McIver's Mission (16 page)

No
, was the
response that came immediately to mind. But she knew better than to give him an
opening. "Why?"

"Because I thought you might want to see the new
Pierce
Brosnan
film."

"Are you asking me on a date?"

"Of course not. I'm just suggesting a movie with
a friend."

"That's all?" she asked warily.

"Maybe some popcorn, too."

Arden laughed.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes," she agreed.

* * *

So
they went to the movies the following night. Then to the art gallery the night
after that, and the
Fairweather
Fall Carnival two
days later. Any time Arden expressed concern that maybe they were spending too
much time with each other, Shaun would assure her it was natural for friends to
want to be together. And because she enjoyed being with him, she let herself
believe it was true. But every minute she spent with him, she found herself
falling just a little bit more in … like, she decided firmly.

Tuesday night Shaun took her to
DiMarco's
for dinner again, ostensibly to celebrate his success in having a client
acquitted. Arden didn't care what excuses he made anymore. She just enjoyed
being with him. So they shared succulent chateaubriand, a wonderful bottle of
cabernet sauvignon and stimulating conversation. It amazed her that they never
ran out of things to talk about.

Shaun signaled the waiter for the check. "I'm
going to Washington tomorrow for a seminar. I won't be back until Friday, but
you can reach me at the Courtland Hotel in Georgetown if you need me."

Arden fought the instinctive surge of disappointment.
It was, she assured herself, a natural reaction considering how much time
they'd spent together. It certainly wasn't anything more personal than that.
"You don't have to clear your schedule with me," she said.

Shaun shook his head. "You still don't get it, do
you?"

She was almost afraid to ask. "Get what?"

"This. Us."

"It's not like we're dating. We're friends."

"Yes, we are," he agreed. "And
more."

"I don't want anything more."

He picked up her hand and brushed his lips over her
knuckles. She tugged her hand away, uncomfortable with the myriad of sensations
the brief caress elicited.

Shaun's grin was quick, his gaze heated.
"Liar."

She frowned but didn't comment.

"Have you been seeing anyone else over the past
couple of weeks?" he asked.

"Of course not, but—"

"Do you think I've been seeing anyone else?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then I'd say we're exclusive."

Arden exhaled slowly. How was it, she wondered, that
she never managed to win an argument against Shaun? "
Exclusive
implies a certain intention toward the relationship."

"Uh-huh." He sounded almost amused as he
scribbled on the credit card receipt the waiter had brought to the table.

"I have no objection to you going out with other
women, if that's what you want."

"Really?" His lips twitched in the beginning
of a smile.

Arden's frown deepened. She didn't
want
him to
date other women, but she wasn't in a position to set down rules for their
relationship when she was the one who kept insisting she didn't want a
relationship.

"Well, I
do
object to you going out with
other men," he told her.

"I'm not going out with other men."

"Good. Then we don't have a problem."

"But if I wanted to, that would be
my
choice."

"I don't think so."

"I'm not going to argue with you about
this," Arden said. "It's irrelevant, anyway."

"Maybe it is. But you've missed my point."

"What was that?"

"I have no intention of sharing you, Arden."
The confident assurance in his tone sent a quick thrill through her, even as it
irritated her.

"I'm not yours to share."

"Yes, you are. You just haven't realized it
yet."

"This macho attitude isn't very endearing."

"It isn't meant to be. I'm only telling you the
way it is." He pushed away from the table and offered a hand to help Arden
out of her chair. Deeply ingrained manners had her accepting, despite the fact
that she was seething inside.

She didn't say anything to him on the way back to her
apartment. There was no point, she decided, in trying to have an intelligent
conversation with a man who was little more than a Neanderthal. Her silence
didn't seem to bother Shaun, which only irritated her more, and when he pulled
up in front of her building, she was out of the car before he could come around
to help her.

Still, he was at her side before she reached the door,
and he walked with her up to the third floor. If he thought that she was going
to invite him inside for coffee, he was mistaken.

To her further irritation, he didn't attempt to
wrangle an invitation. He just brushed a soft kiss on her mouth. It wasn't even
a kiss, really, just a brief touch of his lips to hers. Just enough to make her
want more.

"I'll pick you up Friday night at seven," he
said, then turned away.

"Wait a minute," Arden called to his
retreating form. "We don't have plans for Friday night."

He stopped at the top of the stairs and turned back to
face her. "Sure we do," he insisted. "Judge Morrison's
retirement party."

She frowned. "I'm not going with you."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"That's hardly a reasonable explanation," he
chided, walking toward her again.

Arden sighed. "If we show up together, if we
leave together, people will think we're a couple."

"Why is that a problem?"

"Because I'm not ready to have my picture posted
in the ladies' room as Shaun McIver's flavor of the week."

"Flavor of the week, huh?" He sounded amused
by the designation, which only annoyed her further. Then he bent his head to
kiss her, stroking his tongue along the seam of her lips. "
Mmm
," he said. "I think it will take longer than
a week to satisfy my craving for you, Doherty."

"That's hardly reassuring," Arden told him.

Shaun chuckled. "Will you go to Judge Morrison's
retirement party with me if I promise to wear a badge that says 'Just
Friends'?"

