understand, he stayed quiet.
Katie shot her sister a this-conversation-is-over glare before turning back to him. “No crime today?”
He shook his head and played along. “None.”
“Good job. Maybe I will vote for you.”
He treated her to a formal bow. “My campaign manager will be thrilled to hear that.”
Katie smiled. “Do you bring all potential voters coffee?”
“I don’t make enough money for that.”
“Then why are you here?” Cara asked for what felt like the fifteenth time.
“Cara!”
“To see your sister.” His answer hadn’t changed but he was starting to wonder if it should.
“And you knew where to find her?”
Since the game of Twenty Annoying Questions hadn’t ended, Eric decided to help it along. “Should I step out for a few minutes while you two settle whatever it is you need to discuss?”
Cara nodded. “Yes.”
“No.” Katie didn’t look at him, but she held up her hand to get him to stop. Never mind the fact he hadn’t moved. “Don’t you have to pick up Ashleigh from the babysitter?”
The reminder had Cara glancing at the clock on the wall. “Damn.”
“I’ll explain everything later.” When Cara didn’t move, Katie put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. I promise.”
After a beat of silence, Cara stripped off her apron and grabbed her purse. “It was nice meeting you.”
He knew she didn’t mean that but played along. “You, too.”
“You—” Cara pointed at Katie—“I’ll see at home.”
Chapter 5
Eric locked the door behind Cara and then turned around. “Do you really plan to tell her everything about us?”
The poor guy sounded a little nervous. He hadn’t reached the throw-up-on-the-floor level yet, but Katie could tell by the grim line of his mouth that he was getting close. “I do believe you’re sweating.”
His eyes bulged. “That’s a yes?”
It was time to take pity on the guy. He had left work to bring her coffee, after all. Not that she believed for one second that he didn’t have an ulterior motive. She’d been dealing with men long enough to know there was a mad rush of purpose behind every move. Sex, food, laundry, whatever they wanted, they made a calculated play to get it.
She set her cup down and walked over to Eric. The back of her hand brushed against his cheek. When he leaned in and kissed her knuckles, a shot of desire whipped through her. “Don’t worry. I won’t share even an abbreviated version of the good stuff.”
He blew out a deep breath. “That’s probably a good idea.”
She wondered if he knew how transparent he was. He might be able to control a courtroom, but he needed some work on his private persona. She had seen the desperation in him at Deana’s wedding, like his skin didn’t fit right, causing him to shift around. She saw it again now.
“You here for more sex, counselor?”
His hands found her upper arms and his fingers snuck under the short sleeves of her shirt to caress her skin. “You always so blunt?”
“I’ve learned that most people talk around what they want when it’s easier just to get to the point.” To prove her theory, she reached for his tie, thinking to loosen it a bit.
“No sex.”
Her hands stopped in mid-tug. “Really?”
“Didn’t even bring a condom. In fact, specifically didn’t bring one so as to avoid temptation.” His mouth said no, but his hands had skimmed down her back and pulled her tighter against his body.
“You do know there are other ways to have sex, right?”
His eyebrows dipped down in what she guessed was his fake serious look. “I’ve read about those, yes.”
“Did any of those include pictures of what I could do with my mouth?”
He dropped his forehead on top of hers. “Lord, woman. I’m trying to be noble here.”
“I never asked you to.”
“So, you’re trying to kill me, or at least my good intentions?”
She gave him a quick kiss on the lips but pulled back when he tried to take it deeper. “I just like seeing you squirm in that fancy suit of yours.”
“I was doing more than that ten seconds ago.”
“Cara?” Talk about a buzzkill. Katie let her fingers wander over the lines of his chest as she spoke. “Yeah, well, she has that overprotective big sister thing down. She should—she’s been practicing it since she was about eight.”
“Is it just the two of you?”
“And Ashleigh. My parents died in a car crash on the Like-like Highway when I was eighteen.”
“Damn, Katie. I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” She refused to think about it. No matter how many years had passed, losing them without warning stung and it always would. “Cara’s husband left. That’s a good thing, in case you’re wondering. He was a complete loser jackass. So, it’s just the three of us girls.”
“That explains Cara’s tendency to mother.”
“If you say so.” As far as Katie was concerned, it was time Cara focused all that energy on Ashleigh. “What about you?”
“You mean family?” When Katie nodded, he continued. “Just me. My parents live over in Kailua.”
“Pretty area.” It was a thirty-minute drive through the Ko’olau Mountains from Honolulu, on the Winward or rainy side of the island, but a world away in many respects. Low crime. Expensive houses. Water views. Few tourists and a more leisurely pace. The scenic area boasted one of the best beaches in the world. Cute shops and restaurants lined Kailua Road, the main street through the business section of town.
Katie loved the area and dreamed of relocating Cara and Ashleigh there one day. She hoped a business degree would eventually make that possible. Cara could focus on the food and Katie would handle all the other stuff.
“They’ve been there for years,” Eric added.
She guessed he was trying to downplay their laidback beachfront neighborhood to avoid any obvious comparisons to the one they were in now.
“You live there, too?”
