Rave reviews for the novels of
Carly Phillips

CROSS MY HEART

“Who doesn’t love a reunion of long-lost loves? Add a diabolical villain, as Carly Phillips does, and you have everything you need for a beach read.”

—Columbus Dispatch

“Smart, engrossing and totally addictive! Cross My Heart is a definite must-have in this season’s beach bag.”

—www.FreshFiction.com

SUMMER LOVIN’

“Phillips’s light touch assures a happy ending to this diverting beach read.”

—Publishers Weekly

“A funny and touching family drama.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“A fun, yet emotional story. A story that will keep you hooked with its kooky, yet charming characters.”

—Romance Reviews Today

What’s steamier than a New York City summer? Carly Phillips’s Hot series!

HOT ITEM

“Saving her best for last, Phillips wraps up her jocular Hot Zone trilogy….”

—Publishers Weekly

“Phillips has penned a charming, fast-paced contemporary romp-through-the-sheets.”

—Booklist

“Hot Item is a winner.”

—Romance Reviews Today

HOT NUMBER

“A veteran romance author who climbed to star status in Harlequin’s Temptation line, Phillips is certain to capture a new bank of fans with the fresh venue and stylish dialogue featured in this perky series.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Hot Number is a fun, sexy read. For everyone who has ever wished to turn the head of a guy, this book definitely allows you that fantasy while giving you a satisfying love story. Ms. Phillips has proven herself more than capable of delivering stories that touch your heart and your funnybone.”

—In the Library Reviews

“In the follow-up to last year’s Hot Stuff, Phillips once again dives into the high pressure world of sports. Micki and Damian each have quite a few issues to resolve, which adds spice to an already volatile mixture.”

—Jill M. Smith, Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 stars)

“Carly Phillips hits a home run with the fun, yet touching Hot Number.”

—Jennifer Bishop, Romance Reviews Today

HOT STUFF

“This breezy book will likely score a touchdown with readers looking for sexy thrills and instant gratification.”

—Publishers Weekly

“This first book in The Hot Zone trilogy shines with Phillips’ trademark sizzle and sensuality. She delivers strong, appealing characters while exploring the dynamics of families—what brings them together and what draws them apart. The ending emotionally satisfies and gives readers a tantalizing peek at the romantic quandaries awaiting the rest of the family.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 stars)

“Hot Stuff is a surefire hit.”

—Jennifer Bishop, Romance Reviews Today

Carly Phillips
Simply Sinful

SIMPLY Sinful

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER ONE

LET HER BE CHARMED! Step inside and be transformed.

Kane McDermott peered through the space between the closed curtains in the brownstone’s window. He got a brief glimpse of chin-length blond hair and a body with enough curves to make a centerfold jealous. It was a cold autumn day but the unexpected jolt of desire kicked in fast, warming him from within.

If he had to wine, dine and proposition her at least he wouldn’t be bored. But he still resented the hell out of this assignment. Coming off a tough case, his superior thought he needed a rest. Captain Reid hadn’t used the words burned out, but Kane heard them in the lectures anyway. He disagreed. Just because a drug bust had gone down wrong didn’t mean he needed R&R. Having grown up on the Boston streets, he knew better than anyone when he was in danger of losing his edge. Now wasn’t it.

He could wish to hell and back the wrong kid hadn’t gotten hit in the crossfire but it wouldn’t change the fact that he had. It wasn’t Kane’s bullet. The kid got taken down by his own brother. Logically, Kane knew it wasn’t his fault, but that didn’t lessen Kane’s sense of guilt. Nor his remorse. Though no one could have anticipated the arrival of the dealer’s little brother, Kane would live with the mother’s screams for the rest of his life. He’d refused time off—he knew it wouldn’t help him forget—so the captain figured Kane might as well pretend he’d taken leave.

Any rookie could verify whether Charmed! was a legitimate etiquette school for men or a front for a prostitution ring. Kane groaned aloud. As far as he was concerned, any guy who needed lessons in dating etiquette was as pathetic as this fluff assignment. What the hell kind of dork needed charm school to make headway with a woman? Especially one that looked like her.

He shook his head. What a waste. Then again, giving lessons to geeks was preferable to any other kind of service she might be performing for her paying customers. Considering she’d worked for her late aunt and uncle when they’d held the reins, she definitely knew the score. Whatever that was.

He might not know her agenda, but he knew his own—and this ridiculous case wasn’t it. He’d pulled serious undercover work with drug dealers and pimps, yet here he was gearing up to make his awkward pitch to Charmed!’s sexy owner. He still had his doubts he could pull off the geek act and had a contingency plan in case he blundered. He wouldn’t know until he got inside.

He placed his hand on the doorknob. The metal was ice-cold from the cool spring air. Was she or wasn’t she? It was time to find out.

KAYLA LUCK threw a disgusted glance at the old heater, which refused to cooperate with reasoning or common sense. Heat was unnecessary in the spring but the cleaning crew seemed to have forgotten. They’d turned the heater up last night and turned the brownstone into a sauna. Kayla had finally gotten the dial to move, but the darn thing continued to pump heat. Between the rising temperature and the effort she’d exerted trying to fix it, she was hot and uncomfortable. Definitely not the way to begin a new class, so she hoped all the men received the cancellation message.

Unable to take the layers sticking to her skin, she peeled off her jacket, leaving herself dressed in a silk shell and trousers. When that didn’t help, she pulled at the light camisole that stuck to her skin. With a frustrated sigh, she glanced upward, at the bi-level unit she’d inherited along with the business.

While her sister Catherine’s share of the inheritance had enabled her to fulfill her dream of going to culinary school, Kayla had put off her own dreams in favor of running the business and bringing in income. The old brownstone was quaint, offering two levels and too many rooms. For years, her aunt had run an old-fashioned service offering ballroom dancing and dating etiquette. There was a time when those kinds of services had been in demand, but the last decade had seen a steady decline in business. Kayla had hoped to guide her aunt and help bring things out of the stone age. Her aunt had remarried last year and brought her new husband into the business. Kayla hadn’t had a chance to broach the newlyweds about business changes. Her aunt and new uncle had died too soon.

Kayla intended to carry on anyway. Men today didn’t need dating lessons but many executives required instruction on how to conduct themselves in social settings and learning foreign customs when entertaining international guests. With her language skills, she could add a modern dimension to an old-fashioned business. Ordering off foreign menus would no longer be a challenge for the American executive or traveler. And thanks to her well-targeted advertising, she’d just begun getting calls from the larger downtown corporations with offices overseas.

A far cry from the old-world charm school Charmed! had once been. Instead of giving class to the heathens as her aunt had been fond of saying, Charmed! would offer a broader, more modern range of services. When she’d inherited the school, the irony wasn’t lost on Kayla. The class bimbo with the classless mother, giving charm lessons. The memories still hurt and gave her an even stronger incentive to upgrade and modernize Charmed! until it no longer resembled its roots.

