Jaci Burton - Straddling the Line

And damn, she looked good with all that skin available to look at, her red-and-white dotted bikini barely covering her gorgeous body. She was well tanned, and she had a fine ass and long legs. She’d undone the top, so her smooth back was exposed.

He’d missed her. It had only been a couple of days, but dammit, he’d missed seeing her, missed touching her, kissing her, and feeling her body against his when he went to sleep at night.

He didn’t like being separated from her.

And he didn’t like what that meant. He enjoyed being single. And he had a secret he needed to keep, which meant he couldn’t become attached to a woman. Because getting involved meant trusting someone with that secret.

He had never let anyone in—at least not a woman he cared about. Only a couple of people outside the family knew, and they were business associates. They were paid very well to keep his confidence. He didn’t think a woman he was in a relationship with would ever understand the closely guarded secret he’d held for so many years.

Maybe Haven would, but he wasn’t ready to take that chance yet.

But Haven had shared her grief with him. She’d allowed him to see her vulnerable and in pain. Maybe . . .

No. Besides, what she’d shared had been different. He didn’t even want to think about all the ramifications of sharing his secret.

Taking a deep breath, he ran and jumped into the pool, deliberately making a loud splash before diving deep and skimming the bottom. When he surfaced, Haven was sitting at the edge of the pool, smiling at him.

“Now there’s an entrance. Sorry, I fell asleep.”

He pulled himself up on his elbows, resting against the side of the pool next to her. “Long day?”

“I got up early. How was your day?”

“Good. Tough practice, and it was hot out there. I’m used to it, though.”

She tilted her head to look at him. “I’m sure you are, being a superstar and all.”

He grinned. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Nice place, by the way.”

“Did you give yourself the tour?”

“I did. It’s a very impressive house. I was surprised by the outside. It didn’t look like you at all.”

He arched a brow. “Yeah? What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. Something . . . mansionlike. Like your other place.”

He gave her a look and she laughed. “Seriously, I’m surprised you have two houses. I thought maybe you’d have a condo here.”

“I just wanted a place by the water. This house was a dump when I bought it. I had it redone on the inside. It’s still a work in progress.”

“It’s beautiful. And I can tell it suits you.”

He couldn’t help but enjoy the compliment, especially from her. “Is your room okay?”

“My room is fantastic. The deck is amazing, and the bathroom is incredible. So is your kitchen. I hate my apartment in New York. The kitchen is awful in there. It’s a tight squeeze, with a midget refrigerator and no counter space, which always makes me sad because I love to cook. I get so tired of eating take-out food.”

“And I love to eat. You’re welcome to use any part of the house you want. Especially the kitchen.”

“Awesome. I assume you don’t have a chef here like you do in St. Louis?”

“No. Hammond stays there and doesn’t travel with me.”

“Too bad. I was getting spoiled by his cooking. But it’ll give me a chance to play in your kitchen.”

“I’ll look forward to that.”

“So you invited me here to do your cooking for you.” He laughed. “Yeah, that was the only reason.”

She pulled her sunglasses off. “I can see I’m going to have to keep an eye on you.”

He loved looking at her eyes. With her sunglasses off, and her hair previously wet from swimming, she was makeup free and looked gorgeous.

“I missed you,” he said, tracing his finger over her kneecap. She took a deep breath. “Did you?”

“Yeah.”

Dangerous territory, that he shouldn’t be venturing into. Getting emotionally involved with Haven was only going to cause trouble, because once she was finished with this assignment, he was going to have to let her go.

And he would let her go. He’d have to.

But right now he couldn’t help himself, especially since she was staring back at him, making him want to climb out of the water, run his hands over her body, and kiss her until this fire that had barely banked with his swim in the pool consumed them both.

“Well.” She laid her palms on the tops of her thighs. “Speaking of food, I’m kind of starving here. How about you?”

He was starving for a taste of her, but he could wait. “Yeah. I’m hungry. I can take you out to eat.”

She shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather eat here. You have plenty of food in your refrigerator, and like I said, I’m kind of geeking out over your kitchen.”

“I’m not going to object if you want to cook.”

“Great. I’m going to run upstairs and take a quick shower and change clothes, then I’ll be back to get started on dinner.”

“I’ll do the same.”

He climbed out of the pool, then pulled her to her feet. They dried off, then went inside.

“Meet you in the kitchen,” she said.

Haven disappeared upstairs. Trevor looked around, wondering if having Haven stay here had been a good idea.

He wanted his hands on her. He wanted her in his bed every night.

But soon enough, he was going to need her out of his life.

Shit. He was starting to wonder if he really knew what he wanted.

He dragged his fingers through his hair and started up the stairs to take a shower.

HAVEN MADE CHICKEN STIR-FRY FOR DINNER, ALONG with rice. They were eating in the dining room at a beautiful table Trevor had told her he’d found at a garage sale down the street from his house and rehabbed himself.

That had been a surprise to hear. She was learning all kinds of things about Trevor she hadn’t known before.

She loved the table. It bore scars from years of use, but he’d obviously sanded it and stained it a gorgeous dark color.

The man had many talents.

“You didn’t put your things in my room today,” he said.

She looked up at him. “Your door was closed, and the other rooms were open. I just figured you didn’t want me to invade your bedroom.”

