by Kristi Gold
He ruffled Stormy’s hair. “The backyard it is. I’ll meet you there.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Stormy charged out the back door while Kieran temporarily left the room before returning with the ball and two gloves. She expected him to make a quick exit but instead he came back into the kitchen. “Regarding our previous discussion, I wasn’t completely honest with you.”
Erica stopped unwrapping the fish to listen. “Which part?”
“About shutting you up. Truth is, you’re damned sexy when you’re laughing and you flash those dimples. So do me a favor and don’t do it again.”
Sexy? She was sexy? Well how about that. “I’ll try not to laugh in your presence from now on, but I make no promises.”
“That’s all I ask.” He headed out the door, taking his incredible scent and sensual smile with him.
Erica had the urge to sing while she went about preparing the food. She also had the urge to laugh. Her spirits had definitely been buoyed by his declaration, and also by the scene taking place outside the garden window.
Stormy threw the ball to Kieran with accuracy, with more exuberance than she’d witnessed from her child before. And Kieran softly tossed the ball back, undoubtedly making certain she wasn’t injured in any way. Sheer joy showed in both their faces, and Erica experienced it, too, as well as some trepidation.
Someday in the near future, Kieran wouldn’t be around to play catch, something Stormy would have to deal with. But until then, Erica wouldn’t begrudge her daughter these moments, and hoped that when the time came, they could both let him go without regret.
While Erica and Stormy loaded the last of the dishes in the washer, Kieran remained at the table and watched the pair interact. He had to admit, he’d enjoyed every minute of the dinner, even if he did detest fish. But he valued the company most of all, mainly the back-and-forth banter between mother and daughter that bordered on comical at times. They didn’t always agree on everything, but they were obviously devoted to each other.
As much as he’d enjoyed himself so far, he had to remember he’d come there for two reasons—to help Stormy with softball, and to fulfill his obligation to Erica by putting her through a workout, and not the workout he’d envisioned over the past two days. He wanted to blame his brother for putting the thoughts in his head, but he could only blame himself. He’d been keenly aware of his attraction to Erica from the moment he’d stepped onto her front porch. Denying that attraction wouldn’t change anything. Acting on impulse would, which was why he needed to remember why he was there.
After checking his watch, Kieran realized he’d come close to overstaying his welcome. “If you two are done, it’s time to get to work.”
Erica came back to the table and dropped into the opposing chair. “Just give me five more minutes and I’ll be ready.”
Stormy took the chair next to her mother. “Can I watch you exercise, Mom?”
“No, you cannot, missy,” Erica said. “But you can get ready for bed, put away your clean clothes and read the rest of the book you have to finish by Thursday.”
Stormy pushed back from the table, stood and sulked toward the hallway before turning around. “Did you call Kaylee’s mom about the party?”
“I haven’t had time, Stormy, but I’ll call her tomorrow. Now scoot.”
Not only did Stormy fail to scoot, she returned to the table again, this time positioning herself next to Kieran. “Mom doesn’t want me to go to the party because boys are going to be there. That’s not fair, is it?”
Fair or not, he wasn’t about to offer his opinion for fear of screwing up again and suffering Erica’s wrath. “That’s between you and your mom, kiddo.”
Erica pointed toward the hall. “Go, Stormy.”
Stormy blew out an exaggerated breath. “Okay. But I still don’t think it’s fair.”
After Stormy left, Kieran couldn’t help but chuckle. “She’s pretty damn headstrong, isn’t she?”
Erica released a humorless laugh. “You could say that. On one hand, it drives me nuts. On the other, her tenacity’s gotten her through some really tough times. I just wish she’d learn a little moderation.”
“Moderation is good,” he said. “So was dinner.”
She leaned forward, braced an elbow on the table and supported her cheek with her palm. “Was it? I thought the fish was kind of dry.”
A little, but he wasn’t going to say anything to hurt her feelings. “It was fine. Best fish I’ve had in a long time.” The only fish he’d had in years.
