“I bet.” He laughed softly as he squeezed into the kitchen and cracked open the oven. “The bread’s done.”
As they worked together to get the food on the table, a relaxed, easy camaraderie grew between them. She guessed she wasn’t the only one who’d come to dinner determined to put aside their disagreements and enjoy a pleasant evening.
She popped the cork on the wine she had bought to take to Lindy’s and poured them each a glass. Kyle held her chair then took the seat adjacent to hers and lifted his glass. “A toast.” He paused while she followed suit. “To good food, good company and no shoptalk.”
“Amen,” she agreed, clinking her glass gently against his.
For several minutes the conversation stopped as they fixed their plates and savored those first few bites.
“Kyle, this is amazing. Talk about missing your calling.”
“I actually considered going to culinary school at one point.”
“But you were too hungry for all that money and power, right?”
“Don’t forget prestige.” He shook his head with a wry smirk. “In my defense, I was only eighteen.”
She tapped her fist on the table like a gavel. “Innocent by reason of youth. Nobody should be held accountable for bad decisions made in the first twenty years of life.”
“You would have made an excellent lawyer,” he teased, popping a bite of ham into his mouth.
“The last thing the world needs is another lawyer. Think I’ll stick with social services, despite the lack of power, prestige or money. Besides, the world always needs more social workers.”
“Because the work’s too hard, and very few people have the strength to go the distance. That’s why so many kids fall through the cracks-the way you did.”
She wrinkled her nose, hating the fact that he was right. “How come you know so much about the career span of social workers?”
“Back in L.A., I do a bit of pro bono ad litem work, representing kids who find themselves at the mercy of the court. The turnover rate for caseworkers is ridiculous.”
Another piece of the Kyle Anderson puzzle, a very appealing piece. Those were some lucky kids, to have Kyle fighting on their side. Good thing he was stubborn and obsessive and representing Steven Walker, or she’d be in real danger of falling for him.
“So why did you choose such a tough field?” he asked.
“Most kids don’t get as lucky as I did, and while I can’t solve all their problems or single-handedly fix the system, I can make sure that the kids who come to me know someone cares about them. I can show them that they don’t have to spend the rest of their lives paying for their parents’ mistakes.”
“You’re truly incredible, Shayna. All that compassion and conviction will make you an amazing role model for the kids you work with. You’ll go the distance. I’m sure of it.”
Flustered by his kind words, she dropped her roll onto her plate and hid her trembling hands in her lap. “I swear, Kyle, sometimes you’re so charming I think you must be part southern.”
“It’s not charm. It’s the truth.” His hand tenderly captured hers, his thumb tantalizing her palm. “And for the record, southern men don’t have a monopoly on complimenting smart, beautiful, giving women.”
Was it possible for bones to actually melt? Sure seemed like hers were. Even knowing it was a bad idea, Shayna couldn’t seem to keep her hand from flipping over, her fingers tangling with his. “I think the wine might be going to our heads.”
“I’m dead sober and dying to kiss you.” His voice was so strong and deep, Shayna felt the words all the way down to her toes.
It seemed to her they’d been building to this moment since his arrival. “Are you having as much trouble as I am remembering why that would be a bad idea?”
Kyle tunneled his free hand into her hair. “I’ve been fantasizing about feeling your hair draped over my body.”
Shayna braced her hand on his knee and leaned toward Kyle’s lips. “Any spot in particular?”
“Oh, yeah.” His mouth brushed her skin, traveling slowly across her cheek. Her fingers delved into the thick hair at his nape and, tired of denying herself, she turned his head and captured his lips.
The reaction was immediate, explosive. Heavenly.
Kyle quickly took control, his lips exploring hers until he found the perfect fit. Without breaking the kiss, he plucked her out of her chair and set her across his lap, matching her softness against his hardness, letting her feel how much he enjoyed kissing her. She gasped, and he took the kiss even deeper, to a place she thought existed only in love songs.
His right hand skimmed up her thigh, under the hem of her sweater. His skin felt cool against her stomach as his palm eased up to cup her breast, exploring her size and shape. His thumb grazed the tip, and her nipple snapped to attention.
Arching her back, she thrust herself closer to his touch, silently begging for more. He complied immediately, lowering his head and nipping her through her sweater. An excited tingle buzzed through her, ping-ponging between her breasts and her belly.
No longer able to bear not touching him, she set her trembling fingers to work on his shirt buttons. In no time, she had that beautiful, tight, tanned chest exposed.
She grazed her fingertips from his collarbone to his navel. Wanting to taste, she flicked her tongue over a hard brown nipple. He shuddered and released a loud groan of pleasure, which nearly drowned out the ringing telephone.
They both froze. Kyle’s whispered curse matched Shayna’s thoughts exactly. “I don’t suppose you can let it ring?”
“Shouldn’t.” She shuddered as his teeth nipped her earlobe. “It might be an emergency.”
“Okay, but don’t forget where we were.” He kissed the curl of her ear before pulling back. Shayna stood slowly, not sure her legs would support her weight. The phone’s third ring sounded like a trumpet blast.
Her fingers weren’t quite steady as she picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Well, happy holidays, girlie.”
Shayna’s aroused sluggishness disappeared in a flash at the sound of Patty’s scratchy voice on the line. The phone nearly squeezed through her fisted grip. “What the hell do
Kyle, shirt still unbuttoned and untucked, was at her elbow in a heartbeat, a raised eyebrow silently asking the caller’s identity.
“Patty,” she whispered. Kyle’s face instantly registered the same degree of fury flooding Shayna’s system.
“Got company, do you? I’ll bet our sexy lawyer friend’s a demon in the sheets. Is that how he plans to get you to agree to Steven’s silly scheme?”
As her mother’s venom poured through the phone and straight into her brain, time spun backward, hurtling Shayna back to that ratty apartment in Boston, where Patty had ruled with an iron fist and Shayna was always too afraid to do anything other than exactly what she was told.
“If he’d offered me a tumble, I damn sure would’ve taken it. The man’s got great hands. You know what they say about a man with big hands, don’t you, girlie?”
Suddenly the phone was wrenched from her grip. “Patty, where the hell are you?” Kyle’s voice became a background blur as her brain spun.
How could she be so stupid? A home-cooked meal, a handful of sweet compliments, a few steamy glances and she was ready to haul this man-this near-stranger-into her bed, and all this time, he’d just been working his case. If Patty hadn’t interrupted when she did, they’d probably already be well on their way to naked and sweaty.
She wiped her clammy forehead with the back of her hand. Kyle’s back was to her as he spoke into the phone. “I told you not to make a move until you heard from me.”
Were they working together? Disgust rolled through her stomach. Too stunned to even work up a good fight, Shayna left the kitchen. Earlier, she’d sent Brinks outside so they could eat without suffering his begging. Now she stopped at the front door long enough to let him in, then she dragged her leaden body up the stairs.
She should have figured any man who would willingly work for her selfish, greedy birth father would consider sex just another tool to get the job done. Once she and Brinks reached the bedroom, she locked the door, something she’d never done before.
Her movements were jerky as she crossed to the bed, shedding her clothes as she went. She needed to crash. Sleep would keep her mortified tears at bay and give her the strength to work up a good head of steam
