Off Limits (8 page)

He had to drag his attention back to her face. She watched him with the clear confidence of a woman who knew what she wanted. He should be lucky he was the object of that focus.

“I’m a head taller than you, and my arms are longer,” he pointed out.

“So give me a head start.”

He eyed the length of the pool, not very long. “Not sure that will work.”

“Just race me, to the other end and back.” She gathered her legs beneath her, ready to push off.

“Fine.” He had the handicap of wearing his basketball shorts instead of his swimming trunks anyway. “You say go.”

“On your mark,” she said, with a bounce. “Get set.” Another bounce. “Go!”

His chivalrous thought to give her a head start was defeated by his competitiveness. He swam alongside her, then past her, reaching the other end of the pool before taking a breath and flipping to swim the other way. He was aware of her nearby, but unprepared for her to swim beneath him like a damn mermaid, her legs tangling with his as her body slid against him, breasts to chest, before she straightened to swim past him. He had to lift his head above water to catch his breath. Only then could he could follow, and found her waiting at the edge of the pool.

“That’s cheating,” he accused, standing and shoving his dripping hair back from his face.

“How, exactly?” she asked tartly.

“You distracted me.”

She moved closer, and he couldn’t bring himself to back away as she placed her palm over his thundering heart. “How did I distract you?”

“You know what you did,” he growled, that frayed leash on his willpower snapping as he closed his hands around her bare waist and drew her in for a kiss.

She folded her arms around his neck and rubbed her breasts against his chest, bare skin and erect nipples only making him harder. He pressed her into the side of the pool, and her legs parted around his hips, opening her to him. All he had to do was push aside that little scrap of fabric, and he’d be inside her, feeling her gripping him, hot and slick.

He bumped her hips as he thrust his tongue in her mouth and her hands coursed down his back as she returned the kiss, nipping and sucking, her mouth hot and eager. He cupped her breast, resisting the urge to push the fabric away and taste her skin. She pressed into his hand for a moment before breaking the kiss and easing back as far as she could with the wall of the pool behind her.

“So you want a do-over?” she asked breathlessly through lips swollen by his kiss.

Sure, if that’s what she wanted to call it. “Hell yes.”

She slipped from beneath his arm and hung on the edge of the pool, as she’d done before the race.

“I’m not going to race you again,” he said, understanding dawning, disappointment blooming. “I had a different kind of exercise in mind.”

She widened her eyes in mock innocence. “Here?”

“Your apartment.”

“Gloria and CeCe will be up.”

He swore. “How long until they leave?”

“Well, Gloria gives CeCe her breakfast and they get dressed. Gloria takes CeCe to daycare, then comes home to go back to bed.”

Message received. He shifted his weight onto his heels. “So it’s not happening this morning.”

“Sorry.”

She didn’t look sorry at all. She eased closer in the water so her breath gusted against his throat. “Do you want to fuck me or make love to me?”

“What’s the difference?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d made a mistake.

Her eyes shuttered. “Until you know, it’s not happening.”

He went completely still when she unzipped his pocket and reached in, her hand so close to his throbbing cock, aware of just what she was doing, damn her. She drew out her keys and backed toward the ladder.

“Dinner tonight?” he managed when she climbed from the pool and picked up a towel.

“Can’t. I’m babysitting tonight and tomorrow.”

“I could come over.”

“Nope.” She tossed a towel in his direction as he emerged from the water.

“When, then?”

“I’m free Friday. Do you want to come up and change?” She indicated his dripping shorts.

See, that was how being with her short-circuited his brain. “I didn’t bring anything else.” So he’d be soaking the driver’s seat of his car. Hell.

“You can bring the towel back Friday. Shall we say seven?”

Before he could respond, she swayed off toward the stairs. Yeah, all that and he hadn’t even gotten his exercise.

Adam called later that morning, and while Zach’s first instinct was to ignore it—since he’d spent the better part of the morning fantasizing about Zach’s sister—he picked up.

“So about those two girls,” Adam began.

Zach frowned before he remembered Adam had promised details in retaliation for Zach backing out of their plans. “You’re a liar.”

