that pretty clear—more than once already.” Katie released a weary sigh. “But whether you like it or not doesn’t matter. I’m going to do this-with or without your help. Just tell me whether I need to find someone else to handle the investigations or not.”
“I said I’d do it, didn’t I?” he snapped, coming to a halt in front of her. “Where’s the list?”
She retrieved the slip of paper from the pocket of her shorts, unfolded it and handed it to him. He glared at the names a moment, then straddled the chair next to her. “All right. Tell me everything you can about each of these guys.”
A glass of wine later, Katie leaned back against the patio chair. “That’s about it. At least, it’s everything I know.”
Sean scowled at the notes he’d made next to the names on her list, then glanced up and fixed her with stormy blue eyes. “It’s not a hell of a lot—especially considering what you’re planning. The longest you’ve known any of these guys is six months.”
“Sean,” she said, a warning in her voice.
“All right. All right.”
“Is it enough for you to work with?”
“I guess it’ll have to be, won’t it?”
She refused to justify her decision to him again. Besides, even if she were to try to explain, she doubted Sean would understand. She didn’t want to be disappointed again or to be the one to disappoint. So, why couldn’t Sean accept that? “Can you do the investigations with the information I’ve given you? Or do I need to try to get social security or driver’s license numbers?”
“And suppose I do need those things, how did you plan to get them? By swiping wallets like you threatened?”
Katie flinched at the derision in his tone. Hurt, angry, she snatched the list from him and stood. “Just forget it. I was right yesterday. I never should have asked you to help me in the first place.”
“Aw, hell!” He caught her by the wrist before she’d taken two steps. “I’m sorry,” he told her.
When she didn’t reply, he sighed. “Give me back the list,” he urged, holding out his hand. When she didn’t respond, he plucked the sheet of paper from her fingers. But instead of releasing her, he led her over to the swing and sat down. When she remained stiff and unyielding, he said, “Come on. Sit with me. Just for a minute.”
She continued to stand. So he tugged, pulling her down beside him. Then he set the swing in motion. “A lot of the stuff in an investigation like this is basic, and I’ll be able to get a good part of what I need from public records,” he explained. “I’ll access most of the data with my computer. The internet is amazing. I’ve also got some contacts with the DMV and the police department that I can use to check for driving violations, complaints, outstanding arrest warrants, and stuff like that.”
Hearing him talk about arrest warrants and police records sent a chill of uneasiness down Katie’s spine. She brought her free hand to her throat. She couldn’t imagine any of the men she was considering as a father for her child or for that matter any man she even dated, being a criminal. True, she hadn’t known them long and only dated them casually. But each man had been a gentleman with a responsible job and had been a pleasant and companionable date. Each claimed to like children, and from the talks and discussions that they had shared, she’d learned that each man shared her views about raising a child. In short, on the surface each candidate appeared to be ideal daddy material.
Sean jammed the slip of paper into his shirt pocket. “I’ve got enough here to get started, so I don’t want you to even think about playing Mata Hari. Okay?”
“All right.”
Shoving off with his foot, he gave the swing another push and sent them swaying in a slow, languid motion. Still holding her wrist, his thumb moved in small, lazy circles over the inside of her wrist, causing her pulse to scatter. The sun had long since slid from the sky. Stars dotted the heavens, creating thousands of pinpoints of light. Moonlight spilled over the deck, enveloping them in its soft glow.
“H-how long will it take you to run the background checks?” she asked, and nearly cringed at how husky her voice sounded.
“The basics won’t take long at all. But making inquiries about a man’s character, especially discreet ones, isn’t always easy or fast.”
“I know what I’m asking isn’t easy,” she said, turning her head to look at him.
“But not too hard.” His lips curved into a slow smile that made her ache. “I guess it would have been a lot simpler for both of us if you’d just left my name on the list, huh? At least you already know all the secrets in my closet.”
He dropped his gaze to her mouth, and butterflies started a dance in her stomach.
Maybe the sparks flowing between them all evening hadn’t been exactly one-sided. And maybe she hadn’t imagined the leap of desire in his eyes when he watched her. And maybe she had better just put a lid on these fantasies. Somehow Katie managed to laugh. “If that’s your not-so-subtle way of offering yourself so that you can get out of doing the investigations, you can forget it, pal. I’m not buying it.”
“No?” He released her hand and eased his arm around her shoulders in a move so smooth she barely noticed it until his fingers began to stroke her bare arm.
“No,” she whispered.
The swing slowed to a stop. The fingers on her arm had somehow managed to find their way to the back of her neck, where they were working their way up her nape. “Why not?”
“Because. because we’re friends.”
Sean’s fingers sieved through her hair, urging her closer. Katie’s breath hitched. She pressed a hand against his chest, where his heart beat beneath her fingers faster than a stockbroker’s tape. “Sean, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“You’re right. It’s a lousy idea,” he told her, his breath a whisper against her lips. “In fact, it’s a flat-out crazy idea. No way should we do this.”
“I agree,” she murmured.
But knowing they shouldn’t do this didn’t seem quite enough. Katie didn’t know which of them moved first, but suddenly Sean’s mouth was on hers—touching, tasting, taking. All the warnings she had been repeating to herself since he had kissed her the last time simply flew out the window-along with her common sense.
When that first soft kiss deepened, then slid into another kiss and deepened yet again, the blood fired in her veins, and Katie could have sworn she heard bells ringing. Sean wrapped his arms around her while his tongue tempted and teased her to open the seam of her lips, dared her to taste him.
She took the dare. He moaned, a hungry sound of need that sent ripples of pleasure sluicing through her bloodstream. She clung to him as he dove deeper for another taste. Her tongue tangled, danced with his. He tasted like wine, sharp and earthy, like chocolate, smooth and sweet. He tasted like danger and sin. He tasted like magic and dreams. He tasted like Sean. No one could taste like him. No one else could make her feel as he did.
She heard the bells ringing again and reminded herself that she’d given up on wedding dreams. This was Sean—not
