His Captivating Confidante (Secret Sentinels) (8 page)

That it was Frank working this magic, conjuring up these exquisite sensations with such tenderness that she wanted to weep, made it all the sweeter. The kiss trumped every fantasy she’d ever had about the man, and she never wanted it to end.

She was deeply disappointed when he slowly, reluctantly pulled away. His gorgeous blue eyes settled on hers, their depths brimming with barely restrained passion.

And then, with just two whispered words, he shredded the sensual web he’d woven. “Sorry, Kitten.”

Shocked that he would be expressing regret over something they’d both clearly enjoyed, she was about to ask him what he was apologizing for when she heard footsteps approaching.

Seeing Frank’s face tense, she instantly realized her grave misjudgment. The expression he wore was one she knew all too well. He was in watchful waiting mode, on high alert, and ready to take action if need be. It hit her then that he’d never intended to kiss her.

The realization that Frank had known they were being followed—something she would have caught on to if she hadn’t been so wrapped up in him—annihilated her hope that he’d finally decided to expand the boundaries of their friendship.

The kiss had been about duty, not about desire. He’d deliberately staged a romantic scenario in order to force the man trailing behind them to continue walking past.

“Stay sharp,” Frank whispered. “We’ve got company.”

Another wave of regret sliced through her as his words confirmed what she’d deduced. The moment they’d just shared hadn’t been a “moment” at all. It had only been a ruse.

Eyeing the stranger walking along the cove, Stephanie kicked herself for her stupidity. How could she have missed the obvious?

To add to her mortification, after telling Frank she wouldn’t play the part of his lover to sell their relationship to Damon, she’d flung herself at him like he was a prime cut of tenderloin and she hadn’t eaten in days.

Nice going, Knight,
she mentally chastised herself.

She couldn’t even make light of her misjudgment and pretend she’d simply been value-adding to Frank’s impromptu charade, because the greedy moans of encouragement she’d uttered surely had given him every indication that, for her, the kiss had nothing to do with business and everything to do with pleasure.

Even worse, her response was a dead giveaway that her feelings for him went far beyond friendship.

Her only consolation was that he appeared just as stunned by their sensually charged exchange as she was.

Frank reached out a hand to gently trace the curve of her face as they watched the man who’d been following them make his way along the beach several feet ahead of them.

“I’m sorry about that,” he apologized again. “I suspected we were being tailed. I needed to be sure.”

She’d recovered enough from the startling impact of the feel of his lips on hers to find her voice. “It’s not your fault. I thought . . .” she hesitated, as chagrined as she’d been when she’d given in to her crazy teenage hormones and made a play for him back in high school. Fortunately, the stupid childhood move hadn’t been the death knell of their friendship. She hoped he’d be as understanding about tonight’s error in judgment. “Well, it doesn’t matter what I thought, really. I don’t know why I was so long on the uptake. I should have realized what was happening. What tipped you off?”

“I saw him sitting alone at the restaurant, which isn’t odd in itself, except he left at the exact same time we did. Later, I saw his reflection in a window of one of the shops along the boardwalk. That’s when it became clear it wasn’t a coincidence, and that he was following us.”

“We should go after him,” she asserted.

He shook his head. “There’s nothing to gain by confronting him. If he
was
tailing us, he won’t admit it. Besides, it’s possible he’s really just out for a walk. Maybe I’m overreacting again. In any case, he’s rounded the cove now. I doubt he’ll be back to bother us.”

“And again, I don’t think you’re overreacting at all. I think you must have a very good reason for being on guard. Care to share it with me?”

“There’s nothing to share,” he said, shrugging.

Despite his refutation, she knew he was holding something back from her. And she could tell by the way he was looking at her that he was still beating himself up for the kiss they’d shared.

Not that she wasn’t bashing herself mentally, too. She had a job to do, and she’d dropped the ball—big time. She should have realized they were being followed, too. If she had, she would have caught on to what Frank was really doing when he pulled her up against the pilings.

Once again, she’d let her feelings for him muddy her ability to do her job.

“About the kiss, Steph—” Frank began.

