Guarding Raine Part 18

Sarah agreed with mock solemnity.

"That's exactly what I keep telling myself."

She nodded toward the house,

"It really looks like things are starting to happen here.

Mac doesn't mess around does he?"

Turning to face the house, Raine agreed dryly, "He makes things happen,

all right, although I'm sure under different circ.u.mstances he does more

than his share of messing around."

Her tone gave the words an fin mistakable connotation, and Sarah widened her eyes in mock disbelief.

"Raine, I'm shocked! You're starting to sound as bad as me!"

She laughed.

"I'm having more of an effect on you than I'd imagined possible."

Quick color flared to Raine's cheeks at her friend's teasing.

The words, as well as the thought itself, had been totally unlike her,

and she wondered uncomfortably where they'd come from.

It wasn't like her to idly speculate about a person's s.e.xual habits, and she certainly hadn't given any conscious thought to Maeauley's.

At least she hadn't believed so until she heard her own words a moment

ago.

She curled her fingers into her palms in sudden tension.

Stress was definitely taking its toll on her.

"I don't see Mac with the others."

Sarah was looking at the men.

"I don't suppose you arranged to have him appear half-nude for me,

too?"

"Sorry."

"Shucks. Something tells me that would definitely be a sight worth

seeing."

She turned to Raine.

"What are you doing out here, anyway? I expected to find you holed up

in your studio all day,"

"I would have been."

Raine sighed.

"But there have been men traipsing through it all morning, so I finally

gave up."

"No wonder you're so glad to see me,"

Sarah remarked idly.

"Since Mac spread the word that your place was off-limits to thestudents, it must seem deserted in there, even with the crew you haveworking."

But Raine didn't hear the last part of the sentence.

"Mac told the students what?"

she asked in a carefully measured tone.

Sarah shot her a look.

"Didn't you know? Imn into Cindy Zener on campus, and she told me.

Apparently Mac called the professors of all the art cla.s.ses you help

with occasionally and told them to spread the word to their students.Everyone was real b.u.mmed out, and of course they didn't understand,since Mac gave the teachers no details. I a.s.sumed it was because hedidn't want to have to deal with a bunch of people tromping in and outof here while so much work was going on. To tell you the truth, Iwasn't all that certain what kind of reception I'd get here myself."

For the first time in her life, Raine could physically feel her blood pressure rising.

The sensation was quite incredible.

She, who had spent most of her childhood doing as she was told, rarely lost her temper.

She hadn't needed to.

And later, when she'd started a.s.serting some independence from her

family, she'd known intuitively that a show of anger wasn'~ going to accomplish anything.

But if she wasn't mistaken, it was anger she was feeling now.

More than that, really.

What she felt was closer to white-hot, boiling rage.

How dare he!

Even after she'd told him repeatedly that he was to consult with her

about any decisions he made, he did this!

Upon the heels of that thought came the memory of the conversation they'd had about just this thing.

He hadn't given her any promises about doing as she had requested.

As a matter of fact, he'd been quite rude about it.

But this settled it.

She and Macauley O'Neill were going to come to terms.

Right now.

"Will you excuse me?"

she said distractedly to Sarah, already striding away.

"I've got to talk to Mac about something."

"Sure."

Sarah waved her away and began to wander in the direction of ashirtless workman.

',I can amuse myself.

" Raine ran up the steps and into the house. She found Mac at the desk he'd had delivered, sitting in front of his laptop computer, speakingon the phone. She stalked across the room and slammed her hands on the desktop, leaning toward him. " You and I need to talk," she saidthrough gritted teeth. " Hang up--now.

" He hadn't turned at her entrance, and he spared her only a glancebefore continuing his conversation. Raine's jaw clenched at hisnonchalance. Here he was rearranging her whole life, and he acted asthough nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He was probablybusily making some other arrangements to make her life even moreunbearable. " Now, Ma-cauley," she repeated firmly. He glanced at heragain, and his mouth flattened in annoyance. " I'll Call you back,Trey.

I have to attend to something.

" He listened for a moment and then said, " W~11, then you call me when you can.

That'd he easier, anyway.

I'm not going anywhere.

" Those words fueled Raine's anger. No, he wasn't going anywhere, washe?

He was staying right here, running her life and being obnoxious aboutthe way he did it. He took his time turning off the phone and settingit down in front of him. Then he turned fully to face her. " What's your problem?