Tidewater Lover by Janet Dailey

Author:Janet Dailey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 1978-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

"I TAKE it back! I take it back!" Lacey promised between gasps of breathless laughter.

Mike swung her away from the railing, letting her feet slide to the floor. "Don't ever joke about a thing like that again," he warned with a broad grin.

"I won't, believe me," she declared, leaning a shoulder heavily against his chest as she struggled to catch her breath.

"You'd better—"

"Is this where you go, Bowman, when you tell your office that you' re out on a job site?" Cole's biting question wiped the smiles from both their faces.

Lacey turned with a jerk to see him standing in the doorway, the knot of his tie loosened and the top button of his shirt unfastened. He looked as tired and irritable as he had sounded, and coldly angry.

"The office was aware that I was through for the day when I left there an hour ago," Mike replied with commendable calm.

"That isn't what your secretary said," Cole snapped, his eyes glinting with the metallic blue of finely honed steel.

"Donna again!" Mike muttered beneath his breath.

And Lacey guessed that her replacement had decided it was more politic to tell a client that Mike was working than that he had left early.

"It was an unwise decision on the part of Mike's temporary secretary to tell you that instead of the truth," she stated in Mike's defense.

"So you're playing the dutiful secretary again, rushing in to defend your boss," Cole taunted.

The angle of her chin increased. "I'm merely trying to straighten out your facts!" she retorted.

"Are you?" His mouth twisted cynically.

"And while we are on the subject of working, what are you doing here, Cole? Why aren't you at your office?" Lacey demanded accusingly.

"In case you've forgotten," he snapped, "I was up practically all night working!"

"So you decided to leave early," she concluded, and tipped her head to challenge him. "Can you be sure your secretary is telling that to those who call for you? Or will she make up some other excuse for your absence, the way Mike's secretary did when you called?"

"It sounds very plausible." Cole's voice was riddled with skepticism.

"The truth generally does," Lacey flashed.

His wintry steel eyes raked her from head to toe, taking in the shiny bathing suit that so attractively showed off her curves. "But I can't help wondering how many times this past week Bowman has been here when he was supposedly at a job site." On the last word, Cole pivoted sharply and walked away.

The arrogant set of his wide shoulders was like a red cape to a bull, and Lacey started to charge blindly after him. Mike laid a restraining hand on her arm.

"Let it be, Lacey," he suggested, recognizing the warning signs that her temper was ready to let fly.

She jerked her arm away from his hand and stalked into the house after Cole, catching up with him in the living room. In the act of stripping the tie from around his neck, Cole glanced at her coolly.

Lacey unleashed her anger in a flurry of acid words.

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