Savin' Me (7 page)

When she’d left work this afternoon, her goal
had been to go with Erik, see their manufacturing plant, and get a
clear understanding of the boat-building process. What she hadn’t
considered was the personal insight she would glean into Erik.
Seeing him in his work environment and watching him interact with
the employees and his father had completely changed the playing
field. A part of her brain was suggesting the rules, and maybe even
the game itself, had just been seriously altered.

Erik extended his hand to help her on board,
and this time, rather than fighting it, she accepted without
hesitation. She even allowed herself to enjoy the rush of heat
accompanying the touch. Once she was settled, he scooped Little Bit
into his arms and climbed aboard behind her.

Untying the ropes, he said, “Well, what do
think?”

Having spent the past several hours with
Erik, who had the innate ability to relax everyone around him, she
didn’t have it in her to be snide or defensive. “You were right.
You have a tremendous facility. I had no idea boat building was so
advanced and high tech. You should be proud of the business your
family has built.”

He snapped his head around to face her with a
shocked expression on his face. Slowly recovering from his
surprise, a smile spread over his mouth. “Thanks. That means a
lot.”

In a less hostile mood than she’d been when
they crossed the river the first time, she took her seat in the
back and looked around as he eased out of the slip. The sun was low
in the sky and glittered off the surface of the water like a
million shards of white, orange, and pink glass. The river was wide
with tributaries snaking out in all directions.
Where do they
all go?
she wondered.

She relaxed with the rocking of the boat as
it sliced through the water and allowed its peaceful, calming
affects to wash over her. Resting her head against the seat, she
closed her eyes and enjoyed the sun’s warming rays, while the cool
breeze brushed across her skin.

As usual, anytime she closed her eyes and
relaxed, thoughts of Erik took over. This time, rather than
fighting the images dancing in front of her mind’s eye, she let
them roll. The man was an enigma she found unsettling and
frightening. Sure, she’d spent an evening with him, drinking and
laughing in the bar, then having an intimate dinner before the
debauchery started. But that time together had been superficial
and, for all she knew, could’ve been an act on his part.

But the last two hours… that was the real
deal.

And it scared the hell out of her.

He might be the head of marketing, but he was
an authority on every aspect of their business. He’d explained the
entire process to her, step by step and in great detail. And he’d
done so with the enthusiasm of a man who had a true passion for his
job. He obviously worked hard, but he didn’t seem resentful.
Instead, he embraced it.

Several times throughout the tour he’d been
hands on, like when he climbed onto a large boat and helped the
electrician solve a wiring problem. When they reached the grinding
booth, where they cut the holes for windows and hatches, he’d
waited for the grinder to finish his current job so he could speak
with him.

From the bits and pieces she overheard, she
gathered the man’s daughter was sick and had been for a while. Erik
told him the company would take care of the medical bills not
covered by insurance so the family wouldn’t have that stress and
could focus on her care.

The man’s relief had been tremendous. Just
thinking about the way the stress lines had eased from his eyes and
forehead as he grabbed Erik’s hand and thanked him profusely made
her a little emotional all over again.

Erik spoke to everyone with kindness, and it
was obvious the employees respected and admired him. The only time
she’d noticed any tension in him was when his father mentioned an
upcoming dinner Erik needed to attend. He’d muttered something
about rigging up his keg, then assured his father he’d be
there.

He was confident and self-assured. He laughed
a lot, was playful and sexier than any man had a right to be. And
his smile. Lord, his smile was infectious and heated her blood to
the point of boiling. It had been her undoing the night they met,
and she suspected, if he worked at it even a little bit, it would
still be her undoing.

She thought back to the night they met and
how he looked sitting at that bar with his head hung over his
glass. His tortured expression matched hers, and she knew he’d also
lost something important. She flopped onto the bar stool next to
him and offered to buy his next drink. She hadn’t done it to pick
him up. She just wanted the company and thought maybe he could use
a little himself. But then he laughed and smiled.

And she melted.