Arden felt the corners of her mouth tilt.
"Maybe."

"I'll pick you up at seven," he said again.

She blew out an exasperated breath. "Do you
always get your own way?"

"Always."

* * *

Arden
prided herself on being a confident and successful career woman. She'd worked
hard to earn the respect of her peers, to establish her professional
reputation. After six years practicing as a family law attorney, she often
still experienced nerves prior to a big court appearance. She'd never felt
gargantuan butterflies kicking up a tornado inside her stomach before a date.

But that's what was happening Friday afternoon as she
counted down the last few hours until Shaun was due back from his conference in
Washington, until he would pick her up for Judge Morrison's retirement party.

So she wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed
when Shaun called from the airport at six-thirty.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "My flight
was late leaving Washington and we just landed. I'm going to be at least
another hour."

"That's okay," she said. "Marcy was
about to head over to the courthouse, so I'll tag along with her."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he
promised. Then, more softly, "I missed you, Arden."

Her heart did a long, slow somersault in her chest.
"You've only been gone three days."

"You didn't miss me?" The disappointment in
his voice cut through her self-protective instincts.

"Maybe. A little."

"That's good enough," he said. "I'll
see you soon."

Arden hung up the phone, completely unaware of the
dreamy smile on her face, until Marcy spoke from the doorway.

"That must have been your … friend," Marcy
said, tongue-in-cheek.

Arden felt her face grow warm. "Let's go drink to
the judge."

They hadn't been at the Banisters' Lounge ten minutes
when Marcy was whisked away by another colleague to discuss a proposed custody
agreement between their respective clients. Arden didn't object to being
abandoned by her associate. She was pleased by how well Marcy was fitting in
with the
Fairweather
legal community.

So while Marcy was off talking shop, Arden mingled,
trying to keep herself occupied while she waited for Shaun to arrive. She made
her way through the throng of people to Judge Morrison, offered her best wishes
for his retirement, then moved on again.

She found herself hovering near the door, glancing at
her watch every few minutes.

"Looking to make a quick getaway?" a
masculine voice teased close to her ear.

Startled, embarrassed that she'd been caught watching
the door, she turned to the speaker. "Hello, Warren."

He smiled at her, revealing perfect white teeth. He
was a classically handsome man, with thick dark hair, strong features and pale
blue eyes.

"Have you been here long?" he asked.

"Not really," Arden said. "But I was
thinking I could use some fresh air. It's kind of stuffy in here."

Those pale eyes lit up with interest, and she
realized—too late, obviously—how her words could be misconstrued.

"Would you like to take a walk?" he asked.

"Um … well…"
Hell
, she thought,
berating herself for the slip. If she hadn't been so preoccupied thinking about
Shaun, she wouldn't have found herself in this situation. "Sure."

He smiled. "Great."

She followed him out of the building. Warren took her
arm to help her descend the concrete steps. It was a gentlemanly gesture, and
yet Arden couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the touch. He dropped her
arm when they'd reached the bottom. Arden wrapped her arms around herself,
surprised by how chilly it had turned in the past hour since she'd left the
office.

"Would you like my jacket?" Warren asked
solicitously.

"No, thanks." She forced a smile. "I'm
fine."

He turned toward the park at the edge of the
courthouse. It was almost dark, but she could make out the outline of the
fountain at its center. It reminded her of Shaun and the day he'd found her
there. She wondered again where he was, but she guessed he'd probably
encountered some rush hour traffic.

She bit back a sigh. She hadn't wanted to come to this
party with him anyway. So why was she so disappointed that he wasn't here?

She pushed him out of her mind, tried to focus her
attention on the man beside her. Warren had been in
Fairweather
only since June, having moved from California to fill the vacant ADA position.
"Now that summer's over, what do you think of Pennsylvania?"

Warren grimaced more than smiled. "It's
cold."

"This isn't cold," Arden told him.
"Wait till the snow comes."

"When should I expect that?"

"Usually the end of November until the end of
March."

"I guess I'll have to get some boots."

"And trade in your surfboard for a
snowmobile," she teased.

"That, too," he agreed.

"Do you miss it?"

"What … the sun, the sand, the surf?" He
waved a hand dismissively. "What's that compared to all of this?"

She laughed softly as the dried leaves crunched under
their feet. "Do you have plans to go back?"

"Not anytime in the near future," he said,
as they turned back toward the courthouse.

"There you are."

She jolted as Shaun's voice carried through the
darkness, an unexpected warmth spreading through her. The warmth chilled slightly
when she stepped closer and saw his eyes narrow on the man by her side.

"McIver," Warren said tersely.

Shaun nodded. "Blake."

The apparent animosity between the two men wasn't
entirely unexpected. After all, Warren was an ADA and Shaun was a criminal defense
attorney, but Arden sensed that their dislike of each other went beyond
professional differences.

What surprised her more was when Shaun leaned over and
kissed her full on the lips. It wasn't a greeting, she realized with a mixture
of shock and annoyance, so much as a brand.

Warren shifted, tension radiating from him. "I
didn't realize you two were here together."