Much as Kayla had done for herself. She’d grown up on the poor side of town in an otherwise well-to-do area outside of Boston. While the other kids always seemed to sport designer labels and the latest fashions, she and her sister had worn their clothes until they were threadbare. Problem was, Kayla’s figure had developed early and her clothes never fit properly. The girls thought her a joke and the boys figured if she dressed in tight clothes, she wanted to be noticed. By the time she hit high school, there wasn’t a guy who didn’t claim he’d gotten lucky. She’d buried herself in her books and told no one except her sister the truth. No one else would have believed her if she had.

Despite the heat, she shivered at the painful memories, then forced them aside. Those days were behind her and Charmed! wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t a dating school for the awkward man. Not anymore. It was a legitimate business meeting legitimate needs. She wasn’t thrilled with delaying her life, or putting off going back to school to obtain her language degrees. She’d even toyed with the idea of becoming an interpreter, but not at the expense of family. Charmed! was a family business and family was one of the few things Kayla and Catherine held sacred. Antiquated or not, neither she nor her sister had been ready to part with the school. Her aunt’s sudden death two months earlier was too fresh and raw.

She grabbed for her pad and pen. The repairman still hadn’t returned her call and she made a note to nudge him every half hour. She had a head for numbers, and the ability to memorize whole passages of books at a glance, but if she didn’t record the little details in life, nothing got done.

Her projections indicated Charmed! would see a large profit next year and she’d be able to stop renting the mirrored dance room out to exercise classes. She walked back to the storage room. With classes canceled, she could use the free time to begin going through her late aunt and uncle’s books. But first she needed fresh air. She walked into the outer room, intending to open the doors and windows. Without warning, the chimes signaled that an unexpected visitor had entered. She glanced up and nearly tripped midstride.

She’d heard the expression sucker-punched before, but Kayla thought she and her wary heart were immune. Her visitor made her rethink that notion.

From his wing-tip shoes to his tawny and immaculately groomed hair, the man emanated strength and power cloaked in a double-breasted suit. Her breath caught in her chest. She was grateful she had been too hot and uncomfortable to eat because her stomach lurched in an unfamiliar combination of excitement, trepidation and awe. Heat settled over her in a huge wave that had nothing to do with the broken unit in the back.

She’d wanted to cool off? Not even the spring breeze blowing in behind him would cause her blood to chill now. At a professional glance he looked every inch the executive she wanted to target with her new business angle. From a personal standpoint, he set her body tingling with one long glance. “Can I help you?” she asked.

He nodded and offered an awkward smile. “Charmed?” He held out his hand, then seemed to reconsider, then changed his mind again and shoved his hand forward, nearly hitting her in the chest.

She tipped her head to the side, stunned by his awkward manner. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

He laughed aloud, a sexy rumbling sound that vibrated inside her. A confident sound at odds with the inept handshake he’d offered. “No, I meant the sign outside said Charmed! so I assume I have the right place.” The voice was every bit as sexy as the man.

A renewed surge of warmth trickled through her veins, slow and easy, like warm molasses. She liked the feeling. “That you do. I’m Kayla Luck, the owner.” She shook his outstretched hand.

His touch was strong and self-assured, so unlike the weak handshake of the men she’d met at the accounting firm where she used to work.

“Glad to meet you, Ms. Luck.” Without warning, he began pumping her hand too eagerly. “Or is it Mrs.?” He paused a beat. “I really should have asked, I mean I have no right to jump to conclusions and insult a lady…”

Unable to comprehend his sudden rambling, she interrupted him. “It’s Ms. or Miss. Your choice. Personally I was never into feminist lingo.” She eased her hand out of his grip before he yanked her arm out of its socket. The rough edges of his skin brushed against hers. Despite all logic, she enjoyed the lingering caress.

“No Mrs.,” he mused. “Must be my ‘lucky’ day.” He shook his head and laughed. “That was pathetic. You must hear jokes like that all the time.”

“Too often. What can I…” Kayla caught her slip. “I mean what can Charmed! do for you, Mr….?”

“McDermott. Kane McDermott.”

“Are you here for the wine-tasting class, Mr. McDermott? Because it’s been canceled.”

He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. “I can see why. It’s a damn furnace in here.”

“Actually it is the furnace.”

“Which explains why you’ve stripped for summer before the start of the season.” All traces of awkwardness gone, his smoky gaze fell on the silk shell that clung to her skin.

Embarrassment nearly suffocated her. She started to cross her arms and stopped, realizing she’d made a bad situation worse. She recognized the bold admiration in his chiseled features, the frank appraisal common to most men she’d come in contact with. Throughout her twenty-five years, she’d grown to both know and hate that stark, assessing look. Yet somehow, with his velvet stare boring into hers, she couldn’t take offense.

Even so she couldn’t possibly be interested in a stranger with too many inconsistencies in his character. Awkward one minute, self-assured the next, Kayla couldn’t help but wonder who he was.

And what he wanted.

She darted a glance across the room. He might have been prepared to walk into a photo shoot instead of her place of business. His blond-streaked hair had been slicked back, the bottom curling around his collar as if fighting the stiff hold he’d tried to maintain. The cut was longer than most nine-to-fivers preferred and added a dangerous edge to his appearance. The hard look in his eyes seemed to verify that impression. The perfectly sculpted features were at odds with the man inside. Mr. Kane McDermott had been around life’s many corners more than a few times.

He wasn’t the ordinary man who frequented her aunt and uncle’s establishment. Her establishment, she reminded herself. The man was a paying customer, and that meant she had to quit dissecting him and get down to business.

“Can I get you a cold drink?” she asked.

He leaned against the wall, one shoulder propped against the scarred wooden paneling. His potent gaze never strayed from hers. “How about I buy you a drink?” he asked in that seductive voice. “I mean…oh, hell. I can’t pull this off.”

“Pull what off? What’s going on?”

“I can’t pretend I’m a geek in need of training.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You think that’s the services we offer?”

“Let her be Charmed!?” he asked, repeating her aunt’s company slogan. “It was on the pamphlet my friend gave me.”

“I see. Well, we’ve advanced beyond those days. Not that we can’t offer basic etiquette lessons if you need them, but…What do you mean you can’t pull this off? That you can’t pretend you’re a geek in need of training?” she asked warily, steering the conversation back to her main concern. It wasn’t like her to be sidetracked by a good-looking man—which made this one all the more dangerous.

“A friend of mine sent me here. He attended one of your dance classes last year. Your name is too unique for me to be mistaken.”

She narrowed her gaze. “What’s your friend’s name?” Kayla asked.

“John Fredericks. Says he nearly flunked out of Ballroom Dancing.”

She rolled her eyes, remembering the lessons her aunt had insisted Charmed! offer. Kayla never did understand how they filled a class. “That’s because he had two left feet and was preoccupied with landing a date for New Year’s Eve.” She couldn’t see the good-natured but shy man as a friend of Kane McDermott’s, but apparently appearances were deceiving. If John and Kane were friends, Kane had just handed her a reference she could trust. “How is he?” she asked.

“His company sent him overseas. He said to ask your aunt for tips on dating French women,” Kane said with a grin. “For the next time he calls.”

Kayla felt a pang of regret. “She’d have been glad to give him advice. She liked John, too.”

