The Devil You Know. Laurie Paige

the room. She wore white slacks and a white silk shirt with turquoise stones around her neck and dangling from her earrings. Her summer-blond hair was sleek and held back from her face with a black band. She looked like a princess.

      After daintily covering a yawn, she glanced at the couple with a smile. “You two are in good humor this morning.”

      “Join us,” Adam invited, rising and holding a chair for her. “Coffee?”

      “Please.”

      He brought her a steaming cup of the delicious gourmet blend, then inquired about her preferences in food. Roni tried not to get angry about his attentiveness as he served Geena the single slice of toast she’d requested and placed the container of marmalade close at hand.

      “My, aren’t we the gentleman this morning?” she said and immediately regretted the acid drip on her tongue.

      “I’ve always found Adam to be perfectly charming.” Geena smiled into Adam’s eyes, her sexy perusal meant for him alone.

      Roni experienced the uncomfortable feeling a person got when with others who obviously would have preferred that she disappear so they could have privacy.

      Her chin went up. She gazed out at the lawn. “Are you two going to play tennis this morning?”

      “I thought we would go for a walk by the river. There are some beautiful rose arbors on the estate.” She glanced at Roni. “You might enjoy them, too.”

      “No, thanks. Roses make me sneeze.”

      Adam frowned at that, but Roni didn’t change her story. He was probably recalling all the flowers in her yard. Well, she did take allergy pills when ragweed was in season. At any rate, Scott was her host. She would wait for him.

      Thirty minutes later, the couple left her at the table. She watched them cross the tennis court and stroll down the sloping lawn. Geena slipped her hand into the crook of his arm before they disappeared among the trees that lined the river.

      At nine, Mr. Masterson appeared, gulped down a cup of coffee, then headed out for a golf game. He told her his wife took breakfast in her room and answered her mail in the mornings, that his son didn’t usually get up before ten on the weekend and that she should feel free to watch television, read or do whatever she wished until they all met for lunch at one at the country club.

      He was a nice man, she reflected after he left. Going to the other room, she read financial magazines until Scott appeared. “Shall we see if we can catch up with the other two?” he asked, bringing a muffin and glass of orange juice to the library with him.

      “Sure.”

      They headed for the river as soon as he finished. There they found Adam and Geena sitting on a bench beneath a bower of white roses. They were just about to kiss, or so it seemed to Roni.

      “Hey,” Scott said, not at all embarrassed at coming upon the other couple. “Knock it off, you two. It’s too early for that sort of thing.”

      The older couple laughed as they leisurely drew back. Roni indicated the stain on Adam’s jaw near his mouth. “Is that your favorite shade of lipstick for daytime wear?” she teased, hiding an unwarranted possessiveness. Adam wasn’t hers. And never would be, according to him.

      His eyes met hers. For a second she thought she saw regret in those gray depths and something that seemed warm and sensual and concerned. Then the impression was gone.

      He might be here on a case, but that didn’t mean his reactions to Geena weren’t sincere. The thought hurt, but she had to face it. The other woman was lovely, smart and sophisticated. Why wouldn’t Adam be attracted to her?

      He wiped his hand across his face and glanced at the resultant smear. “Yes, I think it is.” His grin at Geena was sexy and intimate.

      Geena removed a tissue from her pocket and gently wiped the color away. “There,” she said. “Now we won’t embarrass our young guest.”

      Roni rejected the comparison to a child coming upon a grown-up game she didn’t understand. She understood all too well. The other woman was marking her territory.