Mr. Smithfield - Louise Bay Page 0,24

to work.”

“What are you talking about? I have been working.”

“But you need to go back to the office. One day she’ll leave home and go off to college and if she’s not developed her independence by then, what will you do?”

“Easy,” he said, as if I’d been peppering him with trivia questions and just picked his specialty. “Never let her go to university.”

I laughed. “You’re completely ridiculous.”

He sat back against the chair and regarded me as if he were examining a rare object. “I can’t remember ever being called ridiculous before.”

My heartbeat thundered and a siren of panic filled my ears. I’d taken it too far. I’d offended him. “Oh God,” I said, covering my mouth with my hand. “I’m sorry, I just meant—”

He smiled, almost as if he had been embarrassed to admit it. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to get myself fired here but I’m telling you, I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”

He shrugged. “Maybe I took it as one. Well, not that I’m ridiculous—that’s just patently not true. But the fact that you’d call me so. I appreciate it.”

“You like people calling you names?”

“Not people. You. And not names—just the truth.”

I didn’t know what to say. The way he said it suggested that I was . . . special somehow. “You like me telling you the truth?”

He nodded, looking pained by the confession.

“I’m sorry she got into the accident, Gabriel. I should have told you sooner that I didn’t like the setup there.”

“It’s not your fault. You weren’t in charge. And if you hadn’t been there—if you hadn’t gone in after her . . .” He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply as if he were trying to bear the pain of even the thought that something worse would have happened.

“They should have had a lifeguard on duty—someone who wasn’t involved with the class who was just watching over everything.”

“I guess you fulfilled that role.”

“I’m just pleased I got to her. And she’s fine.” I smoothed my hand over his, trying to reassure him. “Will you let me take her swimming? Just the two of us. I can teach her. She’ll have my complete attention.”

He glanced at my hand over his. I was making him feel uncomfortable. When I pulled my hand away, he said, “No.” Then slid his fingers between mine. A wave of release pushed through my body and I exhaled.

This.

This was what I’d needed from him.

I’d needed him to touch me.

“I know I’m being overprotective,” he said, his thumb stroking the palm of my hand, setting off tiny firecrackers in my underwear. “I just worry.”

“I know,” I said, half surprised anything came out when I’d tried to speak. I’d expected his touch to take my words away.

We sat in silence for long moments, me getting pulled closer to him with every rhythmic stroke of his thumb. “I shouldn’t be touching you.”

“I know,” I replied.

“We shouldn’t be holding hands,” he said.

I nodded. “I don’t want you to stop.”

“I know,” he said with such confidence that if I’d been on my feet, my knees would have disintegrated and I would have fallen. “I’ve tried to stay away.”

My heartbeat rammed on my ribcage like a freight train. He’d wanted me?

With this confession, he slid his hand from mine and shoved his fingers through his hair. “It’s not right. For a million different reasons.”

Nothing he was saying wasn’t true. He was one of Dexter’s oldest friends and my employer. He was a father and a serious lawyer, as Hollie loved to remind me. I was . . . just starting out.

But I wanted him.

And now he’d touched me, I knew I couldn’t even pretend I didn’t.

He pushed his chair out from under the table and stood. Was he leaving? Was he about to disappear behind that locked door?

I stood up too, trying to find the words to ask him to stay. To tell him all the reasons why he shouldn’t kiss me would be there tomorrow, but for tonight we could just put them to one side. We could forget about everything for one kiss.

“I should go,” he said.

Of course, he was going to pull down the shutters and retreat into his bat cave. What could I say to make him stay? Before I thought of the words, he stalked around the table, took my head in his hands, and pressed his lips to mine. My entire body buzzed as if his kiss conveyed life-giving energy, hot and