She rolled her eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that you do wonders for a girl’s ego? You’ve already apologized. Twice. If you apologize again, I can’t be held responsible for my actions,” she teased, hoping to lighten the mood. “You really don’t have anything to be sorry for. It was my fault, not yours. Let’s just forget it ever happened, okay?”

He reached out a hand and tenderly caressed her face. “That’s going to be easier said than done, Kitten. That was one hell of a kiss. I’m trying to respect our friendship and not color outside the lines, but you aren’t making that easy.”

Her stomach fluttered at his pronouncement. Maybe the kiss hadn’t been as horrible a faux pas as she’d thought. She figured he would have run away as fast and as far as he could by now, figuratively speaking, yet he was still here. But since the feel of his mouth on hers was too tantalizingly recent, she couldn’t risk dwelling on the possibility that he might be as intrigued by the chemistry brewing between them as she was. It would be far too easy to bridge the short physical distance to where he was standing and sample the fullness of those tempting masculine lips again.

“Let’s just put it behind us and move on,” she offered.

“I’m not sure I have the willpower to do that,” he murmured. “Do you?”

“Yes,” she lied, all the while knowing she’d have to come up with some kind of miraculous reserve of that very stuff. In the meantime, she’d just keep telling herself the kiss had meant nothing.

Too bad it hadn’t felt like nothing. It had felt like forever.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Frank wanted to attribute the accelerated staccato of his pulse to the potentially risky situation he and Stephanie had just avoided, but he knew he’d be fooling himself if he did. Being tailed by an unknown pursuer rated a mere one on the hazard scale. A minor blip like that wouldn’t have every synapse in his body firing on full alert like they were now.

No, there was no denying that
this
adrenaline rush was courtesy of the warm and willing woman he’d just held in his arms.

What had begun as a simple tactical maneuver had taken on an entirely different and far more dangerous facet. His intent had simply been to force the man tailing them to walk past them. Presenting the illusion of a couple about to share a romantic moment on a secluded beach had accomplished that goal, but it had carried an unintended side effect. He’d contracted a bad case of Stephitis.

He never should have kissed her, but he hadn’t been able to hold back. He’d gotten way more than he’d bargained for when he’d merged his lips with hers. She’d tasted of innocence and seduction, all rolled into one mouth-wateringly enticing package.

That incendiary lip-lock had him thinking about insinuating himself into her life in more intimate ways than mere friendship, at a time when he couldn’t afford to have his focus splintered. He needed to stay on task.

Not an easy feat when discovering Stephanie’s passionate side had hijacked his brain. His blood was still steaming from her heated response.

Ten years ago, on that summer night when she’d offered herself to him, it had taken everything in his power to walk away from her. A glorious, untouched angel, her beauty had taken his breath away. But indulging his need hadn’t been an option. He hadn’t been worthy of her, then.

And he most certainly wasn’t worthy of her now.

And yet how quickly he’d forgotten his unworthiness. The knowledge that he’d done something tonight that he hadn’t done then burned in his gut like battery acid. He squeezed his eyes shut, for a moment, to block the barrage of sensations assaulting him courtesy of that single, unintended kiss.

He hadn’t meant to give in, but with her trusting gaze locked on his and her perfect mouth pressed to his lips, he’d forgotten his personal code of honor. He’d taken things further than he had any right to. For the first time in his life, doing the right thing had been out of his grasp.

He’d held her in his arms. He’d tasted her. He was certain he’d never be the same again.

He’d had no right to take advantage of what she’d so innocently offered. He knew better. But not only had he partaken of that luscious mouth she’d offered him, he’d ravished it. And he hated himself for his weakness.

If he’d been alone, Frank wouldn’t have hesitated to chase down the thug who’d tailed him. Stephanie’s presence, though, had swept that option off the table. Keeping her as far away from the sinister game of cat and mouse he was engaged in was paramount.

Besides, he had a feeling the guy would find him again—and sooner rather than later. When he did, he would be ready for him.

Reluctantly stepping away from Stephanie, he sighed. “It’s late. We should probably head back. I thought I might stop in at the marina on my way home and make sure the boat is ready for our trip tomorrow.”

