Part 6 (1/2)

He caught her elbows to steady her, and tingles of awareness skipped along her skin. This close she could feel the heat of his body. Memories of making love, of how different he had been that night and how happy she had been, flipped through her brain. The sizzle between them was so intense she suddenly wondered what might have happened if they hadn't made love that night. Would the nice guy she'd met at the beach house have pursued her? Would he have remained nice? Would they have discovered differences and gone their separate ways or lived happily ever after?

Pulling her arms away, she turned toward the stove. What might have been wasn't an issue. If she thought about what might have been for too long she might get starry-eyed again and that would be insane. The guy had hurt her and now he wanted her child. She wouldn't be reckless with him again.

”Hand me the milk.”

He did.

”Thanks.” Exaggerating the task of pouring it into the pan so she didn't have to look at him, she said, ”How are things at Carson Services?”

He walked back to the counter, but didn't sit. Instead he leaned against it. ”Fine.”

”How's Orlando?”

Danny laughed. ”Great. He's a dream client. Because he does his homework, we're always on the same page when I suggest he move his money.”

”That's so good to hear. I liked him.”

”He's asked about you.”

Dumping three scoops of cocoa on top of the milk, she grimaced. ”What did you tell him?”

Danny s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably. ”That you'd moved on.”

She heard the stirring of guilt in his voice. Though part of her found it fitting, she couldn't pretend she was innocent. She'd recognized from the beginning that losing her job was one of the potential consequences of a failed relations.h.i.+p between them. So she wouldn't pretend. She would discuss this like an adult.

She faced him. ”So you told him the truth.”

”Excuse me?”

”What you told him was the truth. I had moved on.”

He barked a laugh. ”Yeah.”

Grace walked over to him and stood in front of him, holding his gaze. ”We won't survive twelve more days of living together if we don't admit here and now that we both made mistakes that weekend. We don't need to dissect our sleeping together and place blame. But we do need to admit that we both made mistakes.”

”Okay.”

”It is okay because we both moved on.”

”Bet you wish you had stayed moved on.”

She might be willing to agree to be polite and even friendly, but she didn't intend to discuss nebulous things like regrets. So she fell back on humor to get her out of the conversation. Batting her hand in dismissal, she said, ”Nah. What fun is having a nice, quiet life with no one pestering you for custody of your child?”

He laughed again. She turned to leave, but he caught her fingers and stopped her. Her gaze swung back to his.

”You're one of only a few people who make me laugh.”

Memory thrummed through her. Her being able to make him laugh had been their first connection. But the touch of his fingers reminded her that they'd taken that connection so much further that night. She remembered the way his hands had skimmed her body, remembered how he'd held her, remembered the intensity of the fire of pa.s.sion between them.

But in the end, pa.s.sion had failed them. The only thing they had between them now was Sarah. And everything they did had to be for Sarah.

Grace cleared her throat and stepped back. ”We'll work on getting you to laugh more often for Sarah.” She pulled her hand away from his, walked to the stove and poured Danny's cocoa into a mug. ”So what do you like to watch?”

”Watch?”

”On TV.”

He took the mug she handed to him. ”Actually I don't watch TV.”

”Then you're in for a treat because you get to watch everything I like.”

That made him laugh again, and Grace's heart lightened before she could stop it, just as it had their weekend together. But she reminded herself that things at the beach house had not turned out well. And she didn't intend to make the same mistake twice. He needed to be comfortable and relaxed for Sarah. She and Danny also needed to be reasonably decent to each other to share custody. But that was all the further she could let things between them go.

They spent two hours watching crime dramas on television. Danny was oddly amused by them. The conversation remained neutral, quiet, until at the end of the second show the eleven o'clock news was announced and Grace said she was going to bed.

”Ripped from the headline is right,” he said, when Grace hit the off b.u.t.ton on the remote and rose from the sofa. ”That program couldn't have been more specific unless they'd named names.”

”That's the show's gimmick. The writers take actual situations and fictionalize them. It's a way to give curious, gossip-hungry viewers a chance to see what might have happened, and how it would play out in court.”

Danny said, ”Right,” then followed her up the stairs. In the little hallway between their closed bedroom doors, Danny put his hand on his doork.n.o.b, but he couldn't quite open the door. It didn't seem right to leave her just yet. And that spurred another beach house memory. He hadn't wanted to leave her after he'd given her her bonus. He'd tried to ignore the feeling, but Grace had followed him down to the bar in his great room.

That made him smile. The hall in which they stood was far from great. It was a little square. Only a bit wider than the bar that had separated them at the beach house. He'd closed that gap by leaning forward and kissing her, and he'd experienced one of the most wonderful nights of his life.

And he'd ruined even the pleasant memories he could hold onto and enjoy by not believing her. Not appreciating her.

”Thanks for the cocoa.”

She faced him with a smile. ”You're welcome.”

He took a step away from his door and toward hers. He might not have appreciated her the weekend at the beach house, but tonight he was beginning to understand that she probably had been the woman he'd believed her to be when he seduced her. Everything that had happened between them was his fault. Especially their misunderstandings.

He caught her gaze. ”I'm glad you moved on.”

He took another step toward her, catching her hand and lifting it, studying the smooth skin, her delicate fingers. He recalled her fingers skimming his back, tunneling through his hair, driving him crazy with desire, and felt it all again, as if it were yesterday.

”I'm a lot stronger than I look.”

Her words came out as a breathy whisper. The same force of attraction that swam through his veins seemed to be affecting her. In the quiet house, the only sound Danny heard was the pounding of his heart. The only thought in his mind was that he should kiss her.

Slowly, holding her gaze, watching for reaction, he lowered his head. Closing his eyes, he touched his lips to hers. They were smooth and sweet, just as he remembered. Warmth and familiarity collided with s.e.xual hunger that would have happily overruled common sense. Their chemistry caused him to forget everything except how much he wanted her. How happy she made him. How natural it was to hold her.

But just when he would have deepened the kiss, she stepped away.

”This is what got us into trouble the last time.” She caught his gaze. ”Good night, Danny.”