“I’d love to meet her.”
She looked at him warily. “You’re not coming to lunch with us.”
“My treat.”
“No way.”
“It’ll be fun.” He pulled on his jeans. “Next week you can meet my sister.”
“Stop it. We are not dating, we are not going to meet each other’s family.”
Her words might have been wounding, if he wasn’t damn sure that last night had been as incredible for her as it had been for him.
“We have a deal,” she reminded him. “Working partners with benefits.”
“What about friendship?”
“Stop negotiating. It isn’t fair.”
And how she made him feel. Was that fair?
He stood and as he stretched out the kinks in his shoulders, he noticed Lindsay eyeing his body. Good. Let her remember just how good the sex had been.
“Do you want a quick shower before you leave?”
“Why don’t you go first and I’ll put on some coffee.”
She planted her hands on her hips, exasperated. “You’re not staying long enough for coffee.”
“We drink coffee together at work. Why not the morning after sex?” He moved close to her, ran his hands down either side of her body, then planted a wet kiss on the base of her neck. With satisfaction he registered her quiet moan. “We are going to do this again, right?”
“Maybe.”
He ran his hands up this time, gently brushing her nipples, and kissed her again.
“Probably.”
“Good. I’ll make coffee.” He went to the kitchen and looked through cupboards until he found a French coffee press.
Lindsay stood in the doorway, watching. “The beans are in the freezer,” she finally said grudgingly. “I’m going to shower and when I get out you better be gone.”
GREAT SEX, A SOLID STRETCH of sleep and no nightmares should have put her in a cheerful mood. But Lindsay felt stressed as she showered quickly, then chose a simple cashmere sweater and her favorite jeans to wear for her lunch with Meg.
She really needed Nathan to be gone before Meg showed up, because if her sister met him there would be messy complications. Meg was sure to like him, not the least because she’d been bugging Lindsay about finding a man ever since Lindsay’s thirtieth birthday last April.
According to Meg, being single was fine for your twenties. But once you reached your thirties it was time to settle down. Meg could have theories like that because she was only twenty-seven.
Lindsay applied a minimal amount of make-up, strapped on her watch, then left her bedroom.
Please be gone, Nathan. Please…
But there he was, sitting at her kitchen table, sipping from her largest coffee mug. He was wearing the jeans and T-shirt from last night and frankly he looked every bit as sexy as he had then.
She turned her back on him and helped herself to the coffee.
“Look, Nathan—”
“I’ll leave as soon as you give me one good reason why we shouldn’t try a real relationship. We have interests in common, great chemistry and we’re about the same age. If we input our data into a computer, I bet we’d be a very close match.”
“But I’m not looking for a match.”
“Why not? There isn’t another man. I’d know if there were.”
“You’re right. There isn’t a man in my life right now. And I’m good with that. It’s how I want it.”
“Really.”
He didn’t sound as if he believed her at all.
“A woman does not have to be involved with a man to have a happy, worthwhile existence.”
“I’m sure that’s true. But it’s also possible to have a happy and worthwhile existence with one. So why rule out the possibility?”
She eyed the time displayed on the stove. Not good. Meg was already late. “Can we please have this conversation another time?”
Finally Nathan seemed to accept that she was serious. “Okay. Maybe this is too soon to meet your sister.”
He left his coffee on the table and snagged his coat from the hook by the door. Lindsay was annoyed to discover that now that he had finally capitulated, she actually wanted him to stay.
Lindsay helped herself to the coffee, trying to pretend she was cool with the situation. An offhand goodbye and that was it.
But as Nathan opened the door to leave, he drew up short. Someone was already there, right at the threshold.
“Hi, there. I’m Meg. Are you a friend of my sister’s?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
NATHAN INTRODUCED HIMSELF to Lindsay’s sister. In person Meg seemed even more delicate and pretty than she had in the photographs. She made no attempt to hide her delight at having discovered a man in her sister’s apartment.
“Nathan Fisher,” she repeated his name thoughtfully. “Did you work with Lindsay when she was with the NYPD?”
“We were partners.”
“That’s right. I remember her talking about you.”
That had him curious. “Good stuff, I suppose?”
Meg’s gaze drifted to one side. “Oh…mostly.” Her roving eyes picked up on the blanket pooled on the living room floor. She smiled knowingly. “Looks like you two have reconnected.”
Lindsay whisked by them both, grabbed the blanket and tossed it on the sofa. “Nathan and I are working on a case together. It’s a temporary thing.”
A shadow flickered over Meg’s face, then was replaced with determined cheerfulness. “Temporary or not, Nathan, you’re welcome to join us for lunch. Unless you have plans?”
“No plans,” he said, deliberately not checking in Lindsay’s direction. “I’d love to join you, but I think Lindsay was looking forward to a private lunch.”
“Nathan was just on his way out,” Lindsay concurred.
“But I never get to meet your friends,” Meg protested.
“Like I already explained, we just work together.”
“Right. Funny, but I never have overnighters on a blanket in my living room with the people I work with.” Meg grabbed her sister’s hand with one hand, Nathan’s arm with the other. “Come on, Lindsay. I may be your younger sister, but I haven’t been that naive in years.”
