Chance Encounter (28 page)

“You’re not most guys, though, are you?”

His face took on a seriousness as he said, “There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you.”

She wanted to melt at that sweet answer. When she’d first met him, his gruff, grim demeanor had been off-putting and downright scary. Now she realized that, though he was more serious-minded than lighthearted, he possessed a strong element of kindness, too.

She sat on a workout bench, took a breath to steel her nerves, and said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“What’s going on with us?”

He dropped down to another bench across from her. “What do you mean?”

Okay, he was going to make her come out and say it, and she was so not experienced at this. “I know we’re attracted to each other…I just don’t know where we go from here.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“You know, it’d be real helpful if you would stop answering my questions with questions.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Kacie. Am I attracted to you? Most definitely. I don’t think I’ve ever been more attracted to anyone. But I’m your bodyguard, not your boyfriend. When this thing is over, we’ll probably never see each other again.”

Exhilaration and heartbreak in one swift, compact answer. But he was right. He was here to guard her while LCR found out who was trying to hurt her. She was a job to him.

Yet she had never felt more comfortable with another man before.
 

“Can I ask you another question?”
 

He nodded.

This was going to take quite a bit more courage, but she had to take the chance. “Even though we might not see each other after this is over, would you…could we…” Crap, this was harder than she had imagined.

Apparently realizing where she was headed, he leaned forward and took her hand. “When we tried before, I scared you. I never want to do anything like that again.”

“It wasn’t you that scared me…it was—” Oh hell, how do you tell a man that you want to make love with him but that you’d really prefer it if he didn’t give you an orgasm?
 

“What, Kacie? You know you can tell me anything. Right?”

“I just…” No, she didn’t have that much courage. “Could we try it again? I know that doesn’t sound very sexy, but—”

“Stop right there. There’s nothing that’s not sexy about you. Hell, you take a deep breath and I get a hard-on.”

“Really? That’s…wow. Guess I’d better start breathing deeper more often, then.”

“Don’t you dare. It’s damn uncomfortable to walk around like that.”

“So…would you? I mean…could we…?”

Still holding her hand, he pulled her until she was close and then settled her onto his lap. And she discovered that, despite her very unsexy proposal, he was very hard.

Without worrying whether he would like it or not, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. Despite her attempts to seduce him with her mouth, he kept the kiss light, teasing her mouth, easy and sweet.

And Kacie knew, no matter what happened tonight, whether she was able to go through with it or not, Brennan wouldn’t judge her. He would keep her safe.

If he had the patience to try once more, then she should have the courage to try, too.

Chapter Twenty-seven

He had been on edge all day. In fact, Brennan didn’t know if he’d ever been more nervous in his entire life. At least not about something that had to do with sex. Since losing his virginity at age sixteen, sex had been easy, and when he’d been playing ball, from high school all the way to the NFL, it had been available to him in abundance.
 

 
Having a beautiful woman ask him to make love to her would be a fantasy by most men’s standards. It had happened to him many times. And before he was married, he’d said yes numerous times.

But when it came to Kacie, she was more than just a beautiful woman. She meant more to him than anyone he’d known in a very long time. If he hurt her, or damaged her trust, he’d never forgive himself.

What courage she had, though, to come out and ask him if they could try it again. That kind of grit humbled him and made him more determined than ever that she would enjoy tonight. He didn’t care if it took all night long to help her overcome her fears, didn’t care if they had to stop and talk about it. He’d always been a man of patience and control, and he’d prove that tonight.

He’d spent the afternoon on a giant cruiser watching Kacie and David snorkel and pretend they were having a blast. He’d never been on a photo shoot like this one before, his short stint as an underwear model notwithstanding. A three-day shoot had to be exhausting, but Kacie took it all in stride. Even when he figured she was exhausted and would much rather be lounging by the pool, when Francois told her to smile, she gave him a genuine, sunny one.
 

What Brennan would consider torture, she honestly seemed to find enjoyable.

Now, as he watched her have a romantic dinner with David, he struggled with what would happen when they went back to the bungalow. He admired her determination to pursue this when she was still obviously terrified that she would panic again, but he wondered how far that resolve would allow her to go.

She had visited with her therapist the morning after their first disaster, so maybe the doctor had suggested something that would help her overcome her panic. One thing for sure, they’d have a long talk before they even got naked. Seeing the horror in her eyes was a sight he never wanted to see again.

Having a seemingly intimate and romantic dinner with one man while your mind was on sleeping with another man wasn’t as hard as it sounded. Whenever David smiled, leaned in to touch her with a tender caress, she simply superimposed Brennan’s face onto David’s.
 

Of course, poor David would be insulted if he knew the truth, but it worked wonderfully. And when Francois called it a wrap, he excitedly proclaimed that he’d never seen a couple so attuned to one another, nor had he photographed a more romantic evening.
 

Kacie thanked everyone for the lovely few days and said good-bye. It was hard to believe they would be headed home tomorrow. Harder still to acknowledge that she’d been literally living in a fool’s paradise. Going home meant facing whatever and whoever was trying to destroy her.

“You ready?”

At the sound of Brennan’s deep, sexy voice, she pushed all of that aside. Tomorrow was soon enough to worry about that. Tonight was hers and Brennan’s. Oh, and that big giant elephant that would soon join them in the bedroom that she had aptly named in her head: Orgasm Terror.

She held out her hand, and he took it, bringing it to his mouth for a soft kiss. One romantic gesture from this man would put an entire week of fake romance to shame.

“I think so.”

