Shane reached out and pulled her into his arms. It was exactly what she needed. After only a moment’s hesitation, she melted against his chest.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“For what?” A whisper against the top of her head.
“For knowing what I need before I do.”
Lacie’s muted cell phone vibrated across the countertop. Without completely leaving the comfort of Shane’s arms, she reached out and checked the display. Within a few seconds her face flushed a dark pink. “Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” she mumbled, quickly tapping out a reply.
“Problem?” Shane asked, letting his hands drop down to loosely rest on her hips.
“Corinne,” Lacie exhaled, that one word carrying enough martyred weight to assure Shane that everything was, indeed, fine. “She wanted to know if we were ‘done yet’, and whether or not it was safe to come in.”
Shane’s grin grew. “How very considerate of her to ask.”
“Are you kidding? The only reason she hasn’t let herself in is because I dead-bolted the back door.”
“A voyeur, huh?” he laughed.
Lacie looked him up and down, taking in his slightly mussed hair, shadowed jaw, bared chest, and naked feet and sighed. Corinne was going to have a field day with this. “You know self-defense, right?” she asked as she forced herself to the door.
Twinkling blue eyes smiled back at her. “I thought you had my six.”
An answering mischievous grin. “Right.”
It took the better part of five minutes before Corinne could tear her eyes away from Shane and speak coherently with Lacie, and that was only after Shane went into the bedroom to change.
“Oh. My. God. I am
so
slamming my hand in a car door.”
Lacie laughed. “Back off, sister. He’s mine.”
“Yeah, but he has a younger brother doesn’t he?”
Lacie ignored that and inquired about their mom and dad. Corinne assured her that the trip to and from the airport had been uneventful, that their parents had arrived in Florida just fine, and had, in fact, set sail on their two-week cruise that morning.
“So...” Corinne said flicking a look toward the door behind which Shane had disappeared, “you’re going to tell me everything, right?”
Lacie turned her eyes to her sister. “Not a chance.”
“But I did good, right? Admit it, calling him was a good idea.”
Lacie agreed it was. Had she been aware of Corinne’s intentions when she crawled into bed yesterday, she probably would have resisted the idea. Their relationship was too new to put to that kind of test. But Shane had passed with flying colors, surpassing every expectation she might have had. He was definitely a keeper.
When Corinne was once again struck dumb, Lacie knew that Shane emerged. A glance across the room confirmed this. She was at her own loss for words when he flashed a sexy half grin her way, freshly shaven and changed. She would have to start setting aside money from each paycheck, she decided, to buy him new shirts, because the thought of ripping through this one was just as appealing as the last. The desire to see and have access to that stunning chest was shockingly powerful for a woman who, until Shane Callaghan had walked into her life, had little to no time or interest in getting involved with anyone.
And she
was
involved. In the span of a heartbeat, Shane Callaghan had not only captured her interest, he’d also managed to snag her heart in the process. It was a little scary, especially for someone like Lacie, who allowed very few people to get close. She loved her kids and those select few within her inner circle, but outside of her immediate family, Lacie guarded her heart fiercely. It was not something she would give easily or freely, but when she did, she would do so completely. Looking at Shane now, she was afraid it had slipped away on its own, and she found she had no desire to call it back.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, the sudden realization and intensity of her feelings making her a bit shy. “For... everything.” For coming. For staying. For watching over her. Making waffles. Kissing her until she was sure her insides had melted together. The color rose in her cheeks as she recalled the way it felt to have his lips and hands on her, the way his heart pounded against her chest...
Desire flared in his eyes, letting her know that he was very much aware of the particular direction her thoughts were headed. With Corinne watching them intently, there was nothing much either of them could do about it. That smile, though, suggested he would very much like to.
Soon
, his eyes said with a flash of that luminous, dark blue that made her think of sapphires lit from within. It was a unique shade that she now associated solely with Shane’s desire.
I can’t wait
, she answered, lowering her lids in just the slightest hint of submission.