“What happened?” Kane asked.

“She and my uncle were killed a few months ago.”

“Together?”

“Yes.” Tears stung behind her eyes, as they did each time she thought of the accident and the aunt with whom she’d had so much in common. They shared an above-average IQ as well as a special relationship, due in large part to the fact that her aunt understood the oddity of being too smart.

She shook off the memories and focused on her visitor. “The police said they skidded in the rain and hit a tree.”

“I’m sorry, that must have been rough…losing both of them at once.”

“I didn’t know my uncle well. They’d only been married a little over a year, but at least he made her happy before she—” Kayla stopped, realizing she was confiding in a total stranger.

“I’m sorry.” He paused. “John will be sorry, too.”

“Thank you.” She lowered her gaze before meeting his stare once more. “But my aunt being gone doesn’t change the facts.”

“Which are?”

“You came in here pretending to be something you’re not.”

He flinched. “And that was wrong. But John…he thought we’d hit it off.” He glanced down at his hands.

“Why didn’t you just say that when you came in?”

“Because you can’t trust someone else’s opinion. Hell, that’s like accepting a blind date. So I…came in here to check you out,” he admitted sheepishly.

“John must have told you about me a long time ago,” she said.

“Why’s that?”

“Because Charmed! rarely offers classes for the dating impaired anymore and neither does our brochure. We concentrate more on the international business arena now.”

He had the grace and manners to look embarrassed. “I knew the minute I walked in here I couldn’t pull it off,” he muttered.

“So you said.” Kayla narrowed her gaze. “Why is that?” she asked, hoping that her cup size had less to do with his answer than the chemistry. She was attracted to his looks, but a lot of good-looking men existed in the world. This one affected her on a deeper level.

“You’re even more beautiful than I’d hoped.”

A little too smooth, she thought with chagrin. So much for her futile hope he’d be special.

“But beyond that if you actually teach all these classes, there’s a wealth of knowledge in there and, I’m not ashamed to admit, smart women turn me on,” he said with a boyish grin.

Despite herself, she laughed at his obvious attempt at humor.

“Does this mean you’ll go out with me?” he asked.

Oh, how she wanted to, but dating a stranger wasn’t a smart move. She glanced at his determined gaze and doubted he’d take a straight no for an answer. “I wish I could, but I have to be here for the repairman.” She forced a regretful smile and squelched the female buried inside her who wanted to accept his invitation.

He unbuttoned his suit and slipped the jacket off his broad shoulders before flinging it onto the nearest chair. “It was that or be roasted alive.” He turned back to her. “Now where were we? Oh, yes…you going out with me.”

She opened her mouth to insist she’d made her final decision when the phone rang. She picked it up, grateful to discover on the other end the plumber returning her call. Gratitude quickly turned to dismay. She placed the receiver back on the cradle.

Kane raised his dark eyebrows. “Problem?”

She nodded. “The repairman. He’ll be here. Tomorrow. He hopes.” She plucked at her damp shirt.

“Well then.” He started to unbutton the cuff on his shirt. “We’d better get to work.”

“We?” she asked.

“You and me. I don’t see anyone else volunteering.” His gaze darted around the room. “Do you?”

“No, but…are you a plumber?”

“No, ma’am. But living in an old apartment, I’ve seen my share of broken heaters. So let’s get going.” With a flip of his wrist, he began rolling up his sleeve. When the first one was finished, he began on the second, revealing muscular forearms and bronze skin. With her fair complexion, she always admired deep-olive skin, but his coloring had little to do with the pulse-pounding adrenaline flowing through her system.

It was one thing to sense this man’s strength, another to witness the physical evidence of it firsthand. Kayla’s mouth grew dry and she grabbed for the bottled water sitting on her desk. She wet her parched lips before attempting to speak. “Wrench?”

“What?”

She plucked up the tool she’d deposited on her desk earlier. “I asked if you needed a wrench. To shut off the heat.”

“Take it along and we’ll see.”

She followed him into the back room. He knelt down to examine what she considered a foreign piece of equipment.

“The temperature’s already turned down,” he said.

“The cleaning crew must have turned it on by mistake. It was near ninety when I got here. I got the dial turned down but the heat didn’t follow.”

“It probably needs to hit its peak before it’ll start coming down.”

“You mean it’s going to get hotter?” she asked, fingering the damp bangs that stuck to her forehead.

“Count on it.” His searing gaze zeroed in on hers and the heat in the room seemed to soar. No man had ever had such a heart-stopping effect on her before. Drawing a deep breath, she wondered how to handle such raw masculinity. She’d made too many mistakes to mess up again.

He cleared his throat. “There’s another choice. We can hit the emergency switch and hope we don’t blow the unit in the process.”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. Can’t afford that kind of repair.”

“Then you have no choice but to let it run its course. In the meantime, do you have a bucket?” he asked.

“As a matter of fact…” She retrieved the pail her aunt had used to store cleaning supplies. “Here.” She offered it and he grabbed the handle.

“What about a skate key?” he asked.

She blinked at the strange question. “A what?”

He chuckled. “Never mind.” He reached around and patted the floor surrounding the heater. “Aha.” He held a small rounded key aloft. Triumph lit eyes that she now realized were stunning—an aqua mix that emphasized more blue than green and turned her already mixed up insides to pure mush.

She glanced at his find. “Let me guess. A skate key?”

“Sort of. Most of these old units need to be bled at the start of every season, sometimes more often. People familiar with them leave the key in a place they won’t forget. Otherwise you have to go running and hope you can find…”

“The nearest skater?” she asked wryly.

“She’d do in a pinch…if she looked like you.”

A burning flush heated her cheeks. Thanks to her fair skin she probably resembled a tomato by now. “Look, Mr. McDermott, I appreciate your help, but you don’t have to flatter me.”

“Do compliments make you uncomfortable, Miss Luck?”

She shrugged, knowing he’d hit a nerve. In her experience, compliments were a means to an end.

“A woman like you should be used to them. I would think you’d take them in stride.”

“Let’s just say, I’d rather get back to the problem at hand,” she said, gesturing toward the heater. “I thought you bled a heater when there was no heat.”

“You do. But you might as well stabilize the system so you don’t have major problems when you turn it on again next winter.” He turned back to the heater and soon the sound of water running into the bucket filled the otherwise silent room. After her third trip to empty the water into the bathroom sink, he flipped the key and rose to his feet.

“All set.” He wiped his damp hands on his pants, unconcerned with the damage he did to his suit. “As for the unit, give it some time. Chances are it’ll cool off without the help of the repairman.”

“Just clueing me in might have saved me a small fortune. Thanks.”

“Not a problem.” His gaze bored into hers and a flash of dizziness assaulted her. She only wished she could blame the heat, but knew it was his penetrating stare that unnerved her.

“Reconsider that drink?” he asked.

She started to shake her head. “I…”

“Then I want lessons. And before you say anything, I know you don’t specialize in dating etiquette anymore, but consider this an emergency. I have dinner with my boss tomorrow night and he plans on bringing his daughter. I don’t want to get involved, but I’d like to make a good impression and bow out gracefully at the end. Dinner tonight so you can teach me the finer points of charm and class.” He grinned and she discovered one dimple in his left cheek.