He gave her a direct look. “Haven. First, if there’s something I want or don’t want, I have no trouble telling you. And second, believe me, I want you in my bed.”

Her body fused with heat. “Okay, then.”

He took a sip of water, then added, “Provided that’s where you want to be.”

“Oh, I want to be there.”

His eyes gleamed dark, a promise of what was to come. “That’s settled then.”

“I might leave my things in the guest bedroom, though. I kind of dig that shower.”

“You haven’t seen the one in my room yet.”

She arched a brow. “Really. It couldn’t possibly be any better.”

“Oh, but it could.”

“Now you’re teasing me.” She scooped up a forkful of chicken and vegetables and waved it in his direction. “It’s like you’re trying to entice me into your bedroom.”

“Do I need a fancy shower to entice you into my bedroom?”

Her lips curved. “Not really. I’m pretty easy.”

He laughed. “You are, huh?”

“Where you’re concerned, I am.”

“Noted. I’ll be sure to see just how easy you are after dinner.”

“You do that.”

They finished eating, and Trevor helped her with the dishes. Actually, he nudged her to the side and scrubbed the wok, then loaded the dishes into the dishwasher while she cleaned the table and put away leftovers.

Maybe he was in a hurry to give her that tour of his shower. She grinned at the thought.

But after dinner, he poured her a glass of wine, grabbed a bottle of water for himself, and took her outside.

It was so much warmer down here than it had been when they’d left St. Louis. She didn’t even need to wear a jacket outside. She curled up on one of the chaise longues and they watched the sun filter over the water.

“There’s a great place in Tampa for us to watch the sunset. I’ll take you there one night.”

She sipped her wine, a delicious chardonnay with just a touch of tartness. “I’d like that. Thank you. But I don’t need you to entertain me, Trevor. I know we’re both here to work.”

“But I like Tampa. And you need to see the beach here.”

“Okay. And when do you think we’ll have all this time to do all these things?”

“I don’t play all the time, Miss Briscoe. I’ll have plenty of time to wine and dine you and play tour guide.”

She rolled the wine around in her glass and shot him a half smile. “You mean when you’re not trying to seduce me into your shower?”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that, too.”

“You must not work very hard at this football thing.”

He laughed. “I guess you’ll just have to train your camera on me and see.”

“I’ll definitely be doing that on Sunday.”

“Good. You’ll get to see one hell of a show.”

She liked his confidence, saw the excitement on his face. “You’re eager to play, aren’t you?”

His lips curved. “Yeah. I wish I was playing postseason baseball right now, but I have to deal with the reality of that, so I’m tuned into football and ready to get going.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you in a game situation. Up close.”

He turned to face her. “You’ve never watched me play in a game, have you?”

“No. I saw you in college, but that was different. And of course I’ve watched you on TV, but that’s not the same thing. I’m excited about being at the game Sunday.”

He laid his water on the table. “Come over here, Haven. I have something else that’ll excite you.”

Smiling, she set her wineglass down and went over to where he was sitting on the chaise, straddling his lap. She’d thrown on a short skirt after her shower, along with a T-shirt. He pressed his fingers into her hips and lifted his gaze to hers.

“Now this excites me.”

She leaned forward and rested her forearms on his chest. “Does it?”

“Yeah. It’s been too long since you’ve been close to me like this. And I like seeing your legs.”

He was all hard muscle, his heart beating a fast rhythm against her breast as she wound her arms around his neck. “Like this?”

“Yeah. But with fewer clothes.” He cupped her butt and pulled her against what was quickly becoming a delicious erection. She loved that he got hard so fast for her, that he seemed to want her with a need that equaled her own furious desire for him. And when he grasped her around the waist and pulled her upward so they could kiss, those familiar butterflies danced in her stomach.

She nestled her knees against his hips, rubbing her pussy against the sweet steel of his cock, using that friction to give her the pulse of pleasure she needed to tell him exactly how much she’d missed being this close to him.

And when he reached down and slid his hands under her skirt, pulling it up so he could slide his fingers inside her underwear, she gasped.

“You do realize we’re outside.”

“No one’s going to see.”

“Right. Except people riding by in their boats.”

He lifted his head. “I don’t see anyone going by in a boat.”

He dipped his hand inside her panties, smoothing his fingers over the curve of her buttocks. “I like when you wear skirts. Easy access.”

“It might have been the reason I chose the skirt.”

“I like the way you think, Haven.” He teased his fingers down the crack of her buttocks, causing her to gasp as he mapped her body in ways that had become all too easy and familiar, and yet so incredibly hot. He knew her so well, knew how to raise her temperature to unbearable levels. And when he eased in farther, tucking a finger inside her pussy, she lifted, giving him access.

She’d give him anything, even outside like this, just to make those incredible sensations continue.

“You’re wet. Hot,” he said, his gaze holding hers as he moved his finger in and out of her. “And tight. Ready for my cock. You need to come, Haven?”

“Oh, yes. Please.”

“Lean back and let me make you come. Then I’m going to fuck you out here.”

The thought of it tightened her. She hadn’t had a lot of sex in public places, but she was definitely up for it with Trevor. He made her feel safe. He’d occasionally take a look around to make sure no one was driving by in a boat, but she felt the sense of privacy his property provided for them. And she was aching and more than ready for an orgasm.