Touch Me and Tango (6 page)

She’d always been the brazen one who could throw him off his
game, but something about this place—and him—made her act seem silly. Nervous,
she went into performer mode, striking a pose she hoped came off as attractive
and confident. “Nice digs.”

He just nodded, his face blank. “What can I do for you?”

Okay, so he was still angry. “I want to start by saying I’m
sorry about the way things went down on the phone earlier. I didn’t mean it the
way it sounded.”

Parker stood there motionless and silent, studying her, his
expression unreadable. Being around six-foot-six, his virile, towering form
loomed over Tanya, making her feel tiny.

She waited for his response. And waited. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“You could at least nod your head.”

“What for?”

“Gimme a break, Parker. Do you always have to be so
stubborn? Can’t you see I’m here to apologize?”

“Yeah, I got that part.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Impossible.”

“That’s for sure.”

The stared at each other in silence. It annoyed Tanya how
easily he kept a poker face. Between her mother’s Russian blood and her dad’s
Italian side, she was hopeless on that front. And right now being this close to
Parker brought up memories of his mouth on hers and the feel of his smooth,
muscled chest pressing against her naked breasts…

Get a grip
. She
took a steadying breath and said, “The reason I cancelled the job with my
mother was because she didn’t hire you for gardening or lawn work. Not that we
don’t need it. The place looks horrible.” She cleared her throat. “My mother
wants you to help us find her Great Uncle Harry’s diamonds.”

He raised his eyebrows.

Tanya remembered Parker teasing her about being related to
the shady figure who was a local legend. He’d been somewhat fascinated by Harry
Rubikoff and the story of the hidden steamer trunk. So she continued. “At first
I thought Mom was nuts, that she was taking advantage of you for a crazy whim.
But now I think she’s on to something.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“My mother found a map Harry made.” Tanya explained her
reasons for believing it was the real deal.

“I’d like to see the map. Got it with you?”

She nodded. “But it’s starting to drizzle.”

“Come on inside.” He turned and walked toward a funny
L-shaped, one-story building, leaving Tanya to follow behind him. Okay. She got
his I-don’t-give-a-damn-whether-you-follow-me-or-not message.

As she neared the building, Tanya saw that the longer
section was a glass-enclosed greenhouse. Excited barking came from the shorter
section, and when Parker opened the door, two dogs came bursting out at her.
One stern command had them sitting on their haunches, but ready to spring.

“You like dogs, right? Meet Reef. And this is Skipper.”

She nodded and offered a hand to each for a good sniff. Reef
was obviously a shepherd-collie mix, and Skipper was a smaller black-and-white
who looked like he belonged in a comic book. After a few licks and tail wags,
Tanya said, “They like me.”

That at least got a half smile from Mr. Grumpy.

He took her through the door to the shorter section where
she stepped into a plain room with a round wooden table in the center. He
switched on a lamp that cast the room in a warm rosy glow. She noticed herbs
hanging from the ceiling. The scent of fresh flowers blended with a pungent
tang of some spice she couldn’t identify.

Fishing rods in a corner. An old refrigerator and hot plate.
Knobby roots on shelves next to books. A straw basket of apples, pears, sweet
potatoes, zucchini. A collection of glass jars, some filled with dried petals
others with colored stones.

The thought struck her that she’d never even seen the house
where he grew up, the place where he’d lived during their three-year fling.
They’d always met in secret on her turf. In fact, the only one who’d guessed
something was going on between the two of them was his sister Casey.

Once again Tanya realized that Parker was unlike any other
man she knew. “Interesting place. It’s… so you.”

He just nodded and gestured to one of the two wooden chairs
at his table.

She sat, but before pulling out the map, she said, “Look,
Parker, isn’t it clear that I only fired you because I was trying to save your
butt from getting into some crazy scheme of my mother’s? Can we drop the
icicles already?”

He made a fake bow and said, “Fine, Madame. Would you like a
beer?”

She smiled up at him. “You are really obnoxious.”

