Rules Of Engagement

She followed and perched on the thin cushion of a bar stool with her legal pad in front of her. “Okay, tell me about Eddie. I’m assuming he’s still in custody.”

He pulled a large pot from the cabinet. “In a minute,” he said, crossing the kitchen to the refrigerator to retrieve the leftover beef stew. No matter how selfish, the last thing he wanted to discuss right now was Eddie’s legal problems. He wanted to know more about Jill. Considering the headaches and the frustration Eddie’s twenty-first birthday party had cost the company, and him, another few minutes of conversation that would no doubt reveal more about his blackmailing, resourceful angel wouldn’t cause a bit more damage.

He dumped the stew into the pot, then set the burner to low. “There’s still something I don’t understand,” he said, crossing back to the refrigerator. He pulled out two sodas, lifting them for her inspection.

She shook her head and tapped her half-full glass of water. “What’s that?”

Unspoken dialogue between lovers…

He shook the thought from his mind and concentrated on their verbal communication. “Couldn’t you fabricate some reason as to why your fiancé can’t make it?”

She started tapping her fingers on the pad again. “Since this entire mess started, I’ve been home twice, both times with a convenient excuse as to why my intended had to stay behind.”

“So what’s one more excuse?” he asked, pulling out the bar stool across from her.

“Because the good reverend made it crystal-clear he expected to ‘meet my young man.’ An auspicious occasion such as Carly’s wedding is no doubt the perfect time to inspect and interrogate his future son-in-law.”

Morgan knew he was playing with fire by agreeing to her terms, but he really didn’t have much choice. He’d promised his men he’d take care of the problem, and he wouldn’t disappoint them. “All right,” he said, a reluctant grin tugging his lips when hope filled her gaze. “Eddie’s being arraigned in the morning. I guess you’ve got yourself a fiancé.”

Her smile was perilous to his central nervous system, and brighter than California sunshine.

She reached across the Formica countertop and settled her hand over his forearm. A current of electricity sparked and sizzled between them. “Thank you, Morgan,” she said quietly, a light frown creasing her brow.

Did she feel it, too? he wondered as her fingers slowly slid from his arm. Had she been experiencing that same sensual pull that had been plaguing him since he’d first set eyes on her?

“Yes, well.” She looked away and gently cleared her throat. The moment passed, but the truth remained. There was a definite sexual attraction at work. Whether or not they explored the possibilities was another matter altogether. Regardless of how much he wanted the angel with the heavenly body and red polished toenails, one simple fact remained: any carnal liaison they might take pleasure in would be temporary. Jill Cassidy was a career woman, and he’d made the firm resolution years ago to never have a serious, lasting relationship with corporate ladder types.

“About Eddie,” she said, her tone and persona shifting from personal to more efficient and businesslike. “It’s my understanding he’s been charged with three misdemeanors. Drunk in public, disorderly conduct, and destruction of private property. Nick also mentioned the property damage is a couple of thousand dollars. Do you know if Eddie has the means to pay the property damage tomorrow?”

Morgan stood to check the stew, providing her with the sketchy details of the impromptu birthday celebration gone awry. “I’ve already paid the damages,” he said, snagging a wooden spoon from the drawer. “This is his first offense. He’s a good kid and my best foreman. I’d hate to see one night of poor judgment haunt him for the rest of his life.”

She dropped her pen on the pad. “That was extremely generous of you,” she said, a gentle smile curving her lips. “Since you’ve already paid it, there’s a good chance I can get the two remaining charges reduced to municipal ordinance violations and a small fine, if not dropped completely. I really need to talk to Eddie, though, since he’s my client. Would you mind arranging a meeting for me?”

Morgan returned to the bar and sat. “Tonight? Out of the question.”

She crossed her arms and leaned against the back of the bar stool. “Why?”

“He told me he was going to his folks’ place for the night, and I don’t have their number. I’m meeting him at the courthouse tomorrow morning.”

She shrugged, then moved again, shifting in her seat so she could prop her feet on the stool next to her. “Well, unless you have more details for me, I guess that’s about it for business until tomorrow morning.”

Why that simple statement ignited his imagination, he couldn’t be sure, but he moved away from the bar and served up two bowls of stew to gain some distance. After setting one in front of her, he sat, wondering why he didn’t feel a greater sense of relief. He’d solved one of his problems by keeping the promise to his men that he’d make sure Eddie had a good lawyer. The men would arrive on the job site at six o’clock sharp, as he’d promised Dan Castle. Yet, instead of the relief he’d expected, another more dangerous emotion continued to jockey for his attention.