“I think you have enough of both,” she said wryly.

“So humor me. I’m giving you an excuse to say yes…and you know you want to.” His voice lowered an octave. Husky and seductive, it flowed through her veins.

“And I think you’re taking a lot for granted. How about I make some calls and see if one of my instructors is available to, uh, meet your needs.” She groaned inwardly. It had taken years to learn how to cover her insecurities, but Kayla had managed. Yet around Kane McDermott, she became the awkward girl she’d once been.

“I’d rather go with you.” His intense gaze begged her to believe.

Could he possibly be interested in her? She shook her head.

“Too bad for me.” Disappointment tinged his voice and dulled his gaze. He pointed to the phone. “Guess I’ll be going with a stranger tonight.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m a stranger.”

“Funny, but it doesn’t feel that way.” His gaze locked with hers in a meaningful stare she couldn’t escape or mistake. There was a connection between them. They both knew it—just as they both knew he’d just changed her mind.

She lowered herself into the swivel chair behind her desk. Leaning across the wooden top, Kane came within kissing breadth of her lips and she caught an enticing hint of spearmint on his breath. “Are you going to disappoint a customer, Miss Luck?”

“Kayla.” She licked her dry lips.

He raised an eyebrow and straightened to his full height. “It seems I’ve made progress, Kayla.”

He most definitely had. “Well, I can’t very well accompany you if you’re going to call me Miss Luck all night,” she said.

The flash of white teeth came and went in a quick grin. “I heard about this casual place. I forget the name.” He buttoned his suit jacket. “I’m from out of town, so I’m not too familiar with the city. I expect to be visiting often, though, because the boss lives here.” His gaze never left hers.

“So it’s casual dinner?” she asked.

“Yes. You can run through wine ordering, dinner choices, all the necessary things I’d need to know for dinner with the boss…and I get your company. Like baseball?”

She nodded, feeling a little like she’d been blindsided.

“I’ve got tickets for the Red Sox game afterward and we can hit that later.”

“Somehow I doubt you need lessons on how to attend a ball game.”

“No, but by then I’m hoping we’ll be past the lesson stage. Sound good?”

She cleared her throat. “Sounds fine.” So fine it scared her.

“We’re all set then.”

She nodded.

“You won’t be disappointed.” His words held a wealth of meaning and Kayla had the distinct impression this was more than a business. That she was more than hired help to this extremely sexy man.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. The connection was instant, the knowledge frightening. She feared her deepest thoughts had just been confirmed. He jerked back without warning. Had he experienced the same unnerving reaction as she?

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a brown leather wallet, working quickly, as if he suddenly couldn’t wait to be gone. “Do you take American Express or Visa?” he asked.

“Either, but…” What could she say? That the thought of taking money in exchange for an evening in his company seemed wrong?

She glanced at Kane. He’d charmed her despite his initial pretense. Not only did she like him but she could use an evening out to enjoy herself. With the all-business attitude she’d had lately, she’d barely had time for fun. When was the last time she’d been out with a nice guy? The last time she’d let herself be charmed for once? Kane was most definitely good at that. She bit down on her lower lip and met his gaze, which had darkened to an unreadable, darker blue.

He flipped open his wallet. “I can pay cash if you’d prefer.”

“No.” She couldn’t take money in exchange for a date. No matter how he couched the word, that’s what it was. She treated him to a genuine smile. “Why don’t we see how things go and we can discuss it? Later.”

“Okay.” He snapped closed the billfold. “I’m staying at the Summit Hotel and I’ll be in touch, Miss…Kayla.” With a grin, he walked out the door, leaving her to wonder…

Could she really be that…lucky?

CHAPTER TWO

“YOU LOOK SHARP, McDermott.” Whistles and catcalls followed his walk through the station house. Kane ignored the harassment and parked himself in an open chair, kicking his legs out in front of him. He exhaled deep and easy, keeping up a steady beat. Relaxation came, but it was hard-won and destined not to last.

He’d taken one look at that angel-like face and known the geek cover wouldn’t work. He’d given it a shot anyway…because it would have been a hell of a lot easier to keep his distance from the woman if he wasn’t acting like himself. He was a professional. Attraction was never supposed to come into play.

Kane let out a groan. But he’d never seen eyes so wide-set and green and he’d damn sure never seen curves like hers anywhere but on a magazine centerfold. Desire hadn’t hit him so hard or fast since he’d been a teenager.

“Well? Did the McDermott charm do her in?”

At the sound of the commanding voice, Kane lifted his gaze. Since he’d been pulled into the assignment last minute, he hadn’t had a chance to go over his cover with Reid. Kane was grateful. He’d never live it down if the captain thought he’d gone in acting like a pencil-pushing geek. “She didn’t say no, if that’s what you’re asking. You get the tickets?”

Reid ran a hand over his balding head. “You’re a pain in the ass, McDermott. Yeah, I called my brother-in-law and told him my best detective was into bribery now.”

Kane shrugged. “Like I had a choice? Besides you’re the one who insisted I take some R&R.”

Reid’s face grew somber. “Don’t try to con me, McDermott. I’ve known you since you were a wise guy in the academy. You watch a kid get killed and you tell me you don’t need R&R?” Reid snorted. “I haven’t seen you so shaken since your first shot actually hit its target.”

Kane didn’t reply. The captain was right. When he was a rookie, Kane had fatally wounded a suspect when he’d closed a drug bust. The captain had picked Kane up and taken him home afterward, and, since then, the Reids had become the family Kane insisted he didn’t need.

The captain knew him well. More importantly, he had accepted him. Despite Kane’s surly attitude and attempts to remain aloof, Reid pushed anyway, including him on holidays and family gatherings. After a while, the older man’s persistence had paid off. Kane couldn’t bring himself to insult Reid or his wife by turning them down, though he squelched the small part of him that wanted to enjoy the sense of family they provided. Kane limited the occasions, but he still knew the Reid clan better than he knew anyone else.

“At least these tickets will work to our advantage,” Reid said in his raspy voice.

“You really ought to lay off the smokes, Captain.”

Reid scowled at him. “Worried I won’t be around to bug you?” He laughed. “I’m too tough to die.”

“You got that right,” Kane muttered, refusing to admit he cared too much about his boss.

“Thanks to the predicted drop in temperature, the lady should be more than eager to share body heat,” he said, ignoring Kane as usual. “She seem interested?”

Kane folded his arms behind his head and leaned back to ponder the question. The old chair and springs creaked beneath his weight in a familiar song. Had Kayla Luck been interested?

“More after I told her I knew Fredericks.” Their tip regarding Charmed! had come from a reliable source—an up-and-coming politician who’d gotten caught with his pants down. He’d been more than willing to talk in exchange for keeping his escapade out of the headlines.

