Can't Stand the Heat? (12 page)

She turned to face him. “What do you want from me, Walker?”

To get you naked.

His mouth curved as he imagined what she’d do if he said that. At least she didn’t have a baseball bat handy. “For starters, I don’t want to be your enemy.”

“You want my son,” she said, her voice flat. “That puts us on opposite sides.”

“Does it have to be one or the other? Can’t he be our son?”

“He already has a father.”

“Is there any reason he can’t have two fathers?”

She scrubbed her hand over her face and dropped onto the bench. “How am I supposed to tell Nick that I slept with you while I was dating Tony? What would he think of me if he knew that?”

“There are no easy answers, Jen, but we can figure them out together.”

“Together? I don’t want you in our lives, Walker. Don’t you get it?”

“Give me your hand,” he said.

She stared at him for a moment, then slowly complied. Her fingers were chilly in his and a little chapped. She worked hard—for her kids. For her dreams. Another thing he liked about Jen.

He pressed her palm against his chest, let her feel his heart racing. As she stared at him, her eyes darkened. Her breathing became more shallow.

He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it. She stared at him for a moment, her lips parting, then she pulled away.

“You’re telling me you want me? The woman who took away your college education and sentenced you to five years on a fishing boat? Kind of hard to believe, since you can have any woman you want.”

“Maybe the right one hasn’t come along yet.”

“Right. The dateless-geek card won’t work with me, Walker,” she said. “I read
People
magazine. Who was that last actress you had on your arm? The one who was nominated for an Oscar?”

“Okay,” he conceded with a smile. “I’m not lacking for dates. But Missy Singer isn’t exactly real.”

“Parts of her certainly aren’t,” she said.

He laughed. “And you wonder why I want to spend time with you?” Jen in her jeans—worn white at the stress points and thin in the knee—and her soft, faded sweater, was as real as it got. And more enticing than any of the so-called beautiful people he’d dated.

Lately, he’d become a big fan of real.

She glanced at her watch. “I have to get ready for work.”

“I’ll walk you home.”

“Not necessary.” Her barriers were up again.

“Of course it’s not. I want to.” In the sunlight, the buds on the trees were a brilliant green. The first daffodils were opening and the tulips weren’t far behind.

“Is that pizza place in Sturgeon Falls still open? The one with the best pizza in the county?”

“Danilo’s? Yeah, it’s still there.” She glanced at him suspiciously.

“Great. You’re off Monday, aren’t you?”

She shook her head. “No, Walker. I’m not going to Danilo’s with you.”

They didn’t speak as they left the park and waited for a car to pass.

What was going to happen when he got the results of that DNA test back? If it was positive, would Jen forgive him?

“The ‘innocent and bewildered’ look isn’t a good one for you. You’re charming my sons. Giving them the evening of their dreams. You have an ulterior motive.” He couldn’t possibly want her that badly. Although the thought made her shiver, it was a little hard to believe. This was a guy who’d dated Missy Singer, after all. Why would he want the woman who’d used him—slept with him—while she loved someone else.

“Of course I do.” He nudged her hip with his. “I’m trying to charm their mother into going out with me next Monday.”

Was this part of an elaborate revenge scheme? It had to be.

She couldn’t let him charm her into forgetting that.

She’d watched Nick and Walker over their pepperoni pizza.
Was
Nick his son? What would she do if he was?

The smell of diesel fuel drifted past them in a blue cloud of smoke. The Go Karts were on the other side of the track now, and the noise wasn’t as loud. “I hope they’re having a good time,” he said, watching them. “It sounded like fun.”

“You want to be out there, too, don’t you?”

“Doesn’t it look like fun? Don’t you want to try it?”

“I’d worry about being overcome by the testosterone fumes.”

“It’s a well-known hazard of Go Kart racing.” He nodded gravely. “Hundreds are affected every year.” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s try it.”

“Didn’t you ever drive one of those things when you were a kid?”

“No.” The laughter disappeared from his face. “Come on, I’ll race you.”

“She cheated,” Walker said. “Otherwise, I would have won.”

“No way, man,” Nick said. He was actually smiling. “How do you cheat at Go Karts? You came in last. Loser.”

“What’s next?” Walker asked. “You guys want to play miniature golf or video games?”

“Games!” Tommy yelled.

“Yeah, me, too,” Nick said.

Walker shoved a twenty into the change machine, then handed Nick the tokens that gushed out. “Here you go. Your mom and I are going to play miniature golf.”

“Nick, keep an eye on Tommy,” she couldn’t stop herself from saying. “And neither of you leave the arcade.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nick said, scanning the machines for his favorite. “See ya.”

As Walker led her outside into the cool spring air, she glanced over her shoulder. Both boys were standing in front of game consoles, ignoring them completely.

There were very few people at the amusement center—on a Monday night in April, there weren’t many tourists in Door County. The miniature-golf area was deserted. A bored teen handed them putters, and they stepped onto the empty course.

“You recovered yet?” Walker asked.

“I may eventually get my hearing back,” she said. “And my rear end probably won’t be numb for much longer.”

