“You live there, too?” she asked.
“I live downtown.”
She stared up at him to see if he was joking. “Honolulu?”
“In a high-rise.”
“No one lives downtown.”
“People with offices downtown who work twenty hours a day do. Cuts down on the commute.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. When she licked it, he did it again.
“But yet you are here in the afternoon, bringing me a beverage and chatting with my sister. You might be able to leave work a little earlier each night if you didn’t take so many post-lunch hours off. Just saying.”
“I needed a break.”
Wrong. He needed to engage in some recon. She might not be book smart, but she knew that much.
“I’m not going to tell anyone about us.” She dropped her hands. Didn’t try to inch away from him, but didn’t really want to touch him right now either. “That’s the big fear here, right? That I’ll wait until your campaign is officially launched and then run to the press and blab or blackmail you or some other awful thing.”
He had the nerve to look shocked at her suggestion. “I didn’t think—”
“Sure you did. A woman hits on you at a wedding, you have sex, and you start worrying. You think maybe you were set up.”
“You have an active imagination.”
She laced her fingers together to keep from fidgeting. “You worry there are photos somewhere or something equally incriminating.”
His eyes narrowed. “How long is it going to be before you remember that I approached you at the wedding?”
“That’s not true.” Since she’d hunted him down, that was absolutely not true.
“You were taking a break after serving the main course.” He closed the gap between them. Put his mouth against her ear. “I came up to you, put my hand on the wall beside your head, leaned in and asked if you could show me the bathroom.”
Nope. She wasn’t going to be lured in. Not until they got this topic behind them. She might not have a clean slate on this point, but she was not a pawn to bring him down, either. She’d been told one of his donors wanted to make sure Eric was as clean as he appeared. Wanted to see if the “Deana situation” was going to come back to bite the party in the ass. She could report that answer as no, and she had specifically refused further work when Jimmy came calling.
The only remaining question was whether she should come clean with Eric now. Let him know someone was checking on him. Let him know the brief role she’d played and why.
Something inside her deflated. She went back and forth on this subject, internally justifying her snooping as no big deal and not harmful to Eric. But as much as she wanted to spin this into someone else’s deal, the guilt still gnawed at her.
The only reason she didn’t tell him was that she figured there wasn’t a need because she didn’t matter to him. Because every time she saw him she thought it would be the last. She never expected him to keep coming around…no matter how much she wanted him to.
She locked all the jumbled feelings inside. Somehow, some way, she’d figure out how to deal with her role and minimize any impact on Eric. But for now, she’d concentrate on him. If this was their last meeting, she’d enjoy it.
“Before you sauntered over to me—”
He smiled down at her. “Sauntered?”
“You did more than walk, buddy.”
He rested his hands on the small of her back. “Interesting.”
“Not like you had a choice. I was staring you down pretty hard. You came over because I wanted you to come over. You got under my skirt because I invited you.”
“That’s some big confidence right there.”
“It’s not ego talking.” She poked his chest. “It’s reality.”
“Then what about the part where I came looking for you after the wedding? Where I found out the company that catered the event and went hunting for a pretty brunette with eyes the color of the sky right after sunrise?”
The thawing inside her started the second the words left his mouth. “You are smooth.”
“I have my moments.”
He was a good man, and she was screwing him in more ways than one. But she wasn’t guilty of the sin he wanted to leave at her door and she needed him to know that. “I’m still not talking to anyone about us. You don’t need to worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
He frowned. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you thinking of yourself as some big secret.”
“Is that why you brought coffee instead of asking me to go out with you? Out in public where someone might actually see us together?” He actually blushed. Under that tan skin, she saw a rosy hue burn into his cheeks. “Ahhhh, there it is. I can almost see reality nipping at your ass.”
“I never thought you were a setup. Honest.”
No matter what he said, she worried about the possibility. There was no hiding that guilty look on his face. She saw the same one on her face in the mirror each morning since she’d met him. “But…?”
“I do have to be careful in public.” His hands eased up until his fingers dipped under her hair to massage her neck.
“At places like your ex’s wedding.”
The gentle kneading slowed. “You do know everything, don’t you?”
“The entire island knows about that romance. You looked perfect together on the outside and then the unspeakable happened. Most people thought you got screwed in the process.”
Then his hands were gone. They hung at his sides. “Things happen.”
Katie wasn’t letting go that easily. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she leaned in close. “Can I ask you something?”
“The conversation can’t go worse, so shoot,” he said with a sigh.
“Sure it could.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now there’s some bad news.”
“Why did you go? Why put yourself through that?” She waited to feel his touch against her somewhere—anywhere—but it never came. “I mean, I’m assuming that’s why you needed to hook up with me. You were upset at seeing Deana and then this woman you didn’t know crossed your path. You needed to feel something and there I was.”
“I’m not sure if that explanation is less flattering to you or to me.”
“Probably me, but answer the question.”
