by Dawn Temple
“I don’t imagine he’s going to be very happy about that.”
“No, but as his lawyer, it’s my duty to make him understand the ramifications of coercing you into an agreement without allowing you ample opportunity to seek the advice of counsel.”
“So your vacation is still on, then?”
“Yep.”
“You have any fun, exciting plans for the rest of the day?”
“Not a one. In fact, all this free time is driving me crazy.”
“Well, if you don’t mind physical labor, I could help you kill a few hours.”
“Sounds interesting. What do you have in mind?”
“How are your wrapping skills?”
“Nonexistent, but I’m a fast learner.”
She cocked her eyebrows at him. “You’re quite the straight shooter, aren’t ya?”
“Lies tend to lead to apologies. Since I’m not very fond of admitting I’m wrong, I try to avoid it altogether.”
“That’s a good policy.” She moved to one of the six-foot-long tables set up near the stacks of toys. The brightly colored Christmas paper, scissors, ribbons and tape looked like a scene straight out of Santa’s workshop. Too bad the G-rated setting couldn’t calm his X-rated desires.
“Have a seat. Since you’re a beginner, I’ll let you start with board games. The boxes are easier to work with than some of the other packaging.”
While he sat, she grabbed an armload of boxes and set them near his elbow. Her hair fell forward, tickling his forearms. The scoop neck of her tank top aligned with his mouth. The urge to taste her skin hit him hard. Damn chivalry. Made it impossible for a man to follow his urges.
When she leaned across him to grab a roll of green-and-gold paper, Kyle thought he would explode. Desire throbbed through him, threatening his tightly wound control.
“Did I tell you about the IRS?” he blurted.
“What about them?” She looked baffled by the sudden shift in topic, and who could blame her? Definitely not his smoothest segue, but God knew there was nothing less sexy than the IRS.
“I was doing some additional background work on your dad. It’s part of the job,” he assured quickly when she shot him a squinty-eyed look. “Anyway, when I was reviewing his tax returns, I discovered that he never took advantage of the child tax credit he would have qualified for as your legal guardian.”
“He didn’t? That’s kind of strange. He was always adamant about civic duty and that kind of stuff.”
“The fact that he didn’t take the deduction will work in his favor if Walker attempts to defame his character. If you don’t still have the hard copies somewhere, I’m sure your lawyer can get them. It’s a good idea to have them on hand, just in case.”
“Should you be telling me this?”
He shrugged. Sharing his research wasn’t particularly a breach of confidence. After all, anyone with access to the database could uncover the same thing he had.
“Okay. I’ll pass it along.” She rolled her lower lip between her teeth and gnawed on it. Suddenly, the gym felt as intimate and cozy as her cabin. He saw his own desire reflected in her eyes.
This time, she was the one who jumped in with a subject change.
“The toy drive was exceptionally successful this year.”
He did his best to follow her lead. “Looks like you collected enough to give every kid in the county four or five gifts.”
“That would be great. And our cash donations were at an all-time high.” She stood and grabbed another handful of toys. He couldn’t help but admire the way her pants hugged her rear curves.
She turned and caught him staring. “People get very generous around the holidays,” he croaked out, trying to keep the conversation alive.
Silence stretched between them, intensifying the intimacy of the situation rather than dispelling it. Finally, she turned her flushed face away and cleared her throat.
“Well, umm, let’s get to work, shall we?”
After several hours of hard work and an easy camaraderie that had both shocked and pleased her, Shayna called a halt to the wrapping party. “That’s enough. We’ll leave the rest to the battalion of blue-haired grandmas.”
“Sounds good to me.” Kyle stood and stretched his arms to the ceiling. Her mouth watered. His chest looked a mile wide and sturdy enough to hold the world’s problems at bay.
Acting on instinct, she stepped forward and ran her palms over his chest and up to his neck. His vivid blue eyes darkened from summer sky to winter rain.
“Thanks for all you’ve done.”