Their silent, secret conversation thrilled her.
* * *
H
is grin grew, inwardly glad he’d had the foresight to keep his shirt untucked. The woman could make him harder than iron with just a look from those bedroom eyes. “My pleasure,” he answered, his voice a sexual purr that betrayed his illusion of total self-control. It was just as well she arrived when she did; he would be far less inclined to see to some of those items on his new to-do list otherwise.
“I have some things I need to see to today. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?”
She flushed and averted her eyes. The little vixen was clearly thinking naughty things, and that knowledge only increased the aching throb in his cock. Across the room, Corinne sighed.
After ensuring that Corinne would be spending the afternoon with Lacie – he did not want Lacie here alone with Davidson until he had a chance to cool off - Shane forced himself to leave.
There were several other scenarios he would have preferred. One was sending Corinne on her way and spending the rest of the day pleasuring Lacie. Another was to take Lacie with him back to his room at the Pub where he would get Ian started on vamping up security, then spend the rest of the day making love to her. His favorite had him doing both – loving her here, then gathering her and taking her back to his place, safe among his family - and doing it all over again.
In the end, though, he leashed his raging arousal, caging it for a more opportune time, preferably when Lacie wasn’t feeling quite so vulnerable. But he could not keep himself from claiming her mouth in one final, soul-searing kiss that screamed possession, taking satisfaction in the open-mouthed shock on Corinne’s face and the dazed, entranced look on Lacie’s.
* * *
L
ater that evening when her cell phone chimed, Lacie was prepared. She had it resting beside her as she re-read the official, bureaucratic responses to her latest inquiries into what was being done to locate her brother. It bothered her that Craig had been sifting through it. She knew he didn’t believe that Brian was still alive, but for her sake, he refrained from saying so very often.
“I’m breaking protocol again by calling so soon, but I wanted your voice to be the last thing I heard before I go to sleep tonight.” Shane’s deep male voice flowed through the small device and directly into her heart. Damn if the man didn’t just make her insides squirm in the most wonderful way.
“I’ll allow it,” she said. “But only because your voice is pretty fine, too.”
He answered with a soft hum that made her tingle in the most feminine places. It was exactly the same sound he’d made right before he’d kissed her earlier. She understood it for what it was - a warning of considerable restraint. “Is Corinne still there?”
“No, she went back to our parents’ house.”
“She couldn’t stay?” Lacie heard the frown in his voice.
“I’m a big girl, Shane.”
“I know you are. I’d be a pervert otherwise, wouldn’t I?”
She laughed. “Yes, I suppose you would.”
A moment of quiet. “Has he been by again?”
“No.”
There was a hesitation, as if Shane wanted to say something but was looking for the right words. “He seemed very upset earlier, Lacie.”
Yes, he was, but that was just Craig. She was used to his sudden flare ups. Silently Lacie vowed to speak to her sister for voicing her overzealous concerns to Shane, obviously thinking she’d found a powerful ally in him, then immediately recanted that thought. Corinne did what she did out of love, and Shane couldn’t be expected to understand that Craig was a lot more about the bark than the bite. Besides, she had already made up her mind that she was going to talk to Craig and put a stop to this nonsense once and for all.
“His bark is worse than his bite. He won’t hurt me.”
Not intentionally
, she added silently, looking down at her casted hand. Craig just didn’t know his own strength sometimes, especially since he’d come back. He had really thrown himself into his physical therapy after Mikaela’s death. He would be horrified if he believed he had been a contributing cause to her injuries, and would be constantly underfoot in an attempt to make up for it. She didn’t bother telling that to Shane, though. Given his fierce reaction to the day’s earlier events, he wouldn’t be any more receptive to her reasoning than Corinne.
Another heavy pause. “I worry about you, Lacie. I know I haven’t earned that privilege yet, but I certainly hope to.”
He considered worrying about her a privilege? If he kept saying things like that she was going to turn into a puddle right then and there. “I’d say giving up a Saturday night to watch over me earned you something,” she said quietly, hopefully.