Nathan let himself be pulled out to the hall by Meg. He liked Lindsay’s sister’s style. He had a feeling there were a lot of things about her that he was going to like.
ONLY ONCE THEY WERE OUT on the street did Meg let go of Nathan’s hand.
“So where are we headed?” he asked.
“We have a standing reservation at Jo Jo’s.” From her tone it was clear that Lindsay still felt resentful about his presence.
“I know the place.” It was about eight blocks away, close to the Museum of Natural History and facing Central Park. “Should I hail a cab?” The women were wearing very high heels with their jeans, and he didn’t imagine they would be comfortable walking, but both of them turned down his offer.
Lindsay set the pace and it was faster than Nathan would have expected. As they walked, Meg kept the conversation moving, too.
“Did you grow up in New York?” she asked.
“Yeah. My dad worked for the fire department and my mom taught piano.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“A sister, Mary-Beth. She and her son, Justin, are living with me right now, though they’ll be moving out soon. I have a two-bedroom apartment in Morningside Heights, which is handy for her. She teaches at Columbia.”
“Lindsay and I lived together when we first moved to New York—until she kicked me out of the nest.” Meg reached over to poke her sister in the arm.
Lindsay ignored the jab. In fact, she seemed to be doing her best to ignore the entire conversation.
“She said we were getting too dependent on one another,” Meg continued. “Which was probably true. She’s always been the stronger one.”
“Where did you get your law degree?” he asked. It was such a delight to finally be talking to someone w
ho didn’t hoard her words.
“Lindsay and I both took our undergrad degrees at Berkley. Then she moved with me to Boston so I could study law at Harvard. I owe her a lot for that one.”
“You paid most of your way with scholarships,” Lindsay interjected, proving that she was listening, after all.
“We had some insurance money for our education, too. Did Lindsay explain…?”
“Meg, you chatterbox. Give Nathan a chance to get a word in edgewise, would you?”
Nathan realized this was Lindsay’s way of telling her sister that she hadn’t explained. Too bad he was falling for the wrong sister. It seemed that Lindsay held everything in, while Meg did the exact opposite.
Glancing at her sister, Meg apologized. “I do talk too much. It’s a failing of the legal profession. So tell me more about your parents. Are they still living?”
“I’m afraid not. My father died on the job when I was twelve and Mom passed away about five years ago.”
“That must have been hard,” Meg sympathized.
“We were a close family and, yeah, it was hard.” Nathan wondered if this was why Lindsay hadn’t wanted him along for lunch—she’d been worried Meg would talk too much. But most of this—information about families and where you grew up and went to school—was usual fodder for conversation between new acquaintances.
When they arrived at the restaurant, a third chair was added to a table on the patio overlooking the park, without fuss. Nathan waited for both ladies to be seated, then made himself comfortable opposite them.
Lindsay shifted her water glass from one spot to another, leaving a wet ring on the linen tablecloth behind. He could tell she was tense. Probably wondering what family “secrets” her sister would reveal next.
But now that they were in the restaurant, Meg had become quiet. She studied the menu anxiously and questioned the waiter carefully about several items before making her choices.
Nathan wondered if she obsessed about her weight. If so, he couldn’t understand why. She was even thinner than her sister and he could personally attest to the fact that Lindsay carried no extra pounds on her sexy, athletic body.
Once their food was served, however, Meg relaxed again. She started talking about her work, and soon Lindsay was drawn into the conversation, as well.
After Meg had explained a complicated legal case involving an estate settlement, Lindsay leaned across the table and told him, “My sister is a tiger in the courtroom.”
“Oh, hardly.” Still, Meg seemed pleased by the compliment, as she carefully sliced a tiny piece of fat from the salmon fillet she’d ordered.
Though she was subtle about it, Nathan noticed Lindsay watched every bite that Meg ate. When the waiter came to ask if they wanted dessert Nathan expected both women to decline. But after a glance at her sister, Meg ordered a fruit plate.
“I’m having the torte.” Lindsay handed the dessert menu to the server decisively.
When the desserts arrived, Lindsay dove into her cake with gusto, while Meg picked carefully at the fruit. Eventually, both plates were empty and Lindsay leaned back with satisfaction.
Nathan excused himself from the table and went in pursuit of the bill. Once he’d settled their tab, he returned to the table and found Meg sitting alone.
As soon as he sat down, she leaned toward him.
“You like my sister, don’t you?”
“It’s that obvious?”
Meg smiled. “She likes you, too.”
“She has a funny way of showing it.”
“I know.” Meg sighed, exasperated. “My sister is the most stubborn, independent person I’ve ever known. She’s always been that way, even before…well, she just always has.”
Noticing Lindsay on her way back to the table, Meg stopped talking and reached for her purse.
“So what now?” Nathan asked, wondering if the sisters planned to spend the entire day together.
“I have to go home and walk my dog,” Meg said.
“What about you, Lindsay? Want to catch a movie?”
“No time,” she replied briskly. “I have a lot of errands.”
“Later in the afternoon, she goes for a run,” Meg interjected helpfully.
“Shut up, Meg.”
