Anita's Attic: Excerpt Guardians of Stone

Well, M&M'ers, I got busy and didn't have time to write a blog so I thought I'd post a sneak peek at Guardians of Stone, coming December 2012 from Montlake Romance.  I'm getting really excited about the story. Hope you like this excerpt which gives a glimpse of the characters. 

It took fifteen minutes to reach Nathan’s estate in the rolling Virginia hills. She pulled up to the gated entrance. The guard, a man with more muscles in his neck than Kendall had in her whole body, nodded once and let her in. The entire estate was surrounded by an iron fence and protected by an extensive surveillance system. After the mile-long drive in from the gate, she parked in front of the mansion and started up the steps.

Nathan met her at the door, dressed in a suit that probably cost as much as her apartment. His light brown hair was cropped close, and as usual, his handsome face tense. He raked her over once with dark, smoky eyes. “Hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”

“Just a date.” Since she’d started working for him, she hadn’t had one that he hadn’t interrupted. Maybe he was spying on her.

A muscle twitched in his jaw. He hadn’t shaved. The faint shadow made him look sexy. “My apologies.” In the months she’d worked for him, he never laughed, rarely smiled. He was all mystery and no clues. If she wasn’t so busy working on his relics, she’d turn her talents to decoding him. He escorted her inside, through the elaborate atrium that led to his library, adorned with first editions, priceless historical documents and rare art. If Aunt Edna got a glimpse of this place, she’d be hearing wedding bells. It might stop the barrage of personal ads for Hillside, Virginia’s finest bachelors that Kendall had started getting after her aunt discovered email.

Nathan took her coat and handed it to Fergus, who nodded his gray head as if she were royalty. Every inch the British butler. “Miss Kendall, I hope you’re well.”

“Yes, Fergus. Thank you.”

“Lovely dress. Were you at dinner?” He glanced briefly at Nathan, and she thought she saw the barest hint of a frown. He probably realized Nathan had interrupted her meal. Sometimes she wondered if Fergus had his own sixth sense. He seemed to know everything. A good trait for a butler, she supposed.

“Yes, I had dinner.” And had been looking forward to dessert.

“I’m sorry if you had to cut your evening short—“ Nathan’s apology was interrupted when the front door slammed. Fergus hurried out as footsteps rang across the floor.

“Larraby, this had better be good. I left a nice warm bed and a hot—” the man entering the room stopped short when he saw Kendall, “… meal,” he substituted. She knew that wasn’t the word he would have used had she not been there. 

Her senses started tingling as she sized the intruder up. Dangerous. Steel gray eyes met hers, intelligent, calculating, cool. A mask for the anger and insolence lurking inside. She blinked, distancing her mind. She didn’t pry without good reason. After all, she wouldn’t appreciate someone digging around in her thoughts. The stranger’s gaze dropped to her slinky red dress, lingering longer than it should. Kendall squirmed under his appraisal, which was every bit as intrusive as her evaluation had been.

Rumpled dark hair and clothes—black T-shirt and faded jeans—backed up his claim that he’d been in bed. With his looks… probably not alone.

“Kendall, I’d like you to meet Jake Stone. Jake, this is Kendall Morgan. She’s my relic expert.”