Reid had gotten a list of Charmed!’s legitimate clientele over the past year. Fredericks seemed squeaky-clean and nervous to have his name tainted by scandal. Kane hadn’t trusted the guy to keep quiet should Kayla contact him about his salesman friend, Kane McDermott, so he’d concocted the story about Fredericks being transferred overseas. Fredericks had been jumpy but sincere and he’d sung Kayla Luck’s charms, including her honesty.

“At least you picked a winner out of the hat.”

Kane nodded in agreement. If Kayla had reacted badly to the name, the plan would have been shot to hell. “I’m good at what I do. Think she’ll take the bait?”

Kane recalled the sultry smile, the soft pout of her lips and the coyly phrased question. Why don’t we see how things go? “Yes…and no.” She’d been interested, all right. The thought caused a steady, pulsing rhythm in his veins. But he could deal with a sexual attraction. Lust and desire were two sensations he could easily handle.

The lady’s other qualities were another story. A naive innocence lurked beneath the seductive body. She lacked the hard edge he’d expected, the tough facade he’d been prepared to face. Instead she’d been uncertain and unsure. She might have grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, but life hadn’t visibly hardened her, at least not yet.

Lush curves on the outside and a gentleness on the inside. It was the softness that beckoned to him and that shook him up.

“Either the lady’s running more than a charm school or she isn’t,” the Captain said.

Kane shrugged, recalling her uneasiness at dealing with compliments and her unwillingness to accept his initial invitation. An act? A game designed to bait a man, to entice him until they fell into a sweaty tangle between the sheets? Or the ultimate rarity on this planet, an honest soul with nothing to hide? Kane had no idea.

“We’ll see.”

Captain Reid smacked his hand on the metal desk. “No, you’ll see, McDermott. Just make sure you pay more attention to the lady than you do to the game.”

Kane didn’t take offense. The old man’s gruff ways had kept Kane going too many times, when he’d watched neighborhood friends overdose or go down on a bust. The older man had faith in a young kid even when no one else cared enough to bother. He knew Kane’s sense of duty was strong.

“After this one I don’t want to see your sorry butt in here until the middle of next week.”

“A good weekend to you, too. Say hi to Marge.”

“Do it yourself,” Reid grumbled. “She says you don’t come by often enough.” He turned and strode back into his office.

Kane got his mind back on the case. He let the captain’s words about Kayla sink in. Doling out attention to Ms. Luck wouldn’t be a hardship. In her silk top and pearl earrings she was a sexy woman who any guy would be lucky to claim as his own.

Except a cop whose job it was to take down a prostitution ring…if it existed. Her place could be a front as his informant claimed. Maybe the sister knew more than Kayla, but according to his files, Catherine Luck had signed over ownership and was more concerned with her education than the school that paid for it.

He swiveled back and forth in his seat. He had a hard time believing the innocence in that green-eyed gaze wasn’t real but an act for the customer’s benefit. His hands clenched into fists at the thought of Miss Kayla Luck.

Chemistry flared between them hot and strong. Unmistakable. Verbal seduction wouldn’t be a problem tonight, but keeping his hands to himself just might be. He shook his head, trying to dislodge any thoughts caused more by emotion than common sense. Cash in exchange for sex, he reminded himself. Money up-front. Stick to the plan and the answers would follow.

And Kane always stuck to the plan. As a punk kid, he’d followed a different code of conduct than the one he lived by now, but respecting the law on the street had kept him alive. As a cop, he walked on the other side. The rules were different but the reasoning the same. If he followed the rules, he kept his edge honed. Anything less and he didn’t deserve his badge.

Kane closed his eyes and a vision of Kayla danced before them. Between a body made for a man’s touch and a heart-shaped face that would test a saint, he had the distinct notion he needed that edge more than ever before.

“IT’S A BASEBALL GAME, not a formal banquet.”

“It’s a date, not order-in Chinese food with your sister,” Catherine countered. She threw a disgusted glance at Kayla’s old sweatshirt and blue jeans. “Are you trying to turn the man off before he gets to know how disgustingly smart you are?”

Kayla thought back to his references about her classes and how smart women turned him on. He couldn’t possibly know that much about her after such a brief meeting. It had to be a lucky guess. “I don’t want to look too eager,” she said.

“More like you don’t want to look too easy.” Her sister grabbed Kayla’s hand. Head held high, Catherine led the way to her bedroom, a short distance down the hall from Kayla’s own. With dramatic flair so opposite to Kayla’s more subdued actions, Catherine flung open the closet door and began riffling through the clothes inside.

“They won’t fit,” Kayla muttered.

“Maybe we don’t share the same bra size, but don’t tell me you don’t steal my clothes every once in a while.”

“Borrow.”

“What’s the difference?” Catherine held up a yellow blouse, made a face and hung it back on the rack. “I know I swipe yours.” She came out of the small walk-in with a white turtleneck and a pale blue satin jacket. “Here. Leave the jeans and try this. The jacket’s quilted, by the way. It’s supposed to be chilly tonight.”

Kayla glanced at the outfit, more casual than her usual Brooks-Brothers type look. Still, when she tried on the clothes, she had to admit she looked okay. Catherine made a show of walking around her twice, hands on her hips in a judgmental pose. “Perfect. Better than all those trousers and silk blouses you wear. So stuffy—even Mama wouldn’t have left the house like that.”

“Mama liked to dress her own way,” Kayla said, thinking of the woman who had raised her girls alone. A woman with a heart of gold, but tarnished luck.

They hadn’t had much money, but their mother had always made sure she looked her best before leaving the house. Unfortunately her best too often fell short. She looked like what she was: the checkout girl at the local supermarket, an aging woman still attempting to look younger than her years. Until Catherine had taken over clothes shopping, the Luck sisters had usually gone to school looking like miniclones of their beautiful, but flamboyant mother.

“Men definitely took notice,” Catherine said.

“Too bad she never looked at them. Maybe things would have been different.”

“Maybe Mama wouldn’t have died of overwork and a broken heart?” Catherine shook her head. “She chose her life.”

“She liked pining for Daddy, that’s for sure. You ever wonder if Daddy pined back?” Kayla asked.

Her sister shook her head. “I think one kid scared him to death, two made him worse than a coward.”

“Do you really have to sound so…full of hate?” Kayla muttered.

“I don’t hate him. Actually I don’t feel much about him at all. But truth is truth.” Catherine pinned her with her steady gaze. “I don’t think all men are like him if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Not in the love ’em and leave ’em department,” Kayla agreed. “But in the can’t keep their hands to themselves department, men are all the same.” After all, her parents had had Kayla and Catherine within one year of each other. If that wasn’t a prime example of too much lovin’, as her mother liked to call it, then she didn’t know what was.

Catherine lowered herself onto her frilly white bedspread. “You know, a guy not keeping his hands to himself can be nice.”

For someone with Catherine’s confidence, maybe. Kayla joined her, staring at her fingers spread over her jean-clad legs. “Are you going out tonight?” Kayla asked.

“You bet. Dancing at Shooters.” She snapped her hands in the air. “With Nick.”

Nick had been Catherine’s best friend for years. Kayla suspected he’d once been in love with her beautiful sister, too. But Cat wasn’t interested and Nick had moved on, apparently content as Cat’s best friend. And Catherine was alone.

