Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

moving over his body. Even in his elegant, perfectly fitting suit, he knew he wasn’t much to look at. He had the physique of a bodybuilder, impossible to hide. His tapered waist and narrow hips only exaggerated the bulk of his chest, arms and shoulders. His eyes were penetrating and deep blue-green, almost an aqua, his natural color. He normally wore tinted contacts, but it had been necessary to give a little of himself to this woman. What there was left of him—and it wasn’t much.
    “Yes, I’m Judith Henderson. I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long. I was held up at the studio and didn’t have a number to reach you. I’m so sorry.”
    A man would forgive this woman anything, especially when she looked at him with such obvious sincerity. Her eyes were enough to drown a man. He slowed his breathing and took control of his rapidly beating heart. He sent her a smile—a real one. Her head jerked up and she blinked rapidly, a sign that his crooked smile had an effect on her.
    He found he didn’t want to play her, not the way he did other marks, but every move was smooth and practiced, traits drilled into him since childhood. He hadn’t been the most handsome man in their school; he’d been too rough and edgy to be called that, but he had undeniable charm and a hard, muscular body a woman couldn’t help noticing. Sometimes, the scars on his face and body were a deterrent, but more often, women found them intriguing.
    “No problem. Sea Haven is beautiful. I spent the time wandering around. You’d said you might be a few minutes late and it gave me the opportunity to look at the gallery location. Sea Haven certainly appears to be everything the advertisement said.”
    “If you’re looking for a place to raise a family,” Judith said, “this is the perfect place.”
    He flashed another smile. “No family. I just decided I wanted out of the rat race. At my age, peace begins to look good.”
    “You’re from New York?” She moved up to the gallery door, taking out a set of keys.
    There was no wasted effort. Every movement was graceful. He stepped close enough to inhale her fragrance. Exotic. Citrus. All woman. Stefan had been in the company of beautiful women more times than he could count over the years, but she was the first one to capture his interest—not the interest of the undercover agent, but of the man. It was a complication unwelcome but not entirely a shock. He knew from his reaction to her photograph that this assignment was going to give him trouble. He just hadn’t realized until this moment how much.
    “Yes. I was a silent partner in a gallery there, but decided I had enough of taxis and parties. I read about this town some years ago and filed it away. The town sounded so charming and unique, an artist’s paradise.”
    “An article?” she prompted with a small smile over her shoulder as she pushed the door to the gallery open and stepped aside to gesture him inside.
    Gallantly, and because he was always uncomfortable with anyone directly behind him, Stefan stepped back to hold the door for her. “Yes, on a supermodel who grew up here. The writer had obviously fallen a little bit in love with the town as well. There were beautiful pictures of the countryside, and the ocean with the sun shining on the surface.”
    She flicked on the lights as she turned to face him. Her skin looked inviting, soft and so warm he curled his fingers into a fist and held it tight against his thigh to keep from being tempted into touching her inappropriately. The woman needed to be outlawed.
    “That would be Hannah Drake. Her family has been here for over a hundred years. I’m not certain, after New York, our sleepy little town would have all that much to offer you. There’s not really a night life here, Mr. Vincent. Everything closes up rather early.”
    He kept his wolfish smile to himself. Sweet little Judith had her suspicions. Now why would an innocent woman be in the least skeptical about a buyer wanting to live in her quaint, charming town? She looked the epitome of cooperation, every graceful movement soothing. Her steps were unhurried as she moved through the spacious, beautiful gallery toward what clearly was an office. One would never think they were in a chess match with such a beautiful, soothing woman gracing the gallery.
    He indicated the deserted street. “Doesn’t look like a night life, but I noticed a crowd moving around in the store two doors down.”
    “Every third Friday