Crossing Lines (26 page)

He ran a hand over his face to wipe the struggling tears away and lifted the pie from her hands. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.” He wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly, then kissed her forehead and stood. To Sam, he said, “Will you come in?”

He realized she also had a tear in her eye, and the sight completely unraveled him. “Yeah, for a minute. I need to get Michy to bed.”

He set the pie on the kitchen counter while Michy ran off to the living room and changed the channel on the TV.

Sam laughed nervously. “I guess she’s making herself at home.”

“Yeah…” He smiled as she climbed onto the couch and wrapped up in the blanket he kept on the back of the sofa. Nothing in the world would make him happier than to have these two part of his home. He cleared his throat and nodded to the pie. “Thank you. I don’t know how or where, but I’ll keep it forever.”

An awkward silence filled the room while they stared at each other, each trying to read the others’ thoughts. When he couldn’t stand the silence anymore, he said, “I screwed up. I’m so sorry.”

He had the sense he should try to explain again, but what more was there for him to say. Lizbeth said their conversation went well, and she’d explained how she used the wedding to manipulate him. She said Sam listened, so she knew the basics. Other than saying he was sorry, again, he was at a loss.

After what seemed like another two hours of standing in a black hole, Sam said, “If you could go back in time and change things, would you?”

“Hell yeah.” He glanced to the couch to see if Michy had caught the slip. “I would’ve ended things with Lizbeth five months ago, wedding or no. If I had still been with her when I met you…” He let the sentence drop off as he thought back to the weekend. “This is where I get tripped up.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and paced around the island. “If I’d stopped your advances, I’m not sure we would’ve picked up again. I wouldn’t have had the time with you and Michy, and I wouldn’t have fallen in love.” He stopped and looked into her eyes, imploring her to understand his dilemma. “It was wrong. But you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. How can I regret that?”

He leaned against a barstool and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m human, and I’m a man. We screw up. But I swear to you, I will never willingly or knowingly or intentionally hurt you again. If I think you might not be okay with something, I won’t do it. Well,”—he leaned in close, making sure Michy couldn’t hear him—“if it’s something kinky, and I’m not sure you’ll like it, I’ll ask, we’ll talk about it, and decide together.”

She ran her hand up her forehead, brushing loose curls away from her face, and blew out a breath. “Part of me thinks I’m an idiot for even standing here talking to you, and part of me understands sometimes people make mistakes while trying to do the right thing.”

Whoa… Lizbeth had actually gotten through to her? He owed her big time.

She must’ve read the shock on his face because she laughed and said, “Yeah, surprised me, too. After Lizbeth left, I spent a long time thinking about my past, and I made some calls. I called Michael and found out he wouldn’t change anything. He’s still an asshole. I called my oldest brother, Trey, and got the same response. One more strike and you would’ve been out. But then I called my mom.” She leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms. “She didn’t sell the business because she doubted my ability.”

“What?”

She nodded. “She sold it because she thought the stress killed my dad, and she didn’t want the same thing for me.”

“No shit.” He shot another quick glance to the sofa, where Michy had fallen asleep. Maybe he could convince her mamma to fall asleep here, too. “Why didn’t she tell you?”

She chewed her lip and stared at the floor. “She might’ve tried, but I was too angry to listen.”

Sam didn’t look sheepish often, and even though the response was inappropriate, he laughed. “This is a tough business. I understand why she wanted to protect you.” He turned serious. “Would she have objections to you being part of a larger team? Not running solo, but working with me and Marianne?”

Although things were looking better than a few hours ago, she still hadn’t accepted his apology, nor let him off the hook. If she would agree to working with them, he might be able to use Marianne’s tactics and win her over with his charm… without the aggression he used the first time they met.

She swiped her tongue over her bottom lip a few times while considering his question. “I don’t know if she would or not. But I want to work in the business again, and I want to work with you and Marianne. I’ll call her tomorrow morning and finalize the details.”

He exhaled sharply.
Grazie a Dio.
The relief at having her agree to work with them was tremendous. It was probably foolish to push too hard, too soon, but he needed to know where they stood personally.

He stepped close and hooked his fingers through the belt loops of her jeans. “How do you feel about getting involved with the boss?”

She kept her chin lowered but slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. Her pupils dilated and a flush spread over her neck, up to her cheeks. After a few quick breaths, she said, “Will the boss feed me lunch every day?”

The heat coloring her features jumped to him and set him off like a match. Picking her up in his arms, he checked to make sure Michy was still asleep while carrying Sam to the bedroom. “Sugar, I’ll feed you breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a bedtime snack if you’ll let me.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the skin just below his ear. Whispering, she said, “I can live with that benefits package. You have yourself a deal.”

Ten Months Later

Over the next ten months, Sam and Kevin were on a slow and steady pace, especially where Michy was concerned. He spent most nights at their house, but with the exception of Saturday and Sunday mornings, he left before Michy woke.

Friday nights were family movie night, complete with pizza and one beer. Saturday was family fun day, which always included Spencer. Sunday was the day of rest where they lay around the house and did absolutely nothing.

Along with allowing him to stay overnight, Sam had also gotten comfortable with letting Kevin sleep in her room without moving to the sofa. He’d gotten used to waking up bright and early when Michy jumped into the middle of the bed with them.

It was Thursday morning, so normally Kevin would be gone when Michy woke, but this morning, for some mysterious reason, she wandered into Sam’s room at four a.m.

“What’s wrong, sweetie,” Sam asked, scooting closer to Kevin so Michy could crawl in next to her.

“I want to sleep with you,” Michy said in a sleepy voice, then yawned widely.

At five, Michy patted Sam’s hand to wake her again. “Mommy, will you help me make pancakes for Kevin this morning?”