Kayla narrowed her eyes and took in her sister’s miniskirt and tights, her stretch top that showed off delicate curves. Catherine didn’t have Kayla’s lush figure, but she attracted her own share of attention. Kayla admired her sister but she also knew she had her own share of insecurities. Cat covered them well but the truth was obvious. Both Luck sisters had been scarred by their childhood experiences.

Each Luck sister had reacted in a different way. Instead of becoming a social butterfly, Kayla had learned to push men away. Although she had a lingering desire for hearth, home and a white picket fence, she knew better than to believe she’d find it or the perfect man to share her life with.

Catherine placed a sisterly hand over hers. “Maybe you’ve never found the right guy. The one who will put you first.”

“You think he exists?” Kayla asked but Kane immediately came to mind. He was the one man she didn’t want to push away physically or turn off emotionally. He was the first guy who made her feel special, who made her want to take chances.

Catherine shrugged. “I don’t know. But if the light in your eyes is any indication, you do. And I’d hate to see you lose that special someone out of fear.”

She grinned. “He was different and sexy and…”

“And?”

“He listened,” she said, somewhat embarrassed. “He was interested, if I’m not mistaken, but I’ve been out of the game too long to know for sure.”

Catherine shook her head. “You don’t need experience to know if he makes you feel special. This guy could be it.”

Kayla had the sense that Kane was most definitely it. “I don’t really know him,” Kayla reminded her sister.

“But you want to.” Catherine read her mind as she had so many times in the past. “And just wait until he gets a look at you tonight.” Walking back to the closet, Catherine reached inside and tossed something across the room.

Kayla stood before the full-length mirror behind the door. She spun around once more, shocked at the woman whose reflection she saw there. “I don’t even recognize myself,” she said, as she added the finishing touch, a wide headband that would provide both warmth and style for the night ahead.

“That’s because you’ve been so busy hiding behind conservative clothes and a job that involves geeks not hunks. You’ve just forgotten there’s a woman inside.”

Was Catherine right? Of course she was. Between her old accounting job and now running her aunt’s business, Kayla had stifled her sense of self. Add to that her self-imposed lack of a love life and things seemed pretty pathetic about now.

Her sister placed her hands on Kayla’s shoulders. “At least this guy has brought my sexy sister out of her shell.” Catherine grinned.

“He’s a customer,” Kayla said. As if that meant anything. As he’d said, the customer thing was an excuse to let her say yes to a date without thinking too much. It was eerie how well Kane McDermott had understood her.

“Since when do you date a customer?”

She met Catherine’s gaze in the mirror. “I don’t,” she admitted.

“I know. And that’s why I think you should go out and feel for once. Take things from there.” Catherine plucked at the headband, straightening it to look suitably stylish. “The clothes are just the trappings of freedom. The rest is up to you.”

Catherine turned her toward the door to the bedroom and steered her into the hall. “I’ll drop you off at the restaurant. It’s on my way and, besides, I want to get a look at this guy firsthand.”

“Checking him out, Mom?”

Catherine shrugged. “We’ve always looked out for each other. No sense stopping now.” She glanced at Kayla. “You think about what I said. You might live to regret it if you don’t.”

Kayla took her sister’s advice, all the way to the outside of the restaurant. He’d given her directions to it during their brief phone conversation and Catherine had given her a lift. Kane waited on the top step, his elbow resting on the brass railing. Irresistible in a black leather jacket, he could show her his charms anywhere, anyplace, anytime, she decided.

Catherine’s whistle brought Kayla back down to earth.

“I take it you approve?”

Catherine answered with a grin. Kayla finger-combed her hair and stepped out of the car. Kane was by her side in an instant. During the brief introductions and small chitchat between Kane and Catherine, Kayla could barely concentrate.

Was her sister right? Was this man, this date, a not-to-be-missed opportunity? Could he be someone in her future? Kayla wasn’t sure, but she was about to find out. And who deserved an honest chance more than Kane McDermott, the first man to excite her and impress her?

The first man to look past her appearance and who genuinely seemed to like the woman within.

WITH HIS HAND ON her back, Kane steered Kayla out of Fenway Park and into the dimly lit Boston streets. The Sox had won in extra innings and the woman beside him hadn’t uttered a single complaint about sitting through the long game or the continuing drop in temperature. Under ordinary circumstances, he’d call the date a hit, but Kayla was no ordinary woman, any more than she was his real date, a fact he had to keep reminding himself of time and again.

“Did I tell you I loved that restaurant?” she asked.

Only about ten times, he thought, wondering why the hell the notion pleased him so much. “The meal or the atmosphere?” he asked.

She laughed, the sound doing more to warm him than his heavy leather jacket. “Both. Wall-to-wall books…” She spread her arms wide, knocking into the people emptying out of the stadium along with them. “Oops.”

Her laughter was contagious, her love of something as simple as books, refreshing.

“But who would have thought of turning a library into a restaurant, and keeping the old volumes on the shelves? How have I lived here for so long and never even known about that place? Where did you find it?”

“I have my sources,” he said, deliberately vague.

“Well, tell them they were right on target.” She laughed again and this time his stomach twisted with regret. Careful research and discreet questions into her background had revealed the blond bombshell was also an intellectual, a Phi Beta Kappa who hit the library most nights after work. Reading was obviously a hobby of hers, one he’d taken advantage of tonight.

The stab of guilt took him by surprise. His job had never bothered him before and it shouldn’t now. As part of his assignment, he could just as easily clear her as convict her. Big deal if he had to dig deep and personal in order to accomplish his goal. But one glance into those trusting eyes turned him inside out. She wouldn’t appreciate the lie. If she was guilty of running a prostitution service, he shouldn’t give a good goddamn. But he did and the guilt stemmed less from sensing she wasn’t involved and more from caring what she thought of him. That in itself was a first and Kane didn’t like it a bit.

After an evening in her company, he’d learned plenty. This was a woman who cared about family, felt things deeply and had put her dreams on hold for her sister’s future and out of respect for her late aunt. The innocence she projected in both her gaze and her gestures told him more than surveillance ever could and that innocence spoke to him. Touched him in ways no one ever had, in places he never allowed anyone to reach.

His gut told him she wasn’t involved in anything more than running an inherited business. One she at times enjoyed, at others resented. Since gut instinct wasn’t admissible in a court of law, he had to rely on his other talents to clear Miss Kayla Luck. Somehow proving her not guilty had taken precedence over making a case against Charmed!’s sensual owner.

“Don’t ask me why, but I had a feeling you would like that place,” he told her.

“You were right.”

“I know.” Because he was a man who prided himself on instinct. Research may have provided the background, but an hour in her company and Kane had discovered even more. All pretense of schooling forgotten, Kayla had opened up to him. He now knew her father’s abandonment had left her hurt and wounded even if she didn’t show it, and the mother she loved had been more a child than a useful, guiding parent.