“I’m not. Gorgeous, gorgeous blondes, and very flexible. I could still hook you up.”

“When was the last time I needed you to get me a woman?”

“Well, there was that time…” Adam trailed off into a chuckle. “So let’s go do something tonight.”

Maybe that was a good idea. Go out. See other women, have a few drinks with his friend, forget he wanted to kiss every inch of his friend’s sister. Once he got his mind off of her, maybe he’d start thinking straight again, and could walk away. Maybe she wasn’t what he wanted after all.

“Yeah, okay. Where are we going?”

This was his life. The music and the drinks and the gorgeous women wearing the skimpy dresses and fuck-me heels and smiling to let him know they were more than willing to go home with him.

“That brunette over there is watching you.” Adam leaned on the table and motioned with his drink.

Zach was aware. The woman in question had made certain he knew she wore no underwear, and that she’d recently visited a salon. His dick stirred—it was a pussy, after all—but he didn’t turn back in her direction. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Adam lifted his eyebrows. “You don’t think so? What exactly were you sick with this week? Nothing dick-threatening, I hope.”

Zach snorted and took a sip. “No.” Unless Adam found out who he’d been spending time with.

“Because usually, that level of availability works for you.”

“Maybe I’m in the mood for a bit more mystery.” Or at least a bit more of a challenge. He stopped his thoughts from going to Paige. She wasn’t the complete cause of his discontent. But the persona he took into the clubs with him didn’t fit so well anymore. He hadn’t even realized he had a persona, not until he didn’t have to use it with Paige.

“So you haven’t had sex in, how long?”

Zach leveled a look at his friend. “I don’t need you around to get laid.”

Adam scoffed. “Since when?”

Zach grinned and tried to relax. He danced with a few girls to get Adam off his back, but none of them held his attention. He ignored the concern on his friend’s face when Adam approached with the panty-less brunette tucked under his arm.

“Take my car.” Zach offered the keys. “I’ll get a cab.”

Adam frowned, but took the keys and headed out.

Paige knew she was taking a chance showing up at Zach’s apartment in the morning. Just because he’d been coming around didn’t mean he wasn’t sleeping with someone else, or heading to the sex club for a meaningless hookup. The idea made her stomach clench. She’d done meaningless sex before and didn’t see the appeal, but Zach clearly had no trouble with it. It was different for men. Her brother Adam was the same, though Matt had figured out what she had—that love was the answer.

So her stop at the coffee shop for coffee and pastries to share with him had been impulsive, and maybe a mistake. She scanned the parking lot and didn’t see Zach’s silver sedan. Her chest squeezed. He hadn’t come home last night. Though he’d run out on her, he’d spent the night somewhere else.

She shouldn’t jump to conclusions. He could have gone for a run or to the gym, or he could have crashed at Adam’s. But her imagination took her to worse places. She glanced down at the cup holder and sighed. Her cubicle mate Teresa would appreciate a slightly cold coffee and a turnover, she was sure.

She turned her car around and saw a flash of silver entering the parking lot. Oh, shit. She did not want Zach to see her. He’d think she was checking up on him, which she absolutely wasn’t. She’d just wanted to share a cup of coffee with him before work. That she’d gotten a dose of reality was entirely her own fault. Quickly, she pulled into a parking space, shut off the car and slid down in her seat, out of sight.

Because she couldn’t resist catching sight of him, she rose just enough to peer over the dashboard. She couldn’t see the car, but she would be able to see him when he reached the stairs.

Only it wasn’t Zach. Adam, wearing a rumpled suit and a big grin, trotted up the stairs to Zach’s place.

Shit.
Shit.
Even worse if he saw her. He’d think she was leaving Zach’s place, and that would cause all kinds of problems for him and Zach. Why on earth had she insisted on the blue Mini, which stood out among all the silver and black BMWs and Escalades in Zach’s parking lot. Adam was going to spot her instantly.

Maybe if he went in, she could zip out of here.
Please, Zach, invite him in. Please, Zach.