“Do you think I’m being too protective about the party?”
He could lie and guarantee a pleasant remainder of the evening, or he could be truthful and possibly be prematurely asked to leave. “How old are the boys?”
“Mostly eleven-year-olds, I’d guess.”
“Eleven-year-old boys aren’t too bad. Twelve is another story altogether.”
She smiled, bringing her dimples into full view. “I suppose you should know since you were one once.”
“A long time ago, but I still remember some of it.” Especially the memories that involved sticking up for his brother on the playground, before Kevin had finally caught up in size to everyone else his age and started fighting his own battles.
“Then you think she’d be okay if I let her go?”
He didn’t particularly care for being put on the spot, but since she’d asked…“I think you should trust her to make the right decisions. She’s a smart kid with a good head on her shoulders.”
Erica leaned back against the chair and sighed. “But it seems so important to her to fit in. I worry that peer pressure could lead her to make the wrong decisions. On the way home from the club Saturday night, she actually asked me about kissing. She’s not even eleven yet.”
That could mean only one thing. “She didn’t happen to see—”
“I don’t think so,” Erica said. “In fact, I know she didn’t. Otherwise, she would’ve asked me point-blank why we were…” Her gaze drifted away. “You know.”
Oh, yeah, he knew. He’d thought about that kiss more than once tonight. Watching Erica eat hadn’t helped. She had an incredible mouth that he’d like to know much better. And if he didn’t get his mind back on track, he might end up making the same mistake again. “As far as Stormy and this party goes, I understand you have her best interests at heart, but I also know from experience that if you keep the hold on her too tight, she’ll rebel. My mother went through the same thing with Kevin. She was overprotective to a fault, and the backlash wasn’t good.”
Erica looked as stiff as a steel beam, and royally ticked off. “I believe I’m perfectly justified in my concern for her. And it’s not as if I don’t let her go anywhere.”
“That’s true, and I strongly believe in structure where kids are concerned. But Stormy’s desire to play softball and attend a boy-girl party isn’t the same as her asking if she can spend spring break in Cancun.”
Erica rubbed both hands over her face. “Thanks for reminding me what I have to look forward to in a few years.” She dropped her palms onto the table and stood. “Since I don’t want to think about that now, let’s move on to the suffering you’re going to put me through. Otherwise, I’m going to get to bed late.”
He’d prefer she not mention the word bed. Bed plus Erica equaled more questionable ideas. “Any suggestions on where we’re going to do this?”
“In the family room,” she said as she headed out of the kitchen.
He followed her down the hall, and once in the den, he took a quick look around. “We need to move the furniture back.”
“Okay. You take the coffee table and I’ll take the chair.”
While he pushed the table closer to the sofa that rested against one wall, Erica moved behind the chair and pulled it back toward the window. She glanced over her shoulder and laughed.
“What’s so funny this time?” he asked.
“I just realized that anyone driving by got an up-close-and-
personal view of my butt. I hope the home-owner’s association doesn’t fine me for contributing to an eyesore. They have strict rules about abandoned cars, overgrown lawns, large posteriors in picture windows.”
For some reason, the comment brought about Kieran’s anger. “This whole self-deprecating thing you have going on about your body—you need to stop it. If you could see what I see every day at the club, people who are in a life-and-death struggle to lose massive amounts of weight, then you’d realize you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
She looked sufficiently contrite. “Sorry. Old habits are hard to break.”
“I know,” he said, his voice much calmer than before. “And I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to be so hard on you.”
“Not a problem. Someone needs to keep me in line.”
Determined to get back down to business, Kieran walked to the foyer where he’d left his equipment bag and returned to find Erica standing at the shelves, studying the photo of her husband. Aside from the deaths of his elderly grandparents over a span of several years, he’d never experienced much loss. He didn’t know how she’d coped with everything she’d been through. Yeah, he did know—by keeping her sense of humor. And that only made him feel worse about his earlier outburst.
