“I already had my morning workout.”
His tone was so smoky she couldn’t resist glancing at him. Her heart gave a start as he slipped off the bed and stood naked before her. The sheer perfection of his chiseled torso, powerful thighs and sleep-tossed hair made her knees weak and her blood started to pound in her ears. If he reached for her, she’d fall back into his arms without a moment’s hesitation.
“That was cardio,” she retorted, tearing her eyes from him. “You need to balance it with lifting and...”
The rest was lost as he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up against him. He set his fingers beneath her chin and tilted her head to the perfect angle. She melted against his solid form as his lips claimed hers in a possessive kiss. Her tongue darted forward to tangle with his and she moaned as he palmed her butt cheek and lifted her against his growing erection. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and hung on as he feasted on her mouth. The rest of the world fell away, leaving her trapped in a whirlpool where only his hard muscles, strong hands and passionate mouth kept her grounded.
By the time he broke the kiss and gazed down at her dazed expression, she was weak with desire. Whatever he wanted to do to her, she would’ve gladly said yes. He surveyed her bruised lips and brushed his knuckles lightly against her tight nipples, satisfaction plain in his half smile.
“I’m going to take you and Honey out for breakfast,” he announced. “You have half an hour to get ready.”
Before she could protest that she wasn’t recovered enough from their morning activity to be seen in public with him, he turned her toward the door and gave her a friendly pat on her rear end. She was in the hallway before her brain could form a coherent thought and by then he’d disappeared into his master bathroom.
After checking on Honey and finding her still sleeping, Claire decided she would take a cold shower and restore her equilibrium. If this was to work with Linc, she had to figure out how to give him everything in the bedroom while giving nothing away outside of it. It was a tricky path to walk, but if she wanted this time with him, she would just have to make it work.
Eight
The morning of his mother’s party, Linc woke alone in his bed with a sense of foreboding. These past few nights with Claire had been some of the best he’d ever known. Her passion and openness drove him to want to take her pleasure higher each time they made love.
And she’d surprised him by being a curious and sensitive partner in bed, up for any number of adventurous activities. The shyness she often demonstrated vanished behind his closed bedroom door and this intrigued Linc all the more.
One thing she hadn’t given him was any deeper insight into the hopes, fears and dreams that had shaped the woman she’d become. As much as he’d spoken of how things had been before and after his father’s illegal dealings had surfaced, she’d glossed over her own childhood experiences growing up in San Francisco, leaving him with a vague picture of a little girl who’d been lonely and neglected by her father after her mother had left them.
Nor had he had any luck bringing their relationship into the light of day. As soon as the sun came up, she returned to her housekeeper role. He’d made no headway on breaching the walls she erected that kept him at a professional distance.
Which was why when he found her in his kitchen, going over her to-do lists for his mother’s party, he decided to tackle what was bothering him.
“This upstairs-downstairs thing with you isn’t working for me.”
She regarded him blankly. “The what?”
“You and I have a connection. I want more than just a sexual relationship with you.”
For a moment, she had the audacity to grin at him, but when he continued to regard her in all seriousness, she sobered. “I get what you’re trying to say, but it’s the way things have to be.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Be realistic, Linc. You can’t trot me out as the woman you’re sleeping with—”
“Seeing.”
She made a face and shook her head. “Because I will never fit in.”
“That’s not true. Not one of my friends gives a damn who I choose to date as long as I’m happy.”
She cocked her head. “Really? So they supported you marrying London?”
He considered his conversation with Knox. “That’s different. They were worried that she wasn’t right for me.”
Claire’s expression said it all.
Linc snorted in disgust. “Not because she wasn’t from an old Charleston family, but because they weren’t sure she loved me.”
“Has it occurred to you that they’re going to be even more skeptical of my motives? London has a lot of money and she runs a successful business. She’s a gorgeous trendsetter and well connected. I’m your housekeeper.” Claire’s expression twisted into disgust. “We’re nothing but a cliché. They are going to see me as nothing more than an opportunist.”
“Not once they get to know you.”
She shook her head. “I won’t fit in.”
“You don’t even want to try.”
“You’re right. I’m afraid.” Color spilled into Claire’s cheeks. “One of the things I’m terrible at is standing up for myself. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve let people bully me.” She paused and met his gaze with eyes as hard as granite. “This town is elitist, judgmental and cliquey. Why would you want to be with a woman who won’t fit in?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to insist that he didn’t care when he realized that didn’t matter. Claire cared. For her own peace of mind as well as for his reputation and
