Taken by Storm. Rochelle Alers
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while open shelves put dishes and decorative serving pieces on display. A country-style table with seating for eight was duplicated with a smaller round one in the cozy nook surrounded by a trio of windows with seating for six. Clay pots filled with flowering plants and herbs lined window ledges, countertops and tables.
"I'd like for you to show me your place now," he said in a quiet tone.
"Where would you like to begin?"
"Upstairs."
"Follow me." Her sock-covered feet were silent as she led the way out of the kitchen. Simone showed Rafe the master bedroom with a king-size antique iron bed and a massive mirrored armoire painted a sunny-yellow. Pale honeycomb shades at tall, narrow windows were raised to let in the bright afternoon sunlight. Framed Audubon prints of birds and flowers and a white vase filled with ferns and lilacs stood out in stark relief to the soft, light colors in an adjoining sitting room.
Crossing the room, she opened a door. "This is my bathroom."
Rafe peered in, feeling as if he'd stepped back in time. A claw-foot tub, a deep upholstered chair in rose-pink toile, floral wallpaper and period scones infused the bathroom with an undeniable sense of femininity. He skirted a white, shaggy rug, lowered and locked the window before raising it again. Pale green sheers billowed in the warm breeze coming in through the screen. The ivy spilling over the sides of clay pots lining the fireplace mantel matched the delicate design on the wallpaper.
His bedroom, the bathroom where he'd showered and Simone's bedroom and bath had fireplaces. "Do all of the rooms have fireplaces?" he asked.
Simone smiled. "Yes."
"How old is this house?"
Simone felt a spark of excitement for the first time that day. She didn't have any children, so she'd focused a lot of attention on refurbishing and decorating her home. "It'll be one hundred next year."
"Did you move here before or after you were married?"
She stared at Rafe as if he'd spoken a foreign language. "What did you say?" Her reaction seemed to amuse him. He was grinning at her as if she'd told a joke, not asked a question.
"What did you say?" he mimicked. Without warning, he sobered. "I'll indulge you this one time, but I don't like repeating myself, Simone. I asked you if you'd moved into this house before or after you married Anthony Kendrick."
His earlier statement came rushing back. I know everything—well, almost everything—about you. Simone wanted to scream at the man standing inches from her. It'd been less than six hours since she'd become the only eyewitness to a horrific crime and already the government had a file on her. And Rafe hadn't been bluffing when he raised the possibility of her being charged with obstruction of justice. When interrogated by one of the federal prosecutors, she'd been warned that her failure to assist in bringing Ian Benton to justice would result in her being charged with obstruction, punishable by up to five years in a federal prison.
"After," she admitted reluctantly.
"How long were you married?"
A shadow of annoyance crossed her face. "You tell me, Rafe. You claim you know everything about me."
"I could easily find out."
"Then you do that. Now, if you're finished interrogating me, we'll continue with the tour."
Clasping his hands behind his back, Rafe trailed behind Simone as she made her way to the first floor. Her hands were curled into tight fists, her shoulders pulled up in a defensive gesture. He'd deliberately goaded her to see whether she was quick or slow to anger. He was mildly surprised because she hadn't shouted or lost her temper. What she'd exhibited was controlled rage that compressed her lips, flared her delicate nostrils and caused her breasts to rise and fall heavily under the oversized T-shirt.
Keven had warned him that she was a live one, and she was. Standing only five-three in her bare feet, she'd faced a killer with a can of pepper spray and won. He remembered his grandfather telling him that it wasn't the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog when he'd come home with a black eye after fighting with a boy twice his size who'd attempted to take his lunch money. He'd held on to his money after giving the wannabe thug a bloody nose, split lip and two black eyes. It was the first and last time Raphael Madison used his fists to protect himself and his property.
Simone led him into the room she'd set up as an office/library. A bleached pine antique secretary was littered with invoices. An open planner displayed entries for two weeks. A laptop, printer and PDA occupied another corner of the desk. Floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases provided a place for books, framed prints and decorative objects ranging from marble busts to painted ceramic vases.
A leather steamer trunk doubled as a coffee table and was the perfect place for a plant with large red flowers in a shiny copper pot. Striped and solid pillows in coffee-brown and eggshell were nestled attractively on loveseats covered in Haitian cotton, which faced each other. Canvas shades at a quartet of windows let in streams of bright sunlight.
Rafe approached the fireplace. The grate behind a decorative screen was filled with fresh bundled herbs rather than wood; he stared at an array of framed sepia, black-and-white and colored family photographs on the mantelpiece. He focused on one of Simone in a gown and hood and another of her with a group of young women wearing royal-blue T-shirts with white Greek letters across the front.
"Are you finished here?" Simone asked softly behind him.
He pulled his gaze away from the photographs. "You pledged a sorority." His question was more of a statement.
She smiled. "Yes, I did."
"Are you still in contact with your sisters?"
"A few of us get together around Christmastime." A neutral expression replaced her smile. Simone was trying to be polite without revealing more than he'd read in her file. As it was, he knew more about her personal life than most. The exception was her family.
Continuing with the tour, Simone opened mahogany pocket doors separating the living and dining rooms that brought together an array of red and white patterns against a neutral backdrop. Rafe found her home lovely, as lovely as the woman who owned it.
"I like your home."
"So, do I," she confirmed without a hint of modesty. "It's taken me a long time to restore it, and I'm still not finished."
Rafe moved closer until their shoulders were within inches of touching, the top of Simone's head coming to his shoulder. "What more do you want to do to it?"
Tilting her head, Simone met his gaze. Rafe stood close enough for her to feel the heat from his body, close enough for her to detect the subtle, tantalizing scent of a very masculine cologne, and much too close for her to feel comfortable knowing it would be just the two of them living in proximity for who knew how many weeks, or even months. Although she'd told herself that Raphael Madison wasn't her type, she had to acknowledge that he was drop-dead gorgeous.
"I'd like to replace some of the furniture with antiques."
Rafe flashed a sheepish grin. "Anything made before 1950 is antique to me."
Simone couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "I don't think so, mister," she drawled. "If it's from the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and late nineteenth centuries, then definitely yes. Certain twentieth-century pieces would take their place in antique and collectible history before the end of this century."
Rafe decided the topic of antiques was preferable to arguing with Simone. Whenever she talked about something she liked, the sound of her voice changed. The register deepened to where it resembled a sensual textured husky timbre.
His eyes widened appreciably as he took in everything about her in one, sweeping glance. She was a cat—a sensual, purring feline with her reddish-brown hair and glowing eyes. He'd grown up with an assortment of farm animals, but it was the cats, he discovered, that were the most elusive and unpredictable. They'd climb up on his lap wanting to be stroked, then without warning either flee or sink their claws into his flesh, leaving him wondering what