Kayla had grown up on her own…like him. She had few close ties, apart from her sister…also like him. And by the time dinner ended, he knew how to reach her. He knew when to flatter and when to back off. He even knew how to make her feel beautiful without ogling, because the slightest show of male interest in her looks led to a hasty retreat. He had the sense he knew Kayla Luck. He had connected with her apart from his assignment and the thought made him too damn nervous.

As they rounded the next corner and walked down a street nestled between a double row of buildings, a heavy breeze whipped around them and the temperature seemed to drop even further.

He rubbed his hands together. “I’d kill for a…”

“Cup of hot chocolate covered with whipped cream,” Kayla said, finishing his sentence but not the way he’d intended. Scotch or whiskey was what he’d had in mind. Something that burned like hell and shocked his system into remembering he was on assignment and not out with an intelligent, sexy woman. One he wanted to see again and not behind prison walls. And that wouldn’t be happening.

He needed solid proof to take back to Reid. Time to make his move and get out, Kane thought. They’d both be better off.

He’d gotten nowhere with his subtle questioning earlier, which meant he’d have to take a more direct, a more seductive, approach. He dreaded the idea as much as his overheated body craved it. Not even the sharp wind biting at his face and reaching into his bones numbed the burning heat she aroused inside him.

“I was thinking more along the lines of coffee,” he muttered. “But anything hot will do.”

“No kidding.” She nodded in agreement and clutched at her forearms with her hands. She was obviously cold but had no intention of voicing a complaint. Definitely a woman after his own heart. No, he contradicted himself, not his heart. That he’d walled off years ago. He’d learned early on if he made anything other than his job his priority, he risked losing the edge.

As a self-reliant kid, he’d honed the instincts that kept him alive. His uncle had agreed to take him in on the condition he made himself scarce. Kane had only swallowed his pride and asked for a place to crash in order to avoid social services and foster care. Basic survival was what Kane understood best. Sex fell under that heading, caring did not.

But he had a job to do. Time to stop stalling and find out, he thought. She was cold? The least he could do was warm up the lady. He looked down and her gaze connected with his. Wide-set eyes stared back and golden strands of windblown hair touched her reddened cheeks. Intense need kicked in strong. He had to taste her. That it might make or break his case had nothing to do with the fierce hunger lashing through him. He cupped his hands over hers, feeling the ice-cold of her skin and he drew her back into a hidden alley.

The crowds rushed past them, unconcerned with anything except finding warmth. Kane understood that need. He ran his hands up and down her arms. A tremor shook her and instinctively he knew it had nothing to do with the outside temperature and everything to do with body heat. His and hers.

One step and he’d backed her against a dark brick building. Desire rushed through him the moment his body came into contact with hers. Layers of clothing didn’t matter, nothing mattered.

“Kane?”

He looked into questioning eyes and had no answers. None he could reveal to her and, worse, none he understood himself. Which suited him fine. He didn’t need to understand; he needed to feel. Her lips on his, her body, slick and wet, molding around him, producing friction so intense it was unbearable. Not that he’d compromise his job. He wouldn’t let things get that far, or if the informant was right, Kayla wouldn’t, either, not without payment.

Looking into those trusting eyes, he damn well knew if she called a stop tonight, it would have nothing to do with money. This woman was no prostitute but he needed proof and to get it, he had to carry things through. One sampling of those full lips and he could attempt to close the deal. Once she backed off, he’d make some excuse and take her home. A cold shower waited for him and then he’d file his report and forget all about Miss Kayla Luck.

Plan set, he focused his attention on his so-called date, a woman who intrigued him more with each passing second. His grip on her arms tightened. She didn’t protest, not when he pulled her toward him and not when his lips came down hard on hers. That was the point Kane knew he’d made a mistake. Her mouth was warm and welcoming and a hint of sweet wine still lingered inside. One taste made him hungry for more than a stolen kiss in a back alley. One sampling set his blood on fire and he knew: he wouldn’t be walking away anytime soon.

The brick wall anchored them and he took advantage letting his body thrust hard against hers. She made a sound, half moan, half plea, Kane couldn’t be sure. He only knew it made him want her more. The pulsing, pounding waves wouldn’t be ignored.

Kayla leaned her head back against the wall, drawing deep unsteady breaths. He cupped her chin in his hand and looked into glazed green eyes. He wanted her. There it was. The stark truth, he thought. No lies, no deception, no case hanging between them…unless something she did placed it there. He’d crossed the line and there was no turning back.

He’d never have believed he’d be so tempted to compromise his principles for a woman, never have believed he needed one night so badly. She aroused him beyond sanity, beyond reason and he needed to possess her, all of her. He traced the line of her jaw, then held her face between his palms. “I want you.” His voice rasped in her ear, the words vibrating between them.

Her hands reached for his chest, curling into fists against the heavy jacket. “Why?”

Of all possible answers, that one took him by surprise. So did the fact that he knew exactly what to say. “Not because you’re beautiful, even though you are.”

Her cheeks turned a shade deeper than before and he brushed his thumb over her reddened skin. She trembled and the shudder found an answer inside him. He inhaled then forced himself to continue. “And not because your body would tempt a saint, even though it would.” His other hand brushed the underside of her breast, tracing the rounded, full contours hidden beneath the layers of clothes. Her answer, a sensual moan, shook his soul. For as he spoke, Kane realized he was telling her more than what she wanted to hear. He was telling her the truth.

She tipped her head to the side. Her face fit perfectly in his hand. “Then why?” she asked.

“Because you’re smart and I respect that, because you’re gutsy and I admire that.” Her eyes sparkled, glowing with a life of their own at each word he spoke.

Kane shook his head, unable to believe he was taking everything he’d learned about Kayla in order to make his case, and using it to make her his instead.

One night. With every second that passed, he needed that more and more. The light in her eyes, the…acceptance, he thought, struggling for the correct word. He needed everything she possessed. After taking it, he’d deal with how badly he betrayed both his job and himself. “I had fun with you tonight and everything about you intrigues me. Enough?” he asked too harshly.

A satisfied smile caught hold of her lips. He wanted a taste of that satisfaction but refrained for now. “More than enough.” Her arms slipped around his waist.

“I take it that’s a yes.” His heart beat faster at the thought.

“That’s a yes…for the right price,” she said coyly.

He froze in place, then forced a smile. He’d taken her out tonight to bait and trap her. He’d gotten temporarily distracted by a rush of hormones, but it seemed he was about to get what he came for. He ignored the swell of disappointment that came when he looked into those fraudulent green eyes. “And what would that be, Ms. Luck?”

She touched her icicle-like hands to his face and grinned. “Hot chocolate, Kane.” She smoothed her fingertips over his brow and her light laughter caught him by surprise. “What did you think I wanted?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but you could show me.”

Her eyes opened wide before she brushed a warm yet hesitant kiss over his lips. Arousal hit as fast as his sense of relief. Before he could change his mind, he grabbed her hand and started back down the street. His hotel room, the hotel room taken by the department, was a few blocks away. He’d face himself and the repercussions of his actions tomorrow. Tonight was about Kayla.