After setting the bag aside, he moved behind her and surveyed the photo she continued to hold in her grip. “Must be tough, all the reminders.”
After setting the picture back in place, she turned and gave him a tentative smile. “Sometimes they provide comfort. I was just thinking about how Jeff used to tell me the same thing you just told me. I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. So from this point forward, I vow to look in the mirror every morning and tell myself that I’m special. As long as I’m not naked.”
Yeah, some habits were hard to break, and it could take some time for her to break them, Kieran realized. In the meantime, he’d cut her some slack. “All kidding aside, let’s get started.”
“I’m game. Where do we begin?”
Kieran rifled through the bag and withdrew two hand weights. “We’ll start with these. Five pounds each. Just a few curls.”
Erica did as he instructed without complaining at all. She fully cooperated as he put her through several exercises, including five full-out sprints up and down the driveway, followed by the notorious crunches that had gotten them into trouble during their last session. Only this time, he used his voice, not his hands, to encourage her.
After she’d done two sets of twenty, he told her, “Stand up. I want you to do one more thing, then we’re done for the night.”
She came to her feet and tugged her bulky sweatshirt down over her hips. “Don’t tell me. You want me to bench-press the couch.”
He couldn’t stop his grin. “No. I want you to put your hands on my chest and try to resist me.”
She returned his smile. “Bet you say that to all the women you know.”
“Just do what you’re told without the commentary.”
She gave him a sharp, one-handed salute. “Yes, sir.”
He balled his fists against his chest. “Grab my hands, angle your body away and don’t let me move.”
“Oh, sure. Why don’t we go outside and I’ll push your Porsche around the block?”
“We’ll try that next week, and next week will be here if you don’t get started.”
“Fine, but don’t expect too much.”
When she clasped his hands and delivered only a minimal push, he firmed his frame and pushed back. “Harder, Erica.”
“I’m trying.” And she did try, but not enough for his liking.
“Keep going,” he demanded. “You’re not using your legs.”
Scowling, she regrouped and tried again, and he continued to prod her. “Push harder. Don’t let me come forward. Not even an inch. Pretend you’re fending me off because your life depends upon it.”
Erica unexpectedly stopped, straightened, and before Kieran could level his next command, she planted her mouth on his. All his prior thoughts of right and wrong went by the wayside, thanks to her boldness, her man-killing lips and her unmistakable enthusiasm. She kissed him with no holds barred, adequately robbing him of any remaining scrap of free will.
He recognized he shouldn’t put his arms around Erica, but he did—shouldn’t actively participate, but he did that, too. If he didn’t stop now, he was in danger of taking her down on the sofa where anything could happen, and most likely would. But before he tossed out all common sense, Erica abruptly ended the kiss and took a step back, her eyes wide with the surprise he was also experiencing at the moment.
He cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “What the hell was that?”
She shrugged. “I failed to resist you. Or maybe I was trying to shut you up.”
“It worked.”
“Yes, it did, and quite well I might add.”
Damn, he didn’t know whether to reprimand her or thank her. “You only have to tell me to be quiet.”
“Oh. I never even considered that.” She finished off the comment with a smile to beat all smiles, putting her dimples back on display.
She might not be smiling if she knew how hard it was for him not to kiss her again. How hard he was, period. “We’re finished now.”
She stretched her arms above her head. “Good. I’m tired.”
How the hell could she be so cool after that hot kiss? “Erica, the last time this happened, I told you—”
“It wouldn’t happen again.” She moved in closer and patted his chest, right above his thrumming heart. “Because you don’t kiss clients. Don’t worry, I kissed you, so your ethics are still intact.”
“That’s pretty skewed logic.” Even though he admittedly liked her way of thinking.
She inched a little closer, an almost predatory twinkle in her eye. “Does it bother you, having a woman make the first move?”