As she watched, Zach opened the door, Adam dangled the keys…and Zach saw her car. He did a double-take, and he grasped Adam’s shoulder, presumably to keep him from turning around. She wished she knew what he was saying—she should be able to hear it, because he was talking loud enough, as if volume would blind Adam or something—but his words didn’t carry as well as his voice. He stepped back into his apartment, waving in invitation. Paige couldn’t see her brother’s face, but the set of his shoulders made her think he was suspicious. Well, sure, who’d ever seen Zach act like that? But he followed his friend inside and closed the door. Paige wasted no time turning the ignition and beating it out of there.

She sent the first text before she reached her desk.
I’m sorry!

She didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

What were you doing here?
His impatience was clear.

I brought coffee and turnovers.

Checking up on me.

No! No no no no no. I just wanted to see you.

In the morning.

When we wouldn’t be tempted to do anything that might make us late for work.

Nothing for several minutes. She watched the phone’s screen as if willing it to light up.

Adam didn’t suspect
, he texted finally.

Good.

I hate texting. Takes too long. See you tomorrow.

She waited again, thinking her phone would ring, that he would want to talk to her instead, but it didn’t.

Around noon, though, she got another text.

Saw this and thought of you.

Frowning, unable to imagine what it could be, she clicked on the picture. The mermaid statue he’d snapped a photo of, complete with curly hair and a lacy bra, had her howling with laughter.

Paige was surprised to hear the doorbell ring when she was reading CeCe a story later that night. She admonished the girl to stay on the couch while she padded to the door to peek out.

Zach grinned through the peephole and showed her the pizza box he carried.

She dropped back on her heels, stunned, then panicked. She yanked the scrunchy from her hair and pivoted to look in the mirror above the entryway table. She’d washed the makeup from her face, and she looked about fifteen years old, with all that went along with being fifteen, awkward and splotchy. And she was pale. And wearing yoga pants and one of Matt’s old college T-shirts.

And Zach, her lifelong crush, was here, waiting on the other side of the door with a pizza. She was just going to have to make the best of it.

She opened the door with a bright smile and hoped that wasn’t a flinch she saw when his gaze traveled up and down. “Hey. I didn’t expect you.”

He smiled and twirled the box on his fingertips. “Thought you might be babysitting and hungry so I came by after work.”

Of course. He was wearing his suit, though his tie was history, and she was in her sloppiest clothes. Not great for the confidence there.

“We ate.” A couple of hours ago. “But come on in.” She stepped aside in invitation. God, he smelled good. She wanted to bury her face in his neck. The night after they’d made love, she’d smelled him on her hands all day. She longed to repeat the experience.

CeCe appeared in the doorway. “Pizza!” She clapped in excitement.

She’d almost forgotten the little girl would get so excited about pizza, even after dinner. “One tiny piece,” Paige agreed. That shouldn’t hurt before bedtime. “With a glass of milk.”

“Shall I take it in here?” Zach motioned to the living room. “The game is on, and I thought maybe we could watch it.”

Paige noticed the six-pack of beer in his other hand and wondered if he’d shown up at the wrong Clark’s apartment. “Sure. Go ahead. I’ll just get CeCe’s milk. CeCe, help him clear off the coffee table. And promise me you will not drop your pizza on the couch.”

“I promise.” CeCe followed Zach into the living room like a little rat following the Pied Piper.

Briefly Paige considered running to the bathroom and slapping on some foundation and mascara, but refrained. When she entered the living room with milk, a bottle of water for herself and an armload of napkins, she saw CeCe and Zach eying each other warily across the open box of pizza, both of them sitting on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table. The scent of the pizza filled the room and made her stomach grumble, though she’d just had a salad a couple of hours ago.

Zach chose the channel while Paige selected the smallest piece for CeCe and the next smallest for herself. Zach twisted open a bottle of beer and washed down his own large slice. He nodded toward CeCe.

“Why is she staring at me?”

“She doesn’t see a lot of men.”

“You have pretty eyes,” CeCe blurted, and Zach grinned at Paige, who rolled her eyes.

“Thank you,” Zach said. “You have pretty eyes too. And pretty hair.”