The Family Man (8 page)

“Let’s see what it looks like,” Adam said.

Grace looked up at him, and he gave her one of those heart-melting smiles, then he took a moment to look at the sparkly fall of red and silver in her right ear.

“Okay, we should be able to find that.”

To Sara’s surprise, he dropped to his hands and knees and started searching the floor. For a moment, all she could do was stare. Then she joined the search, though not on her hands and knees. Other partygoers nearby, having overheard Mrs. Pierce’s concern, started looking, as well. A minute passed before Adam found the missing earring.

He stood with it in his palm and presented it to Grace like he was Prince Charming, she was Cinderella and the earring the glass slipper. “It was attempting to hide under the edge of the table.”

“Oh, it must have come off when I leaned forward to look at that lovely turquoise necklace.” She reached up and patted Adam on the cheek. “Thank you, young man.”

“Adam, ma’am.”

“Adam.” Grace nodded. “I like that name.” She glanced over at Sara. “You escorting Sara tonight?”

“I am indeed.”

“Then you, dear boy, are envied by many a man in this room.”

He caught Sara’s gaze as her shock registered. Envied? Because of her?

“I have no doubt,” he said.

With another squeeze of his arm, Grace left them alone. Well, as alone as two people can be in a room full of other people.

The band began playing, and Adam extended his hand. Helpless to refuse, even if she’d wanted to, Sara placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. For the life of her she couldn’t think of a single thing she wanted more than to know what it felt like to be held in his arms.

When he pulled her close to him and placed his strong arm around the small of her back, she feared he’d feel how her heart pounded at his proximity. Frantically, she searched for something reasonably intelligent to say and found a compliment that didn’t reveal too much of the excitement bubbling within her.

“That was a nice thing to do for Mrs. Pierce. She and Mr. Pierce were married for a long time.”

“He’s gone?”

She nodded. “Two years ago. She’s the captain’s mom.”

“Ah. So, maybe I earned you some brownie points with the boss, too.”

He fell back on teasing, but something told her
that there was a truly kind place in his heart beneath all that flirtatious, boyish exterior. She’d seen it with David, and now with Mrs. Pierce. That part of her that was always asking questions, digging deeper, wondered why he hid whoever he was behind the persona he projected.

But she’d have to think about that later, when she wasn’t being overwhelmed by Adam’s nearness, the intoxicating male scent of him, the way she felt purely feminine in his arms. How she wanted to keep dancing cocooned next to him until the sun rose on a new day.

Sara owed Ruby and Tana a great debt. She’d tried so hard to get out of tonight’s date with Adam. She was glad they hadn’t let her.

Even as the last song of the night coasted toward its conclusion, she didn’t want the night to end. She couldn’t imagine ever feeling so good ever again. Not only did Adam prove a good dancer, but he’d also kept her laughing with his observations of the other people in the room, how they might look in beachwear.

He didn’t say anything funny now though. Instead of focusing on his words and dance steps, she became hyperaware of the movements of his body against her. The reined-in strength, how his arms curved around her back, the subtle slide of his suit against her dress, his warmth and clean, male scent.

Oh, God, she had to get home, away from him. She battled the crazy notion that she was halfway to falling for him already.

“I need to be getting home,” she said as she pulled back from him with regret.

“Yeah, me, too.”

She didn’t think he had any pressing reason to get home. Maybe he’d come out of the same lovely fog she’d been in all evening and remembered that she wasn’t the type of woman he wanted to be with. Instead of turning into a pumpkin, maybe at midnight she went back to just being a cop to him.

She shook the thoughts away and focused on the light touch of his hand at the small of her back as he guided her out of the ballroom, across the glassed-in hallway and into the parking lot.

“Where are you parked?” he asked.

She pointed in what she hoped was the right direction, though she wasn’t positive she could think straight past the whirling of her insides. She didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to face the fact that she’d never be held in Adam’s arms again. Why did it matter so much?

They arrived at her car before she was ready. She closed her eyes, steeled herself before turning toward him. “I had a nice time tonight. Thank you.”

“I did, too. I kind of liked being the guy who got all the jealous looks.”

“I think you’re probably used to that.”

“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t true tonight.”

“They’re just not used to seeing me in a dress.”

He gave her a devilish smile. “Good thing or
they’d never get any work done and Horizon Beach would go to hell.”

“Or maybe they were wondering why I’d agreed to go out with a guy who is so incredibly full of it.”

He took a step closer. “You really do look beautiful tonight.”

She lowered her eyes, feeling so out of her element. “Thank you.”

Moments stretched between them, and Sara wondered if he was going to kiss her, if she’d let him. No, that was a really bad idea. Walking away now was hard enough. If she kissed him, she didn’t know if she’d be able to continue saying no. If she could convince herself that maybe there was a Mr. Perfect hidden somewhere in Adam Canfield.

She worried that she possessed the same fault her father had—loving someone who didn’t love you back.