“We’re taking your speedboat to Damon’s island, instead of the ferry?”

“Yes, unless you prefer not to. I thought I could pick you up around nine. We can head over to the marina together.”

“Okay, but you don’t need to pick me up in the morning. I’m meeting Lauren for breakfast not far from there. I’ll just head over when we’re done.”

“Sounds like a plan. My boat is docked in berth number nine. I’ll wait for you.”

For their return trip, he chose a back road that was infrequently traveled. It was just them, the bike, and the gorgeous, starry night sky.

The ride was beautifully tranquil, but that serenity was abruptly broken when he approached the turn that would connect them with the road back to Stephanie’s house. That’s when he spotted the flash of rapidly approaching headlights in his rearview mirror.

A vehicle was gaining on them swiftly—too swiftly—and that was enough to catch his attention.

It caught Stephanie’s, too.

“Frank!” she called out in warning as a dark Cadillac Escalade accelerated to pull up beside them, dangerously close.

“It’s okay. He just wants to pass,” he assured her, keeping his tone calm so as not to alarm her further.

He decelerated to give the guy an opportunity to pull ahead of them. If the Escalade’s driver did have malicious intent, the four-hundred-pound Ducati would be no match against the five-thousand-plus-pound behemoth and its driver who seemed hell-bent on edging them towards the soft shoulder of the road.

Instead of passing the driver continued to crowd them, forcing the bike to the edge of the pavement. The motorcycle skidded as its tires hit loose gravel, but he managed to keep the bike upright and bring it back onto the tar.

“What’s he trying to do?” Stephanie questioned, the tremor in her voice betraying her alarm.

“I think our new friend has road rage issues,” he gritted out between clenched teeth. “Apparently he wants the lane all to himself. Lucky for him, I’m feeling charitable. Hang on tight,” he cautioned.

Twisting the throttle, he shot ahead of the massive vehicle and scooted out around it. Aware that the stretch of pavement up ahead was under construction, he blasted past the turn that would connect him with the road leading back to Stephanie’s house and raced toward the work area instead.

A detour sign directed traffic to an alternate route, but he ignored it. Instead he headed directly for the concrete barrier blocking the road they were traveling.

A scant opening between the barrier and the roadside ditch appeared wide enough for his bike to clear. He hoped it was, because it was the only plan he had for extracting Stephanie from the danger their pursuer posed.

The tiny gap was white-knuckle tight, but he squeezed through. The man behind the wheel of the Escalade slammed on his brakes with only seconds to spare, unable to follow.

Dialing back his speed along the barricaded construction route, Frank took the first paved route they came to. When they reached the main drive there was no sign of the other vehicle. He resumed his earlier speed and kept it up until they arrived back at Stephanie’s home.

As soon as he killed the engine, Stephanie dismounted. She took her helmet off, setting her hair spilling free. Its fiery length mirrored the sparks of anger flashing in her eyes.

“What was that idiot trying to do?” she fumed.

She was shaking in fury or in shock—he wasn’t sure which. Perhaps it was both.

He knew he should resist the temptation to draw her into his arms, but the urge to comfort her was too strong to ignore. “Hey. It’s okay,” he assured her. “It was just some lunatic having a bad night.”

“It seemed more like he was trying to kill us to me,” she countered vehemently.

“I’d
never
let that happen,” he assured her. “There’s no way I’d never let anyone hurt you, Kitten.”

He’d sooner die than let any harm come to her.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Taking a moment to regroup in the shelter of Frank’s reassuring embrace, Stephanie realized Liz’s concern that he’d become a target had just been proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

After that soul-shattering kiss on the beach, she’d been prepared to renege on her deal to let him accompany her to Landers’s island. But given the near miss with the Escalade she couldn’t, in good conscience, walk away. He needed her—whether he knew it or not.

She could stay wrapped in his embrace like this forever, but she wanted answers and she couldn’t formulate sensible questions while she was this close to him.

As badly as she’d like to attribute her racing heartbeat and sudden oxygen deprivation to the adrenaline rush from their close call, she knew her symptoms could only be attributed to her feelings for Frank.