He exhaled a long agonizing breath. “I needed to prove that I could.”
“Have sex?”
He didn’t even blink. “Stand there on that perfect day, in that incredible oceanfront spot, and watch Deana marry Josh.”
Since he’d given an honest answer, Katie finally broke her hold on him and let her fingers slide down to his shoulders, then to his waist. “That’s a tough test of personal courage. What if you couldn’t stand it?”
“I did.” His face didn’t show any emotion.
“Or was the real point to make your head and your heart face it?”
“Pretty much.” He grabbed her hands and pulled them away from his body. The only good thing was that he didn’t let go. His warm fingers entangled with hers even as their bodies broke apart. “I’m not stuck on Deana. I’m not using sex with you as some sort of antidote.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.” He brought their bound hands to his lips and kissed her palm.
The sweet gesture sent Katie’s hormones racing. “You really don’t have a condom on you anywhere?”
He chuckled. “No.”
“That’s a shame.”
“I’m trying to show you that I can do something besides have sex.” Said the man as he licked his tongue over her skin.
“I hear you’re also pretty good in a courtroom.”
“Want to know why I’m still standing here despite the tough questions? Honestly?”
“Do you know how to be anything else?”
“Because I like being with you.”
“On top of me.”
He treated her to a devastating smile. “I can’t lie. That, too.”
&nb
sp; With his mouth on her skin and those eyes watching her, she couldn’t help but be lured in. Even felt a little disappointed by his determination to do something other than have sex with her. But it was hard to ignore the gesture. Pretty damn awesome in her book.
“Would you settle for a little necking and then another round of dishwashing?” she asked.
His mouth left her hand long enough for him to glance at the stacks of dishes around the sink. “Let’s try a lot of kissing and then some cleanup.”
Her hands found their way to his neck again. “I’m starting to like you, Eric Kimura.”
“I’ll remember that when I’m looking for campaign volunteers.”
Then his mouth was on hers and she forgot about anything other than him.
Chapter 6
The idea of going home and facing Cara’s verbal firing line held zero appeal to Katie. Talking to Jimmy wasn’t a great option either, but he kept texting. If it took a face-to-face to get him to leave her alone about this, she was willing to waste ten minutes.
She shoved open the door to the diner, all full of attitude and spit, ready to set her friend straight. They’d known each other since she’d left home just out of high school to live on Kauai. She’d roamed the beaches, waitressed for food and a bit of spare change, and otherwise got into a lot of trouble. Jimmy worked odd jobs but stayed away from anything illegal, so he was the one person from her past she stayed in contact with after she beat the bogus drug rap and eventually moved back in with her sister on Oahu eighteen months ago.
Jimmy got her the job watching Eric at the wedding.
Now Jimmy needed to go away.
She slid into the fake red leather booth across from him. He was one of those guys who radiated sunshine. Sunny blond hair and a laidback demeanor that fit the slopes more than the surf. But Jimmy was a local boy. Born and raised not far from Pearl Harbor and totally at home in the water.
Today he wore his usual uniform of a faded tee, a bathing suit, and flip-flops. Not the kind of guy she thought of as a political operative, but then Jimmy knew everyone. If you had a unique job, he’d find a way to get it done.
“Looking good, Katie.” He shoved a menu in her direction. “But that’s nothing new.”
She knew he liked to play the charm card. It never worked on her. Despite his being slightly older, she always thought of him as a kid. “I’m not here for food.”
“Fair enough.” He folded his arms and leaned in close. “What took you so long to get back to me?”
“I was busy.”
“The catering thing?”
“It’s a real job.”
He held up his hands. “Hey, I’m not knocking. We all got bills.”
“You need to stop texting me. My sister thinks something’s wrong. She’s just starting to trust me again, and this doesn’t help that process go easier.”
“I would, but we have some trouble.” He took out a printout. “Need to do some cleanup.”
“What does that mean?”
Jimmy waited until the server put down two glasses of water and walked away. “My client thinks we missed something on our boy Kimura and his social life.”
She’d told many half-truths over the past week, but she could answer this one honestly. She tapped her fingernail against the menu. “I’m telling you, Eric did not go near Deana except when he left the reception. Even then, the groom was standing right there. I doubt Eric made a pass with the groom watching.”
“A witness at the wedding says Eric disappeared for about a half hour right after the meal was served. Missed the entire dinner portion of the reception and cut out right after.”
Good thing Katie hadn’t eaten because she’d be losing it about now. “Witness?’
“Our boy came back looking like he’d been enjoying the party favors, if you know what I mean.”
The world spun so fast around her that she got dizzy. Somehow she grabbed onto the edge of the table and managed to stay upright. “You actually think Eric had sex with the bride at her own wedding?”
Jimmy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter what I think. We’re getting paid for primo facts on this one.”
If someone had seen Eric leave, that same someone might have seen him with her. Screw the job and Jimmy and whoever his client was. This person could go straight to Eric and tell him about her. “How many spies did you have at the wedding?”
