A Stranger's Kiss

the faintest of blushes Tara sipped the wine. ‘This really is very good.’
    ‘Yes. I bought a few cases on a trip to Bordeaux a while back.’
    ‘And you keep it here?’ she asked, surprised.
    ‘This was the site of an old public house. There are very old cellars that run right under the road.’ He eyed her sideways. ‘The owner of this place lets me keep all my wine in them.’
    Tara nodded. ‘The Queen’s Head. I remember them uncovering the cellars during the excavations but I assumed the developers would have filled them in.’
    ‘You speak sacrilege, Tara Lambert. Good cellars are hard to find.’
    ‘It’s not a subject that crops up in my line of business. You must know the owner pretty well if you trust him with your personal wine stock,’ she said. ‘Especially if it’s all as good as this.’
    Adam Blackmore smiled slightly. ‘I suppose you could say we’re pretty close.’
    The waitress whisked their plates away and Adam asked if she would like a pudding.
    She shook her head.
    ‘Coffee?’
    ‘No, thank you. That was delicious, but I’ve eaten far too much already. And I really must go.’ He signed the bill, brushing aside her insistence that she pay for her meal and unwound from the bench. He had seemed dangerous seated, but standing, facing her, she was able to truly appreciate the wide, square shoulders and the fact that he topped her own five feet and seven by a good six inches.
    He helped her on with her coat, the touch of his hand on her shoulder sending an unexpected lick of heat through her body. The urgency of it shocked and disturbed her and she moved quickly away, grabbing for her umbrella to cover her agitation. When she turned back he had opened the door for her.
    ‘Thank you, Adam. For everything.’
    ‘Everything? Are quite you sure about that?’ He laughed softly at her confusion, then took the hand she had offered politely and tucked it under his arm. ‘I’ll walk you home. Just in case your erstwhile pursuer has decided to hang around,’ he added, before she could object.
    A small stab of disquiet fluttered in her abdomen. ‘There’s no need. He’s not dangerous,’ she assured him.
    ‘No. Just a nuisance.’ His voice was cool. ‘I won’t be. Which way?’
    ‘But you haven’t a coat,’ she objected. It wasn’t especially cold for early March. But cold enough. He ignored her objection, simply waiting for her to answer his question. ‘It’s this way. At least it’s stopped raining.’
    ‘So it has and the fresh air is welcome.’
    Fresh? She wondered if he indulged in cold showers for fun but didn’t voice the thought. The idea of Adam Blackmore in a shower of any sort was far too disturbing and she made an effort to pull herself together.
    ‘After a day behind your desk?’ she asked, moderately satisfied with the light bantering tone she achieved.
    ‘After a day behind my desk,’ he agreed and then smiled and she knew that he hadn’t been fooled for a minute.
    ‘It’s along here.’ They walked up the side street until they reached the courtyard which had once housed the mews for a great house long since demolished. The stables, coach house and quarters above had been converted into small attractive apartments and Tara’s small first floor flat had been her home, her refuge, for six years. As they climbed the steps to the first floor walkway she wondered if she had been quite mad to risk it all on a business venture when she could be earning a good salary working for someone else. Someone like Jim. She suppressed a shudder at the thought.
    Adam looked around. ‘This is unexpected. I thought everything old had long since disappeared in Maybridge.’
    ‘The developers have done their best but there are still some gems and this was somehow overlooked in the rush to modernise. Maybe it wasn’t big enough for a car park,’ she added drily.
    Adam held out his hand for her key and after the slightest hesitation she surrendered it. He slid it into the lock and pushed the door open for her. She paused in the entrance and turned to face him. Risk seemed to be in the air. ‘Can I offer you a cup of coffee?’ she offered, tentatively.
    ‘You’re safely home, Tara. I think perhaps you’ve taken enough chances for one day.’ Heavy lids cloaked the expression in his eyes but his mouth curved into a crooked smile. ‘Goodnight.’
    He turned and was gone. His feet clattered briskly down the steps and she heard them ringing along the old