She heard his slight intake of breath. “That was a privilege in itself,” he answered.
Her body felt strangely boneless. And empty. Terribly empty. “You made me waffles,” she whispered.
“I’ll make you a thousand more for the chance to kiss you again.”
“Deal,” she said, breathless. Just the thought of it had her body flushing with heat, but his soft, almost silent groan intensified the sensation.
“You don’t want me to sleep at all, do you?” he grumbled sexily, making her smile. She loved the idea that she was having a similar effect on him.
“Of course I do,” she said boldly. “But only if you dream of me.”
“That’s a given,” Shane told her. “I can’t seem to think of anything but you these days.”
“Nice to know I’m not alone, then.”
“Lacie.” Shane breathed her name like a prayer. “What are you doing to me?”
She didn’t know, but she wished she did. If it was anything like what he was doing to her...
* * *
S
hane exhaled heavily. Every cell in his body screamed for him to head over to her apartment at that exact moment and finish what they had started that morning, but he was afraid of rushing her, scaring her away.
“Promise me you’ll call me immediately if anything happens.”
“I promise.” She sighed. “But I can’t run away from this, Shane. Craig needs to understand that I am a grown woman capable of making my own decisions with or without his approval. I’ve let him believe otherwise for far too long.”
“I don’t think you should do it alone.”
“I have to. Otherwise Craig won’t take me seriously. He’ll think I’m acting under someone else’s influence.”
Shane could see her point, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He really didn’t give a rat’s ass what Craig Davidson believed as long as he was out of the picture.
“Shane?”
“Yes?”
“You’ve earned the privilege.”
Shane smiled into the phone. “Now say something wicked to give me memorable dreams.”
He expected her to laugh softly, maybe give him a gentle chastisement while her eyes sparkled and her cheeks turned that lovely shade of rose, but she surprised him. In less than a heartbeat, her sexy purr sounded in his ear. “Syrup tasted better on you than your waffles, but next time I want to try whipped cream, too.”
Lacie’s sensual laughter was the last thing he heard as she disconnected the call.
W
hen Lacie walked into her classroom early Monday morning, she found a single, perfect rose in the center of her desk. It sat next to a shiny, dark red apple. She picked up the small tented note card that completed the set - a textured, heavy cream-colored paper with
Lacie
scripted in bold, male script - and opened it to read the message within.
Coffee after class tomorrow night?
Then below it:
Whipped cream optional.
Warmth flooded her body once again as her lips curled up in a smile. How had he gotten inside her classroom? The windows were closed, the door locked. Of course, she thought with a flash of pride, gaining entrance to a Kindergarten classroom would be child’s play for an ex-SEAL.
It was official. Shane Callaghan had just managed to completely steal her heart.
With a mischievous grin, she picked up a bright red crayon and block printed “YES” in the corner. Then she added a few motivational stickers she put on her kids’ papers (“Star Student”, “A+”, and “Super”), and tucked the card into the pocket of her skirt. Rather than call the number he’d given her, she would deliver this personally later.
* * *
A
cross town, Shane grinned from behind his laptop as he looked at the clock. Lacie should have found his little surprise by now. Wishing he could see her reaction in person, he contented himself with imagining it instead. He checked his phone, turned the volume up a notch, and waited.
* * *
L
acie walked into Jake’s Irish Pub later that afternoon. She’d passed it hundreds of times, but had never actually ventured inside.
It was nothing like she’d expected it to be. Dark wood gleamed, accentuated by polished brass. The room was filled with the aromas of pipe smoke and lemon oil, mixed in with the heady scents of finely aged spirits. The bar took up half of the primary room, with comfortable-looking padded stools inviting patrons to step up and take a load off. Toward the back was a smaller room, only partially separated from the main area by a half-wall. There appeared to be tables there, old-fashioned high-backed booths, and a small stage. From somewhere farther out of her immediate line of sight came the muted sounds of billiards.