He waved her off. “Just you.”
The relief whooshing through her came out in a small sigh. “Okay.”
“The other person was a fluke. Someone who knows my client mentioned the meal thing and got him thinking there was a problem.”
The same mysterious client who kept dicking around in her life and Eric’s. “Who is this guy? Your client?”
Jimmy leaned back with his arms laid across the top of the booth. “Can’t say.”
“I’m working for this person, too. I have a right to know.”
Jimmy’s sunny disposition slipped for a second, leaving behind something feral and power hungry. “You work for me.”
She didn’t like the look or the newsflash at all. Something about being beholden to anyone started a creepy crawly sensation deep in her stomach. “Is it Howard Gunnery?”
Jimmy looked stumped. “Who?”
She wanted to reach across the table and smack some of that relaxation right out of Jimmy. “The guy running against Eric for the prosecutor position.”
“Nah, it’s someone on our boy’s political team.”
“Doesn’t sound like it.” Sounded like a rat hiding behind a false identity to her. If Eric thought he was being set up, he should look close to home.
“The other issue has to do with our boy’s whereabouts this week.” Jimmy reached out and turned the printout around to face her.
She sat on her hands to keep from grabbing the thing. Not that being closer to the piece of paper would have helped. She had no idea what she was looking at. There were a series of names and numbers but not much in the way of other identifying information.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Our boy’s work schedule. When he’s in court and his weekly appointments.”
“How did you get it?
“It’s in the court’s computer. Buried a bit but findable.”
She looked around to make sure no one was listening in. “That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“Seems he left work a few afternoons right after the courtroom stuff was done for the day. He stepped out, was gone for an hour or so, and then came back a very happy man. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out the serious guy is doing someone.”
She had officially crossed over into the category of a politician’s plaything. The thought brought all the guilt and crappy feelings rushing right back to her. She deserved to be caught, to have Eric call her out and paint her as a conniving lowlife.
“Apparently that’s pretty uncharacteristic of him. Our boy’s a stay-in-the-office-all-night type.”
With an elbow balanced on the table, she rubbed her forehead. She hoped the gentle massage would stop the hammering that had kicked up in there. “What does any of this matter?”
“He could be seeing Deana.”
Katie let her arm fall and her open hand smack against the table. The only thing she knew for sure in this world other than the true size of her jeans was where Eric had been most afternoons this week. With her. “Not possible.”
“Why?”
The easy excuse sprang up before she could panic about finding a fake one. “Deana is on her honeymoon. You think that big hunk of a husband of hers is going to let her fool around while he’s standing right there? I don’t think so. I saw him. He’s of the protective she’s-my-woman-now school.”
“That may have been true over the weekend, but they’re back in town. They were only gone two days. Apparently the husband had to start his new job.”
What kind of people took a two-day honeymoon? She closed her eyes and searched for a logical
answer. Yeah, the kind who were unknowingly screwing her, that’s who.
“It still doesn’t make any sense. If she wanted to be with Eric, why go through the pretense of marrying Josh?”
“Maybe she likes having a little something on the side.”
Katie tried to imagine Eric acting as a woman’s extra. No way. The guy demanded full attention. He liked sex, excelled at it, and did not strike her as someone who would settle for a few afternoon delights here and there. “Haven’t we picked at Eric enough? He’s just doing his job.”
“It’s what he’s getting outside of work that concerns me.”
She ignored that. “I don’t get why your client can’t leave Eric alone.”
Jimmy stared at her. His gaze roamed her face. “You got a crush on our boy or something?”
If she couldn’t hide the truth from this idiot, how the hell was she going to hide it from Cara? Or worse, from Eric? “Of course not.”
“Sure?”
“He’s not really my type, now is he?”
“Guess not since he’s old enough to be your father.”
The age issue hadn’t even occurred to her until right that second. “Not quite.”
“What do you care about any of this anyway? It’s a job.” Jimmy placed his fingertips against the edge of Eric’s schedule and started to pull it back.
“It’s a waste of time.”
“Either you do it or I pay someone else to tail him. Your choice. I thought I was doing you a favor throwing some easy cash your way.”
Someone else. That meant unless Eric changed his current schedule of popping in on her every other day, this new spy would follow Eric right to her. Now there was a problem. Only one thing to do. Take the job and hold this client off. If necessary, eventually tell Eric the truth even though the thought of it made her sick. He’d be furious.
“Well?” Jimmy asked, tapping his foot against the floor and becoming more impatient with each passing second.
She slammed her hand against the paper before Jimmy could snatch it away. “I’ll do it.”
Katie ran every possible errand before heading home a little before seven that night. She got coffee, checked out some greeting cards, and dropped her spare catering outfit off at the dry cleaner’s. All of that, including driving around in rush hour traffic, had sounded better than facing Cara. But it was time to at least pretend she was a grown-up and stop hiding in the car.
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