Husband by the Hour (22 page)

He'd freed the ribbon and finger combed the thick strands. Next he drew them over her shoulder. "Beautiful. Just like I'd imagined."

"My hair?"

"Yes, your hair. Why are you so surprised?"

"I never thought it was anything special."

"Then you were wrong. Now shut up and kiss me."

Her eyebrows rose a little at his demand, but she complied. She leaned forward and touched her mouth to his. Desire spiraled between them, a thick, intoxicating brew that left him shaken and hard.

From her hair, his hand slipped down her arm to her hand. He brought it to his mouth, broke their kiss and nibbled on her fingertips.

She watched for a second, then slowly closed her eyes. "This is a bad idea."

"Uh-huh." Her skin was salty. He licked her palm. She shivered.

"No, I mean it, Nick. We have to stop."

"So stop."

"But I'm not the one doing anything."

He released her hand, then kissed her mouth again. She parted her lips instantly and swept her tongue inside. Electricity raced through him. Blood flowed hotter and faster. Need pressed against the button fly of his jeans.

He slipped his knee between hers and drew his leg up to the apex of her thighs. Her hips arched against him. She withdrew her tongue and he followed her back into her mouth. She clamped her lips around him and sucked.

His heart rate soared; her hips rocked faster. He placed his hand on her stomach and followed her rib cage up to her full breasts. She pressed into his palm. Even through her bra and T-shirt, he could feel her nipple tighten. He stroked his thumb over the taut peak.

They broke the kiss, both of them panting heavily. He was on fire. He shifted, rising into a kneeling position, letting her ease onto her back. Her hair fanned out over the sofa cushions. Dark eyes welcomed him.

He pulled her T-shirt free of her jeans and lifted it to her shoulders. Underneath she wore a lacy white bra. He could see the darker skin surrounding her nipples. His breath caught.

One of her hands came down on top of his. She urged him to release the shirt and move lower, to cup her breast. When he reached his goal, she gasped softly and arched into his caress.

A knock sounded at the door. "You guys still awake?" Kyle called.

Nick swore under his breath. "Yeah, we are. Just a second." He looked at Hannah. "You plan that?"

She was already pulling down her shirt. "Do I look like I planned it?"

He stood up and adjusted the front of his jeans. His erection throbbed painfully and bulged noticeably. "Maybe you should answer the door."

She glanced at him and flushed. Still tucking in her shirt, she hurried to the door and pulled it open. "Hi."

Nick moved so he was standing behind the easy chair. Sandy and Kyle were on the porch. They glanced inside the room, then at each other.

"Uh-oh,"
Sandy
said. "Looks like we interrupted something."

Kyle dismissed her comment with a wave. "No big deal. They're married. They can do that anytime. Everyone just left, but it's such a great night out we thought we might go into town and get some ice cream. You want to join us?"

Nick knew one of two things would happen if they refused the invitation. He and Hannah would come to their senses and spend the next few hours feeling awkward around each other. Or they wouldn't come to their senses and they would make love. Each scenario had its own set of problems. It was probably the coward's way out, but avoiding the whole mess seemed like a brilliant idea.

"We'd love to," he said quickly. He had regained enough control to step out from behind the chair. "Is that all right with you?" he asked Hannah.

Her mouth was swollen, her eyes still unfocused. She had the look of a woman who had been thoroughly kissed. She reached up for her hair and brushed it back. "Sure. But I'm a mess. Give me a minute."

"You look great," he said and took her hand. He didn't want to give her the chance to pull her hair back into a tight braid. He might never get to see it loose again. "I've got the keys, so let's go."

She fingered her hair, then shrugged and followed him into the night.

Nick couldn't shake the feeling that he'd walked away from a dangerous situation. Hannah wasn't the kind of woman who made love lightly. If she gave her body, there was a good chance her heart wasn't far behind. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall in love with him. Wanting more than he was capable of giving would only cause them both pain.

* * *

Hannah licked the ice cream from her spoon. "Let me see if I get this straight. You fell in love with your wife when you were fourteen?"

Sandy
laughed. "I think he only had a crush on me, but Kyle swears it was true love."

Kyle put his arm around
Sandy
. "It was. I knew the second she walked into my life. Of course, she was two years older and didn't even notice me. Not to mention the fact that she was dating my brother."

"Which brother?" Nick asked as he put his empty ice-cream cup on the tiny table. They sat in the balmy night air outside the Glenwood Ice Cream Shoppe. He and Hannah shared a bench pushed up against the plate-glass windows. Kyle and Sandy sat across from them.

"
Jordan
,"
Sandy
said. "We went out for a couple of months. We weren't really an item, more like friends."

Kyle sighed dramatically. "You broke my heart."

She laughed. "We were children."

"What about after you moved back to Glenwood? You resisted me." He looked at Hannah. "She was very stubborn and refused to admit that she cared about me at all."

"Okay, yes. He's right about that. I couldn't believe someone as handsome and charming as Kyle would be interested in a single mother with three small children."

Kyle grinned. "She thinks I'm handsome and charming. This is why I keep her around."

The married couple exchanged a loving look, then
Sandy
turned to Hannah. "Your brothers are thrilled to have you here."

Except maybe Travis, Hannah thought. "I'm glad Louise finally got in touch with me. The family is a little overwhelming, but I'm getting used to everyone."

"Your brothers all look alike," Nick said. "It took me a couple of days to get everyone straight."

