A kiss. Just a kiss but the feel of her soft lips against him stirred him more than…Hell, he didn’t want to think about anyone else. Only her and how damn good she felt against him. Her br**sts brushed his chest, and he had to feel her skin. Now. He skimmed his hands under the hem of her cotton shirt and stroked up her back, urging her closer to him. Not near enough.
The sexy sound she made—a high sigh, half moan—sent his hand higher to span her back and feel every available inch of her. His heart rate kicked into overdrive faster than the Aston Martin, all systems go. He’d waited for her ever since that kiss on their wedding day, but it felt as if he’d been waiting forever.
If he could guide her across to straddle his lap—
She nipped along his mouth and rested her cheek against his, her breath gusting over his ear. “We can’t do this.”
His pulse was more jacked than if he’d run all the way here, but he slowed his breathing to try and rein himself in. He’d hardly done more than kiss her, yet she had a way of shredding his restraint. He caressed up and down her back, massaging. “I have birth control in my wallet.”
Phoebe buried her face against his shoulder. “That’s not what I meant. It’s too soon. We’ve only known each other a week.”
Hadn’t he thought the same thing a few seconds ago? But he couldn’t bring himself to fuel her argument. “We’re married adults.”
Arching back, she cupped his face, her hands firm. “Do you have a hearing problem? I’ve only known you a week.”
The real answer knocked around inside his head. “You’re not over your dead husband.”
She flopped back in her seat and shouted to the open sky, “Damn it, Kyle, I’ve only known you a week!”
“How long had you known him?” Frustration—and, hell yeah, jealousy—made him push when he damn well knew better.
Phoebe hesitated so long he wondered for a minute if she was simply going to blow off his question. He was just about to start the car again when she sighed.
“I’d known him all my life,” Phoebe said softly. “He told me he loved me the first time when we were seven years old and I fell off my bike. We had a great marriage right up to when he died five years ago.” She looked down. “That probably sounds corny to a cynic like you.”
It sounded exactly like the sort of unconditional commitment a woman like her deserved. “My parents had that kind of marriage before he died. She loved him so much I didn’t think she stood a chance at finding it again. But man, was I wrong.” Her stillness stopped him. “What?”
The moonlight illuminated the confusion in her eyes. “You’re making an argument for falling in love twice, but I’m not supposed to fall in love with you.”
Ah, crap. “Wait, uh…”
“Gotcha.” She winked.
And that surprised the socks off him. “You’re wicked, Phoebe Landis.”
“Not really.”
Something had shifted between them when she’d opened up enough to talk about her past and, all jealousy aside, he wasn’t letting that progress slip away. He draped an arm over the steering wheel. “Oh, I think you’ve got a seriously untapped bad girl in there.”
She tightened her wispy scarf around her head again. “Well, I can tell you for sure you won’t be tapping any of that tonight.”
He let his gaze wander over her, begrudgingly enjoying this bold, confident side of her. At least her eyes didn’t have that haunted look anymore. In fact, with her swollen lips and tousled hair, she appeared vibrant. Vital. And very, very touchable.
Good thing he already had his hands on the wheel.
Kyle cranked the engine. He would let her go for now, but he had hopes for a lot more next time. “Lady, you’re killing me here.”
“Somehow, I believe you’ll survive until morning.”
“I’ll be thinking of you all night.” And he’d already arranged it so when she climbed in bed, she would find a surprise gift that ensured she would think of him, too.
Seven
“Thanks, Jonah,” Phoebe said softly, walking up the side steps to the porch just off her suite. The sandy wind stung her legs, her skin still overly sensitive from one sensory-igniting kiss. When he didn’t answer, she moved closer, reassured by the steady drone of the nursery monitor on the table.Her brother-in-law sprawled in a chair at the table, his head back and eyes closed. His laptop computer also rested on the table, open to a full-screen shot of a girl with a backpack, a panoramic mountain range in the background.
Curiosity drew Phoebe closer…Jonah’s eyes snapped open. She stepped back, embarrassed to be caught staring at him when he was apparently resting his eyes. “Pretty girl.”
“Nice ride?” he asked, dodging her comment and clicking the photo closed.
What was his life like when he wasn’t surrounded by his ambitious and well-connected family? “Lovely ride. The shoreline view is gorgeous. Thank you again for keeping an ear out for Nina. Did she give you any trouble while we were away?”
He glanced past her as if to check for Kyle. She was alone, though. Kyle was putting away the Aston, since she’d bolted from the vehicle as quickly as she could rather than risk being tempted further.
Jonah passed her the nursery monitor. “The munchkin didn’t make a sound the whole time. But don’t worry, I still looked in on her twice.”
She tapped the top of his computer. “Checking your MySpace?”