Lust for the lady lawyer with the red toenails.

And he was a sucker for a lady in red.

3

JILL HURRIED toward the courthouse, her steps faltering when she spotted Morgan waiting for her. Her heart did a little flip in her chest, followed by a series of distinct thumps. The man was simply way too sexy, and to top it off, he was a great cook. She knew her way around the kitchen, but working long hours and living alone didn’t provide her with many opportunities to enrich her meager talent. Takeout and instant was about all she had the time or energy for these days.

And there was just something incredibly seductive about a man cooking for a woman.

“Good morning,” she called to him, surprised that her voice worked. Something about this guy short-circuited her senses, common and otherwise, and she was at a loss to figure out why.

“Good morning,” he said in that voice she easily imagined whispering seductive words against her ear. Like good morning after a great night!

She came to a stop in front of him and looked up, struggling to ignore the temptation of those sexy words her imagination conjured. His eyes were filled with concern for his employee, touching her heart and making her melt just a tiny bit. Her boss was right. Morgan was the quintessential nice guy. If she was seriously in the market for happily-ever-after, Morgan Price would no doubt be at the top of her list as a prime candidate.

“Good news,” she told him, flashing him a grin she couldn’t have stopped even if her life was in jeopardy. He just did that to her. “Since you already paid for the damages Eddie caused, the bar owner has dropped the charges, so the only th…” She looked around, then back at Morgan. “Where is Eddie?”

“Inside,” Morgan said, taking her elbow and steering her in the direction of the glass doors. “Waiting and scared.”

He led her toward a wooden bench where a young man dressed in neatly pressed jeans, plaid shirt and solid blue tie waited, his foot tapping nervously on the tile floor. As they approached, he stood, his pale blue gaze darting from her to Morgan and back again.

The first thing Jill noticed was the worry lining his features. The second was that Eddie Burton looked as if he’d be more comfortable in a lab dissecting frogs than getting roaring drunk and tearing up a neighborhood tavern. A shock of carrot-red hair was cut in a cropped style. His eyebrows were pulled together in a frown, wrinkling his heavily freckled forehead.

Morgan introduced them, and Jill shook Eddie’s hand, smiling in hopes of setting him at ease. “It’s not all that bad,” she told both men. “The bar owner has dropped the charges, but there’s still the D&D charge to deal with.”

“Am I going to jail again?” Eddie asked, the fear in his eyes and his voice all too real. She thought of Nick’s advice to let the public defender’s office handle the case. Considering the workload of the jaded public counsel, the chances of Eddie doing time, even if it was only a day or two, could have been very real. There was no way she was going to allow this frightened young man to spend another minute in custody.

“No. You won’t go to jail,” she told him firmly, setting her briefcase on the bench. “The judge may order you to serve a probationary period or perhaps just some community service, but that’s if we actually do go to trial.”

“What happens today?” Morgan asked.

“Today is only the arraignment,” she said, then turned her attention back to Eddie. “The judge will ask you how you plead, and I want you to say not guilty. He’ll assign a trial date, and that’s all there is for today.”

Eddie wouldn’t look at her. He stared down at the tips of his highly polished boots, instead. “But I did it,” he murmured so softly she had a difficult time hearing him.

“That’s okay,” Jill explained, “but I don’t want you telling that to anyone other than me, okay?”

When Eddie nodded, she continued. “The reason you plead not guilty is to give me time to establish a defense and to try to get the district attorney to drop or lessen the charges against you.”

“Defense?” Morgan asked, his tone incredulous. “You think it’ll go that far?”

“It’s possible,” she said, shifting her gaze to him. He raked a hand through his black-as-midnight hair, which looked as if he’d been finger-combing it for hours. “I won’t know for certain until Eddie and I get a chance to talk about what happened that night.”

She settled her hand on Morgan’s forearm and tried to ignore the sparks of electricity shooting up her arm and spreading throughout her body with lightning speed. “Your paying the bar owner made a difference. It’s just a matter of me convincing the prosecution to drop the rest of the charges,” she said, concentrating on the case and not the way her breasts tingled and rasped against the satin cups of her bra.

“Can you really do that?” Eddie asked, the hopeful note in his voice drawing her attention.

“I’ll know more later,” she reassured him, letting her hand slip from Morgan’s arm. “You and I will need to talk first. Is there somewhere we can meet?”

“My office,” Morgan said. “Later this afternoon.”

Jill shook her head. “I can’t. I have—”

“Excuse us a minute, Eddie.” Morgan took her arm and steered her a few feet away.