“Want me to massage it for you?” He slid his arm around her waist and let his hand drift toward her hip. She batted it away.

“These are the only games I’m playing tonight.”

He grinned and grabbed a couple of balls from the bin. “You want orange or green?”

“What are you doing, Walker?” she asked quietly.

He turned to face her, then dropped the golf balls back into the bin. “Having fun. I hope you and Nick and Tommy are, too.”

“Of course we are.” She nodded at the Go Kart track. “What’s not to like? Go Kart racing? An almost unlimited supply of tokens for the video arcade? They’re in heaven.”

“What about you?”

“I love watching my sons having fun. Being happy. Not arguing. I’m in heaven, too,” she said lightly.

“But…?”

She set the golf club against the rail and stared at him, waiting.

“Sometimes a game is just a game.” He looked at the giant blue-and-red Aladdin’s head over one hole, the faded wooden water wheel over the next, and she saw wistfulness in his expression. Longing. “It caught my eye as we drove past. It looked like the kind of place high-school kids would hang out.”

And he’d never done this as a teen. “You didn’t have a lot of fun in high school, did you?”

He swung the golf club back and forth. “No. I thought there was one time when I did. But I was mistaken.”

She should be used to it by now—the body slam of guilt. Regret. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t change the past.” She shoved her golf club back in the bin. “This was a mistake.”

“I’m not asking you to change the past. The future? Maybe.”

“They can’t be untangled,” she said wearily. “What happened back then affects everything.”

“Does it?” He touched her cheek and let his hand drift to her neck.

Her mouth went dry. Stupid to be stirred up when it was part of his game. His revenge. She started to push him away, but his hand slid around to her nape and he pulled her closer. He drew them to the shadows next to the Eiffel Tower standing over the third hole.

“I think you made a wrong turn,” she managed to say.

“The guys in gym class used to talk about making out here.” Their bodies were almost touching. His hands drifted over her back and tucked her against him, and a lovely heat swirled inside her. “No one can see us.”

“I knew you had a plan.”

“What could be more romantic than making out at the Eiffel Tower?” He bent and kissed a spot just below her ear that made her shiver. “I want you.” He moved his mouth lower, and she trembled. “I think you want me. It’s not complicated.”

It was complicated as hell. They weren’t two people who’d just met and were having a vacation fling. Even without the issue of Nick, there was too much history between them. Too much betrayal. Too much pain.

How could he ignore that? How could she?

“A kiss won’t hurt,” he whispered in her ear. Then he gently suckled her earlobe, and she shuddered. Desire rose like a tide inside her, swamping everything—her reason, her will, her self-preservation. She wanted nothing but his hands on her. And hers on him.

She turned her head to find his mouth, and wound her arms around his neck. As he kissed her, he drew her deeper into the shadows, turning her so that she was almost completely hidden beneath the low branches of a maple tree. One of the paddle-shaped seeds fluttered down and skimmed over her face, and he brushed it away.

His fingers trailed down her cheek and onto her neck, and he followed it with his mouth. He unzipped her sweater and pushed it to the side, then nibbled on her collarbone. He’d barely touched her, but she was burning up.

Yanking his shirt from the waistband of his jeans, she smoothed her hands over his abdomen, lingering when his muscles jumped beneath her fingers. His skin was hot, and he trembled when she stroked the coarse hair on his chest.

“You’re making me crazy, Jen,” he groaned. “I want to rip your clothes off and make love to you right here.” He backed her up until her legs bumped against the wooden rail of the fence, and fumbled with the snap of her jeans.

The last time he’d done that it hadn’t been about desire or even lust. It had been about power and control. The memory was like a splash of cold water, and she found the strength to step away from him.

“That’s a lot more than a kiss.”

He reached for her again. “I didn’t say where I was going to kiss you.”

His fingers slid into her waistband, and the backs of his knuckles brushed against the sensitive skin of her lower abdomen. Need, dark and potent, overwhelmed her reason.

With a supreme effort, she moved out of his reach. “You’re way too fast for me, Walker.” She’d slept with only two men in her life—never in such a public place—and sex with Tony had been practically nonexistent in the last two years of their marriage. That was the only reason she was reacting so strongly to Walker. “Let’s get the boys and go home. This is a school night.”

His face was in shadow, but his gaze burned through her.

“Yeah. You’re right. This isn’t the time or place.” He trailed one knuckle down her cheek, then took her hand, leading her into the lights. “Just like last time.”

His hand was shaking in hers.

“Although,” he said, “that didn’t seem to stand in your way back then.”

“How did you and Mom do at miniature golf?” Tommy asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Not so great,” Walker replied. “I don’t think that’s my game.”

“Miniature golf is stupid,” Nick said.

“I think I agree with you,” Walker said, looking straight at her.

Before she could say anything, he glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, Nick, I need to fine-tune more of the programming for
Sorceress
tomorrow. Will you have time after school?”

“Yeah! That’s great! I mean, sure. I can work tomorrow.”

“Good. Three-thirty at your house okay?”

“That’s okay, right, Mom?”

“Of course.” She managed to keep her voice light. Impersonal.

Walker Barnes was even more dangerous than she’d thought.