Pancakes? At five? On a Thursday?
Sam yawned and stretched as much as she could without waking Kevin. “It’s Thursday. We don’t get pancakes except Saturday and Sunday.”

“I know. But if we start making pancakes for him, maybe he won’t leave.”

Behind her, Kevin stiffened and drew in a sharp intake of air, while Sam stopped breathing altogether. Whispering, to keep up the ruse of Kevin sleeping, she said, “I don’t understand.”

“He’s only here on the days he makes pancakes. The other mornings he leaves before I get up, but if we make him pancakes, he might not leave.”

“Oh, Michy.” Sam’s chest couldn’t ache more if a thousand-pound elephant sat on her. Michy was so much smarter than she gave her credit for. She should’ve realized she knew Kevin spent every night at their house but left before dawn.

She rolled Michy over to hug her and bit her lip to keep from crying at the tears sparkling in her daughter’s eyes. “Sweetie, Kevin doesn’t leave or stay because of pancakes.” She took a deep breath, then sighed in defeat. “He leaves because I make him.”

Michy’s face crumpled. “Why?”

Because I’m still trying to protect you… and still doing a lousy job of it.

She brushed a curl away from Michy’s forehead and kissed her soft cheek. “I’m a silly mommy that does dumb things sometimes.”

Kevin pushed onto his elbow and rested his chin on Sam’s shoulder. “I have an idea that might solve all of our problems.”

Sam looked at him from the corner of her eye while Michy turned her shiny blue eyes to him.

The corner of his lip kicked up and he appeared nervous. “How about we get married, so we’ll always be together.”

“What?” Sam gasped while Michy jumped up on the bed and did her best Tigger impression.

“Whoa,
piccolina
,” Kevin said, catching her as she lost balance and tumbled over onto them. “Don’t get too excited yet. Your mamma hasn’t said yes. I caught her a little by surprise.”

“A little?” Sam rolled onto her back and ran both hands over her face, wiping away a stray tear as well as the sweat that broke out on her forehead. “How about a lot? We’ve never even discussed marriage. Other than for me to say I’d never do it again.”

Taking her hand in his, he said, “I love you, Sam. We make a great team, both at home and the office. Erik once told me you don’t marry the one you can live with; you marry the one you can’t live without. I can’t imagine living my life without you and Michy… I wouldn’t have a life without you two.” He kissed her palm. “Please marry me.”

Things with them were so easy it almost seemed too good to be true. Nothing about their relationship was strained or tense, like with Michael, and she found herself always waiting for the blowup.

But it had been ten months, and he was right. They were a great team, and she couldn’t ask for a better father for Michy. The idea of getting married again terrified her, but she did lots of things with Kevin that scared the crap out of her, starting with the night of the fantasy threesome all the way up until last weekend when they went to the club and he spanked her in front of Lucas.

Life with him was thrilling and sometimes scary, but he always kept his promise to keep her safe and she never doubted his love.

She thought about the night so long ago when Michy ran full-throttle into the kitchen and jumped into Kevin’s arms, fully trusting him to catch her. If Michy trusted him so completely, she should too.

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Do you promise to always catch me?”

His brow wrinkled and a smile played at his lips as he struggled to understand her question. “What?”

“Michy ran into the kitchen one night and took a flying leap into your arms. You weren’t expecting it, yet you caught her… just as she expected. Will you always catch me?”

His eyes softened and all the love he had for her shone brightly in their dark depths. “Always, even when I’m the one who pushes you.”

It was her turn to look puzzled.

“I won’t let your life become dull and boring and mundane.” He bent over and spoke into her ear. “Especially in the bedroom. I’ll always catch you, but I’ll also be the one nudging you off the cliff sometimes.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his nose with hers. “Deal.”

Michy, who seemed to understand the importance of this conversation, had taken a seat at the end of the bed and waited for the grownups to talk it out. Sensing the end of the negotiations, she crawled up Sam’s legs and sat on her thighs. In a soft voice, reminiscent of one she would use in church, she said, “Does that mean we’re getting married?”

Kevin laughed and pulled her up to his chest for a massive hug. “Yeah,
piccolina,
we’re getting married.”

“With a big outdoor wedding at Kevin’s house in Riverside.” Sam couldn’t help it. The devil on her shoulder poked and prodded and the words were out before she could stop them.

Kevin snapped his head around so fast his neck cracked.

When he saw the smile on her face and the wicked gleam in her eyes, he picked Michy up and sat her on the floor. “
Piccolina
, you get dressed for school. I have something to discuss with your mamma. Shut the door behind you, okay?”

As Michy slammed the door and pattered down the hallway toward her room, Kevin narrowed his eyes and snatched the covers off Sam. “That was uncalled for and will get you ten swats.”

“Only ten? I thought for sure that was a twenty-lick offense.” Crawling up his chest, she said, “I love you, Kevin Mazze. I look forward to a lifetime of jumping with you.”

One step away from the coveted Vice Presidency of her firm, the last thing Kat Owens needs is the distraction of a man. Her client, Erik Monteague, disagrees. He’s charming, sexy, seductive, and impossible to ignore or refuse. After succumbing to his advances, Kat’s forced to choose between her career and the man she’s fallen for… while knowing even her love might not be enough to save him from self-destructing.

While Erik’s perfectly executed seduction gets Kat into his bed, the end result is more than he bargained for. Having spent the past ten years wallowing in guilt and self-loathing over his fiancée’s tragic death, falling in love is unacceptable. However, Kat’s passionate, loving nature dissolves the carefully constructed walls guarding his heart, forcing him to face his tragic past and make a decision… spend the rest of his life running, or risk being devastated by love again?