The three of them walked Meg to the entrance of the subway. Once her sister was gone, Lindsay seemed to expect that he would leave, as well.
“See you at the office on Monday.”
“Is that really what you want?” He took her hands and pulled her close so he could see her expression when she answered him.
She could brush him off now, if she wanted. But she had been the one to call him last night.
“No…But…Look, Fisher, I need to keep this simple.” The autumn breeze ruffled Lindsay’s blond hair provocatively, reminding him of how she had looked last night when they were making love. Her skin, already slightly pink from the walk and the sunshine, turned a shade darker under his scrutiny.
Why this woman? he found himself wondering. She made nothing easy. He ought to be running in the opposite direction. And yet he was more fascinated than ever.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated,” he said. “Why don’t you take care of those errands, then meet me for a run around four o’clock. We can grab some dinner later. How does that sound?”
“Fun,” she admitted. “Maybe that’s what scares me.”
AFTER SHE’D PICKED UP HER dry cleaning and a few groceries, Lindsay went home to go through her mail and pay bills. Around four o’clock she changed into shorts and a Dri-Fit T-shirt. When she was ready, she stuck a key into her pocket, then jogged out of her building and along West Seventy-ninth toward the park.
She felt strong, alive…happy. She knew her good mood had a lot to do with the fact that she had plans with Nathan. Meg was right—she needed more in her life than just her sister and her work.
Maybe this new deal she had worked out with Nathan would be perfect. Sex without emotional obligations. Partners—with benefits.
Rounding the corner, Lindsay spotted Nathan waiting at the edge of the park. He hadn’t seen her yet—he was diverted by the antics of a squirrel in the branches above his head. Seeing him laugh at something so innocent, gave her an aching feeling in her chest. There was an essential goodness to Nathan that spoke to her. And made her doubly angry about the way the NYPD had shafted him.
“Hey, there!” She waved as she crossed the street, and catching sight of her Nathan smiled and waved back. He pushed off from the tree he’d been leaning against and jogged toward her, moving with the seemingly effortless stride of a natural runner.
They caught up on the path heading north and Lindsay pushed her pace a little, not willing to have him slow down on her account.
“Did you see that squirrel?” Nathan asked. “I swear, he was dropping acorns on my head on purpose.”
Lindsay laughed. He was such a softie. “Don’t lie. I saw you feeding him.”
“I happened to have a few peanuts in my pocket.” Nathan veered to the left as the path divided in front of them. “Five miles okay?”
“You bet.”
An hour later they were back at her apartment, flushed and sweaty. Lindsay tossed her keys on the counter and they landed with a clatter. “Dibs on the shower,” she said, kicking off her running shoes. Before she’d taken two steps, Nathan’s arms were around her.
Normally she wasn’t into kissing sweaty men, but Nathan proved the exception. When he pressed his mouth to hers, she parted her lips willingly. He slid his hands under her T-shirt, lifting it over her head in one slick motion. A moment later she’d disposed of his shirt, too, so she could press herself right against his hot torso.
They had sex right there in the hall—sweaty, hot, after-running sex. Then they moved to the shower for steamy, hot, soapy-clean sex. When they were done, she sank to the floor of the shower, utterly spent.
The next thing she knew, Nathan was shampooing her hair. He stood behind her so she could rest her b
ack against his legs while his fingers massaged her scalp deeply in slow circular movements. The combination of Nathan’s touch and hot water was heavenly.
“Hey, there. You’re falling asleep.” Nathan’s voice was warm and soothing. “I know a better place for that.”
He eased her into a standing position, wrapped her in a big towel and led her to the bedroom. The two of them curled like puppies amid pillows, wrinkled sheets and her lightweight duvet. Lindsay snuggled into all of it, her mind in a delightful stupor, not induced by alcohol for a change but running, sex, heat and Nathan.
What an amazing combination.
They dozed for at least an hour and when Lindsay woke up, she was starving.
“Chinese food,” Lindsay said, pushing aside Nathan’s arm, which was draped over her waist. She grabbed her phone and hit Speed Dial. “What would you like?”
Nathan answered without opening his eyes. “Stir-fried chicken and veggies and steamed rice.”
“Of course.” She rolled her eyes, but gave the order exactly as he’d asked, then requested ginger beef and sweet and sour shrimp, as well.
“I hope you don’t expect me to kiss you after that.”
“No. I expect you to go home after that. It’s been a long day, Fisher. I’m getting tired of you.”
In one quick second he was out of bed, tackling her to the floor and kissing her for a long, delicious interlude.
When they were both completely out of breath, he helped her to her feet.
“Getting tired of me, huh. Say it again, Fox. And this time try to sound like you mean it.”
LINDSAY WAS IN THE PLAYROOM again. She and Meg were molding clay animals for their make-believe zoo. Yesterday their father had cut out cardboard fencing which they had used to create pens for the lions and giraffes and bears. Their mother had spread a blue napkin in one corner. That was going to be the pond for the hippos and crocodiles.
As she pinched the clay with her fingers, trying to form a snout on her hippo, Lindsay’s stomach started to ache. She knew something bad was about to happen. Something really, really bad.
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