He tucked the laptop under his arm. “Grad school paper. Thank goodness for laptops.” Jonah winked on his way past and down the steps, looking so much like Kyle—except for the longer hair. “G’night, Phoebe.”
He loped across the manicured lawn toward the carriage house, keeping his secrets. She wondered if Kyle knew more about the girl on Jonah’s screen saver. They seemed such a close family. How easy it would be to grow too comfortable here and forget it was all temporary.
Phoebe wrapped her arms around her waist, wishing it were that easy to hold together the pieces of her tattered control. She’d played things light with Kyle after his kiss. She’d sensed that would be the best way to gain some much needed distance.
His surprise ride along the shore in the vintage auto had touched her far more than any five-star dinners. Without question, the quirky car pick appealed to the history buff in her. He’d chosen his venue well for softening her up.
Time to return to reality. She eyed the nursery monitor, then raised it to her ear. Lullaby music played in the background, but she needed to see her girl to be sure. She creaked open the nursery door, leaned inside and, sure enough, Nina slept soundly as Jonah had said. The little one sucked her bottom lip, snoozing away.
Phoebe closed the door softly, suddenly awake and restless. Maybe she should try to get more work accomplished, except she couldn’t scrounge up enthusiasm for chaining herself to a desk, especially after the open-air outing.
Might as well just curl up in bed and try to sleep, since Nina would be awake early. Phoebe pivoted toward her bed…and stopped short.
A large gift, wrapped in rose-patterned paper, rested on top of the pink-and-white accent pillows. Cocking her head to the side, she approached the package warily. Who?
She plucked the card from under the bow and found it simply read: Enjoy! Kyle.
Her skin began tingling again in excitement as she picked up the briefcase-size box, testing the weight. Heavier than she would have expected. She didn’t dare shake it without knowing if it was fragile. She peeled back a piece of tape slowly, careful not to tear the paper. It had been a long while since someone had surprised her with a present.
Phoebe parted the floral wrapping, taking her time in the unveiling…of…
A laptop computer.
Her nerves tingled hotter, tighter, his thoughtfulness touching her as firmly as any stroke of his hands. How had he pulled this off? She glanced at the porch. He must have left the gift with Jonah to place on her bed.
Kyle had put even more planning into the evening than she’d first realized. He must have noticed her struggling to balance work with caring for Nina. The new computer would make her life so much easier. Possibilities bloomed in her mind. She could even write on the patio, with Nina in her swing.
Phoebe smoothed her hands along the box, the night stretching long and lonely ahead of her. She knew full well what she was missing in turning him away.
Her cell phone rang from inside her purse. She looked at the clock—11:42 p.m.—and smiled. It could only be Kyle this late at night.
She fished the phone from her bag and, yes, his number scrolled across the faceplate. Dropping onto the edge of her bed, she answered. “Thank you so much for the computer. I should say it’s too extravagant, but it’ll help me spend more time with Nina so I can’t bring myself to say no.”
“I was counting on that. And you’re welcome.” His bourbon-smooth voice intoxicated even through the airwaves.
She sagged back on the pile of pillows. “Why are you doing all of this? I would have taken care of Nina without all the kindness.” Silence vibrated through the phone and over her nerves. “Kyle?”
“I’m here. And I think you know exactly why.”
Her mouth dried up with the possibilities, dangerous possibilities that could threaten her objectivity. “Sex would complicate things between us. We wouldn’t be able to go back. That could make things very awkward living together.”
“Would it help you to know that my new job is with Landis International? I’ll be traveling a lot, starting next week.”
He would be leaving soon? She inched up higher on the pillow stack, not sure how she felt about this latest revelation. “All this romance has been about a short-term affair?”
“You’ve made it clear you aren’t interested in any emotional commitment.” He paused while his words sunk into her brain, tickling her mind with the possibilities. “Five years is a long time to go without sex.”
There was only one way to deal with Kyle. Surprise him, keep him as off balance as he kept her. If that was even possible. “Who says I’ve lived like a nun since my husband died?”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Of course I’m sure.” She’d dated and even tried to take things to that level, only to bail before making it to the bedroom. “I’ve learned to take care of those needs on my own.”
Had she really just said that out loud? At least she’d managed to shock him silent. She gripped the phone until her fingers turned blue.
“Damn, Phoebe,” he growled low. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? Because an image of you ‘taking care of yourself’ could definitely give me heart failure.”
She burrowed deeper into her pillows, her face heating with embarrassment—and stirring excitement. “I can’t believe we’re even having this discussion.”
“Then I’ll let you go…for tonight. See you in the morning.”
She thumbed the off button and clutched the phone between her br**sts, right beside her pounding heart. Her way of dealing with Kyle proved to be a double-edged sword. In spite of her best intentions and how little time they’d known each other, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out against the allure of Kyle and a short-term affair.