What was she thinking? She didn’t love Adam.

“I better get home, pick up the girls,” she said.

He nodded, though she saw something in his eyes, a hesitance that tempted her to believe he didn’t want to go any more than she did. With more willpower than it’d taken to get through the police academy, she turned toward her car door as she said, “Good night.”

But she couldn’t open it, didn’t even try.

Why do you always deny yourself? Just because you go out with him doesn’t mean you have to marry him. You’re still young. Have some fun
.

She wanted to scream at the voice in her head, but it won. Her lonely heart won. Sara spun around as Adam was turning to leave. She took two steps, bringing herself next to him, and raised herself to bring her lips to his.

P
URE, DEMANDING ADRENALINE
surged through Adam when Sara’s lips took his. Only a fraction of a second passed before he accepted what she was offering and gave back more of the same. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her slightly so he could feel all her delicious curves against him.

She tasted like the chocolate-covered strawberries she’d eaten earlier. He’d envied the fruit when he’d watched her lips wrapped around it. Now he caught its flavor and deepened the kiss even more.

Sara moaned into his mouth, and his body reacted as a man’s does. He couldn’t get close enough to her. He wanted her in bed, now. But some speck of common sense rose up through the haze of lust, told him that pushing her that far would just make her run away. And damn if he was letting her do that. Not when she felt and tasted so good.

When they paused long enough to breathe, he smiled against her soft, wet lips. She didn’t feel like a no-nonsense detective now. Maybe he could kiss her well and long enough to make her forget that dangerous job of hers.

“That was unexpected,” he said, teasing her as he
liked to do. Something about flustering pretty Sara Greene made life worth living.

She breathed, heavier than normal, against his lips. “Sorry.”

“Do not apologize. I liked it.”

Sara tried to lower her gaze, but he didn’t let her. He lifted her chin, bringing her eyes to his. Then he kissed her again. Gentle, thorough, amazing. She made him feel like all the nerves in his body were hardwired and plugged into an electrical outlet. His skin burned and he wanted nothing more than to rip off his suit, her dress, then press his skin against hers.

Calm down
. He broke the kiss but only moved a fraction of an inch back, pushing away all the reasons not to ask the question on the tip of his tongue. “Go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

She moved toward him ever so slightly, as if she couldn’t resist, but then she pulled away.

“I can’t. I shouldn’t be away from the girls two nights in a row.”

The mention of the kids should have dampened his desire for her, but it didn’t. Odd.

“Fine. But I’m going to keep asking. You’re not getting away with just one night.”

She opened her mouth to say something but stopped. He imagined the tug-of-war going on inside her head between her practical, responsible self and the part that wanted to tell caution to screw off.

To make his viewpoint on which side should win clear, he leaned forward and kissed her again. “Maybe I can think of something we can do so you can wear those shoes again.”

She made a cute little flustered sound before opening her car door. “Good night.”

He smiled wide as he stepped back enough for her to slide into her car. His desire thrummed as that sexy red dress rode up her legs before she jerked it back down. Man, he wanted to crawl in that car with her.

He was halfway home before common sense broke through his haze of sexual fantasies. What was he thinking? Going out with her once was one thing. How stupid was he to want to go out with her again, to get closer to her? Hadn’t he been down this road before?

He cursed, knew that he should avoid Sara instead of pursuing her. He had a long history of single dates with women. Why should this be any different?

Because none of them had made his body nearly combust when they’d kissed them.

Not even Jessica.

“M
UST BE SERIOUS THOUGHTS
you’re thinking.”

Sara jumped at the sound of Captain Pierce’s voice on the other side of her desk. Too late, she realized she’d been staring out the window replaying those kisses with Adam for what had to be the
millionth time. A flush crept up her neck, prompting her to look down at the paperwork in front of her so she didn’t have to face her boss.

“Just brainstorming the Crayton case,” she said, thankful she’d been looking at the notes on the robbery only minutes before.

“Any new leads?”

“No, unfortunately.”

“Hopefully, someone will slip up and try to sell some of those pieces of jewelry. Speaking of which, wanted to thank you for helping Mom find her earring Saturday night.”

“I didn’t find it. Adam did.”

“Yes, Adam. You two been going out long?”

Sara looked past the captain toward where Keith and Shawn sat at their respective desks. “Did the guys put you up to this?”

The captain looked surprised by her question. “No, why?”

“Oh, nothing. And no, a one-time deal.”

“Too bad. I think Mom already has the two of you walking down the aisle.”

Sara nearly choked. “Not hardly.” Though the image wasn’t as farfetched as she’d once thought.

Oh, God, who was she kidding? His kisses made her skin flame and tingle, and he no doubt was awesome in bed. But marriage material? Unlikely.

And yet she continued to think about him and how she’d given in to impulse and kissed him. The
memories wrapped her brain in knots as she packed it in and went home for the day. She didn’t even notice him sitting on her side deck until she was a few feet away from him.

