Guardian (13 page)

In spite of the logical lawyerly voice in her head shouting for her to haul ass back to her room, Sophie smoothed her fingers along the silver flecks at his temples. “Thank you.”

She waited for him to pull away. Neither one of them moved.

He caressed his thumb along her jaw, his touch gentle, seductive. “This is a bad idea.”

“I know,” she whispered. She couldn’t walk away if she tried. She didn’t even try.

“You should tell me to stop.”

“I know, but I can’t.” Unable to resist, she curved her hand around the back of his head, threading her fingers through the close-cropped hair. All the tamped-down desire seemed to mist around them.

“This thing between us can’t lead anywhere. I can’t do long term.” He tipped her chin, his finger brushing along her jaw.

“I know that, too. Me either.” She pulled his face to hers anyway.

Their mouths met, open, greedy, seeking to take as much as possible from a single kiss. She touched her tongue to his, tempting, luring him past her lips. Then he plunged deeper, sweeping away her ability to think with the bold touch of his tongue. She gripped his shoulders, her fingers digging in as she held tight to keep from sinking.

God, David was a great kisser, and she loved to kiss. She soaked in the moment, needing to fill the void in herself after so many long nights without the touch of a man, of even the simplest brush of lips as a morning greeting or good-night farewell. An ache swirled low within her, while familiar, also somehow different, desperate.

Ravenous.

David slid his hands down her back, hauling her onto the couch until she stretched out on top of him.

And they really kissed. Passionately. Crazy. Out of control. The kind of frantic and sure touches that came from experience. He rocked her hips against his with guiding pressure, the hardening heat of him searing her.

She spread her legs to straddle him, bringing the core of her against the rigid heat of him. Desire pooled within her, bringing a moist heat where her body met his. She whimpered with need, her hungry hands urging his mouth more firmly against hers.

One strong arm secured her while he tunneled under her shirt and upward in a tingling path along her side. She prayed he wouldn’t stop, her breast already anticipating his touch. He cupped her, his thumb circling gentle brushes that sent sparks of almost painful intensity sprinkling through her. If only they could stay like this and say to hell with the rest of the world and responsibilities.

“Sophie.” He pressed his forehead to her shoulder.

Gasps of air flowed between them. She forced her lids open and stared into his eyes. Quicksilver flashes gleamed in the moonlight streaking through the window.

She saw…responsibilities.

They weren’t teenagers content with a lengthy unconsummated make-out session in the back of a car. Their bodies demanded release, a natural conclusion to passions denied, then ignited.

That left only two choices: stop or finish. Really no choice at all for her.

Sophie melted against him, her face nestling against his shoulder. Even as she inhaled the warm, scented crook of his neck, she already distanced herself—in her mind if not her body. He rested his chin on her head while they steadied their breathing.

His hands moved lightly up and down her back. “Remember when I said I was offering to protect your family, not take you to bed?”

“Uh-huh.” She willed her galloping heartbeat to slow.

“I lied.” His hands went still, his breath warm against her ear. “Unless you want to take me up on the offer, you need to go back to your room.”

She should have panicked, would have even the day before, but she’d begun to understand him. He wouldn’t take her right there on the sofa when his daughter could walk in. He must be trying to chase her away.

Why?

She wasn’t brave enough to find out. With more than a little regret, she peeled her body off of his. She needed to run, run far and fast from this honorable, lanky man who already tempted her more than she wanted to admit.

Sophie picked up her empty ice-cream carton and backed away from him all the way into the kitchen
without taking her eyes off him. He stared back, his hand on his chest, his eyes at half-mast with a smoky heat that seared her. Turning, she set her empty Tupperware carton in the sink and made tracks back to her room.

If only she could toss aside her new insights on David as easily, because right now, she wasn’t sure if she could hold out through the night.

Childish squeals floated up to the porch from the sun-baked shore, enticing Sophie. But work didn’t disappear, even on weekends. She reclined on the beach lounger with a legal pad, brainstorming a list of questions for cross-exam on Monday, while David swung a golf club, hitting practice balls along the shore.

On her other side, the children played tag football with Madison and Geoffrey Vaughn. Her boss had been surprised at her change of locale for the weekend but expressed concern over the car accident. He’d agreed it was better to be safe than sorry, and if she needed somewhere else to stay, to consider his house available. Geoffrey had been flexible about adding Haley Rose to his plans to play catch with Brice—except Madison couldn’t catch, so they’d swapped to tag football.

And David had been adamant about not discussing the case in front of Vaughn. Which seemed silly considering any information she had, her boss could access.
But they’d plowed through files this morning. She needed time for the information to shuffle around in her head until it slid together to form a complete picture.

So she let herself think and stare off—where David happened to be.

Sun gleaming down on him, David whipped the golf club again, muscles rippling. She’d heard single women whisper around the watercooler when he’d become a bachelor again, about how he’d played the semipro circuit for a while before going to college. She’d didn’t know much about the sport, but he sure appeared top tier to her.

Not that he’d looked her way this morning. He had barely spoken to her all day, instead quiet and irritable. He must have depleted his store of words the night before.

At least the grump would be easier to resist than the man of moody confidences. “David, would you please quit glaring at Geoffrey.”

“If your boss touches my sister one more time, I’m going to cuff him to the dock.”

“She’s an adult. Don’t you think the overprotectivebrother routine is a little silly?”

He grunted.
Swack.
Another ball went flying down the shore.

Yet in spite of his grouchy mood, he’d filled the electric churn with more ingredients for homemade ice cream—lemon this time. Had David decided to make more after noticing her midnight kitchen raid? The possibility of such thoughtfulness touched her.

