Crossing Lines (9 page)

“Okay, you’ve convinced me,” she said, pointing to the blue and gold cap. “I’ll take the Lite, instead.”

“Man,” Kevin said as he swiped the back of his hand over his brow. “That was a tough sale.” He popped the top loose and handed her the bottle. “I have plenty more in the house, so drink all you like.”

She grinned and washed the ibuprofen down with the beer. “This’ll do me. I’m a cheap drunk on a good day. Combined with the drugs, if I have more than this, Michaela and I will have to crash on your couch.”

He chewed the inside corner of his mouth as his gaze crawled from her legs to her neck. After a quick shake of his head and a long,
long
pull on his beer, he swung his legs up on his chaise. He stretched one out in front and bent the one closest to her to use as a prop for his forearm.

“I’ve been wondering about something.”

“My amazing athletic ability?”

His grin was quick and fleeting before he sobered and shook his head. “Tell me about your boots.”

What? My boobs?

What the hell was she supposed to say about her boobs?

While she sputtered, looking for an appropriate response, he said, “You’ve obviously had them for a while and didn’t get them strictly for this job.”

Oh my God.
She burst into laughter. And here she thought he’d be Mr. Smooth-moves. “That’s the most original, and ludicrous, come-on I’ve ever heard.” She slipped her hands under her larger-than-average boobs and gave the girls a proud little lift. “Nope, I didn’t get them just for this job. I’ve had them since I was about eleven, maybe twelve. I don’t remember exactly how old.”

Kevin’s mouth dropped open and his eyebrows rose in surprised interest as his eyes followed the lift and bounce. When the girls settled back into place, he shifted his gaze to hers with the funniest what-the-fuck expression she’d ever seen. He blinked a few times before his face lit up and he threw his head back, laughter pouring out of him. After several moments of unsuccessfully trying to contain his amusement, he took a few deep breaths and wiped his hand over his eyes.

“I think you misunderstood.”

He took another deep breath, followed by a long draw on his bottle. After a slow exhale, he seemed satisfied he had himself under control, so he tried again.

“Boots. B-O-O-T-S. Tell me about your boots.”

Sam froze with her beer lodged against her lips. “My boots?” Her high-pitched squeak echoed around the bottle as flames licked at her neck and spread over her face.

Shit, he hadn’t been coming on to her at all. He was talking about her
work
boots. It was her gutterbrain that turned an innocent question into sexual play. She squeezed her eyes shut and drained her beer.

“I don’t know what to say about my boots any more than I did my boobs.” She laughed nervously. “Other than to confirm, yes, I’ve had them for a while… although not quite as long as my boobs. And no, I didn’t get them just for this job.”

Kevin reached into the cooler, drug another Lite out of the ice, and popped the top. “Here, have another. This is getting good.”

She dropped her head in shame and reached for the bottle. “One more, but that’s it since I didn’t get to finish my lunch. I’ll eventually need to drive home, and you may decide sooner is better than later.”

He grinned and winked. “Somehow, I doubt that.”

Men smiled and winked all the time, but when Mazze did it, an avalanche of excitement rolled in her belly. After her massive misstep, however, she needed to take a breather and regroup before making another advance.

She sipped her fresh beer and nodded to the kids. “I still feel bad you and Spencer left the beach on my account.”

Spencer ran the length of diving board and jumped into the water next to Michaela, sending a tidal wave over her head.

“Does he look like he’s having a bad time?”

To Spencer, he said, “Hey, what’s the rule about running?”

“Don’t do it,” Spencer said before directing another splash at Michaela. Not to be outdone, she turned her back on him and kicked her feet, soaking him in a barrage of water.

“I’m sorry you’re hurt, but this is much better than the beach.” His brow drew into a sharp V and his eyes narrowed as he looked at her angry ankle. “You’re new in town, right?”

“Yep. Been here about two months.”

His gaze slipped to her face. “Do you have family here who can help you over the next few days?”

“Sure.” She grinned and nodded to Michaela. “She’s a spectacular nurse.”

He sighed and a dull expression settled over him. “Not exactly what I had in mind. What about friends?”

“My best friend Cheri, from high school, lives here.” Not that Cheri would be any help this weekend. But when she got back…

“Will she be able to help you get around the next few days?”

She rolled her eyes and readjusted the neck strap on her bathing suit. “I’m not an invalid. It’s just a sprain.”

“So…” He chewed his lip and slowly nodded. “That’s a no. She’s not able to help, or you won’t ask?”

“Sheesh, you’re a pain in the ass.” She laughed at his unapologetic shrug. “No, she’s not around. She’s out of town at a… convention.”

She pressed her lips together to keep from grinning at the thought of all the new toys Cheri would bring back from her annual conference. She said they revealed the new items at these events, and Sam was a little too anxious to preview… and sample the new goodies.

“A convention.”

Sam giggled. “Yep.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s more to this story?”

Heat simmered along her jaw and her heart gave a thwump as she chewed her lip and considered the pros and cons of telling him the truth. This would be a good opportunity to see what he thought about her best friend selling sex toys… and of Sam being her best customer. Would he think she was a kinky freak and lose interest, or would he want to come to her house and play?

After a glance confirmed the kids were out of earshot, she leaned toward him. In a quiet voice, she said, “She has a day job, working for the city. At night, she does in-home parties.”

“Like Mary Kay.”

Her grin grew. “I don’t think Mary Kay ever sold anything like this.”

“Interesting.”

The longer and more closely he watched her, the more nervous she got.

After several pounding heartbeats, he leaned to the side and met her halfway between their chairs. “Tell me what she sells.” His eyes darkened as his gaze locked onto hers. “Exactly.”