Did it bother him? Oh, yeah. In ways she couldn’t know unless she moved completely against him, or took a look down south. “We agreed we can’t do this.”
“I don’t recall agreeing to anything aside from the personal training, but if that’s the way you want it, then you’ll get no argument from me.”
Kieran noted a hint of vulnerability in Erica’s eyes and hated that he shared responsibility in putting it there. “At any other time, under different circumstances, if you kissed me like that, we’d be naked about now. But I’m still your trainer, you’re still my client, and as long as that holds true, we both need to control ourselves.”
“Fine. I have to see if Stormy’s in bed.”
Kieran found it amazing that she’d gone from sexy she-devil to typical-mom mode as easily as flipping a light switch. “Come to the club tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. and be prepared to work for at least two hours. We’ll cover cardio and strength training then.”
“Okay. I’ll bring Stormy.” Her smile came out of hiding again. “We probably need a chaperone.”
Without responding, Kieran picked up his bag, rushed out the door and drove away before he did something stupid, like go back inside and ask her if he could stay the night. His mother’s talk about honor drifted back into his brain, and as much as he wanted to make love to Erica—and he damn sure wanted that—wisdom dictated he remain strong in his convictions, or back out as her trainer and get out of her life while he still could.
He couldn’t lay claim to much wisdom at the moment, because no matter how close he was to a possible train wreck, he couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing Erica again.
Chapter Six
After what she’d pulled last night, Erica worried she might not have enough courage to face Kieran again. But there she was, behind the wheel and on the road to Bodies By O’Brien, preparing to confront the man responsible for some fairly suspect behavior on her part. No doubt about it, her spontaneous attempt at seduction had all the grace of a horny teenage boy on his first date. At least Kieran hadn’t acted totally repulsed when she’d kissed him. In fact, he’d joine
d right in. And that whole naked thing was encouraging—encouraging her to work twice as hard at getting in shape. If the opportunity for lovemaking presented itself, with Kieran or with any man for that matter, she would have to…well…get naked. A prime motivator for success.
“Mom, did you call Kaylee’s mother about the party?”
Erica jerked her thoughts back into the present at the same time her face began to burn. She shouldn’t be thinking naked thoughts with her daughter in the car. “As a matter of fact, I did talk to her.”
“Can I go?” The excitement in Stormy’s expression matched the enthusiasm in her voice.
“Yes, you can go.”
Stormy slapped the console then pumped her fist. “I can’t wait!”
Erica wished she could say the same for herself. Despite Kaylee’s mother’s assurances that the party would be constantly supervised, with nothing more shady going on than music, snacks and fruit punch, she still worried about the “boy” factor. And she’d continue to worry about it until the event was over. But right now she had another event to worry about—facing Kieran.
After pulling into the crowded parking lot, Erica claimed a space a good distance from the club’s entrance and shut off the car. “Would you like to watch me today?”
Stormy looked predictably astonished. “Can I?”
“Promise you won’t make fun?”
“I promise.”
“What about your homework?”
“I did it at the spa.” She fell silent before adding, “I love you, Mom.”
Stormy’s out-of-the-blue hug took Erica aback, and pleased her more than her daughter would ever know. “I love you, too, sweetie. Now let’s go inside and get this over with so we can go home and have some dinner.”
After retrieving her red gym bag from the trunk, mother and daughter walked hand in hand toward the club, Erica measuring her steps while Stormy practically dragged her across the lot. Once inside, she checked in with the receptionist before navigating the equipment jungle on her way to Kieran’s private fitness haven—or hell—depending on how one chose to look at it. She tried hard not to notice the thin, twentysomething women and their chic workout wardrobes, striving for perfection in bodies that were already close to perfect. Of course, not everyone happened to be flawless. Before, she’d only focused on those who put her to shame with their sculpted forms. Today, she noticed several heavier women working hard to reclaim a healthy weight. A victory of sorts.