As he droned on, Erin inconspicuously stole a few glances at the monitor behind him.
So far so good.
She really should make an effort to add to the conversation, but what was she supposed to talk about, all those beefy guys and their tight little buns? She doubted he’d find the humor in it.
Restless, Erin shifted her stance. Gerard noticed the edgy movement. The way he quickly switched back to his professional mode and shot a glance at the monitors threw her off guard.
He arched a brow. “Kale seems to be taking an awfully long time.”
Erin straightened. “Speak of the devil,” she said, gesturing with her head. She turned her attention back to Gerard. “Nice talking with you.” She raised her fists like pom-poms and yelled. “Go Packers, go!”
As Kale moved into the lobby, she pushed away from the counter and started toward him. Kale turned to her, a crooked smile on his handsome face. “What the hell was that?” he asked as they made their way to the doors.
She lowered her voice. “Don’t ask.” As soon as they exited the building, Erin turned to him. “Did you delete it from the hard drive? Did you get into her locker? Were there any copies?” she rushed out.
“Yes, yes, and one. And it’s been taken care of.” Kale circled the truck and opened the passenger side door for her. “We don’t have anything to worry about, Erin. If she threatens you again, we’ve got the disk at my place to prove she’s tampered with highly confidential material and removed it from the lab.”
Elated that her job was no longer in jeopardy, Erin wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. She became acutely aware of the way her breasts crushed into a wall of tight muscle. “Thank you, Kale.”
Chuckling, he hugged her back and lifted her feet off the ground. After he set her back down, he pulled back an inch but didn’t let her go. He brought his mouth close to hers. “You’re welcome,” he whispered.
As she stood there, mouth poised open, body enclosed in the circle of his arms, waiting for him to kiss her, a bevy of emotions rushed through her. What he’d done for her tonight, the way he had supported her, even risked his own career to do it, touched her so deeply it rattled her right down to her toes. Instead of taking the next exit when they’d encountered a bump in the road, he’d stood by her and supported her. He had no idea how much that mattered to her.
There was so much more to this man than she had expected. When she decided to indulge in a casual affair with playboy Kale Alexander, she hadn’t anticipated that she’d fall so hard for him. She swallowed the lump clogging her throat and cursed herself for feeling so emotional.
She put her palm flat against his face and spent an extra moment just looking at him. Her breath hitched. Cripes, what in the hell had she been thinking? Kale wasn’t the kind of guy she could have a casual affair with, and she wasn’t the kind of girl who could love casually. She ached for something far more intimate from him.
As his lips closed over hers, she knew it better than she knew her own name. Her simple plan to have a frivolous affair had backfired.
She was in way over her head.
Chapter 10
Silence fell over them as Kale negotiated his truck into traffic. He stole a sideways glace at Erin. Fingers linked together, she rotated her thumbs in a tight circle and stared at the dark road ahead.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Without looking his way, she nodded.
He closed his hand over hers and squeezed. “What are you thinking about?” he prodded.
She turned to face him. A flurry of emotions passed through her eyes. “Nothing.” Her voice was low and a little edgy.
“Really? You weren’t thinking about coming back to my place to tell me about this hot tub fantasy of yours?” he teased, hoping to lighten her mood.
She grinned. “That might have passed through my mind a time or two. Or a million,” she said playfully.
Kale chuckled and squeezed her hand more tightly.
As they drove toward Kale’s place, Erin got quiet again. She pointed to a side street and sighed. “I’m supposed to be there tonight.”
“Your mother’s? I didn’t realize she lived so close to Jay and Laura.”
She nodded and let out a slow breath. “It’s a great place to raise kids. Laura had that in mind when she chose this location.” She angled her chin. “Look at how well I turned out growing up in the burbs.”
He furrowed his brow as his gaze panned her body. “Hmmm…Perhaps I’ll have to have a chat with Jay before he decides to have children.”
Erin whacked him and laughed. “Hey,” she said. “You take that back.”
Kale tapped the brakes and turned the truck around. He pulled down the side street that Erin had pointed to.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice rising an octave.
The parked cars on the curb gave away the location of her parents’ house. He flicked a glance past Erin’s shoulder and registered every detail of the impressive two-story home.
The truth was, Kale was anxious to meet Erin’s family, to step into her private world. He wanted to glimpse this intimate side of her and take this relationship to the next level, where things were far more personal.
He pulled up behind one of the vehicles, shifted into park, and removed the keys. Distracting her, he sidled closer and put his mouth close to hers. A rush of sexual energy hit him as his lips touched her skin. “I’ll take it back on one condition,” he whispered. He inched back, his gaze shifting to her mouth.
Her heavy lids fluttered. “What’s that?”
“You kiss me.” His voice was husky with desire.
She wet her bottom lip. “I think that can
