Passion's Dream (The Doms of Passion Lake Book 1) Read Free Page B

blueprints,” Burke responded.  He reached into his jacket pocket and held out an American Express card.  “Use this to buy whatever additional equipment you feel you need.  If you leave tonight that would give you nearly two days to get things set up to your specifications.”
    Clay took the card.  “I don’t like lying to her,” he said.
    “If she finds out I hired you to protect her from Richard, she’s stubborn enough to just turn around and fly back to San Francisco and put herself right back in danger.  Unless…”
    Clay’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.  “Unless what?”
    Burke met his gaze squarely.  “Unless you give her a good reason to stay.”
    Clay just stared back at him incredulously.  “You old goat, you are matchmaking!”  He got up to leave, adjusting his Stetson on his head.  He’d known this was going to be a colossal waste of time.  He never should have allowed his curiosity to overrule his common sense.  “I’m outta here.”
    “Sit down, Clay.  Please.”  Again Burke took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose, waiting patiently for Clay to resume his seat.  Then he put his glasses back on and sank back into the sumptuous padding of his leather chair.
    “For the past three years I’ve watched Leah go about reclaiming her life after her fiasco of a marriage with Richard.  And for all intents and purposes, she has done just that.  She’s successful, she has plenty of friends, lots of interests.  But it’s all surface.  As if she’s been on automatic pilot this whole time, with no real emotional connection to anyone or anything.  She doesn’t date.  Seems to have no interest in men.”
    Clay snorted.  “This surprises you?  After what Richard Gordon put her through?”
    “It’s not Richard.  It’s not even normal caution after being burned.  No, this is different.” Burke shook his head.  “Something is missing, the desire, even the need to connect emotionally with someone.  Ever since I told her my P.I. couldn’t find you, it’s like she’s been in some kind of”…he shrugged, gesturing vaguely…“I don’t know, deep mourning.  As if she’d lost something precious with no hope of ever getting it back, and she’s struggling to live life without it.”
    “Yeah, her asshole of a husband.”
    “No,” Burke persisted.  “It’s something else.  Sometimes I catch her just staring out into space, her face soft and almost glowing, a tiny smile hovering around her lips, as if she’s remembering something beautiful.  And then”…one shoulder lifted…“then this look of utter despair kind of sneaks up on her, stealing that smile and replacing it with an expression so sad it rips my heart out.”
    “Again, her asshole of a husband.”
    “Trust me, she has never looked that way when thinking of Richard.  In fact, I’ve only seen that expression one other time on one other face.”
    Clay didn’t want to ask.  He was not going to ask.  “Whose?” he asked.
    “Yours.  Just now.  When you saw Leah’s picture.”
    Clay froze.
    The older man leaned forward over his desk.  “Something happened that day on the beach.  Something rare and precious that has, I see now, haunted you both ever since.”
    “You’re wrong.”
    “I don’t think so.  Because I saw another expression on your face, too, just now, when you saw Leah’s picture.”
    “Yeah?  What’s that?”
    “Hope.”
    Clay just sighed.  “It’ll never work.  I’m a sexual dominant.  She just came out of an abusive relationship with a controlling asshole.  I’d scare the shit out of someone like Leah.”
    Burke nodded.  “True, you’re a dominant.  But you’re not a sadist.  And you’ve never harmed a woman, not even when administering punishments.”  At Clay’s startled look, he just smiled.  “You think that just because you’re my cousin—”
    “Only by marriage.”
    “—that I haven’t had you thoroughly checked out?  I know, for