Kate Hoffmann - Declan

“I’m sure she appreciates that,” Dec said. He tossed the magazine on the table, then grabbed his cell phone from his breast pocket, distractedly scrolling through the missed calls. “So what do you think of her? I mean, she’s hot, right?”

“Hot?”

“Yeah,” Dec said. “Hell, the first time I met her I thought, this woman is a total hottie. She was dressed in this-”

“I’m not interested in Professor Merrill’s…hotness. She’s a colleague.”

“But you’re a guy. You must have noticed. I see how you look at her. Hey, I don’t blame you. There’s no harm in looking.”

“I’m a happily married man,” Ellsworth said.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Declan knew they were a bald-faced lie. There was no emotion behind the statement, nothing that would make Dec believe Daniel Ellsworth preferred his wife’s company to Rachel’s. Suddenly, Dec had a suspect, a man who had something to gain from Rachel’s fear. Perhaps he’d hoped that she’d confide in him, ask for his help or his protection.

Dec made a mental note to have his staff do a background check on Ellsworth. Every ounce of his experience told him that there was something not quite right about the guy.

“You know, I’m surprised Rachel didn’t mention you,” Ellsworth said, twirling a pencil back and forth through his fingers. “It’s odd, isn’t it?”

“Does Dr. Merrill usually confide in you about her personal life?” Dec asked.

“You answered a question with a question. Is there some reason why you don’t want to answer my question?”

“Actually, your question seemed rhetorical. And I’m wondering why it would make a difference to you.”

“I protect Dr. Merrill’s interests here on campus,” he said. “I look out for her. I make sure she knows everything that’s happening, what people are talking about, who’s getting grant money, where certain professors are being published next. I consider myself something of a mentor to her.”

Dec snatched up another magazine, this time the Journal of American Psychology, then tossed it down. “I guess I’m not going to find Sports Illustrated in here. Or Rolling Stone.”

“Popular culture is the opiate of the masses,” Ellsworth muttered, turning back to his papers.

Dec chuckled. “Did you just make that up?”

“No. Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer first posited the idea. They said that pop culture is like a factory producing goods designed to manipulate the masses into passivity. Pop culture makes people happy and content, no matter how dire their circumstances.”

“Interesting,” Dec said, nodding. “Tell me something. Have you been sitting under any trees lately?”

Ellsworth raised his eyebrow. “No.”

“That’s odd. Because I’m trying to figure out where you picked up that big old stick that’s stuck up your butt.”

At that moment, Rachel strolled back into the office and smiled at them both. “Sorry, that took a little longer than I anticipated.” She walked back to the work table and picked up a page of the manuscript. “Now, where were we?”

Ellsworth shoved his chair back and stood. “Perhaps we should go through this when you don’t have any distractions. Call me and we’ll meet for coffee.” With that, the man strode out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Rachel glanced over at Dec, a frown wrinkling her brow. “Did you say something to him?”

Dec shrugged. “No. We were just having a pleasant conversation. Getting to know each other. You’re aware that he has a thing for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s married. I know his wife. Our relationship is strictly professional.”

Dec shook his head. “Don’t be so sure. I watched him-watching you. You and him haven’t ever been an item, have you?”

“No,” she insisted. “We knew each other in graduate school. We used to belong to the same study group. When he heard about the opening here, he called and put in a good word for me. We’re colleagues and nothing more. He’s a dear friend. And you’re wrong if you think he’d do anything to hurt me.”

“It’s my job not to be wrong about these things. I’m going to have my staff check him out. I want to get a look into his background.”

“No!” Rachel cried. “I won’t have you digging up dirt on him just to soothe your suspicions.”

“What about this Simon guy? What do you know about him?”

“He’s my graduate assistant. He has been for almost two years now. Dr. Ellsworth sent him over and he’s handling my work very well.”

“So he reports to Ellsworth?”

“No, he reports to me. You’re acting like this is some conspiracy,” Rachel said.

“I know how competitive this academic atmosphere can be. How success is measured by the influence of the people you know. Are you sure that Ellsworth is looking after your interests? Or does he keep you close because of some other motive?”

Rachel grabbed her purse and spun on him. “Enough. I don’t care how long you’ve been doing your job, this time you’re wrong. Now, I have other errands to do on campus and then I’d like to get some dinner. If you’d like to stay here, fine. But if you’re coming with me, we’re not going to talk about this any longer.”

Dec followed her to the door, then grabbed her arm and drew her back inside the office. He shut the door and she leaned back against it as he braced his hands on either side of her head. “Does he know you work at the station? Does he know you’re Dr. Lillian Devine?” Rachel opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. She didn’t need to answer. He could see the reply written on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Rachel ducked under his arm and crossed the office, then leaned up against the work table. “Because I knew you’d suspect him. We were working late one night and we got to talking and I decided to confide in him. He promised he’d never tell anyone and we haven’t spoken of it since.”

“To your knowledge, he hasn’t told anyone.”

She bit her lower lip as she considered what he was saying. “Not to my knowledge,” she murmured. She sat down on the sofa and tucked her feet up beneath her. Suddenly, Dec regretted being so harsh. Her expression was filled with doubt and confusion-about a person she considered a close friend. “I also told him about my stalker and he seemed genuinely concerned.”

