Simply Sinful

she said.

The flash of white teeth came and went in a quick grin. “I heard about this casual place. I forget the name.” He buttoned his suit jacket. “I’m from out of town, so I’m not too familiar with the city. I expect to be visiting often, though, because the boss lives here.” His gaze never left hers.

“So it’s casual dinner?” she asked.

“Yes. You can run through wine ordering, dinner choices, all the necessary things I’d need to know for dinner with the boss…and I get your company. Like baseball?”

She nodded, feeling a little like she’d been blindsided.

“I’ve got tickets for the Red Sox game afterward and we can hit that later.”

“Somehow I doubt you need lessons on how to attend a ball game.”

“No, but by then I’m hoping we’ll be past the lesson stage. Sound good?”

She cleared her throat. “Sounds fine.” So fine it scared her.

“We’re all set then.”

She nodded.

“You won’t be disappointed.” His words held a wealth of meaning and Kayla had the distinct impression this was more than a business. That she was more than hired help to this extremely sexy man.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. The connection was instant, the knowledge frightening. She feared her deepest thoughts had just been confirmed. He jerked back without warning. Had he experienced the same unnerving reaction as she?

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a brown leather wallet, working quickly, as if he suddenly couldn’t wait to be gone. “Do you take American Express or Visa?” he asked.

“Either, but…” What could she say? That the thought of taking money in exchange for an evening in his company seemed wrong?

She glanced at Kane. He’d charmed her despite his initial pretense. Not only did she like him but she could use an evening out to enjoy herself. With the all-business attitude she’d had lately, she’d barely had time for fun. When was the last time she’d been out with a nice guy? The last time she’d let herself be charmed for once? Kane was most definitely good at that. She bit down on her lower lip and met his gaze, which had darkened to an unreadable, darker blue.

He flipped open his wallet. “I can pay cash if you’d prefer.”

“No.” She couldn’t take money in exchange for a date. No matter how he couched the word, that’s what it was. She treated him to a genuine smile. “Why don’t we see how things go and we can discuss it? Later.”

“Okay.” He snapped closed the billfold. “I’m staying at the Summit Hotel and I’ll be in touch, Miss…Kayla.” With a grin, he walked out the door, leaving her to wonder…

Could she really be that…lucky?

CHAPTER TWO

“YOU LOOK SHARP, McDermott.” Whistles and catcalls followed his walk through the station house. Kane ignored the harassment and parked himself in an open chair, kicking his legs out in front of him. He exhaled deep and easy, keeping up a steady beat. Relaxation came, but it was hard-won and destined not to last.

He’d taken one look at that angel-like face and known the geek cover wouldn’t work. He’d given it a shot anyway…because it would have been a hell of a lot easier to keep his distance from the woman if he wasn’t acting like himself. He was a professional. Attraction was never supposed to come into play.

Kane let out a groan. But he’d never seen eyes so wide-set and green and he’d damn sure never seen curves like hers anywhere but on a magazine centerfold. Desire hadn’t hit him so hard or fast since he’d been a teenager.

“Well? Did the McDermott charm do her in?”

At the sound of the commanding voice, Kane lifted his gaze. Since he’d been pulled into the assignment last minute, he hadn’t had a chance to go over his cover with Reid. Kane was grateful. He’d never live it down if the captain thought he’d gone in acting like a pencil-pushing geek. “She didn’t say no, if that’s what you’re asking. You get the tickets?”

Reid ran a hand over his balding head. “You’re a pain in the ass, McDermott. Yeah, I called my brother-in-law and told him my best detective was into bribery now.”

Kane shrugged. “Like I had a choice? Besides you’re the one who insisted I take some R &R.”

Reid’s face grew somber. “Don’t try to con me, McDermott. I’ve known you since you were a wise guy in the academy. You watch a kid get killed and you tell me you don’t need R &R?” Reid snorted. “I haven’t seen you so shaken since your first shot actually hit its target.”

Kane didn’t reply. The captain was right. When he was a rookie, Kane had fatally wounded a suspect when he’d closed a drug bust. The captain had picked Kane up and taken him home afterward, and, since then, the Reids had become the family Kane insisted he didn’t need.

The captain knew him well. More importantly, he had accepted him. Despite Kane’s surly attitude and attempts to remain aloof, Reid pushed anyway, including him on holidays and family gatherings. After a while, the older man’s persistence had paid off. Kane couldn’t bring himself to insult Reid or his wife by turning them down, though he squelched the small part of him that wanted to enjoy the sense of family they provided. Kane limited the occasions, but he still knew the Reid clan better than he knew anyone else.

“At least these tickets will work to our advantage,” Reid said in his raspy voice.

“You really ought to lay off the smokes, Captain.”

Reid scowled at him. “Worried I won’t be around to bug you?” He laughed. “I’m too tough to die.”

“You got that right,” Kane muttered, refusing to admit he cared too much about his boss.

“Thanks to the predicted drop in temperature, the lady should be more than eager to share body heat,” he said, ignoring Kane as usual. “She seem interested?”

Kane folded his arms behind his head and leaned back to ponder the question. The old chair and springs creaked beneath his weight in a familiar song. Had Kayla Luck been interested?

“More after I told her I knew Fredericks.” Their tip regarding Charmed! had come from a reliable source-an up- and-coming politician who’d gotten caught with his pants down. He’d been more than willing to talk in exchange for keeping his escapade out of the headlines.

Reid had gotten a list of Charmed!’s legitimate clientele over the past year. Fredericks seemed squeaky-clean and nervous to have his name tainted by scandal. Kane hadn’t trusted the guy to keep quiet should Kayla contact him about his salesman friend, Kane McDermott, so he’d concocted the story about Fredericks being transferred overseas. Fredericks had been jumpy but sincere and he’d sung Kayla Luck’s charms, including her honesty.

“At least you picked a winner out of the hat.”

Kane nodded in agreement. If Kayla had reacted badly to the name, the plan would have been shot to hell. “I’m good at what I do. Think she’ll take the bait?”

Kane recalled the sultry smile, the soft pout of her lips and the coyly phrased question. Why don’t we see how things go? “Yes…and no.” She’d been interested, all right. The thought caused a steady, pulsing rhythm in his veins. But he could deal with a sexual attraction. Lust and desire were two sensations he could easily handle.

The lady’s other qualities were another story. A naive innocence lurked beneath the seductive body. She lacked the hard edge he’d expected, the tough facade he’d been prepared to face. Instead she’d been uncertain and unsure. She might have grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, but life hadn’t visibly hardened her, at least not yet.

Lush curves on the outside and a gentleness on the inside. It was the softness that beckoned to him and that shook him up.

“Either the lady’s running more than a charm school or she isn’t,” the Captain said.