Parker shrugged and walked to the refrigerator, returning
with two amber bottles, no glass. He opened them, slid one in front of Tanya
and sat across from her.

She took a sip, conscious of her mouth on the bottle, and
his eyes on her mouth. Eyes that said he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
But when she met his gaze he looked away.

Tanya returned to a businesslike tone. “Another reason I
tried to get you off the hook this morning is that my mother has no money to
pay you. That’s the reason I’m willing to try looking for the supposed diamonds.
Because she’s got debts coming out her ears, and she refuses to sell the house,
despite a looming tax lien.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Your mom was very generous to me
when my family was struggling after my father died.”

“My mother? I thought it was my father who paid you for the
lawn care.”

“It was. But your mother used to send your housekeeper out
to me with an envelope that held notes about things in her garden. It always
had money tucked in it that she claimed was for some extra chore I had done.”

“I had no idea.”

His voice dropped to murmur. “Your family was big on
secrets.”

Tanya blushed, his meaning unmistakable. “I have some
savings I could pay you with.”

His nostrils flared, making the strong lines of his face
even more magnificent. “Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t need your money
and I don’t want it. I like the idea of helping your mom. And searching for
Harry’s famous trunk will be a kick. But if this project means I’m working for
you
, the deal’s off right now.”

“I hear you. My mother told me to offer you a twenty percent
cut of whatever is found. But it means working for nothing unless—”

“Done deal. Now let’s see the map.”

Tanya reached into her tote and removed the folded paper.
She handed it to Parker. “Please be careful. It’s sort of brittle around the
edges.”

She watched his hands as he unfolded the map, remembering
how sensitive and sure his touch had been.

His brows tightened in concentration as he studied it. “This
is the Rubikoff Preserve. You sure this is legal? Didn’t he give the island to
the park system?”

“No. That rocky little skerry is still privately owned by
Harry’s descendants. And that’s just my mom now. So it’s her permission that’s
required. You and I won’t be trespassing like the other treasure hunters who’ve
gone there over the years.”

He looked up. “You and I?”

“I’m going with you.” Tanya sipped her beer. She had a
feeling that concept would just about make his day.

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh it’s happening.”

“Not on my watch.”

“Get used to it.”

“You like to get your way, don’t you?”

“Always.”

He inclined his head and studied Tanya. His hand reached
out, and his fingers gently brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. His touch
sent a shiver though her.

But then he pulled back, stood and went to the refrigerator.
Tanya could tell he wasn’t really looking for anything. He obviously just
wanted to get away from her. At least it gave her a chance to let her eyes
linger on the slope of his amazing back, the perfect lines of his classic
profile. God, he was gorgeous.

“So how well do you know the preserve?” he asked.

“Me? I’ve never been there. You know I’m not a nature girl.
While other teens went to camp in the wilds, I spent my summers carousing
around New York City with my friends and training in the city’s dance studios.”
She stopped herself, realizing she’d just given him a good reason not to take
her along.

He returned to the table with a knife and two apples. “Guess
you would’ve been pretty happy back then to think you’d have a career in
ballroom dance.”

Tanya sliced off a piece of apple. “Actually, back then I
indulged in those I-want-to-be-a-ballerina dreams a lot of girls have. But when
I hit my teens I developed a case of T&A that spelled showgirl, not
ballerina. Ballroom was a good fit. Plus I got hooked on the flashy costumes
and sexy moves.”

And it had been her therapy when her father left, since it
was the last thing he’d want her to do. Quitting Dartmouth and dumping Brad and
his wealthy family ties. But she’d never considered the reality of the low
paying, high-pressured lifestyle. Not back when she was a twenty-year-old who’d
been raised in comfort. Unlike Parker. “You had to grow up early, didn’t you?”

He shot a glance at Tanya, and she could tell the question
surprised him. But he merely offered a non-committal shrug and went back to
studying the map.

That didn’t stop her. “I was so spoiled then, Parker. I
didn’t realize how hard it must have been for you when your father died and you
had to take care of your mom and sisters. I remember you even had to quit high
school to run your dad’s business.”

