Her eyes were gray and held uncertainty as they gazed into his. “Dominic—”
Before she could finish, he headed her off. “I’m going to grab that Chinese food from the truck. I’m famished.”
She blinked and sat up as he stood and pulled his jeans on. She looked momentarily confused. “It sat in your truck all night. It can’t still be good.”
“Since it dropped down to thirty overnight, I think we’re safe.”
“Your funeral. I’ll go start the coffee.”
Kate was pressing the start button on the coffeemaker when he set the bag of leftover Chinese food on the counter. Her hair was a sexy mess as it fell around her shoulders, and he remembered its texture and softness. His fingers itched to touch it again.
Kate turned around, chewing at her bottom lip, and her eyes stared, beseeching, at him. “You didn’t see Glenda outside, did you? I don’t know what she’s going to think of me if she knew I spent the night with her nephew.”
“Nah. Didn’t see her.” He didn’t think it would be a good time to mention Glenda was an early riser, probably up two hours ago, her morning paper—which he’d noticed was absent her doorstep—likely spread on the kitchen table as she sipped from her mug of tea.
She nodded. “Good. For all she knows, you arrived early to get started on the bathroom.”
“Probably.” But unlikely.
With the coffee brewed and poured into mugs, they stretched out on the couch again, their feast spread around them. Kate took a bite of lo mein. “I think we need to talk about what happened last night.”
“I am sure you do.” He grabbed the carton of sweet-and-sour pork and grabbed a fork. “But is there any chance we might agree, just this once, not to talk about it? To just let things happen as they might. No second-guessing our choices. I had a good time last night, and I’m pretty certain that you had just as much fun.” He looked over and got some satisfaction at seeing her blush. Again.
She set the food down and met his gaze again, still flushed but
determined. “I meant what I said. Nothing has changed. And I think that it’s best if what happened last night—”
“And early this morning,” he added, not able to stop himself.
She paused and this time her cheeks looked like they were scorching her, because if he wasn’t mistaken, the second time they’d made love just before dawn, she’d been the one to initiate it.
She tried again. “What happened between us should just be chalked up to poor judgment. Something we shouldn’t let happen again. Because I really like having you in my life right now and I’d hate to do anything that would make it impossible for us to continue to be friends. Okay?”
He wasn’t going to argue. It would be pointless. Instead he was going to show her in the coming days and weeks that he wasn’t going anywhere. That her future could be whatever she wanted it to be, whether with him or someone else.
That it wasn’t decided for her.
So he sighed heavily, making it look like he was giving in. He could pretend if that made her happy. “Okay.”
“Good.” She nodded again in agreement and picked up her food again, probably feeling back in control again. “I should probably hurry and get showered. I want to get up to my grams’s house and back in time to get that work done I missed yesterday.” She paused and looked over toward the dining room, where her stuff was still lying out. “I can’t wait for this one to be over.”
He hated how she almost sounded defeated as she said that. He put the now empty carton on the table and grabbed the rest of the lo mein that Kate had left. “I probably will need to clear out of here by five if I’m going to make it on time to my parents’ for dinner. Should I assume you won’t be able to make it tonight?”
“Shoot. That’s right. Your dad’s getting released today.” Her brow furrowed and he could see the stress surround her eyes. “I wish I could go with you, but Daisy’s temporary hearing for support and custody is tomorrow afternoon, and Mark’s deposition begins Tuesday, so I’m going to be swamped. But let them know I can’t wait for Thanksgiving.”
“I’ll tell them you’ll be there with bells on.”
She stood, modesty taking over again as she pulled the T-shirt down over her hips. “Guess I better go jump in the shower and get going.”
Images flooded through his mind of what she looked like under that formfitting T-shirt, the sounds she’d made as he nuzzled her, the line of moles on her belly that he’d traced down with his fingers and then tongue before she pulled at this hair in frustration and pleasure…
“Yeah,” he rasped, grabbing his coffee from the table. “You’d better.”
…
Kate had a hard time dragging herself out of bed Monday morning. She spent half of Sunday night and early this morning remembering Dominic’s touch and how for those moments she’d never felt so happy and alive. She’d spent the other half second-guessing her decision not to fall into bed with him again.
Which was why today she had less than two hours of sleep to go on and a week from hell to look forward to. Most particularly having to look into Ms. Herrera’s eyes as she sat through Mark McKenna’s depositions on Tuesday, seeing her anger and hurt and need for justice even though Kate knew that things weren’t looking so good for her at this point.