Impulsive (19 page)

Eric had heard people talk about butterflies and sweaty palms but he'd never experienced them. Today, standing in front of all those people, his chest tightened. Reality pummeled him from above and below. This comment could make his future or crush it.

And he wasn't talking about being the prosecuting attorney. He was thinking about Katie. No matter what he did or said, she pulled away. It had started a few days ago and he'd felt it in every meeting since. Her kisses still rocked him, but her words didn't match.

A flashbulb went off, pulling him back to the moment.

He looked around, wondering how his life had gotten to this place. “I have a short statement.”

The mumbling in the room died down. All eyes turned to Eric. Pens and tape recorders came out. A few attorneys from the office and a handful of friends stood at the back of the room in a show of moral support.

Eric took it all in and then pushed it all right back out of his mind. He had to concentrate and that meant going to a place in his head where he could handle every question and not flinch. “If you read a newspaper today or own a television, you know about a recent story and a suggestion that I used my office for inappropriate conduct. I disagree. The truth is that while working late, I had a dinner date with the woman I have been seeing for some time.”

He aimed his gaze at one reporter in particular. “Let me repeat that for those who have jumped to unbelievable conclusions. The woman in question is the woman I am dating, exclusively and, frankly, as often as I can. If I see any suggestion to the contrary again, you will need to answer to me. Not me, the lawyer. Me, the incensed boyfriend. You've been warned on that score.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Eric saw Kevin wince.

“In hindsight, I should have used an alternate location. I also should have pulled down the blinds.” He stopped to let the laughter die down. “But the real answer is that I am an adult male who is in a private relationship. None of that impacts my legal judgment or my ability to do my job. If you need me to quote my courtroom record, I will. If you want me to talk about my girlfriend, I won't. Though you may not know it from looking at those photos, some parts of my life are off limits.”

He took a drink of water. The reporters sat on the edge of their seats. He'd like to think that had something to do with how compelling he was, but he knew it meant he was about to get hit with every topic from sex in his office to his relationship with Deana.

He inhaled one last time. “Questions?”

The room exploded.

T
hree hours later Katie sat at Eric's dining room table. Her spiky heels lay on the floor beneath her chair and her legs curled under her. She'd long ago given up on her hair. It was half tucked behind her ear and half hanging in her face. Good thing this wasn't a first date where she needed to impress, because she felt as put together as an unmade bed.

She stared at the two white takeout food containers in front of her and tried to remember how they even got there. Seth had hustled her out of the hotel right after Eric finished up the rounds of nasty and intrusive questions. Fuming and offended on his behalf, she'd waited in the car in the parking garage until Eric joined her.

They'd barely spoken since.

He sat across from her now with his tie off and his shirt unbuttoned to show his stretchy white undershirt. End-over-end he tapped his fork against the table. His vacant stare seemed to be aimed at the back of his couch.

“You okay?” she asked.

He blinked a few times. “What?”

“You've said five words in the last hour.” He'd also had about three bites of food and nothing to drink. His mind veered in some direction that she couldn't follow.

She felt left behind. Abandoned.

“Sorry.” That was it. He didn't say anything else. No talking, no joking, just a flat-toned apology.

The lack of a reaction made her nervous. She wanted to think something had finally touched him. The scene at the hotel made a circus look calm and quiet. A normal human being would be hanging on to the edge of sanity by his fingertips. But Eric wasn't like everyone else. His tolerance bar stood so much higher. He could handle things that would crush most people.

“You did really well.” She'd told him that twice already but desperation made her throw it out there one more time.

“Thanks.”

His blank attitude killed her. She'd vowed to keep tonight sex-free. She wanted to prove that they had something more than the bedroom between them. He was making it abundantly clear they didn't.

“Eric—”

“Let's go to bed.”

The air left her lungs in a giant whoosh. The bedroom was exactly what she didn't want. “We should talk first.”

“About what?”

This side of Eric threw her off. She didn't know how to handle him or get around the forty-foot wall he erected between them. “Whatever it is that's bugging you.”

“I'm fine.”

“That's not possible.” When his eyebrow lifted, she tried to explain what should be obvious. “You had a trying day.”

“No arguments there.”

“I thought you might want to vent.”

“I'm good.” He lowered his fork to the table and stood up. “Ready?”

She went back and forth between wanting to kick him in the butt and wanting to spill her true feelings and see his reaction. She could tell him she was falling for him and take her chances. The risk of becoming one more obligation to him stopped her. Being viewed with all the excitement he'd aimed at his cold dinner didn't appeal to her.