Then came the rest of the night. God, the way
he whispered in her ear, telling her all the things he planned to
do right before actually doing them, still got her hot. She licked
her dry lips, trying to restore the moisture that had evacuated to
a more favorable spot further south. She squeezed her thighs
together, attempting to assuage the throb beginning to build.

Warm air swept across her neck, and she flung
her eyes open. She’d been so caught up in her memories, she hadn’t
noticed the boat stopping, or that they were drifting in the middle
of the river.

Palms planted on either side of her seat,
Erik leaned over her wearing the expression of someone about to
have lunch. “What’s going on it that pretty head of yours?” His
voice was a soft, cajoling rumble, but his eyes were hot and
devouring.

She glanced down at her erect nipples pushing
through the fabric of her sundress. Her knees were clenched, her
hand caught between them where she’d been rubbing her inner
thighs.

His mouth hovered inches above hers, and the
need to grab the front of his shirt, pull him to her, lick his full
bottom lip, and kiss him senseless was uncontrollable. The pungent
scent of aftershave and hot man drifted over her, while the heat of
his body wrapped around her like a cloak, drawing her to him. Her
body lifted and drifted toward him of its own free will.

She shouldn’t do this.

She couldn’t stop.

Suddenly, something cold brushed against the
heated skin of her leg. She jumped and looked down at Little Bit,
who was nudging his way in between her and Erik. He looked
expectantly from her to Erik, then back to her again and nudged her
leg with his cold nose. He seemed to be saying, “There’s some
petting happening here, and I want my share.”

Laughing nervously, she sank back down into
her seat and rubbed her damp palm across the top of LB’s head. He
didn’t seem to mind being used as a napkin, so she kept at it and
said, “How long until we’re back at the office?”

Erik, who had been completely undeterred by
Little Bit’s efforts, kept his hot and inviting gaze locked onto
her. “Depends on what you have in mind once we get there. With the
right incentive, I could get us there pretty damn quick.” He
straightened and looked around. “Or, we could take a little
detour.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I know a great private
spot off the creek over there.”

“I bet you do.” She rubbed her temples and
sighed. God, she’d wanted to kiss him, and she hadn’t wanted to
stop at a kiss. But she was grateful for the intervention. She had
to be strong and resist. She couldn’t risk involvement with a
client again. “No, no detours. I need to get back to the
office.”

“Could I talk you into having dinner with
me?”

“I wish I could, but I can’t.” Gah, she was
so torn. Despite the lecture she’d just given herself, she’d love
to have dinner with him. And breakfast tomorrow, too. But, not only
was there the whole job thing to consider, she didn’t have time. “I
need to finish a few things at the office and get home. I’m still
not finished unpacking, and I need to get that done. I can’t find
anything.”

“Okay, then I’ll come and help you. And I’ll
bring dinner.”

She stifled a snort, and said, “Having
someone to lug boxes from the living room to the guest room would
be fantastic.” But she wasn’t a masochist, and inviting Erik into
her home would be pure torture. “I appreciate the offer, but I
don’t think it’s a good idea.”

His smile turned less wolfish and more
sincere. “I’ll behave. Promise.” He held up three fingers. “Scout’s
honor.”

She laughed and shook her head. “You were
never a Boy Scout.”

“You got me there.” He dropped his hand and
hunched down in front of her. “But I do promise, Erik’s honor, no
touching. I’ll bring dinner, help you move boxes around, and
whatever else you need, then leave.”

Unconvinced, but tired and ready for a little
company and some help getting those damned boxes out of her living
room, she said, “No touching.”

His wolfish smile returned. “No
touching.”

***

Erik stood on Kat’s doorstep, carrying a
pizza box and beer, wearing that stupid-ass grin again, and vaguely
aware of the self-preservationist frantically waving his red flag.
Erik knew this no-touching policy seemed counterintuitive to
getting Kat back in the sack, but it wasn’t just a ploy to spend
more time with her, as the self-preservationist seemed to think. It
was part of the bigger plan. If things went according to plan, by
the end of night, she’d be cursing that no-touching policy and
ruling in favor of full-on contact sports.

