The Legacy Read Online Free PDF Page A

be very affordable.”
    “You have quite a task in front of you.”
    “It’s a labor of love. SwanSea Is one of the best surviving examples of Art Nouveau In America. Everything, from the design of the house to the door handles, panelings and moldings creates a unity.” Suddenly she had to swallow against a dry throat. Unable to go on any further, even about a subject she loved so much, she sat back, aroused, excited, and unsettled. She was used to the passion she felt for her birthplace, but the turbulence Nico had created within her was something she wasn’t sure how to cope with. She tried again. “I’m really sorry you’re not seeing the house at its best. You’ll have to promise to come back when the restoration and renovations are completed.” She gave a husky, uncertain laugh. “I'll give you a special rate.”
    He heard her uncertainty and understood she was drawn to him. He had far too much experience not to know that with a little effort he could have her. He shifted restlessly in his chair. The idea played with his mind, seducing him.
    He brought his thoughts to a halt. If there was one thing he’d learned over the years, it was that hardly anything was simple and straightforward or what it seemed. Caitlin obviously hadn’t learned that lesson yet, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about being the one to teach her. There was an openness and a warmhearted quality about her—the complete opposite of himself.
    Damn this edginess, he thought angrily. Coming here had seemed like the perfect plan. “I think I’d better call it a night.”
    It was a shock for Caitlin to realize she didn’t want Nico to go. In her twenty-six years, she’d been through the normal ups and downs with men that most women of her age experience. But the strong, instant response to him was unique. He had made no advances to her, but a look from him was as potent as a kiss from any other man she’d known. Involuntarily, her gaze was drawn to his lips. They were strong and firm, and he would know exactly how to use them on a woman. “I’ll go up with you, to make sure you have everything you need.”
    He closed his eyes against the sight of her, but he couldn’t close down the functioning of his brain, and his imagination sprang into overdrive. What would it be like to reach across the table, pull her onto its top, and climb over and into her? Heaven, his body told him. Heaven.
    He stood so quickly he bumped the table. The plates rattled, and an empty glass toppled over, then rolled off the table and crashed to the floor. The sound of the shattering glass was earsplitting in an atmosphere of aroused senses. “It’s not necessary to come up with me. I have what I need, and I can find my own way."
    Disappointed, she walked around the table and reached for his plate.
    “I’ll get it,” he murmured and brushed her hand as he too reached for the plate.
    Her gaze locked with his, and for a moment, Caitlin forgot everything but the strange aching need in her. “I’m just trying to help, Nico.”
    Lord, but her eyes were beautiful, he thought, even with the slight glint of hurt he saw in them. “I know,” he whispered and wondered why he felt he was fighting the inevitable. He lifted his hand, intending to touch her cheek, but quickly dropped it to his side before he could brush the inviting softness. “It’s just that I’m not used to being waited on.”
    “You live alone then?” It was a question she should have asked sooner. But then again, she couldn’t believe his heart could belong to another—not with the hungry way he looked at her.
    “Yes.” He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t think he’d ever wanted to kiss a woman as badly as he wanted to kiss Caitlin. To lick, bite, and taste her until he was sated. To take her, fill her, empty himself into her. And then do it again.
    The tantalizing scent of her skin floated into his brain, momentarily blocking caution. This time he touched her as he lightly stroked his