"It's true," Hannah agreed. "At least the wives are easier. The females look different."

"Jill and Holly said the same thing,"
Sandy
said. "I guess I was lucky. I'd met the infamous Haynes brothers when I was in high school. When
Elizabeth
moved to town, she met them a couple at a time. The same for Rebecca. And Holly and Jill had already met one of the brothers before meeting any of the others. But you got everyone at once. At least Jill's easy to remember, what with being so pregnant and all."

"Any word on that?" Hannah asked.

"None. She's due any day. The poor kid. Louise wants her to hold out for her birthday, but Jill wants it over. She's so tiny, too. Within a week, she'll probably weigh the same as she did before she got pregnant. I hate that."

Kyle squeezed her hand. "Jill is a nice enough person, but so small I'm sure Craig loses her regularly in the house. I'd much rather have you exactly the way you are."

Nick raised his eyebrows. "That was great, Kyle. You think of that just now?"

"Sure. It's a gift. All the brothers have it." His mouth twisted as his good humor faded. "Not that it did us any good growing up." He stared into the distance. "We could have any girl we wanted, but that didn't make it any easier to go home. I remember thinking nothing could be worse than the screaming between my parents or my dad hitting me. Then, one day, my mother walked out. She didn't leave a note or anything. And I found out it
could
get a whole lot worse."

Hannah remembered hearing that story. "She left because your father wanted to marry Louise?"

"Yeah. After all those years of screwing around, the old man was finally ready to settle down. Unfortunately, it wasn't with his wife."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I don't blame Louise, either. My parents are both at fault. My father, of course, but I blame Mom some. She could have stayed in touch with her children. At least left a note." His voice was bitter.

Hannah pushed away her unfinished ice cream. "I look at you and your brothers and assume you had a perfect life, but I guess no one does. I was adopted when I was only a few days old. My parents were great. At least, that's how I remember them. They died when I was four." She briefly described growing up in foster homes.

Kyle leaned across the small table and took her hand. "If we'd known about you, we would have come and rescued you."

Her throat tightened with emotion. "I believe you. Thanks."

He released her and she leaned back. Her shoulder bumped Nick's. He put his arm around her and she snuggled close. Less than an hour before, they'd been about to make love. Now here she was spilling secrets about her past. She
never
talked about her childhood. What was happening to her? Everything was changing so quickly, she was having trouble keeping up.

She was wildly attracted to Nick, even though she knew it was a mistake. She had no regrets about what they'd done, only what they hadn't done. How was that possible? They'd only been together a few days. The intensity of her feelings frightened her. She didn't want to identify them, even though she knew what they were.

Nick played fast and loose with the law – and was virtually a stranger. Yet she trusted him. Perhaps foolishly. How had someone so gentle and kind, so caring and honorable, ended up on the wrong side of the law?

She remembered the stories he'd told her about his past. About his father. Was that the reason?

"I think it's great that you're a cop like your brothers,"
Sandy
said.

Hannah smiled. "I think it's a little odd. As if my destiny was chosen for me."

Sandy
turned to Nick. "I know you're in real estate. Did you go to college?"

"Yes. I have a degree in economics."

They continued to talk. Hannah wondered if Nick really had a degree. Lies woven through truth. She wasn't sure what was real anymore. He wasn't her husband, or even her lover. They had nothing in common. She didn't want him to go but knew he had to leave. She had to make sure he was out of her life before she risked it all. Before she gave him her heart only to have him return it shattered forever.

Chapter 12

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T
he phone rang and woke Nick from a sound sleep. As he reached for it on the end table, he instinctively glanced at his watch. Four-fifteen. He could only think of one person who would call at this time. Rodriguez. Either there had been a break in the case, or it had been blown wide open.

"Archer."

"Nick, it's Craig." The other man laughed. "I guess I woke you two up, right?"

Nick pushed the covers on the sofa aside and sat up. He rubbed his face. "Craig? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm calling from the hospital. Jill had her baby. It's a girl, not that anyone is surprised by that."

The fog in his head cleared. "Congratulations. Everything okay?"

"Everything's great. The baby's perfect. Jill's doing fine. She didn't like the labor very much but swears the results were worth it." He paused. "I wasn't sure if I should phone you guys, but you're family now, so you got the call just like everyone else."

"I appreciate your letting us know. We'll be there as soon as we can. Tell me where the hospital is."

Craig gave him directions. Nick offered congratulations again, then placed the receiver back in the cradle. He glanced up and saw Hannah standing in the doorway.

If he hadn't been completely awake before, he sure as hell was now. She wore an oversize T-shirt that fell to the tops of her thighs and nothing else. Long hair tumbled over her shoulders. Her face was devoid of makeup, her eyes wide with questions. Desire slammed into him with all the subtlety of a tractor negotiating a china shop.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"That was Craig. Jill had her baby. A girl." He realized he was sitting on the sofa completely naked and aroused. Casually, he pulled the sheet over his lap.

Hannah pressed her hands together and grinned. "I want to go see them."

He glanced at his watch. "It's not quite four-thirty."

"I know, but I won't be able to get back to sleep, will you?"

He might have after the phone call, but not after staring at her legs. He shook his head.

"Then let's go. It will only take me a few minutes to get ready." Her sensuous mouth curved up in a smile. "I have a niece. Sort of. What would she be? A half niece?"

"Way too complicated a question for me to answer this early in the morning. You'll have to figure out the relationship on your own."