“Hi there,” she said, opening the door and
stepping aside so he could enter.

His gaze swept over her pink T-shirt,
ass-hugging jeans, and bare feet, where a toe ring twinkled
mockingly. The self-preservationist muttered, “See, dumbass, you’re
in over your head.”

Erik gulped, finding it difficult to argue.
Forcing his gaze away from her, he stepped over the threshold and
scanned the mountain of boxes littering the floor. “Holy shit.”
Some were open, with newspaper hanging over the sides where she’d
rummaged through them; others were stacked in neat piles three and
four high. “We’re gonna need more beer.”

She laughed and shut the door behind him.
“Are you sorry you insisted on helping?” Without waiting for an
answer, she took the pizza box from him and led the way to the
kitchen.

Hell no, he wasn’t sorry. This was even
better than he’d expected. With any luck, he’d be here all night,
which gave him more time to make her regret that stupid rule.
“Maybe,” he said, laughing so she’d know he was teasing. He glanced
around the kitchen, which was slightly less disastrous than the
living room. “Do you have a plan of attack, or is this a
free-for-all?”

She sat the pizza box on the counter, then
looked around. “I think finish the kitchen first, then move to the
living room?”

It was more question than statement, so he
shrugged and nodded. “Sure. You’re the boss.”

She grabbed paper plates and napkins from the
cabinet and set them on the counter next to the pizza. “In that
case, I say we eat first. I’m starving.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, pulling a slice from
the box. When she reached for it, he shook his head no and held it
up to her mouth. “Open.” She eyed him suspiciously—smart girl—but
opened anyway and took a bite.

“Oh my God. That’s so good.” She grabbed
another bite, then closed her eyes and chewed like it was the
finest food in the world. With her head tilted back, eyes closed,
and pleasure rippling off her, she looked much like she had on the
boat. Soaking up the sun, the wind blowing her skirt high on her
thighs, her hands stroking her legs… she’d been an erotic vision if
ever there was one.

He took a deep breath and set the slice on
her plate before grabbing a couple of slices for himself. “Vinnie’s
makes a great pizza. They have killer lasagna, too. We’ll get that
next time.”

She opened her eyes, grabbed her slice, and
took another large bite. Between chews she said, “I love lasagna.
It’s one of my favorite foods.”

He grabbed two beers and grinned. She hadn’t
flinched at the “next time” part of his statement; he was making
progress.

She hopped onto the countertop and continued
to eat while he opened the bottles. As he turned to hand her one, a
drop of pizza sauce stuck to her lip caught his attention. Pizza
sauce wasn’t sexy. But when she flicked her tongue out to lick it
from her lip, a gulp and a groan collided in his throat. A shot of
adrenaline hit his system, and blood rushed to his dick.

He took a long, cooling drink from his bottle
and considered his plan—which wasn’t working as he’d intended. In
fact, so far, the whole damned thing seemed to be backfiring.

“This is really good,” Kat said, grabbing a
second slice. “Thanks for bringing dinner and coming to help. It’s
nice to have the company.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Did you grow up in Riverside?” she
asked.

“Not in Riverside, but across the river and
down a ways. About a mile past the plant.”

Kat picked up her pizza to take a bite,
paused, then set it back down. “I have to be honest. Once I let go
of being pissed off…” She smiled sheepishly. “I really loved being
on the water. It’s so peaceful out there. I understand why you
prefer travelling by boat.”

Erik’s chest tightened at her soft smile and
the sincerity of her words. It shouldn’t have meant anything, but
he was thrilled she’d enjoyed something that was such a big part of
his life. “We’ll go out again. Soon.”

She nodded, then grabbed her pizza and took a
healthy bite.

He smiled and did the same, enjoying the
moment.

The self-preservationist dropped his head
into his hands and wept.

General conversation ensued until Kat
finished eating. She tossed her wadded-up napkin onto her plate and
brushed her hands together. Since he’d finished long before her,
she asked, “Ready to get busy?”