grabbed her blouse and Tuck tried to pry open Jesse’s little fingers. In his efforts, Tuck’s hand brushed against Grace’s soft, pliable skin. Her delicate perfume filled his senses and a jolt of awareness shot through him. He stared into Grace’s eyes and what he saw there shocked him.
Was she attracted to him?
Or was he attracted to her?
CHAPTER TWO
STARING INTO Jeremiah’s sensuous dark eyes, Grace felt as if she were teetering on the edge of something momentous. Her heart did a fancy two-step in her chest. All she had to do was reach out and touch him to feel the fire and warmth she saw in his eyes. That action would take her to places unknown and awaken…
As if sensing her need, his strong body tensed and she collected herself. She quickly kissed Jesse’s cheek and walked out, clutching her blouse together in her hand. A musky whiff of aftershave seemed to follow her.
Why did every encounter with Jeremiah turn out like this—bad? They just never made the connection that could make them friends. Or much of anything else. A family acquaintance—that was the sum total of their relationship.
Driving home, she tried to put the incident out of her mind.
At her apartment, Grace slipped out of her clothes, folded them neatly and laid them on a stack to take to the cleaners. Running a hand across her collarbone to her chest, she could still feel Jeremiah’s fingers against her skin. Her response to his touch had been a delicious sensation that melted her bones.
Had her eyes given her away? For four years now she’d wondered what it would feel like if he touched her intimately. Wonderful. Heavenly. And she tried very hard to hide it. She was good at hiding her emotions.
She wasn’t sure when she’d acquired that ability—probably when she was young and her parents would leave her and Caroline with the nanny while her father was campaigning or furthering his career. Caroline always spoke her mind, but Grace kept her feelings inside, wanting to be perfect for her father. Back then that had been important to her. Now being her father’s puppet was wearing a little thin.
Her work had always completed her, but lately she was feeling a restlessness she couldn’t explain. Or maybe she could. Her life that once filled her every need now instilled in her a sense of dissatisfaction. After much introspection, she recognized the cause. Somewhere along the way she’d lost sight of who she was. Her career was rock solid, but the woman in her was fighting for survival.
She knew that. And still she struggled.
She wasn’t a big success in the romance department. Men who found her attractive always wanted something from her—a job, a step up the ladder or an introduction to her father. Well, that wasn’t quite true. There had been men who had liked her for herself, but nothing serious had ever developed. She’d had a couple of flings in college, which left her wondering what the fuss was all about.
From an early age she knew she would follow in her father’s footsteps and become a lawyer. That’s what was expected of her and she never saw her life any other way. Her focus was on her career. After becoming a lawyer and with several years of experience under her belt, she took over the Whitten Law Firm, which had been held in trust for Stephen Whitten’s daughter. She started at the top of the ladder, but she had to fight every day to stay there.
Romance had taken a backseat in her life until she was introduced to Jeremiah Tucker. When she’d looked at his tall lean frame, chiseled features and dark penetrating eyes, her mouth and brain fell out of sync, which was very rare for her. As a lawyer, she was always in control. But the first time they met she’d insulted him. She hadn’t meant to. He just had a strange effect on her. She hadn’t realized until later that it was sexual attraction. Sadly, the feeling wasn’t something too familiar to her.
After Eli had introduced them, she questioned why anyone would call him Tuck when Jeremiah was such a pretty name. The way he’d looked at her spoke volumes, but being a Ranger he was very polite and never mentioned her rude behavior. After that, Grace had a hard time getting her foot out of her mouth in his presence. Something about Jeremiah always short-circuited her mouth and her brain.
How she wished he had the same attraction for her. But he thought she was bossy, uppity, neurotic and about as appealing as global warming. He tried to avoid her at all costs, which was no secret to her. With their connection to Eli and Caroline that wasn’t always possible, though. He tolerated her because of them.
Her fingers splayed across her chest. How could one touch make her feel so—she thought for a minute—so alive? Her skin felt warm and her senses danced like pixies drunk on cheap red wine.
She must be coming down with something, she thought as she slipped into lounging pajamas. Pixies drunk on cheap red wine. Ridiculous. One touch shouldn’t make her think such silly things. She wasn’t sixteen years old. She reached for her briefcase and headed to her study to work.
With her mind deep in legal issues, her hand rested on the spot he’d touched.
Damn you, Jeremiah.
TUCK LAY AWAKE wondering about the incident with Grace. They’d been thrown together at weddings, parties and family gatherings but tonight was different. She seemed different. He was different, too. He had to admit that. The shock of touching her soft skin had knocked him for a loop.
What had he expected her skin to feel like?
Annoyed with the stupid question, he flipped over. He made a point of keeping Grace at arm’s length. Now he wondered why he’d felt that need. The answer was easy. Grace was way out of his league and a neat freak, almost to the point of being obsessive. She drove him crazy.
Staring into the darkness he realized she was driving him crazy now. She’d left so quickly that he hadn’t had a chance to gather his thoughts or apologize. Just as well. He didn’t feel inclined to change the status quo of their relationship. Grace wasn’t a one-night stand or a woman he could walk away from without a guilty conscience. And he would eventually walk away. He somehow always did.
As he drifted into sleep, soft green eyes stared back at him.
Grace’s eyes.
THE NEXT MORNING Tuck went to his office early, checked his messages, made a couple of phone calls and then headed for the hospital. He met Sergeant Dale Scofield in the lobby. They shook hands.
“How are your officers?” Tuck asked.
“Great. Both are going to be fine. Darren’s wife is waiting to take him home this morning. Brian was hit in several places, but not in any vital organs. Thank God. The surgeon said he should recover completely.” The sergeant looked at Tuck. “I’m so glad you came on the scene when you did. Your quick action probably saved their lives. Thank you.”
“No problem,” Tuck said, feeling uncomfortable. He was a lawman. His actions came naturally and praise wasn’t required or easy to accept. “I’m glad I could help.”
“How’s the baby?” Dale asked, and Tuck was glad to change the subject.
“I’m on my way to check on him. Did you find out any info on the mother?”
“Yep. Nicole Harper is a fine piece of work. Her mother had the little boy until about three months ago.
