“I’ve got my hands pretty full right now. Not sure if I need more trouble,” he replied, cupping her chin and bringing her mouth back to his. “But I can’t resist you.”
His lips covered hers and the firm pressure parted hers. His tongue flicked her lower lip, and she arched helplessly, tingling with pleasure. The kiss felt so good and her fingers itched to touch him.
“Daddy! Why are you kissing Whitney?” Daisy giggled, squeezing between Cormac and Whitney, breaking them apart.
Blushing, Whitney glanced down into Daisy’s face. The girl’s eyes were bright, her expression hopeful as she looked from Cormac to Whitney and back again. “Does this mean you’re going to marry her?”
They both froze. Cormac’s eyes locked with hers. Whitney’s mind went completely blank. For a moment no one said anything and then Whitney managed to jump to her feet without spilling cider or knocking over a young child. “I might try to skate some more. I’m feeling much better.”
And she staggered onto the ice, her hip aching, her knee now throbbing but she valiantly made a circle around the pond hoping the cold air would cool her feverish state.
This was crazy and dangerous. Cormac didn’t ever play fair. She couldn’t let emotion and passion cloud her thinking. She was here for work—and a relationship with Daisy—not for a dalliance with Cormac.
Although dallying with Cormac right now sounded really, really appealing…
Cormac suddenly skated up behind her, and his hands went to her waist to steady her as she nearly tripped over her own feet in surprise. “You are adorable, Whitney. Like a newborn foal on ice.”
She shot him a panicked glance. “You said it’d be like riding a bike.”
“I’m beginning to wonder how well you ride a bike.”
She laughed and nearly fell over and grabbed at his arm for support. “Probably not all that well. Where’s Daisy?”
“Brock and the twins just arrived. Daisy wants to stay with them and Brock said he didn’t mind. He and Mack are going to get in some stick time for hockey and Molly promised to look after Daisy. Later Brock will feed her lunch and then drop her off at the hotel.” His gaze met hers, the clear gray green depths full of heat. “Which means you and I are on our own.”
Chapter Eighteen
‡
They walked hand in hand to Cormac’s SUV, and Whitney’s pulse raced like mad. She darted nervous side glances at Cormac’s profile and her heart turned over every time she looked at him.
He was so gorgeous and there was no man on the planet who could kiss like Cormac Sheenan, but the fact that she was so very attracted scared her to death.
He’d broken her heart before…as well as her trust. Could she really afford to risk it all again?
“You keep looking at me as if I’m about to bite you,” he said, unlocking the car door and holding the passenger side open for her.
She laughed weakly as she climbed in. “I think I don’t know what to think.”
He didn’t close the door. He stepped closer and leaned in, his broad shoulders filling the space. He looked amazing up close. She loved how white his teeth were against his skin, and the little creases at his eyes, and even the bright green flecks in the cool gray depths. Her fingers itched to touch him. It was all she could do to keep her hands to herself.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” he said. “You know me.”
Yes, she did. Which made this all that much harder. “We are in the middle of two big projects,” she said, her voice pitched low. “I made a commitment to you, to getting these jobs done. I’m not sure I can handle the stress if I’m not calm and focused.”
He lowered his head, his lips brushing hers. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he murmured. “I never want to hurt you again.”
Her chest squeezed tight. She struggled to drag air into her lungs. “I don’t think you have ever meant to hurt me, but it has happened.” Twice, she mentally added. “And with Daisy now involved, it’s important we take extra care to protect her.” Her eyes searched his, wanting him to understand because it would be so easy to lose her head and get close to him but her gut told her it’d have disastrous results.
“We have so much history,” she added. “And you know from our history, I have a huge soft spot for you.” Her lips curved, her smile tremulous. “But this time we have to look at the big picture. I am here for work. I’m on your payroll until the end of the month. It wouldn’t be fair to Daisy, or my publishing group, to do something impulsive that would just later blow up in our face.”
He lifted a strand of hair from her cheek and pushed it back behind her ear. “Then let me earn your trust back. Let me prove to you that we can work, and that we can be good together again.”
“What about Daisy? She could be hurt by this. And I don’t want her hurt—”
“We will both protect her, you and me. Together this time.”
“But there isn’t a you and me. There is only you. You have custody. You have power. You have a huge company, where I work for you. I’m your Girl Friday. I’m talented and convenient.” Her lips quivered and she bit ruthlessly down.
“I’m not trying to be a pessimist,” she added after a moment, her voice unsteady, “but Daisy will be hurt by all this. I know it. I can feel it. We’re not okay. We’re not who we were, and we’re not sure who we are now. I’m here, but I don’t see how I fit into the future. I wish I could see more of the future—”
“You don’t have to see the future,” he interrupted. “It’s not here yet. We just have to try today. We need to live today. And I think we’re doing that. Let’s keep doing that—”
“I loved you,” she interrupted hoarsely.
“And I loved you, too. I wanted to marry you—”
“How can you say that? You didn’t. You most definitely did not want to marry me.”
“I did. Briefly. But then I panicked. I didn’t want to make you unhappy. I didn’t want to do to you what my dad did to my mom.”
“You didn’t want to hurt me, so you hurt me.”
“Yes.”
She shook her head, tears falling. “That’s cruel, you know? You dread failing me so you fail me. That’s awesome.”
“I’m ashamed—”
“You should be,” she choked, cutting him off. “It’s one thing to break my heart, but it’s another to never even speak to me about it, or try to explain. You made the pain worse. You made it worse by cutting me off…pushing me away.”
“I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t raised to use works. And I screwed up. I know it. I regretted it then, and regret it now—”
“Can I ask you something?” Her gaze met his and held. “What has changed? How have you changed? What makes you a different man now?”
“Daisy changed me.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But she cracked that protective wall I had around my heart and once it cracked open, it just…came down.” Cormac reached out to wipe away the tears from one cheek and then the other. “I’m not that man I was. I never want to be that man again. But I’m also not perfect. I will fail you again, but I know this, I’d rather try and fail with you, than not try and fail without you. You’re the only woman I want in my life, Whitney. You’re the only woman for my life, Whitney. Give me a chance to show you we can make this work.”
“And what if you change your mind? What if you wake up in a few months or a few years and realize this was all a mistake?”
“I won’t. I am different now. I’m not that guy you met….not that bachelor in a bar. I’m a dad. A family man. But my family isn’t complete without you.”
Whitney couldn’t see through the tears. She couldn’t feel anything, either. At least, none of the things he wanted her to feel. “Cormac, you don’t mean this. You’re not the settle-down-kind-of-guy.”
“I need you to forgive me, baby.”
“I do forgive you. But that doesn’t mean I…trust…you.”
&n
bsp; “So let me earn your trust. Let’s take our time. Take the pressure off. Let’s just enjoy each other. Can we do that? It would mean the world to me.”
“You’re trying awfully hard to close the deal, Sheenan.”
“I’m trying awfully hard to let my girl know I love her.”
Her heart fell, tumbling to her feet. This is how it’d been in the beginning. He just…did it…for her. “I’m not your girl.”
“You’ve always been my girl.”
She took his hand, kissing his palm. “You mean your Girl Friday.”
“I’m not your boss.”
“You are most definitely my boss. And I am your subordinate. Every time you issue a directive, I jump.”
“Jump? Ha! You barely budge,” he countered, leaning into the car to kiss her slowly, thoroughly, before lifting his head to look her in the eye. “But thank you. You just gave me an idea.”
*