“Oh, hey,” she said, her heartbeat banging away at her eardrums. “What are you doing here?”

“I remembered how much your little one liked pizza, so I thought maybe you’d agree to go out with me if we took the girls to Freddie’s.”

She didn’t manage to hide her surprise. “You want to go out, with all three of us?”

“Well, I want to go out with you. They’re just the chaperones.”

She searched for a reason to say no, but gave up when it proved too difficult. When was the last time a guy had thrown her like this? “Give me a few minutes to change and go get the girls.”

“They’re already inside getting ready. Ruby said she thought it was a great idea. I like your neighbor, by the way.”

“I’ll bet she did,” Sara said under her breath as she went in the side door of her house.

She followed the sound of laughter to Lilly’s bedroom. Ruby stood behind Lilly, French-braiding her hair.

“We’re having pizza, Mommy!”

Sara crossed her arms and eyed Ruby. “So I heard.”

Ruby didn’t look the least bit sorry when she met her gaze and winked.

F
REDDIE’S WAS BUSY
as usual. Somehow showing up here with Adam and the girls felt like a bigger step than going to the benefit with him. That was supposed to be one night, one magical night. This continuation of…whatever their relationship was…that wasn’t supposed to happen. She felt tense, like she was waiting for him to suddenly realize he wasn’t interested anymore and run in the opposite direction.

They found a table near the front, right where everyone coming in the door could see them.

Sara stopped and considered her racing thoughts. Why couldn’t she just go with the flow and not analyze everything to death? With a deep breath, she decided to set aside her questions about where this was heading. She knew all dates didn’t have to lead to holy matrimony. Maybe if she went out with Adam a few times, she’d lighten up and find the right guy after all without trying so hard.

What if he’s across the table from you now?

“So, what kind of pizza does everyone want?” Adam asked.

“Pepperoni,” Lilly said with her usual enthusiasm.

“Sausage,” Tana said at the same time.

Adam eyed Sara, waiting for her answer. “Whatever, doesn’t matter.”

He looked at Tana. “What’s her favorite kind of pizza?”

“This gross feta-and-spinach thing.”

“It’s not gross just because you don’t like it,” Sara said. She met Adam’s eyes. “We can go with just a plain cheese. That’s something everyone will eat.”

“Got it.” He headed to the order counter.

As soon as Adam was out of earshot, Tana’s smug grin appeared on her face. “He likes you.”

Sara sat back in her chair and tried to force all emotion from her expression. “We’re acquaintances, friendly. That’s all.”

Did friendly acquaintances liplock like they had in a hotel parking lot? Did they have steamy daydreams about each other?

Okay, so she was the one daydreaming. Guys didn’t obsess like women. She doubted Adam was ignoring his customers at the pier by staring out at the waves and thinking about their kisses.

“Yeah, whatever,” Tana said, managing to sound like she had superior knowledge despite her measly thirteen years.

“And from now on, you two and Ruby need to let me handle my own love life, or lack thereof, okay?”

“I like him,” Lilly said.

Sara opened her mouth, but Adam spoke first.

“Why, thank you, Miss Lilly.” He slid into a chair next to Lilly and put his arm along the back of her chair. “I must say you have good taste in men at an early age.”

Lilly giggled and looked over at Sara. The huge smile and glow of happiness on her daughter’s face
melted any lingering objections Sara had about this group outing. How could anything or anyone who made her daughter that happy be wrong?

But what happened when he wasn’t there anymore? Would it break Lilly’s little heart?

Sara pushed away the questions as too heavy for the fun, bustling atmosphere of Freddie’s. Instead, she focused on the scents of bread and oregano, the rousing Italian music filling the space and the meaningful look in Adam’s eyes. Maybe he did think about their kisses after all.

“So, what do you ladies like to do when you have free time?” Adam lavished attention on the girls. If he wanted to maneuver his way into Sara’s heart, this was the way to do it. She tried to focus on the reasons why letting him in was a bad idea, but they kept slipping away from her grasp.

“Fly kites,” Lilly said.

“Well, this is certainly a good place for that,” Adam said.

“Are you a Horizon Beach native?” Sara found herself asking him.

“South Georgia, near Valdosta. Came down here a few years ago to be near the water.”

“What did you do before becoming ‘pier guy’?” She smiled a little, hoping he’d accept her questioning as gentle teasing, not her compiling facts about him, determining if there was any chance he could be the kind of guy she wanted. No,
needed
. She defi
nitely wanted him, and that could end up being the problem.

The muscles in his face tightened a little. “Was in the army.” He directed his attention toward Tana. “What about you? I’m guessing you like music.” He nodded toward one of her many band T-shirts. Sara felt old sometimes when she didn’t recognize the names. This one said Within Temptation. One of those foreign, symphonic bands with soaring music, Sara guessed.