“My pleasure.” His arms lowered, settling around her waist with a possessiveness that sent a thrill through her bloodstream. The decision she’d been dancing around all afternoon suddenly became crystal clear.
She traced the pad of her finger over the ridge of his jawbone. Nearly invisible blond stubble tantalized her nerve endings. “Wanna come home with me and have dinner?”
“Do you have any food in the cabin?” he asked, his voice a notch huskier than usual.
“Nope. But we could pick up a pizza or something. Dinner’s just an excuse to get you to come back to the cabin with me.” She allowed the truth of her hunger to show in her eyes so there’d be no misunderstanding her intention.
The pulse flowing beneath her touch jumped. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent.” She tried to rise onto her toes and seal the deal with a kiss, but the fingers at her waist flexed, holding her in place. Struggling not to let her disappointment show, she raised her eyebrows in silent question.
“Shayna, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Will you be coming back?”
“That depends on you.”
His words caused her silly little heart to flutter, and in that instant, she knew. Despite her best efforts, she’d fallen in love with this stubborn, generous, secretly kind man she couldn’t possibly share a future with. But she could—and would—share tonight with him.
“Me?”
“Yeah. The legal ball’s in your court, so the next move will be yours.”
Not the sentimental, mushy answer she’d hoped for, but after he left tomorrow, she’d have plenty of time to deal with her disappointment. Until then, she planned to squeeze a lifetime of memories into one night.
She shifted onto her toes, and this time he didn’t stop her. “You’re not one of those guys who likes pineapple or little fishes on your pizza are you?”
“Would it be a deal breaker if I were?”
“No way. We’d just switch to Chinese take-out.”
The sound of Brinks’s barking silenced the nightly serenade of crickets and owls. As Shayna slipped the key into the lock, she smiled over her shoulder at the man about to become her lover. Yum.
For propriety’s sake, Kyle had insisted on following her home in his replacement rental, insisting that if he didn’t come home, it wouldn’t take Mrs. Windsor long to put two and two together. His concern over her reputation was supersexy.
“Careful with that pizza, or Brinks’ll snatch it out of your hands.”
She pushed open the door, and the dog raced outside only to slide to a comical stop at Kyle’s feet. Snout raised, he sniffed the air and pounced on Kyle, who, thanks to the advance warning, held the aromatic box well beyond Brinks’s reach. “Down, beast.”
Looking completely at ease with her dog, Kyle sidestepped Brinks and let himself into her home. Shayna followed slowly, shedding her overcoat and zippered jacket. She wanted to absorb and memorize every moment of this night. The second he put the pizza box on the kitchen table, she followed her dog’s example and pounced. Now that she had him here, she didn’t want to waste one precious second.
Ready to feel his skin on hers, she started tugging the buttons of his outer coat free. Once she had them undone, she pushed it off his shoulders, dropping it to the kitchen floor.
She turned her attention to his shirt, but Kyle’s hands cupped her cheeks, drawing her focus to his face. �
�Be sure. Once we start, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop, and I don’t want you to regret this.”
She looped her hands around his wrists. “No matter what the future holds, I will never regret making love with you.”
“But tomorrow—”
She laid a finger on his lips, stopping his words. “Let’s just pretend—for tonight—that there is no tomorrow. Deal?”
“Deal.” The word turned into a kiss against her fingertip.
Brinks chose that moment to demand reentry. Shayna turned her head, her lips sliding under his hands. She flicked her tongue against his palm then kissed the moist skin. His tremble gave her all the courage any woman could ever need.
“Hide the pizza in the oven. I’ll let him in.”
“Maybe we should leave him outside. It might be distracting to have him standing at the foot of the bed howling at me.”
“Nice to know you’re not accustomed to performing in front of an audience.” She skipped out of his range as he attempted to swat her fanny. Enjoying the unique experience of lust combined with laughter, Shayna let the dog inside.
