Temptation

He switched off the humming machines, grabbed his denim jacket and headed out of the door.

Noelle exited the building and proceeded to walk, oblivious to the rows of boutiques and the flow of human traffic.

Trent Dixon was somewhere in Los Angeles. He was the only one who had the answers to her questions. The thought of his proximity unnerved her. Why was he here? Had he come to spy on her? He could be anywhere, walking right beside her and she wouldn’t know it. That fact raised her blood pressure. She didn’t have the faintest notion of what he looked like. He’d never accompanied Jordan on his trips to the U.S., since he was responsible for operations in Jordan’s absence. Trent Dixon could run her over with a Mack truck, right this minute, and she wouldn’t know it was him. Her temper rose as her thoughts ran in circles.

The head-on collision knocked her purse from her hand.

“Noelle?” Trent instinctively grabbed her shoulders to steady her, then reached down to retrieve her purse. “Are you okay?”

“Y-es,” she stammered, surprised and embarrassed to see Cole Richards in the middle of Los Angeles. “I’m fine. Sorry. I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“You must be deep in thought.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Something like that.” She took a quick look around, observing her surroundings for the first time. The large marquee of the hotel loomed above her head and her thoughts scurried off in a dangerous direction.

He was probably there to meet someone, she thought. Did he spend the night here after he’d left her weak from his kisses?

An unfamiliar wave of jealousy swept through her. Her body tensed.

“Did you think about my request?” she asked in a tight voice.

Confusion registered on Trent’s face with the swift change in Noelle’s mood.

“Is something bothering you, Noelle?”

“What else could be bothering me?” she almost snapped. She looked away unable to meet the questioning gaze.

Trent avoided answering the question, by posing one of his own. “I was going to get something to eat. I’d like it very much if you’d join me. Then we can talk. Would you?”

When she dared to look back at him, she was, once again, consumed by those onyx eyes that had haunted her nights, by the lips that she longed to taste again and by the captivating scent that heated her blood.

He’d begun to think that she hadn’t heard him or had chosen not to respond—when she finally answered.

“Do you know your way around?” she asked in that sexy faint accent that drove him crazy.

“Maybe you can give me the tour again,” he replied, his tone intentionally intimate.

Noelle cleared her throat. “There’s a great outdoor café about a block down. I’m sure you’d like it.”

“With you, I’m sure I would.”

For a brief moment they both stared at each other, the busy world around them going totally unnoticed.

“We’re going to cause a scene in a minute,” Trent said, his smile teasing. “People are beginning to stare.”

Self-consciously Noelle looked around, feeling that everyone could see what was going on inside of her.

Her voice was slightly tremulous. “Then I guess we should be going.”

Trent slipped her arm through the curve of his. “Lead the way.”

Lunch was brief, almost strained. Both of them were harboring their own thoughts and skirting the real issues that bubbled like molten lava beneath their composed surfaces.

“You were right about this place,” Trent offered, breaking the rather long train of silence. “The food here is great.” He smiled. “But they can’t touch Liaisons’s with a stick.”

“I hope that everyone who comes will feel the same way.” She fiddled with her napkin to avoid looking at him.

Trent reached across the table to still her fingers. He covered her hand with his. The immediate warmth spread through her.

“I thought about your request to…find out what happened.”

She looked directly at him and his stomach lurched with longing.

“And?”

“And I’ve decided to help you.”

The brilliant smile that he received was worth all the deceit.

“Thank you. I’ll make it worth your while. Whatever the price.”

His brows creased both in disbelief and guilt. “I couldn’t possibly take any money from you.” His voice rose in agitation. “I’m not doing this for the money.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, but I think it would only be fair. In fact, I insist.”

Trent’s jaw clenched. He looked away. How could he possibly accept money from her knowing that the person she was looking for was sitting right in front of her and that he would have to do whatever was necessary to keep that information from her until the time was right.

His gaze returned to her. “I won’t accept anything from you until after the job is done. That’s the only way,” he added firmly.

Noelle considered for a moment. “If that’s the only way you’ll agree, then I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Then it’s settled.”

She nodded.

Trent leaned back in his seat and exhaled deeply. What in the hell had he gotten himself into?

“Do you have plans for the rest of the day?” he asked.

“No, I don’t, actually. I was supposed to call the villa and send for a car and driver, but after my visit with Joseph Ma-lone…”

The mention of Malone’s name caused Trent’s pulse to gallop. He’d completely forgotten about the carnivorous attorney. He was the one person who could identify him on sight.

“…so your job may not be so difficult after all.”

Trent slowly returned to the conversation. “What? I’m sorry.”

“I said, Joseph Malone told me that Trent Dixon was here in Los Angeles.”