Read Online Relentless Adversary by Jayne Castle - Free Book Online Page B

her and there is no crime to report anyway?"
    "I'm listening."
    She threw him a stony glance, uncertain of his meaning.
    "Are you telling me, by any chance, that you're open to a bribe?" she hazarded dryly.
    "Are you offering one?"
    "No. I don't have anything with which to bribe you," she shot back scornfully.
    "Don't you?"
    "Would you mind very much if we cut out the cat-and-mouse business?"
    He hesitated as if thinking over the request. "Answer a couple of questions first and then I'll tell you whether or not I'll cut out the fencing."
    She inclined her head once in a regal acceptance of his terms.
    "Was it you who fooled around with the data base or was someone else using your password?"
    "I'm quite guilty," she informed him calmly.
    Something flickered in the jade gaze, but she couldn't decipher it.
    "Did you embezzle from Forrester Stereo?" The question was clipped and cool.
    "No."
    "Then why—"
    "That particular question I don't intend to answer," she interrupted brusquely. "I will only give you my word that no money is missing from Forrester's account."
    "You must have had a reason for all those changes," he began, sounding faintly irritated.
    "I did. The reason has been taken care of. No one's been hurt. And you needn't bother with any more questions along this line. I'm not going to answer them," she snapped crisply.
    "Lacking a reasonable explanation from you, I probably should go straight to Helen," he pointed out.
    Kelly swallowed. "I'll resign on Monday if that will satisfy your sense of justice."
    His jaw hardened andhe walked slowly toward her, coming to a halt a foot away.
    "You'd resign over this rather than explain yourself to me?" he growled, one hand snagging her chin and holding her face very still.
    Kelly nodded.
    "What if I said I'd go to Helen in any case?" he went on grimly.
    "You mean whether or not I resign?" she whispered, trying to shield the tumult he was causing in her mind as she contemplated that.
    "Yes."
    "You don't give an inch, do you? What is it you want, Locke? You've implied there's a way out of this. . . ."
    "There is." He smiled challengingly, provokingly. "It will be interesting to see whether the escape clause is more acceptable to you than having Helen find out someone's been tampering with her financial data."
    "Go on," she charged forcefully, holding his gaze bravely.
    "You don't lack nerve, do you, woman?" he mused.

    "I think you would crush me if I did."
    "That's not true," he said gently. "But I probably would handle you a lot differently."
    "Are you going to tell me your solution to the situation?" she asked tersely.
    "It's simple enough. Marry me and I'll go back into the computer and wipe out all your little paw prints."
    "Marry you!" Dumbfounded, Kelly could only stare up into the implacable face of her nemesis.
    He waited in hard silence, watching the play of emotions across her face.
    "You don't lack nerve either, do you, Locke Chan-ning?" she muttered incredulously.
    "Fencing still requires courage, even these days when death isn't the ultimate penalty for losing," he reminded her whimsically.
    "You think marrying me will be like entering a fencing bout?" she rasped, trying to assimilate what was happening.
    "Initially, yes," he confirmed flatly.
    Kelly stood transfixed a moment longer and then stepped firmly out of his reach. He didn't follow. From three feet away she glared at him.
    "All right, Locke, let's have the whole thing out in the open. Why should you be willing to offer me this particular escape?"
    "I made up my mind to many you that first day when I walked into your office and found you waiting for me with such cool challenge in those lovely blue eyes. If this mess with the computer hadn't popped up so conveniently, I would have bided my time a bit longer before asking you. This way things are moving a little faster than they would have otherwise," he explained casually. "But the end result will be the same."
    "You seem quite certain I'll take you up on your