She peered over the rims of her sunglasses. “Maybe now you’ll quit asking if he and I are dating.”

“Funny, Sophie, very funny.” David’s arms flexed as he swung the golf club again. His polo shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.

Then he reached for more practice golf balls, his khaki shorts showcasing that fine butt and long legs. Given half an opportunity and a bonfire, she would burn every pair of his shorts.

And he wasn’t even looking at her.

The sun warmed her legs below the hem of her shorts. Watching David warmed the rest of her. A contrary corner of her ego made Sophie want to stretch.

Instead, she drew her legs up and tucked her chin on her knees. Who was she kidding? Her legs weren’t model long. She was happy in her skin, damn it.

Sophie studied the grumpy jet jock fluidly
swacking
golf balls. Twenty-four hours of make-believe family time had provoked a melancholy longing. She had wanted a life like this for her son, for herself. The shared laughter of a core family—man, woman, children.

While the ideal family picture was a dream, it wasn’t worth risking what she’d fought so hard to build the past year.

David tapped another ball in place, lining up his drive. “Vaughn already spent the day here. Why do we have to feed him, too?”

“You’re the one who wanted everyone to stick together.” She knew he meant well, but she still resented his controlling attitude.

Sophie had already decided Brice shouldn’t leave the house with Geoffrey. David hadn’t given her a chance to speak. Just as he hadn’t discussed the call he’d made to the auto shop this morning until after the fact. The mechanic had not looked over her car yet, but David said he’d alerted the guy to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.

All of which Sophie could have handled on her own.
They were supposed to be working as a team this weekend. Why couldn’t he have discussed it with her first? His intentions were honorable—just a bit heavy-handed. “What’s the harm in having Geoffrey here?”

“So he pitched a ball around with our kids for an hour,” David grumbled. “I don’t have to give him my sister in exchange.”

She dropped her notepad to the chair and swung her legs to the side of the lounger. “Madison is only being polite. Even if she likes him, so what?”

“Military marriages are tougher than most. My sister doesn’t need to set herself up for failure.”
Swack.

Did that mean David intended to spend the rest of his life single? Or just the rest of his career? And why did it even matter to her?

She couldn’t deny he was hot. Last night had proven in no uncertain terms how attracted they were to each other. Yet in spite of their kiss and heated tangle on the sofa that had stopped a hair shy of consummation, David hadn’t made a single move on her all day. Her body felt languid with longing, the close quarters having added a familiarity to their relationship. From behind her sunglasses, Sophie looked at his bare feet dusted with dried sand. What would he do if she brushed her foot along the top of his?

Sophie pulled away and crossed her legs yoga style, the electric churn beginning to labor behind her as the ice cream thickened. She needed some space to reestablish objectivity. Now. They still had two more nights left in the same house. She would stay away from that refrigerator—and the man behind the homemade ice cream—even if she had to lock herself in her room.

Sophie nudged her sunglasses. “I should have my new locks in place by Monday afternoon.”

“Good.” He jabbed his golf club back into the bag and jogged over to the ice-cream churn.

“Complete with a state-of-the-art security system.” Which would leave them eating peanut butter into the next century.

Once the Vasquez case ended, she would have a better handle on her finances. Then she could set a stable plan into place for herself, Brice, and Nanny. Her first responsibility must be her son’s security.

David dipped out a dripping glob of lemon ice cream. “Will you taste this for me?”

Life wasn’t playing fair today.

Knowing she should take it from his hand didn’t stop her from pressing her palms on her knees and leaning toward him. Slowly, she closed her mouth over the spoon. Her eyelids fluttered shut as the tart flavor slid over her tongue. She couldn’t have suppressed her moan if she’d tried.

David watched Sophie savor the lemon ice cream, her tongue peeking out to steal the creamy dab left in the corner of her mouth. He almost groaned right along with her. Keeping his distance, honoring the fact she didn’t want a relationship, was just about to kill him. He didn’t think he could stand another cold shower. He couldn’t decide which was harder, him or that leather couch he’d slept on last night.

At the moment, no real contest.

All this together time was really ratcheting his bad mood to an all-new high, reminding him of how he’d failed his daughter, his stepson, too. He’d failed to hold
the family together, and now both kids had lost a mother and each other. Then Vaughn had to show up. Even his sister fawned all over the guy.

Shit.

He looked back at Sophie and damned if her eyes weren’t focused on the beach, too, on the image of the children playing together. Then she looked at him again. There was no missing the hunger in her expression. Memories of last night’s kiss hummed right there between them. He honest to God hadn’t intended to do that, had only meant to talk a little, put her at ease so she would relax and open up during their work discussion. Instead, all the chitchat in the dark had just wrapped around them until he reached for her.

The connection he felt to this woman scared him shitless.

So he’d done what any man does when he wants to get rid of a woman determined to pick at his soul. He’d hit on her, which, of course, made his torment worse.

Thank heaven Monday and the installation of a new security system would mark an end to playing house. Sophie could move back into her fancy home, and he would return to his Spartan lifestyle.

Absently shoveling another spoonful of ice cream, he counted the hours until Monday morning. The ice cream melted in his mouth. He would miss her, miss the noise of a family. He swallowed and set aside the bowl, appetite ruined.

*    *    *

Watching the sun sink, Sophie propped her elbows on the dock railing and listened to the roaring of boats. Lights blinked in the distance. This whole day had been
frustrating on too many levels. She wasn’t used to feeling so out of control. And then, to add heartache to frustration, she’d been tormented with family scenarios all day. She couldn’t miss her son’s happiness or how her quiet boy came out of his shell.