“So your vacation is still on, then?”
“Yep.”
“You have any fun, exciting plans for the rest of the day?”
“Not a one. In fact, all this free time is driving me crazy.”
“Well, if you don’t mind physical labor, I could help you kill a few hours.”
“Sounds interesting. What do you have in mind?”
“How are your wrapping skills?”
“Nonexistent, but I’m a fast learner.”
She cocked her eyebrows at him. “You’re quite the straight shooter, aren’t ya?”
“Lies tend to lead to apologies. Since I’m not very fond of admitting I’m wrong, I try to avoid it altogether.”
“That’s a good policy.” She moved to one of the six-foot-long tables set up near the stacks of toys. The brightly colored Christmas paper, scissors, ribbons and tape looked like a scene straight out of Santa’s workshop. Too bad the G-rated setting couldn’t calm his X-rated desires.
“Have a seat. Since you’re a beginner, I’ll let you start with board games. The boxes are easier to work with than some of the other packaging.”
While he sat, she grabbed an armload of boxes and set them near his elbow. Her hair fell forward, tickling his forearms. The scoop neck of her tank top aligned with his mouth. The urge to taste her skin hit him hard. Damn chivalry. Made it impossible for a man to follow his urges.
When she leaned across him to grab a roll of green-and-gold paper, Kyle thought he would explode. Desire throbbed through him, threatening his tightly wound control.
“Did I tell you about the IRS?” he blurted.
“What about them?” She looked baffled by the sudden shift in topic, and who could blame her? Definitely not his smoothest segue, but God knew there was nothing less sexy than the IRS.
“I was doing some additional background work on your dad. It’s part of the job,” he assured quickly when she shot him a squinty-eyed look. “Anyway, when I was reviewing his tax returns, I discovered that he never took advantage of the child tax credit he would have qualified for as your legal guardian.”
“He didn’t? That’s kind of strange. He was always adamant about civic duty and that kind of stuff.”
“The fact that he didn’t take the deduction will work in his favor if Walker attempts to defame his character. If you don’t still have the hard copies somewhere, I’m sure your lawyer can get them. It’s a good idea to have them on hand, just in case.”
“Should you be telling me this?”
He shrugged. Sharing his research wasn’t particularly a breach of confidence. After all, anyone with access to the database could uncover the same thing he had.
“Okay. I’ll pass it along.” She rolled her lower lip between her teeth and gnawed on it. Suddenly, the gym felt as intimate and cozy as her cabin. He saw his own desire reflected in her eyes.
This time, she was the one who jumped in with a subject change.
“The toy drive was exceptionally successful this year.”
He did his best to follow her lead. “Looks like you collected enough to give every kid in the county four or five gifts.”
“That would be great. And our cash donations were at an all-time high.” She stood and grabbed another handful of toys. He couldn’t help but admire the way her pants hugged her rear curves.
She turned and caught him staring. “People get very generous around the holidays,” he croaked out, trying to keep the conversation alive.
Silence stretched between them, intensifying the intimacy of the situation rather than dispelling it. Finally, she turned her flushed face away and cleared her throat.
“Well, umm, let’s get to work, shall we?”
After several hours of hard work and an easy camaraderie that had both shocked and pleased her, Shayna called a halt to the wrapping party. “That’s enough. We’ll leave the rest to the battalion of blue-haired grandmas.”
“Sounds good to me.” Kyle stood and stretched his arms to the ceiling. Her mouth watered. His chest looked a mile wide and sturdy enough to hold the world’s problems at bay.
Acting on instinct, she stepped forward and ran her palms over his chest and up to his neck. His vivid blue eyes darkened from summer sky to winter rain.
“Thanks for all you’ve done.”
“My pleasure.” His arms lowered, settling around her waist with a possessiveness that sent a thrill through her bloodstream. The decision she’d been dancing around all afternoon suddenly became crystal clear.
She traced the pad of her finger over the ridge of his jawbone. Nearly invisible blond stubble tantalized her nerve endings. “Wanna come home with me and have dinner?”
“Do you have any food in the cabin?” he asked, his voice a notch huskier than usual.
“Nope. But we could pick up a pizza or something. Dinner’s just an excuse to get you to come back to the cabin with me.” She allowed the truth of her hunger to show in her eyes so there’d be no misunderstanding her intention.
The pulse flowing beneath her touch jumped. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent.” She tried to rise onto her toes and seal the deal with a kiss, but the fingers at her waist flexed, holding her in place. Struggling not to let her disappointment show, she raised her eyebrows in silent question.
“Shayna, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Will you be coming back?”
“That depends on you.”
His words caused her silly little heart to flutter, and in that instant, she knew. Despite her best efforts, she’d fallen in love with this stubborn, generous, secretly kind man she couldn’t possibly share a future with. But she could-and would-share tonight with him.
“Me?”
“Yeah. The legal ball’s in your court, so the next move will be yours.”
Not the sentimental, mushy answer she’d hoped for, but after he left tomorrow, she’d have plenty of time to deal with her disappointment. Until then, she planned to squeeze a lifetime of memories into one night.
She shifted onto her toes, and this time he didn’t stop her. “You’re not one of those guys who likes pineapple or little fishes on your pizza are you?”
“Would it be a deal breaker if I were?”
“No way. We’d just switch to Chinese take-out.”
The sound of Brinks’s barking silenced the nightly serenade of crickets and owls. As Shayna slipped the key into the lock, she smiled over her shoulder at the man about to become her lover. Yum.
For propriety’s sake, Kyle had insisted on following her home in his replacement rental, insisting that if he didn’t come home, it wouldn’t take Mrs. Windsor long to put two and two together. His concern over her reputation was supersexy.
“Careful with that pizza, or Brinks’ll snatch it out of your hands.”
She pushed open the door, and the dog raced outside only to slide to a comical stop at Kyle’s feet. Snout raised, he sniffed the air and pounced on Kyle, who, thanks to the advance warning, held the aromatic box well beyond Brinks’s reach. “Down, beast.”
Looking completely at ease with her dog, Kyle sidestepped Brinks and let himself into her home. Shayna followed slowly, shedding her overcoat and zippered jacket. She wanted to absorb and memorize every moment of this night. The second he put the pizza box on the kitchen table, she followed her dog’s example and pounced. Now that she had him here, she didn’t want to waste one precious second.
Ready to feel his skin on hers, she started tugging the buttons of his outer coat free. Once she had them undone, she pushed it off his shoulders, dropping it to the kitchen floor.
She turned her attention to his shirt, but Kyle’s hands cupped her cheeks, drawing her focus to his face. “Be sure. Once we start, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop, and I don’t want you to regret this.”
She looped her hands around his wrists. “No matter what the future holds, I will never regret making love with