“You have a right to be pissed off.” She stayed in her chair, hoping he would head for the couch instead of the stairs.

He wrapped his hands around the back of the chair in front of him. “Thanks.”

The monosyllabic answers drove invisible spikes into her brain. “What's wrong with you?”

“I don't want conversation.”

“What do you want?”

“You.”

The answer sucked away some of the madness swirling in her head. “I didn't come here for sex.”

“I'm not talking about sex.” He left his position on the other side of the table and came to a stop in front of her. “I want to make love to the beautiful, strong woman I'm dating.”

When he phrased it like that, her resolve crumbled. “Did I thank you for all the nice things you said about me today?”

His fingertips danced over her skin, barely touching but zapping life into every nerve ending. “They didn't come close to making up for the shitty things some of those reporters suggested.”

“It was kind of hot to have someone jump to my defense like that.”

Eric's thumb rubbed over her lips. “You deserve it.”

“There are some folks who would disagree with you.”

“I don't care what other people think.” He took her hands and gently lifted her to her feet. “You are the only one who matters to me.”

“I like how that sounds.”

“Then come upstairs with me.”

When he whispered the plea against her lips, she gave in.

 

An hour later, Eric folded an arm behind his head and wrapped the other one around Katie's shoulders. Asleep and cuddled at his side, she couldn't throw him that sad-eyed look that made him think she was about to bolt. It haunted his whole damn evening.

She wanted to talk, kept dropping hints and staring at him while he shoved down food and pretended to care about the taste. Conversation was the last thing he wanted. Talking left an opening for ending everything and he wasn't ready for that.

He had to figure out a way to hold her, to convince her that what they had was special and worth fighting for. Not that he could blame her for deciding his freak show of a life wasn't the place she should be. She was young and vibrant. His life was about obligation and now reporters.

The thought of losing the energy she brought into his life left him cold. It could be that he didn't have what it took to hold her. The idea of that made his dinner harden into a ball in his stomach. In such a short time she'd made her way inside his life. When he used to look out over his future, he saw the immediate election and a few beyond. The governorship one day.

Then she walked in like a burst of sunshine and brightened everything else. She offered him a balanced life. The sex, the arguments, it all worked for him. Fired him up in a way that being with Deana never did. Not that it was Deana's fault. They'd smoldered and he'd thought that was good enough. With Katie, he sparked. The difference left him shaken and, for the first time in a long time, uncertain about how to proceed.

The easy road he'd staked out for his life no longer looked as appealing.

Her foot snaked up his leg. “Are you awake?”

But this they always got right. It had started a bit rocky tonight, but they got right back on track.

He smiled into her hair. “Am now.”

“Sounds like you're blaming me for that.”

“It was more of a statement of readiness.”

Her elbow brushed against his now aroused dick. “Not yet, but we can get you there.”

“You forget I'm an old man.”

“You put younger men to shame.” Her arm moved again. Her smile let him know it wasn't an accident. “You know what you need?”

He knew the answer to that one. “Tell me.”

“A younger woman.”

“That's convenient since I seem to have one in my bed.”

She lifted up on her elbow. “What were you thinking about so hard a few minutes ago that had you humming?”

“I don't think that's actually possible.”

“Oh, baby. You make all kinds of interesting noises.” She dropped a kiss on his mouth but lifted up again before he could catch her and drag her fully over him.

“Do I now?”

“Should I show you?”

“Is that a challenge?”

Her hand traveled down his stomach. “I'll have you groaning in a minute.”

“Really?”

“Count on it.”

 

Katie slipped into a booth at the diner the next morning. Instead of their usual seat at the back, Jimmy had picked one near the windows upfront. They could sit outside on the curb for all she cared. She just wanted this over.

His text had come in right as Eric stepped into the shower. She had planned to join him until she saw the identity of the sender. The idea of any part of Jimmy sneaking its way into Eric's house, even by phone, made her want to vomit. Eric didn't deserve that violation.

When he went to work, she headed over here. “Why did you call me?”

Jimmy cut into his pancakes like a man who hadn't eaten in months. “To congratulate you.”

“For what?”

“Snagging our boy.”

“I'm not in the mood for this.” She slid to the edge of the booth and started to stand up.

“I gotta give you credit. You played it brilliantly.” Jimmy munched on a mouthful of food but his words were clear enough.

What he was talking about was the question. “What?”

“You lured our boy to his office, set him up in front of the window, and then went to work. Getting the shot of the two of you was pretty damn easy after that.”

She dropped back into her seat. “What are you talking about?”

