Temporarily Yours (Shillings Agency #1)(27)
Author: Diane Alberts

“Yeah?” His lips twitched. “Back ‘atcha, sweetheart.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“So, what’s on the agenda today?” He lightly ran his hands up and down her sides, making chills dance over her body. “Are we busy?”

“Um, let’s see…the family dinner is tonight, but the rest of the morning and afternoon are wide open. Susan wanted to be able to sleep in and relax the day before the wedding, instead of all that rehearsal dinner crap the night before. That’s why we did it last night instead of tonight.”

“So we have a few hours before we report for duty?”

“Yep.” She rolled to her feet and headed for the bathroom. “Why? What do you want to do?”

He followed her, then leaned against the doorjamb, right next to the spot where she’d watched him take her in front of the mirror. Had that been only yesterday?

“How about if you show me the town? Your old haunts, or maybe your old school?”

She cringed. She’d hated high school…falling perfectly into the majority statistic. About seventy-three percent of kids hated high school. The only ones that didn’t were the cool kids. “Hmmm… That sounds awfully real. Why would you want to see my old school?”

“Because you went there,” he said, his voice soft. “Please?”

“Cooper…” she said, drifting off. And when he looked at her, all warm eyes and hard abs and sexy lips…who was she to say no? “All right. We’ll do it.”

“Fuck yeah. Let’s do this,” he quipped.

She closed her eyes for a second at the onslaught of feelings those words brought about. And then she sucked it the hell up and got in the shower.

Wondering how she was going to get him out of her life now that she’d already let him in.

Chapter Fifteen

The tall high school rose above them, extending into the overcast sky. What had started out as a sunny, bright day had quickly changed over to fog and drear. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were in for a storm. A big one. He wondered what Susan would think about that. She’d probably been hoping for clear skies—not clouds and downpours.

But hadn’t he heard someone say that rain was good luck for a wedding?

“What are the odds for bad weather tomorrow?” he asked, turning to Kayla. “You should know, right?”

She blinked at him. “Um, not really. I’m an actuary, not a weatherman.”

“Is there a difference?” He wrapped her hand in his, tugging her around the back of the building. “Both look at the facts and spew out statistics at the general population, right?”

“Well when you put it that way…” She grinned and looked up at the sky. Her graceful neck arched just right, and it made him pause. Since when had he been enthralled by a woman’s neck, for f**k’s sakes?

“I’m waiting.”

“I know. I’m thinking.” She shot him an annoyed look. “I’ll put it at a fifty percent chance of rain.”

“See? You even sound like a real weatherman.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s okay. Rain is good luck for a wedding, contrary to popular belief. So it’s a good thing.”

“I thought I heard that somewhere.” He led her toward the football field in the back. “So, tell me the truth. Were you on that field kicking your legs up and shaking your ass for all of the boys?”

She frowned at the field. “Not even close.”

“Really? With that ass,” he palmed her backside through the jeans, “and with that body,” he trailed his fingers over her hips. He loved the way they curved so gracefully. “I’d have put my money on you being a cheerleader. Maybe even chief cheerleader.”

“Well, you would have lost.” She gave him a small smile. “Sadly, I was pretty much the furthest thing from a cheerleader.”

“Hmm.” He tapped a finger on his chin. “The jock?”

“Puh-lease.”

“The math-a-lete?”

“Closer.” She headed toward the field, her gaze on the bleachers. “I did like numbers, but that’s not a shock, I’m sure.”

“All right. I give up. What were you?”

She sighed. “I was in the five percent of the adolescent population that stayed in orchestra throughout high school.”

He almost laughed, but didn’t. He thought back on their time together. She had a habit of tapping her fingers when she was nervous or irritated. And for some reason, he thought for sure she must play the violin. He had no idea why. It was just a hunch, so he went with it. “Violin?”

“Yep.” She smiled, but the smile looked sad. “I liked the music. And liked being in the orchestra. My part was always so clearly laid out. I knew exactly where I was seated and when to come in. It was comforting to a person like me.”

“I can see that about you. Do you still play?”

“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “I do it when I’m stressed out or thinking. But I miss being in an actual orchestra. It’s the one place where I felt like I belonged. You know what I mean?”

He studied her. He might not have been a nerd in high school, but he’d never felt as if he belonged anywhere back then. Had never found his home, so to speak. Being a military brat, he’d never settled down long enough to really find a close group of friends or colleagues. Not until the military, when he forged some strong relationships with the guys around him. So he got what she meant way too well. He liked being needed. Liked helping others. But besides that…what did he have now?

Nothing. That’s what.

He was tempted to make a joke and laugh off the moment. Make light of the fact that she’d shared something about herself she probably didn’t tell many people. It’s what he normally did. It was him. But he couldn’t do it. Instead he cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I do know what you mean about belonging. But honestly? I don’t think I’ve ever found that security.”

She blinked up at him. “You have your career. Your men.”

“Yeah, but do I belong there? Do I feel at peace?” He shrugged, feeling restless. “I don’t think I could say that. I’ve never lost myself in something or someone so completely that everything else just faded away.”

Not until you.

He immediately shook the thought from his head.

She snorted. “I find that hard to believe. You seem to know exactly where you’re going and what you’re doing at every point in time.” She headed for the bleachers, her hand still holding his. “I know you like helping people, and I know you have a life plan that you stick to—and that’s half of what you need to get where you want to be in life. You know what you want, and you go get it. That’s awesome.”