He gave her a tender, heated smile. “There’s no pressure, Kacie. No timetable. No rules.” He drew her in for a sweet, lingering kiss and then whispered against her mouth, “Only pleasure.”

How could she tell him that unfortunately,
that
was the problem?

The flicker of doubt in Kacie’s eyes was the last thing Brennan wanted to see. He was about to suggest they go to one of the bars for a nightcap, hoping to show her he was in no rush. A jagged streak of lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder changed his mind.
 

He had a bottle of wine waiting for them, and even if it took all night, he planned for her to know that tonight there was absolutely nothing to worry about, especially from him.

Taking her hand, he pulled her along with him toward their bungalow. They ran the last few steps, and the minute they stepped inside, the heavens opened.

 
The rain hitting the roof made a rushing, almost thunderous sound—the perfect accompaniment for the hot blood thundering through his veins.

“Want some wine?”

She whirled around and saw that he’d ordered not only wine, but a variety of sliced fruits. “Wow, you’ve been busy.”

“Yes…well, watching a gorgeous woman have a romantic dinner with another man leaves little time to myself, but I manage.”

She winced. “Sorry…can only imagine how boring that must’ve been for you.”

“Boring?” He pulled her into his arms, pressed her into his body. “Boring is the last word I would use.”

“Oh yeah?” she said softly. And then, in a bold move that both surprised and delighted him, she grabbed his hips and rubbed her sex against his hardness. “What word would you use to describe it?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“Hard,” she whispered against his mouth. “Hard. Thick. Long. Beautifully male.”

“Hmm. Are we still talking about the job?”

“What job?”

He growled, “Exactly,” and covered her mouth with his.

Somehow, kissing Kacie was always better than he remembered. Her taste, so fresh and pure but sensual, wrapped around him, and he wanted to devour every single morsel in one long swallow. Brennan ate at her lips, loving the feel of her surrender, her passion. When Kacie kissed, no matter how fearful she might be, she put everything into it. Her passion, need, and heat transmitted to him like an electrical charge.
 

Drawing away so they could breathe, he said, “Now about that wine.”
 

“Can we drink it later? After?”
 

He almost said yes. Almost, because he wanted her so much, and she seemed so willing and eager, but the anxiety in her eyes said something else. No, they weren’t going to rush this.
 

“How about I take a shower and you pour us a drink? I got a little heated watching you tonight.”
 

She grinned. “I plan to get you a lot heated.”
 

“Good.” He kissed her nose. “Would you mind bringing me a glass?”
 

She nodded, and he stepped away from her. Maybe it was a mistake to cool down the intensity since she had seemed so eager, but quick, hard sex, especially with Kacie’s history of abuse, seemed so damned wrong.
 

Brennan pulled off his shirt on the way to the shower. He hadn’t lied. Just thinking about what would happen later had gotten him so heated at dinner, he’d requested ice water. Watching Kacie smile and simper at another man wasn’t the most enjoyable way to spend an evening, but his imagination had taken him away from that scene.
 

Dropping his pants to the floor, Brennan turned on the shower and let the cool, pounding water give him the relief he needed. He turned at a sound and saw Kacie holding out a glass of wine, wearing nothing but a sexy smile.
 

He groaned and went rock hard in a second. So much for going slow.
 

Kacie hoped the wine she was holding didn’t spill. It had taken all her courage to strip and walk in here. Now she was shivering, though not all from nerves. She was ready, really ready this time to give herself to this man. But she couldn’t deny the nerves, along with anticipation and a volcanic kind of heat that felt as though it could erupt and spill over any moment. This heated need was one that only Brennan could quench.
 

Brennan stepped out of the shower and took the glass of wine from her hand. He took a long swallow and then held the glass to her mouth. She took a sip, and as the fruity merlot flavors of red grapes and black cherries hit her tongue, the need rising inside her went even higher. Taking one more swallow of the wine, Brennan set the glass on the countertop and then pulled her into the shower with him. As water cascaded over them, their mouths melded into a devouring, tongue-tangling connection. His hands roamed everywhere, and Kacie delighted in them, even as her hands did the same. He was so incredibly hard. Everywhere she touched was a tactile, sensual experience.
 

His chest rubbed against her breasts, making her nipples achy and needy. When he lowered his head and covered one with his mouth, she almost sobbed at the glorious feeling. His hands touched her hips and then cupped her butt, pressing her sex into his. Unable to stop herself, Kacie stood on her toes so she could rub his hard penis against the top of her sex.

Oh... Heat swamped her, need overwhelmed her. She could feel arousal pulsing, begging for release. She wanted it so badly she almost screamed at the incredible, delicious, overwhelming intensity. One second more...one last pulse and...
 

An image of Harrington came into her head.
 

Oh no. Oh no. Not now. Please not now.
 

Brennan wanted to cry with her. She was crouched in a corner, sobbing, and he didn’t think he’d felt this helpless since he’d lost his son. His arousal completely gone, Brennan knelt down beside her. “Kacie...baby. It’s all right.”
 

She raised her head, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen such stark pain. “No, it isn’t, Brennan. It really isn’t. It’ll never be all right.”
 

The water that had felt so good a few minutes ago was now chilling them both. Standing, he turned the shower knobs, halting the water, and then turned back to the devastated woman in the corner. He wanted to fix whatever was wrong, but how in the hell could he do that when he had no idea what her issues were. Okay, yes, he knew what they stemmed from but why was she able to get to a certain point before she freaked out? He was messing this up but had no clue how or why.