Jimmy saluted her with his dripping fork. “We make a good team.”

“You think I invited you into my private life?”

“Sorry, honey, but when you sit like that in front of an open window, you want someone to watch. I obliged. Got a nice video out of it, too, but was real careful to block your face. The only person you can make out is our boy. Him and your hot body.”

The idea that Jimmy saw her naked was almost too much. There wasn't enough water in all of Hawaii to wash her clean after hearing that. “I had a feeling it was you.”

The pieces fell together so easily now. She had suspected, but she'd hoped her supposed friend hadn't sold her out.

“Our boy handed me the weapon when he came in here threatening me.”

“Is that what this is about? You were embarrassed?”

“Hell no.”

“Then explain it to me. Why go after me? Or Eric?”

Jimmy rubbed his finger and thumb together. “Cold cash, babe.”

She couldn't undo that mess, but maybe she could find Eric's spy. The bullshit about someone wanting to help him was just that—crap. “Who paid you to take the video?”

“I saw an opportunity and took it.”

A heaviness settled in her gut. She was responsible for this. She'd dragged her train wreck of a life into Eric's and parked it there. Thanks to her his reputation was in tatters, people saw him as some sort of player who used his office to nail women, and his campaign was on shaky ground.

“You're telling me you did that video stunt on your own?” she asked, unable to believe Jimmy had stepped so far out of line.

“Yep.”

“You were following me.”

“It was pretty clear you'd wrapped our boy around your finger…or was it another body part?”

“You're disgusting.” Why hadn't she seen that before? She'd thought he was her friend and that he'd watch out for her. It was now clear the only thing ruling his decisions was cash.

“Either way, our boy has it bad. There was no reason not to use that.” Jimmy's fork twirled in the air before it dove back to his plate again. “I've got Gunnery's camp on standby for more.”

“You didn't even know Gunnery's name a week ago.”

“I'm a businessman. I gather information. After you got so interested in our boy, I looked into him a bit more.”

If her head thumped any harder, the waitress standing at the other end of the diner would hear it. “I can't believe this.”

“You picked a good one.”

“You're such a loser.”

Jimmy tried to look offended but didn't do a convincing job. “Honey, don't be like that.”

“No more threatening to sell that tape. I want it. You've benefited from Eric enough. The only way I know to stop you is to take the tape and destroy it.”

Jimmy finally shoved the plate away from him. “No can do.”

Anger and distaste weren't working, so she tried to appeal to his better side. She just wasn't sure he had one.

She stretched her hand out until her fingers touched his. “Jimmy, we were friends. Don't do this to me.”

“What I meant is that I can't because I don't have it.”

She yanked back her arm. “Who does?”

“My client.”

More people seeing her naked. Great. At this rate she'd have to move off the island. “Gunnery.”

“Nope. Our original client. Seems he's not too happy our boy is being lured in by you. Got the impression he thought you were beneath his pal.”

She hated this client guy and she didn't even know who he was. “Give me a name. I'm not going to go running to him. I just want to know who I'm dealing with. You owe me that much.”

“Still can't tell you. But I do have something for you.”

“What?”

“Your share.” Jimmy slid an envelope across the table to her. “There's some in there from my story kickback and some from our client. He paid us to shut this down.”

She refused to even touch the money. She didn't want anything to do with it. “There is no ‘this' because I'm not involved with your insane video scam.”

He winked at her. “Right.”

“Jimmy, I'm serious.”

“You need the money, right? God knows you earned it with some of those tricks. Impressive, by the way.” His smile was positively slimy.

“You're not funny.” She wanted to shove the plate up his nose, but she stood up instead.

“Katie?” He looked around and then lowered his voice. “Seriously, though. Watch yourself.”

“Trust me, I've learned a lesson.”

“Not me. Our client. He wants you out. Bad.”

For the first time she got the sense the client shook Jimmy. That was a tough feat since Jimmy rarely got scared. “Give me the guy's name.”

“He's as close to Eric as anyone.”

“Seth?”

“No idea who that is.”

Satisfaction soared through her. She'd scoped Seth out as a possible suspect but hoped it wasn't him. After only a few minutes with him, she liked him. There was something solid and dependable about him. Reminded her of Eric. Plus, she got the sense he truly cared for Eric.

The idea of Seth sabotaging Eric filled her with a killing rage because it would have been the ultimate insult. She knew all too well what it felt like to have the person you trusted most let you down. She'd learned that lesson when a furious wife threatened her with a frying pan. Her fun had ruined a family. She hadn't known that at the time, but the guilt remained.