Neesa Hart - Her Passionate Pirate

Becky was shaking out her umbrella. “It’s raining outside. Didn’t you hear the thunder, Liza?”

“Yeah. That’s why I came down here.”

Somewhere in that four-year-old mind, there was logic in that statement. “Does your aunt know where you are?”

Liza shrugged. He took that as a no. He was about to ask for the name of her rabbit when he heard Cora’s voice from the top of the stairs.

“Liza?”

Liza moved quickly to hide behind Rafael’s leg. Cora descended a couple of stairs. “Liza?” She walked down three more, then stopped at the sight of him. “It’s you.” Then she looked at Becky. “And you. What are you doing here?”

“I met with Jerry and Henry Willers yesterday,” he said carefully. Becky remained silent. “There are some things you and I should discuss.” Melody’s tail thumped the foyer carpet.

Cora’s eyebrows lifted. “I thought we were done.”

“Hardly,” he muttered. “Things are getting…complicated.”

She completed her trip down the stairs. When she reached the foyer, she stepped from the shadows into the light. Rafael got his first good look at her that evening. She wore faded jeans that fit far too well and a well-worn college sweatshirt. Her hair was secured in a ponytail. Heat radiated from her. He could feel the lingering raindrops on his skin beginning to sizzle. He inhaled a great breath of her scent. Baby powder and soap, it was far more seductive than any expensive perfume. “The only thing that’s complicated,” she said with a distinct snap in her eyes, “is that you won’t take no for an answer.”

That snap charmed him. “It’s what makes me good at my job.”

“And obnoxious,” she shot back.

He responded with a low whistle. “Do you bite, too?”

That made Becky laugh. “Don’t let her fool you, Dr. Adriano. Cora’s as even-tempered as they come.”

“So I’m the only one who gets under her skin.” He gave Cora an appraising look. “I wonder why?”

Her color heightened. “I have an aversion to pushy men.”

“And I have an affinity for mouthy women.”

Becky stepped between them, laughing. “Okay, okay. This is going nowhere.”

Liza clutched her stuffed rabbit closer and announced, “When Molly and Kaitlin and me fight like that, Mama tells us to separate.”

Rafael winked at her. Cora muttered, “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

“You don’t understand, Cora,” Becky continued. “You aren’t even going to believe what Jerry’s done. At least Dr. Adriano had the decency to tell you about it first.”

Cora frowned. “What’s Jerry got to do with this?”

Becky shook her head. “I think we should sit down.”

Cora resisted. “Don’t you have final exams in a couple of weeks, Becky? Aren’t you supposed to be studying?”

Becky shrugged. “I needed a break. This is more interesting, anyway.”

Cora glared at Adriano. “Did you talk her into this?”

“She volunteered.”

“I’m sure.”

“I did.” Becky nodded vigorously. “I had to come, Cora. Jerry Heath and Henry Willers called a press conference for Monday morning.”

“That soon?” Cora asked.

Becky frowned. “It gets worse. Jerry was so overcome that Dr. Adriano came early, he moved it up to tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” Cora pointed out. “No one’s attending a press conference on a Sunday.” Becky glanced at Rafael. He had the grace to look uncomfortable. “They will if I’m there,” he pointed out. Becky continued, “Jerry and Willers plan to announce that you’ve agreed to let Dr. Adriano participate in the Conrad study.”

Cora’s eyes widened, then she shot an accusing glance at Rafael. “You took the project from me,” she accused.

He silently damned Jerry Heath to hell. “It’s not what you think.”

Becky came to his defense. “I wouldn’t have known at all if Dr. Adriano hadn’t told me. They’re planning to spring it on you tomorrow.”

A rumble of thunder sounded overhead, and Liza yelped, then clutched Rafael’s leg. He leaned down to pick her up. “Worried?” he asked.

“It’s scary,” Liza whispered.

“My mother used to say the noise was the sound of angels bowling in heaven.”

Another loud rumble followed. Liza buried her face against his neck. “Then why are they so loud?”

“Liza,” Cora said. “You’re supposed to be upstairs in bed.”

Liza peered at her. “He knocked on the door.”

Cora ignored that. “Kaitlin said you could sleep in her bed tonight.”

“I don’t want to go bed.”

“Molly and Kaitlin are waiting for you.”

Liza’s jaw set in a stubborn line. “No. I don’t like going to bed.” She patted Rafael’s chest. “He doesn’t, either.”

Cora gave him a dry look. “Is that so?”

“I said I didn’t like to sleep. I didn’t say anything about going to bed.” Before Cora could respond, he tickled Liza’s ribs. “Tell you what, Liza, will you go to bed if I tell you a story?”

Her look was skeptical. “What kind of story?”

“What kind of stories do you like?”

She seemed to consider it for a long moment. “Can it have a pirate in it?”

“Sure.”

“And a dog?”

“Absolutely. A dog named Melody.” At the sound of her name, Melody got to her feet, then followed him when he started toward the stairs.

“And ice cream?”

“What flavor?” He shot Cora a silent invitation as he started up the stairs. Cora mumbled something to Becky, then fell into step behind them.

Liza pursed her lips. “I like chocolate.”

“Not pickle?”

Liza’s face scrunched. “Eeeew.”

“What about cabbage?”

“There’s no such thing as cabbage ice cream.”

“You sure?”

“Sure. That’s gross.”

He reached the top of the stairs, then met Cora’s gaze above Liza’s head. Raising a hand, Cora indicated the room to the right of the landing. He headed down the hall. “All right, chocolate. If it has a pirate, a dog and chocolate ice cream, do you promise to go to bed?”

“What if the thunder comes back?”

The storm was nearly over. The thunder already sounded distant. “Then you can get up,” he promised.

Liza laid her head against his chest. “Okay.”

The door was open and soft light spilled into the hallway. Rafael entered the room to find Molly and Kaitlin having a quiet argument over a book.

“I want to read it,” Molly insisted.

“You can’t,” her sister said. “It’s mine.”

“Girls,” Cora said from the door. “I told you to share the book. Molly, Kaitlin’s letting you sleep in her room. Let her have the book back.”

Molly hesitated, then released the book. “How come she always gets her way?” she demanded.

Kaitlin glared at Cora. “I don’t have to share it if I don’t want to. Mama gave it to me. It’s mine.”

Rafael saw Cora close her eyes in weary acquiescence. She hadn’t followed him into the room. Instead, she leaned against the doorjamb. “Fine,” she said quietly. “Just quit fighting about it.”

He set Liza on the bed and waited for her to scramble beneath the covers next to Molly. When she and the stuffed rabbit were properly settled, he looked at Kaitlin. “Your sister requested a story. Is that all right with you?”

Kaitlin stared at him, wide-eyed. A rumble of thunder had Liza clutching the covers and pleading with her. “Please, Kaitlin. He said he’d put a pirate in it.”

Rafael nodded. “And a dog named Melody.”

Melody had followed them upstairs. She now rubbed against his leg. He scratched her ears until she dropped to the floor and thumped her tail on the carpet.

“I’m too old for bedtime stories,” Kaitlin informed him carefully.