He cast her a sideways glance. "What are you smiling about?"

Her cheeks went hot. She hoped he couldn't see them in the darkness inside the car. "Nothing. I was just I was thinking you were right. I promised to help Maria. And if you're willing to take the blamehey, that's okay with me."

He grinned. He did that a lot, she noticed, and it looked really good on him. "That's my girl."

"First thing Monday, I'll call and make the arrangements."

"Like I said, it's not that big a deal. Odds are Carson will never have a clue."

Zach drove through town, rounded the corner onto Cherry Street, and pulled his sporty black convertible up to the curb. He walked her up to the door of her apartment and she wondered if he would expect a good-night kiss.

"Thanks, Zach. I really appreciate what you're doing."

He tipped his head toward the door. "Aren't you going to invite me in for a drink?"

"I thought you said you didn't drink."

"I said I don't drink much. And never when I'm driving. Besides, I was thinking of a cup of coffee."

She knew she shouldn't. But it was Friday night and she rarely went out and so far Zach had been a perfect gentleman.

A thought she found oddly annoying.

She doubted Zach would behave this way with Lisa Doyle. Apparently, she didn't have as much s.e.x appeal as Lisa had.

"All right, come on in. I'll make us a pot of decaf. That way we'll be able to sleep."

Zach's eyes found hers and her breath caught. There was nothing gentlemanly in the hot look he gave her. It was blatantly s.e.xual, almost scorching. Sleep, it said, was the last thing on his mind.

Her stomach contracted. Now that they were there in her apartment, their business concluded, his manner seemed to have changed.

She swallowed. As she thought back over the evening, she had noticed that same look several times, but his gaze had quickly been shuttered and she figured she had imagined it.

"Decaf sounds good," he said, his eyes still on her face.

Turning away, she went into the kitchen. She was surprised when Zach followed.

"Nice place." He looked around at the bare tile countertops, just a toaster and a can opener; the small round wooden table with nothing but salt and pepper shakers in the middle.

"Nice and clean, you mean." She pulled a can of decaf down from the cupboard. "I keep meaning to decorate the place, but I can't seem to get my mind wrapped around the fact I'm back here in San Pico. When I was in high school, all I ever thought about was leaving."

"Why'd you come back?" He was standing right behind her, so close she could feel his breath against the nape of her neck. Her nerves kicked in. As she reached for the bag of coffee, she tried to keep her hand from shaking.

"I needed a place to recover from my divorce. My dad was here, my sister. Now Dad's gone and my sister's moved away. If it weren't for my job, I don't think I'd still be here."

He moved a little closer. "I'm glad you are."

The air snagged in her lungs. He settled both hands on her hips and slowly turned her to face him.

"What what are you doing?"

"What I've been wanting to do all eveninggetting ready to kiss you. I just hope you don't slap me as hard as you did that day outside Marge's."

She looked up at him, saw the heat in his eyes he no longer tried to hide. For the first time, it occurred to her that she had been wanting him to look at her that way all evening. "I won't slap you."

"Thank G.o.d," he said an instant before he bent his head and kissed her thoroughly.

It was an incredible kiss, his mouth like hot, damp silk. It burned across her lips, taking and taking, making her catch fire along with him. She could feel his heat, his hunger. She knew now it had been there all along.

Zach kissed her and kissed her, deep, penetrating kisses, hot, drugging kisses that made her insides turn to mush and her knees wobble. He backed her up against the table, trapping her as if he thought she might try to escape, and kissed her some more. Elizabeth looped her arms around his neck and slid the tips of her fingers into his thick dark hair.

His tongue was in her mouth and she could taste the maleness of him. No man had ever kissed her this way, as if he couldn't get enough, as if he needed to kiss her as much as he needed to breathe. Her nipples tightened, throbbed inside the cups of her white lace push-up bra.

"You drive me crazy," he said against the side of her neck. "I can't stop thinking about you." Her head fell back and he began to rain kisses along her throat and over her shoulders.

"This is insane," she whispered, but she was talking to herself and not to Zach.

She felt his hands on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, cupping them over the fabric, gently kneading. "I want to make love to you. There's nothing insane about that."

She shook her head, knew she should pull away. But she wanted to feel the heat, the fire, just for a few minutes more. She tried not to think of Lisa Doyle, of the women he had in L.A. She tried not to remember what Carson had said, I can't believe you're letting Zach use you this way.

She heard the buzz of her zipper, felt his hands slide inside her bra to cup her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Desire roared through her. Heat tugged low in her belly, speared out through her limbs. She had to stop him. This was happening way too fast. She wasn't Lisa Doyle. She didn't do one-night stands.

He nibbled the lobe of an ear. "G.o.d, you taste so good."

She swallowed, tried to move away, but his fingers were tugging on her nipple, his hands testing the size and shape of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, making them swell into his palms.

She hadn't been with anyone since Brian. It was only natural, she told herself, to be excited by the touch of a man.

But this wasn't just any man, this was Zachary Harcourt and she didn't trust him. Couldn't afford to trust him.

He unfastened her belt and tossed it away, buzzed the zipper the rest of the way down over her hips. He started to slide the dress off her shoulders, but Elizabeth caught his hand.

"I can't do this."

He kissed the side of her neck. "Why not? We're both adults. We can do whatever we please."

She stepped a little away, took a deep breath and looked him straight in the face. "Carson says he says you're just using me to get to him."