Dec sat down beside her and slipped his arm around her shoulders. Rachel leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He sometimes became so intent on doing his job that he forgot she was as confused and troubled about her situation as he was. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Rachel rested her hand on his chest. “I-I guess there could be a chance,” she said.

Dec drew back. “What do you mean?”

“The dean named me to a very prestigious committee about six months ago. Everyone assumed that Daniel would get the position. He was so happy for me. And he really didn’t have time to do the work since he has a big research grant he’s dealing with.”

“All right,” Dec said. “At least you’re being honest with me now.”

Rachel looked up at him and he saw the tears swimming in her eyes. He did the first thing he could think of to make her feel better-he kissed her. Rachel’s lips parted and gently, Dec delved into her mouth, enjoying the taste of her.

As they lost themselves in the kiss, Dec realized that it was getting much more difficult to be objective about Rachel’s case. His growing affection for her was muddling his brain and distracting his attentions. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. She happened into his life and he wasn’t about to walk away without exploring the possibilities.

“Come on,” he murmured, his lips brushing hers. “I’ll take you to lunch.”

But Rachel wasn’t ready to leave. She pushed up on her knees, then straddled his lap, looking deeply into his eyes. “I don’t want to feel this way,” she said.

Dec gazed at her pretty face, smoothing his fingers along her cheek. Leaning forward, he kissed her again. “This way?”

She shook her head. “No. Scared. I can’t relax. I’m not sure who I can trust. I thought this was some stranger, but now, I don’t know. Now, I’m going to be suspicious of everyone.”

“Let me do that,” he whispered.

“I just want to get out of here,” Rachel said.

“Where do you want to eat?”

“No, I mean out of town. Away from this. I don’t have anything going on for the next few days. Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. Can’t I just go away and find some place where I don’t have to worry about this? I promise, I won’t let anyone know where I am. And I’ll call in every hour if you want.”

Dec shook his head. “Nope. But if you want to get out of town, I’ll take you. We’ll go back to the apartment, pack a bag and go.”

Her expression brightened. “Where?”

“I have a friend with a place up in Maine. Near Southport. It’s quiet, private and right on the water. We can spend a few days there. We’ll sneak out in my car and I’ll have a couple of my guys watch your place while we’re gone. Maybe your stalker will get desperate and make a mistake.”

Rachel crawled off his lap, her demeanor suddenly much more relaxed. Right now, that’s all that Dec could ask for-a way to make Rachel Merrill happy. That had become the most important objective in his life for the moment and for the next few days, perhaps he could relax a bit as well.

THEY MADE THEIR ESCAPE without incident, leaving Rachel’s car in the underground garage and heading out of town in Dec’s BMW. Just to be sure they weren’t followed, Declan took a circuitous route out to the interstate. By the time they were headed north, Rachel felt her fears abate.

They passed most of the four-hour drive chatting about inconsequential things-music, books, movies-each of them learning the basics that most couples might cover on the first few dates. In truth, Rachel was glad for the time to know more about Declan-or Dec as he preferred to be called. It only confirmed what she already knew-that he was exactly the kind of man she’d always wanted to meet.

But though the tensions seemed to ease as they got farther away from Providence, Rachel began to wonder whether it was the best idea to spend two nights completely alone in a cabin with a man she found so sexually arousing.

She’d made a decision to take things slowly with Dec, to proceed in a very deliberate manner and not rush headlong into physical gratification. But that plan would probably go out the window once they were stranded out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but think about sex, sex and more sex.

“My parents used to bring me to Maine when I was a kid,” Rachel said, staring out the window toward the rocky coastline. “They rented a cottage up near Penobscot. My sisters and I used to love those vacations.”

“Are your folks still alive?”

Rachel nodded. “My father is a therapist in Manhattan and my mother teaches at Columbia. She’s a professor of sociology. I have an older sister who is an orthopedic surgeon in California and another sister who works as an engineer in the aerospace industry. I’m kind of the black sheep in the family.”

“You’re a professor,” he said.

“But not tenured,” she said. “And my parents have never really approved of my field of study. They don’t consider it very serious or important. I think they hoped I might find a cure for the common cold or discover a new source of energy.”

“Why did you choose sex?” Declan asked.

“Human relationships fascinate me,” she said. “Especially the battle between intellect and instinct. I started studying animals, but then gradually, I realized that humans were much more interesting.”

“So I suppose you hear some pretty crazy things?” Dec asked.

Rachel shook her head. “Some people just look at sex in a different way. Outside the norm. Which doesn’t mean they’re abnormal, just different.”

“You can’t tell me a guy obsessed with women’s feet is normal.”

Rachel shrugged. “You like breasts, he likes feet. What’s the difference?”

“Breasts are…breasts,” Dec said. “They’re sexy and fun to touch.”

Rachel slipped her foot out of her sandal, then twisted in her seat, resting her ankle across his thigh. “Go ahead,” she teased.

He took her foot in one hand and gently began to massage it. His thumbs worked at the muscles in the ball of her foot, then rubbed at each of her toes. Rachel moaned softly and tipped her head back. “That’s very nice,” she whispered as she set her other foot on his lap. “Oh, yeah, that feels good. Do the other.”

Dec chuckled. “Is this arousing you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she teased, tipping her head back again and moaning softly. “Is it arousing you?”

He paused and Rachel opened her eyes, watching him with a playful look. “Yeah, a little,” he admitted.