken came to mind and she bit the side of her mouth to keep herself from asking him about it. “What sort of delicate business dealings?” she asked, her mind spinning as she tried to figure out what was going on.
He chuckled at the light that appeared in her eyes and shook his head. “Everything will be revealed to you soon.”
She thought about her cell phone, wanting to read the letter again before she called the police or someone else who might be able to help her out of the situation.
He could almost see the wheels turning. “You’re cell phone has been put in a safe place,” he told her, reading her mind. It wasn’t hard, he thought with amusement. Everything she was thinking was right there on her beautiful face.
Her eyes snapped up to his again and her stomach clenched in fear. “Why would you do that?”
“So you can’t call one of your reporter friends and ask them to look up information about what’s happening in the foreign markets,” he told her, purposely giving her a clue. If she wanted to be a reporter, he’d give her the clues. And the whole damn story at the end of the weekend. But right now, he couldn’t let her have access to the outside world.
He leaned forward and picked up his fork. “But never fear. There is something big going down. Stay with me this weekend, without any problems, and I’ll give you clues about what’s happening.” He took a bite of his omelet, looking down at hers as if she should eat as well.
They both ate in silence for several minutes while Brianna mulled over his words. There was definitely a story here, not to mention the fact that the man was practically kidnapping her which she suspected was a story in itself. She ignored the fact that she’d snuck into his barn which might be considered breaking and entering…oh, and he’d mentioned trespassing could be added to her list of crimes. But surely kidnapping trumped anything she’d done. And there was the mysterious “things happening” that she could try and figure out.
Clearly he wasn’t so dangerous to her personally that she couldn’t stay here with him. The house was big enough and he’d probably just work in his office somewhere. She might not even need to see him except when she was sneaking around his house, trying to discover whatever it was he was trying to hide.
Hmmm…was that another crime she’d have to confess to when all of this was over? The legal aspects of reporting were definitely getting to be a difficult mine field to maneuver through.
“Besides keeping me out of the way and away from electronic communication devices so I don’t mess things up for you, why would you help me with either story? Surely you don’t want your ogre side revealed to the world and whatever criminal activities you’re up to, I’m guessing you want those to remain a secret. What am I missing?” She was feeling a little awkward because all of this seemed too good to be true. She didn’t trust him. Not one little bit.
Despite her skepticism, his amusement and confidence didn’t waver at all. “Any incentive to keep you here willingly, in the house or with me where you won’t cause any problems, will help me out.”
She bit her lower lip, contemplating the whole situation. Stay here? With this man?
He didn’t add in that he wanted her here, in his bed. He figured that would send her out of his house, frantically trying to claw her way towards her car and freedom from the terrifying feelings they stirred within each other. Her distrust of him, her wariness and determination to prove he was a bad person explained so much. Including why she’d rushed out of his house the other night. Her staying here with him would allow him to get to know her, to prove that he wasn’t the bad guy and maybe, once he got those fears out of the way, they could continue with their relationship. An intimacy he was determined to win back. One night with this lovely lady was definitely not enough.
Brianna thought about it long and hard, unaware that she’d finished off her entire omelet as well as all the fruit he’d piled onto her plate. She was now working her way through one of the blueberry muffins while she sorted through the whole scenario. She looked over at him, her mind noting his warm golden eyes, the dark hair with that sexy lock that fell over his forehead. He was too big, she thought nervously. She’d held this man in her arms, had felt his body move…
She blushed and looked away, not wanting to remember the things his incredible body had done to her.
“What just went through your head,” he asked her softly, sipping his coffee and enjoying the way her facial features moved ever so slightly while she contemplated all the issues facing her over the next few days.
Brianna looked up at him, startled. She hadn’t heard him end his call and had thought he hadn’t been paying attention to her. She swallowed the blueberry muffin that was suddenly caught in her throat. “Um….” She couldn’t think of a reasonable excuse fast enough and his eyes changed from curious, to knowing. Darn him, he’d known exactly what she’d been thinking about. Could he really read her mind so easily?
No, staying here, in this house with him, wasn’t a good idea. She might really get to know him, but she…well, she just ….it wasn’t a good idea. She wasn’t going to tell him that though. She didn’t know him and wasn’t sure if he might force her to stay. It was better to lure him into a false sense of security where her motives were concerned. She could sneak out of the house at some point. The man couldn’t watch her all the time, she reassured herself.
On the other hand, the thought of a good story, one that would show the rest of the world that she was a serious reporter, was an interesting temptation. Was he serious? Would he really give her a good story? Or was this all a complicated ruse? The devil was in the details. “How long do I have to stay? And what kinds of clues will you give me?” she asked, thinking of the picture on her cell phone.
“There are many moving parts. So as each part is completed, I’ll let you know about it. It will be up to you to connect all the dots.” He wasn’t sure how long everything would take to play out. That was determined by the players and he had no control over how quickly they discovered his plan. But he didn’t tell her that, correctly assuming she might back out with any indefinite time period.