Zach's jaw hardened. He caught her hand, pressed it against his erection. He was big and hard. He thickened even more at her touch. "Carson has nothing to do with this."

"I'm not like Lisa."

"No, you were never like Lisa."

"Zach, please."

There must have been something in her tone, something that made him understand that she was fighting not just him but herself.

With a sigh, he reached behind her and zipped up her dress. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rush you. It's just "

Her hands trembled as she adjusted her clothes. "Just what?"

"I've wanted you from the moment I saw you that day at Teen Vision. I've made myself go slow. I wanted to give you a chance to get to know me. I've tried to be patient, Liz. I'm not a patient man."

She fumbled for something to say, her heart racing madly. "No one calls me Liz anymore."

"Why not?"

"Brian didn't like it. He thought Elizabeth sounded more sophisticated."

He leaned down and very softly kissed her. "They're just names for different facets of the same person. I think Liz is your sensual side." He kissed her softly and she trembled. "You haven't done this a lot, have you?"

She shook her head. "I had a boyfriend before Brian. That's all."

"And since then?"

She looked away. "I don't think I can handle a man like you, Zach. You've been with dozens of women. I don't have that kind of experience."

He caught her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You said you weren't like Lisa and you're right. But a real woman doesn't need to use s.e.xual tricks to satisfy a man. I'm hotter for you right now than I was when I was inside Lisa Doyle."

She flushed. Zach was a virile, sensual man and he made no bones about it.

"Besides, I could teach you those things. Whatever you want to learn. We could do anything you can imagine."

Her stomach clenched. Anything you can imagine. She had never thought of herself as a s.e.xual woman and yet those words made a soft ache throb deep in her womb. "II need to think about this, Zach. You and I, we're different peopleespecially when it comes to s.e.x. II'm just not that brave."

He dragged her against him and started to kiss her again, his tongue sliding deep inside her mouth. Her body tightened, trembled. His hand found the hem of her skirt and he shoved it up till it rode at her waist. He palmed her s.e.x over her white lace panties. She was wet. And she was hot. She couldn't remember ever being so hot.

"I think you're brave enough," Zach said, sliding his hand inside her panties. "You just don't know it."

She gasped as he caressed her, stroked her, caught her moan in his mouth. She was on the edge of climax when he stopped kissing her and pulled his hand away, eased her skirt back into place. He stepped back a little, leaving her trembling with desire, aching to have him inside her.

"I want you, Liz. I'm crazy to have you. But not for any other reason except that I'm attracted to you in a way I haven't been to a woman in years. I want to see you again tomorrow night."

She wildly shook her head.

"All right. Next week then. I'll give you some time, if that's what you need."

"I I don't know, Zach."

"Yes, you do, Liz. You know what you need and so do I. I'll see you next week." Turning away from her, he walked out of the kitchen, crossed the living room, and pulled open the door.

At the echo of it closing behind him, Elizabeth sank down in one of the kitchen chairs. As a game player, she was certainly no match for Zachary Harcourt.

Then again, maybe he wasn't playing a game. Maybe he wanted exactly what he said. Maybe he just wanted her.

Her body pulsed at the heady thought.

It was insane, of course, and yet, why shouldn't she consider it? Zach said he wanted her. After tonight, it was clear how much she wanted him. She had always been careful where men were concerned, never done anything wild or reckless.

And where had it gotten her?

Married to Brian Logan, who had cheated on her nearly every day.

Maybe for once she ought to do something daring. Maybe she ought to explore her very limited s.e.xual education with Zach.

She had a week to think about it.

Surely by then she would come to her senses.

Thirteen.

The Integrity Home Inspection truck arrived at the Santiago house on Tuesday morning after Miguel had left for work in the fields. Elizabeth met them at the property, left them there for the three hours they would be working, then returned when it was time for them to leave.

"What did you find?" she asked Wiley Malone, the owner of the company. He and two of his employees had been hired to make a thorough inspection of the home. She would have to pay the cost herself, but the price he had quoted hadn't been all that bad.

"Good solid house," Wiley said, a burly man in coveralls with thinning, gray hair. "No leaks, no problems with the plumbing. Walls have good insulation."

"What about under the house? Did you find anything in the crawl s.p.a.ce?" The house sat about three feet off the ground, supported by a concrete perimeter foundation, with wooden floors beneath the carpet.

Malone grinned. He had very large teeth. "Found some fat black widow spiders. Sprayed 'em for youno charge. Didn't smell anything unusual, though, just a little mold and musty-smellin' dirt. If you're worried about the soil, I'd get Higgins Consulting out here to take a sample. They look for contamination, environment problems. Maybe they can find something."

"Thank you, Mr. Malone."

"It's just Wiley, and you're welcome." The men collected their gearladders, flashlights and toolboxesand headed over to the truck they had come in. Elizabeth watched them drive away, then turned to see Maria standing on the porch.

"What did those men find?"

"They said the house was sound."

Maria nodded resolutely. "I did not think they would find anything wrong."

"We still need to check the soil under the house, see if there is some sort of environmental pollution. I'll call the company today."

"They will not find anything, either."

Elizabeth sighed. "So you want me to believe there is actually a ghost in the house."

"What if there is?"

"I'll call the soil company. Once we see what they find out, we can go from there."

But Higgins Consulting didn't find anything wrong with the soil, certainly nothing that would explain the noises, or the cold or the sickening smell.