Her previous lovers—not that there had been many—had mostly been immature, too desperate to make sure she didn’t change her mind to relax and enjoy her company. Another way Kyle Anderson set himself above and beyond the rest.
Unable to control the smile on her face, she shut and locked the front door. When she turned, Kyle was right there, his pupils swollen to huge black pools surrounded by a cool strip of Nordic blue.
Terribly excited by his barely checked passion, she pressed her back to the door and waited.
“Promise me that if I do something you don’t like you’ll tell me,” he demanded gently.
“I don’t like all this talking when you could be kissing me.”
“Shayna, I’m serious. I’m afraid my control is going to slip, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m serious, too. Kiss me, Kyle. It’s what I need. What I want.”
His lips captured hers with bruising intensity, kissing her until they were both breathless. He released her lips, and her fingers went back to work on his shirt buttons.
The world went dark for a second as Kyle whipped her tank top over her head. Her bra disappeared just as quickly. Cool air brushed against naked skin that seconds ago had been hidden within her clothing’s warmth. The sudden temperature change, along with the ecstasy of Kyle’s hard hands cupping her bare breasts, set her nerve endings on fire. His thumbs teased her nipples to attention.
“Beautiful.” Kyle’s reverent whisper made her feel like the sexiest, luckiest woman alive.
She threw herself into his touch, silently begging for more. He answered immediately, kissing the valley he’d formed between her breasts.
“Kyle,” she sighed, hitching her legs around his waist. “Please.”
His hands cradled her bottom, fully supporting her weight. She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest. Beneath her ear, the accelerated beat of his heart drummed in time to her own racing pulse.
Kyle started up the stairs, and with each step, the dusting of hair across his chest titillated her bare breasts. By the time he laid her out on her bed, Shayna’s whole body was ready to explode.
As if sensing how close she was, he slowed their momentum by taking his time removing the rest of her clothes. When he stood by her bed and peeled his way out of his suit, Shayna thought her heart would stop. She’d already gotten a sneak preview of his beautiful chest, but the entire package was more incredible than anything she’d ever seen.
She rolled to her side and reached for him, easing her hand around his hard silky strength. He swelled even more, his flesh seeming to reach for her.
“Beautiful,” she whispered, hoping the compliment would affect him the way it had her.
“It sure is,” he agreed. She looked up and found him staring down at her. Her heart filled with the love she knew she couldn’t verbalize. Which meant she’d just have to show him how she felt.
She opened her arms to him. He paused long enough to roll on protection then settled himself on top of her, his erection teasing her opening. She strained upward, bringing her mouth to his ear, and all the rest of her body parts in contact with his. “I need you inside me now.” She thrust her hips forward, drawing his body into hers.
He froze, his breath and chest heaving. “Damn it, Shayna. I wanted to make this last.”
“Too bad. Guess you’ll have to try harder next time.”
“Vixen.” He chuckled in her ear as his body began moving. She did her best to urge him faster, but the stubborn man refused to be hurried. He pumped his hips excruciatingly slow, in, in, in. Slower still, out, out, out.
In and out. In and out, until her blood caught fire. Pulsing waves of pleasure rocked through her, cresting at the spot where their bodies became one. Shayna quit fighting against him. The instant she granted him full control, he sped up. Seconds later, her body ignited. Bright, vivid flashes of ecstasy showered her, as if there were fireworks exploding in her most sensitive places.
She screamed his name, tears leaking from her wide open eyes. With a final, heart-deep thrust, Kyle’s body quaked in her arms, and she knew he was feeling the fireworks as well.
Too moved to keep her love locked inside, she traced the words on his back, encircling them in a heart.
You’re in deep, Anderson.
Kyle tried to block the dire warning echoing through his conscience. He lay in Shayna’s bed, staring out the darkened window, his fingers twining around the ends of her hair. He kept his touch light, not wanting to wake her but unable to keep his hands to himself.