“Got my GED,” he said without looking up.

That was one of the things she found so attractive about
him. He was so grounded and able to flow with whatever bumps came his way.
Never got ruffled.

Except by her, she thought with a wicked smile. The devilish
part of her had always enjoyed disturbing his calm. But that was back when she
knew he wanted her. Did he still? “How come you never married?”

She saw his jaw tighten and she knew she’d hit a nerve. For
a second she feared he would toss out some stupid, fake reply, like saying he
was having too much fun being a bachelor. But he didn’t. That wasn’t Parker’s
style.

Oh, she didn’t delude herself into thinking he was living
like a monk. His heartstopping good looks no doubt had women crawling out of
the woodwork. Which reminded her… “My mother said you’re engaged to a
veterinarian. Is that true?”

“Nope,” he said, but his eyes stayed on the map, making
Tanya feel like a foolish, gossipy female.

“I want to check something.” He left the table, taking the
map with him.

Tanya followed him into a small room with a bed, a dresser
and shelves cluttered with books and CDs. He stood in front of a laptop that
sat on a small table in the corner and tapped on the keys. She hovered next to
him as a map of the North Fork and Long Island Sound appeared on the screen. He
expanded it until tiny Rubikoff Island Preserve came into view.

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Harry’s map says the
steamer trunk is at a place called Indian Hat. But that was probably just his
name for it. It’s not on a real map. And he has no compass. So I’m just
assuming the top of the paper is north.”

She tried not to let her voice reveal her body’s reaction to
standing so close to him, feeling his muscular shoulder slightly pressing into
hers. And the scent of him: a mixture of moist earth, fresh flowers and sexy
male. She forced herself to say, “That top area does have a similar shape to
the island’s north coastline,”

“True. But here’s another thing to consider.” He pointed to
what looked like rocky boulders on Harry’s hand drawn map. “These may not be
accurate anymore. Tidal shifts, wind and rain have a funny way of rearranging
landscapes. Your uncle drew up his map in 1925. Do you know how many storms
have blown through here in the last eighty years?”

“Do I look like a meteorologist?”

“A little bit.”

Tanya loved it when teased her. She’d always been the one
who started it, niggling till she got under his skin. But once they’d gotten to
know each other the tide reversed. All part of the dance.

“And we’re talking one hundred and eighty acres,” he said. “I’ve
only got five acres here and we’d have a damn hard time finding a buried
steamer trunk here on my property.”

“So you think it’s impossible?”

“Nearly.”

“And that Mom and I are crazy?”

“Oh yeah. Definitely that.”

Tanya laughed. But then she pouted. “So I guess you’ve
changed your mind.” Somewhere deep inside she knew her surge of disappointment
had less to do with abandoning the plan to find the diamonds than it did with
missing her chance to spend time with Parker.

“I didn’t say that.” He turned to face her. “We’ll need a
metal detector. A good one. He might’ve put that trunk six feet under. Coffin
level.”

“Lovely choice of words. What do those babies cost?”

“About a grand.”

Tanya pulled a credit card out of her shoulder bag and
handed it to him. “Just don’t blow it all in Vegas.”

“Nah, I go to Foxwoods.”

They stood so close the full force of his tall, diesel-cut
body sent shivers through her. She looked up at his glorious face, feeling his
warm breath on her cheeks. His gaze shifted to her mouth, his Adam’s apple
moved as he swallowed.

Tanya couldn’t remember when she’d ever wanted a man more
than she wanted him right now. Without thinking, she reached up, fisted his
shirt in her hands and pulled him toward her until their lips met. Parker
didn’t resist. He tugged her against his sturdy frame and his mouth devoured
hers.

A luscious heat filled her. Melting into him, she curled her
fingers into his hair, forgetting everything but the taste of him, the feel of
his solid chest, the warmth of his hands moving over her back.

But then he moaned and jerked away, his breath ragged. “No,”
he said, his voice husky. “You’re not working your spells on me this time.
You’re real good at that. Too good.”