Whew… even though she sat in the shade, his penetrating stare rocketed her temperature ten degrees higher. This was what happened when you played with matches. What started off as a simple tease burst into a wildfire, trapping her in its midst.

She scratched her temple and brushed a piece of hair away from her eye. “Adult entertainment.”

His eyebrow kicked up a notch. “Your friend’s a hooker?”

“No!” She huffed and frowned.

It was more of a glare, really, since she suspected he already knew the kind of party to which she referred, but for whatever reason he seemed intent on hearing her say it out loud. She didn’t know if he was just being a jerk, or if he was testing her to see how timid and bashful she might be about this kind of thing. Either way, this might be an opportunity to turn the tables and be the lightning strike, rather than the kindling.

She pushed her sunglasses to the top her head, made her eyes heavy and sleepy, and deepened her voice to make it thick and rich. “She sells sex toys at private parties. She’s at a conference, learning how to use them.”

He grinned at the first part, then jerked his head in surprise and blinked. “I can think of a million ways to learn to use them.” His lids dipped and the pulse in his neck jumped as he visually caressed her. “A conference isn’t one of them.”

“Yeah…” She bit down on her bottom lip and stared at his mouth. A slight breeze ruffled her hair, but did nothing to contain the extreme heat engulfing her. Desperate for relief, she ran the base of the cold bottle across her forehead… down her temple… along the side of her neck and over her shoulder.

Kevin muttered something she didn’t understand as he followed her every move. The tension between them grew so thick and taut, it could’ve been used as a tightrope.

After several uneasy moments, he said, “How about a swim to cool off?” His voice was huskier than before, and she realized he’d moved Spencer’s towel over his lap.

She wasn’t a cocktease, but after Michael’s hatchet job, she’d spent a lot of time questioning her desirability as a woman and her ability to excite a man. Kevin’s strong reaction boosted her ego and fragile self-esteem and fueled her naughty little fire.

“Great idea.” Especially since it got both of them a little closer to naked.

She sat upright, crossed her arms over her stomach, and took hold of the hem of her T-shirt. She didn’t need a degree in stripology to understand the art of a slow reveal, so she made her motions as drawn out and exaggerated as possible. Slowly, she lifted her shirt over her stomach… uncovered her black bikini top… then slipped it over her head. Without being obvious, she glanced at Kevin to check his reaction. A thrill shot through her as his Adam’s apple bobbed with a rough swallow and his lips parted, sucking in air.

She protected her ankle by dangling it off the side of the chair, then pushed to her knees and unsnapped her cut-offs. With thumbs hooked inside the waistband, she wiggled side-to-side and eased the shorts over her hips and down her thighs.

Before she got them completely off, Kevin shoved to his feet and stormed off, yammering in a foreign language. She froze, afraid she’d gone too far or miscalculated his interest. But as he crossed the slate patio, she noticed he still had the towel covering the front of his shorts and his breathing was harsh and raspy.

He opened the door on the small utility building that housed the pool mechanicals, tossed a couple noodles to the kids, then grabbed several floats the size of small thrones. He dropped the floats in the water at the pool’s edge, then slowly made his way back to her.

When he surrendered the towel to the chair, she couldn’t help but glance at his shorts.

Oh, hell yeah.
He
was
glad to see her… And she wanted to see more.

“Can you make it to the pool with help, or do you need me to carry you?” His voice was strained, his eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. He seemed to be clamping down on his self-control with an iron fist… which was close to losing its grip.

Had they been alone, she would’ve kept up the momentum. But, they weren’t alone. A fact that was driven home when Spencer bolted from the pool and charged across the deck.

“Yay, you’re swimming with us!” He threw his arms around Kevin’s waist and tugged, trying to drag his unmovable uncle into the water.

Without saying a word, Kevin picked Spencer up and dropped the squealing child into the pool like he was dumping a load of laundry down a chute. Spencer came up sputtering, then splashed in retaliation as Kevin walked away, laughing.

“After seeing that, I think I’ll go it alone.”

The corner of his lip kicked up as a sliver of sun broke through the tree branches and reflected off his eyes, making them twinkle. His voice, however, was not light or playful. “I’d handle you with more care.”

She gulped as the pulsing attraction arced between them again and propelled her off the chair toward the cool water. At least that was her plan. The second she put the tiniest measure of weight on her foot, numbing pain shot through her ankle and up her leg. Her knee buckled and gravity did the rest, but Kevin snaked his arm around her waist and caught her before she landed.

“Holy sh-sheet, that really hurts.”

“It doesn’t help to change shit to sheet,” he said, his mouth next to her ear. “They’re smart kids. They can figure it out.”

A shiver raced down her spine as warm breath brushed her ear and neck. She nodded erratically, trying to regain her physical and mental balance. “Baby steps. It takes a long time to change a lifetime of habits.” She drew in a fortifying breath and tried going foot-to-ground again.

Kevin stood by, patiently waiting for her to test the ankle, but when it became obvious the pain was too excruciating, he swooped her up and headed toward the stairs.

Startled by the sudden upswing, she squealed and locked her arms around his neck, ensuring if he tried to toss her overboard like Spencer, she’d drag him in with her.

His eyes, no longer red and watery, were sharp and focused, and his nostrils flared as his jaw tightened. She wanted to run her hand along the stubble and ease the tension, but feared the touch would be too intimate… or the proverbial last straw that snapped his control.

Even though she started this game of seduction, she suddenly doubted her ability to ride this bull and wondered if she wouldn’t have been smarter sitting this one out.

K
evin’s eyes crossed and nearly rolled back in his head as he carried Samantha to the pool. Watching her try to put weight on her injured foot was painful. Having her cradled against him, her arms wrapped around his neck, the fruity flavor of her shampoo making his mouth water and driving him to the edge of insanity with each breath, was excruciating.