For a man who’d perfected the up-and-out-the-door dash, he felt a surprising lack of panic as Shayna cuddled next to him. Where was the restlessness, the overwhelming need for distance and personal space? Did knowing he was leaving town tomorrow negate his casual, hey that was great, let’s do it again sometime attitude?
His feelings were anything but casual. She’d gotten under his skin. Fast. Strange thing was, he wanted to keep her there.
Impossible.
“You’re cheating.” Shayna’s hand traveled dangerously low on his belly as she lifted her head. The strands of hair he’d been toying with slid from his grip. “I can feel your brain waves.”
Despite the vigorous lovemaking they’d shared just a few hours ago, his body tightened. He insinuated a leg between hers. “Are you sure it’s brain waves you’re feeling?”
“Yep. Among other things.” Her hand trailed to his rib cage as she knotted her legs around his. “We agreed not to think about tomorrow.”
He dipped his head toward the clock. “It is tomorrow.” And in a few hours, he’d be gone.
“Oh.” She rolled on top of him and flipped her hair over her shoulder, double-checking the glowing red numbers. “Surely it’s still yesterday somewhere.”
He couldn’t see her smile in the darkness, but he certainly heard it. And he agreed one hundred percent. “Hawaii?”
“Aloha,” she whispered, her lips grazing the skin above his navel. The silk of her hair tickled as she pushed up and straddled him. He wished the moonlight were brighter so he could see her face. His hands caressed up her stomach, to the heavy weight of her breasts. Words lodged in his throat, words he’d never been tempted to utter before, words he didn’t dare consider.
Wishing he could offer her more, hell, everything, he rolled her beneath him and made love to her, for the first time in his life concentrating on emotions rather than finesse. They stroked each other, caressed each other, loved each other, then crested and came together.
When their breathing finally leveled out, he held Shayna against his heart, knowing that everything had changed.
A few minutes before sunrise, Shayna felt the loss of Kyle’s arms around her body. Lying perfectly still, she listened as he moved around the room, retrieving his clothes and dressing in the dark.
Tears burned behin
d her closed lids, but she refused to let them fall. She’d invited him here, fully aware of the limitations of what they could offer each other. She wouldn’t spoil their one night with a weepy, clingy goodbye.
The mattress sagged near her hip as Kyle leaned down to brush a kiss across her cheek. Without a word, he slipped from the room. Shayna rolled over, buried her face in his leather-scented pillow and let the tears come.
Chapter Thirteen
Chester returned from the deer camp early and agreed to move their appointment up. As she headed into town Thursday afternoon, Shayna rolled her windows down, enjoying the sunshine and crisp, clean air. The return of seasonal weather felt even better after the recent glimpse into winter’s bleariness.
Or perhaps the world sparkled brighter because she’d finally made peace with her past. She owed Kyle a huge debt for helping her put old hurts and resentments into perspective. He’d badgered at her and debated with her until she’d had no choice but to reopen old wounds and find ways to heal them for good.
A large chunk of her heart had flown back to L.A. with him Tuesday. But these past few days had given her time to sort through all the facts, all the advice and all the emotions of the past couple of weeks.
Late last night, all the answers she’d been seeking finally became clear. She knew now what she needed to do. She also knew exactly what she was and wasn’t willing to do. Her decision was a calculated risk, but it was also the right thing for her.
After scoring a parking spot in the town square, she made her way to the People’s Bank building. The four-story building housed most of the professional offices in Holcombe County.
Nelda Parker, Chester’s secretary, was seventy if she was a day, but the woman still dressed to impress. Not wanting to stick out like a sore thumb, Shayna had opted for one of her nicest dresses, but she still felt a bit frumpy in comparison to Nelda’s navy-and-pink power suit.
“Good morning, Nelda. You look gorgeous as usual.”
“Why thank you, dear. You look pretty spiffy yourself.”
Shayna ran a smoothing hand over the hip of her brown-and-gold wrap dress. “Thank you.”