CHAPTER THREE

KAYLA WALKED INTO THE recently decorated lobby of the hotel where Kane was staying, trying not to feel like a woman about to embark on a one-night stand. She glanced around at the potted, but obviously fake plants and the bored clerk yawning behind the desk. It was a respectable establishment, but she wondered how many men brought women to a hotel room for a quick fling?

She stopped halfway to the elevator and grabbed the hard leather of Kane’s jacket. He turned toward her. “Second thoughts?” he asked.

“Just a reality check. I don’t know anything about you.”

“You know what’s important.” He brushed a fingertip down her cheek. Her skin tingled and her heart rate soared. “What more is there?” he asked.

“I don’t know, maybe you’re not really a salesman. Maybe you’re a…”

“Serial killer?” He jumped in with a disarming grin.

“Married or involved was more like what I had in mind,” she said on a nervous laugh. “But yours is a valid consideration, too.”

“Well, I can set your mind at ease on that score. No bodies buried anywhere in my past. No spouses, either, present, ex or intended.” He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. Well, it would have been comforting if not for her body’s immediate reaction.

Pheromones, she’d read recently, acted to stimulate a body’s chemical reaction to the opposite sex. But such clinical reasoning wasn’t enough of an explanation for her response to Kane McDermott. It might explain the all-over heat despite the chill outdoors, or the delicious sizzling sensations tripping around inside her. In no way did it account for the rush of warmth when those eyes met hers or the understanding she’d seen there when she’d told him about her childhood.

If he’d been vague about himself, that was okay. He’d be gone too soon for it to matter and he’d shown interest in her life, something no man had ever done before. His curiosity about her new career path and the new services she planned for Charmed! made her feel as if he cared.

Catherine was right. This was a man capable of putting Kayla and her needs first. But she’d never done anything like this before and she needed his reassurance before deciding to take this next step. She needed to know there was no one else in his life. That she wasn’t making a colossal mistake.

She glanced at his serious expression, one mixed with desire and concern. Kane might want her, but he was a gentleman in the ways he showed her his desire…except for that incident in the alley, where she’d been as willing a participant as he.

Her entire system shook in reaction. Foreplay, she thought. He’d readied her mind as well as her body. The heavy pulsing deep inside proved that, so did the anticipation of what awaited her.

She wanted to blame chemistry but she knew a lot more than that had pushed her to this moment. A lifetime of being treated as a sex object and not a person with feelings. Years of ignoring her own desires because she feared picking the wrong man, one who wanted her body but not the whole person. The final straw had come over the past month, when she’d taken on Charmed!—the vehicle to secure her sister’s future and hold onto her aunt’s past. While her sister dated, while Catherine registered and started culinary school, Kayla had deferred the rest of her education to run the business. She’d suppressed her own desires and needs. What about what she wanted?

She glanced at Kane. This man made her feel alive for the first time ever. Add what seemed to be a genuine caring and she couldn’t go wrong. There might never be another man who valued her. Because there would never be another Kane McDermott.

She met his gaze. He was unattached and sexy, dynamic…and hers, for the night at least. The suspense and excitement built and she smiled. “Well, I guess that settles things.”

“Does it?” He shoved his hands into the front pocket of his jeans. Tight jeans that molded against muscular thighs and showcased his obvious arousal.

She licked her dry lips. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“You were quiet for so long I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Kayla drew a deep breath, as much for courage as for luck. Then she extended her hand.

A sexy grin edged the corners of his mouth and he intertwined his fingers in hers. “One stop first.” He crossed to the front desk. He handed something to the clerk, whispering too low for her to catch what he said. “Ready?” he asked, turning back toward her.

Her stomach felt as if it hit the floor. “Ready,” she murmured.

Everything that came next, the elevator ride and the walk down the dimly lit hall, all passed in a blur caused by near panic. Then she found herself alone with Kane in his hotel room. For a woman with limited experience, she wondered what had possessed her. She swung around, taking in the clutter. An open briefcase sat on the table, clothes lay scattered around and an unzipped suitcase had been shoved into the corner. The mess was so unfeminine, so like a man…so like Kane.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re trembling.”

She glanced at her surroundings once more. The king-size mattress in the center of the room drew her focus. What awaited her in that bed sent her imagination soaring. Kayla, Kane, hot bodies, tangled sheets…To her shock, her case of nerves calmed as she realized this was exactly where she wanted to be.

She looked at him. “I’m okay now.”

“Kayla…”

“Yes?”

He cleared his throat. “Have you ever done this before?”

She raised her chin at the doubt in his tone. “Lots of times.”

“Bull.”

“Fine.” She made for the door before his embarrassing, on-target questions humiliated her further. If her inexperience showed now, how disappointed would he be later?

She didn’t get far. Two steps and he stopped her departure with a firm arm around her waist, drawing her close against his lean, hard body. His masculine scent pummeled her nerve endings, enticing her physically, assaulting her already raw senses. Her breasts tingled, her skin sizzled with fire and that wasn’t the worst part. This man had the power to affect her emotions, too.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“My mama always said if you can’t do something right, don’t bother doing it at all.”

“Did I say you did anything wrong?”

She rolled her eyes and threw the blame squarely on him. “Not me, you.”

“I did something wrong. What?”

“You questioned my experience. Not exactly the way to endear yourself to a woman, McDermott.” She forced herself to remain stiff and unyielding in his arms, even though she wanted to curl into him and feel his strength flow through her.

His heated breath fanned her neck. His cologne threatened to seduce her and make her forget common sense. She struggled against the seductive pull. “Let me go.”

“Not until you answer the question I asked a minute ago and then I’ll explain. If you don’t like what you hear, I’ll take you home myself. Have you done this before?” he asked again.

“A one-night stand in a stranger’s hotel room? No. Happy now?”

“Not by a long shot. And that wasn’t the question I was asking and you know it.”

“Okay,” she said, resigned. “Once in my senior year of high school and once more a few years ago.” The first time she’d been young and inexperienced, scared but seduced into believing the guy had wanted her, not just a quickie in the backseat of his car. He’d gone to great lengths to convince her, and she’d bought his act. Then he’d gone bragging to his friends, and she’d never heard from him again. The second time had been years later. Another mistake, a futile effort to relieve the loneliness in her life.

She resented being forced to relive either time. “You want names and dates, too, Officer, or are the sketchy details enough?”

He jerked back, but kept his hand firmly around her waist.

“Well?” she asked when he remained silent. “Are you going to keep grilling me like some cop or let me go home?”

“Neither.”

His long exhale took her by surprise. Had he been as tense as she was about this encounter? Impossible. Men didn’t get nervous.

Kayla straightened as best she could, trying to ignore that her behind now snuggled firmly against him. She didn’t have to look back to know what male organ pressed hard and insistently against her. She gritted her teeth.

“Why is this so important?” she asked him.

“You said years.” His hand brushed her hair off her face and he lay a warm, comforting cheek next to hers. “I want you so badly I can barely stand.” His rough voice shook her body. The truth shook her soul. “If I didn’t ask, if I didn’t know, I’d have hurt you.”

Her cheek remained cushioned next to his. He felt so right. Her stiff muscles relaxed, even as her body remained strung tight and begged for sexual release.

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