Читать книгу Impulsive - HelenKay Dimon - Страница 9

Eric locked the door behind Cara and then turned around. “Do you really plan to tell her everything about us?”

The poor guy sounded a little nervous. He hadn’t reached the throw-up-on-the-floor level yet, but Katie could tell by the grim line of his mouth that he was getting close. “I do believe you’re sweating.”

His eyes bulged. “That’s a yes?”

It was time to take pity on the guy. He had left work to bring her coffee, after all. Not that she believed for one second that he didn’t have an ulterior motive. She’d been dealing with men long enough to know there was a mad rush of purpose behind every move. Sex, food, laundry, whatever they wanted, they made a calculated play to get it.

She set her cup down and walked over to Eric. The back of her hand brushed against his cheek. When he leaned in and kissed her knuckles, a shot of desire whipped through her. “Don’t worry. I won’t share even an abbreviated version of the good stuff.”

He blew out a deep breath. “That’s probably a good idea.”

She wondered if he knew how transparent he was. He might be able to control a courtroom, but he needed some work on his private persona. She had seen the desperation in him at Deana’s wedding, like his skin didn’t fit right, causing him to shift around. She saw it again now.

“You here for more sex, counselor?”

His hands found her upper arms and his fingers snuck under the short sleeves of her shirt to caress her skin. “You always so blunt?”

“I’ve learned that most people talk around what they want when it’s easier just to get to the point.” To prove her theory, she reached for his tie, thinking to loosen it a bit.

“No sex.”

Her hands stopped in mid-tug. “Really?”

“Didn’t even bring a condom. In fact, specifically didn’t bring one so as to avoid temptation.” His mouth said no, but his hands had skimmed down her back and pulled her tighter against his body.

“You do know there are other ways to have sex, right?”

His eyebrows dipped down in what she guessed was his fake serious look. “I’ve read about those, yes.”

“Did any of those include pictures of what I could do with my mouth?”

He dropped his forehead on top of hers. “Lord, woman. I’m trying to be noble here.”

“I never asked you to.”

“So, you’re trying to kill me, or at least my good intentions?”

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips but pulled back when he tried to take it deeper. “I just like seeing you squirm in that fancy suit of yours.”

“I was doing more than that ten seconds ago.”

“Cara?” Talk about a buzzkill. Katie let her fingers wander over the lines of his chest as she spoke. “Yeah, well, she has that overprotective big sister thing down. She should—she’s been practicing it since she was about eight.”

“Is it just the two of you?”

“And Ashleigh. My parents died in a car crash on the Like-like Highway when I was eighteen.”

“Damn, Katie. I’m sorry.”

“Me, too.” She refused to think about it. No matter how many years had passed, losing them without warning stung and it always would. “Cara’s husband left. That’s a good thing, in case you’re wondering. He was a complete loser jackass. So, it’s just the three of us girls.”

“That explains Cara’s tendency to mother.”

“If you say so.” As far as Katie was concerned, it was time Cara focused all that energy on Ashleigh. “What about you?”

“You mean family?” When Katie nodded, he continued. “Just me. My parents live over in Kailua.”

“Pretty area.” It was a thirty-minute drive through the Ko’olau Mountains from Honolulu, on the Winward or rainy side of the island, but a world away in many respects. Low crime. Expensive houses. Water views. Few tourists and a more leisurely pace. The scenic area boasted one of the best beaches in the world. Cute shops and restaurants lined Kailua Road, the main street through the business section of town.

Katie loved the area and dreamed of relocating Cara and Ashleigh there one day. She hoped a business degree would eventually make that possible. Cara could focus on the food and Katie would handle all the other stuff.

“They’ve been there for years,” Eric added.

She guessed he was trying to downplay their laidback beachfront neighborhood to avoid any obvious comparisons to the one they were in now.

“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.”

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.