He shook his head. “I’m no one’s hero.”
Why didn’t he see himself as everyone else did? Didn’t he realize the impact he had on his friends and family?
“The decisions you make affect the people around you,” she told him.
“What happens between us doesn’t affect anyone outside this bed.”
“Have you forgotten your mother?”
He blinked at her. “Please tell me you didn’t just bring her into this.”
“She wants you involved with the sort of quality woman you can eventually marry. Don’t you want to make her happy?”
Linc flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “This is without a doubt the strangest post-sex conversation I’ve ever had with a woman.”
“I’m just looking out for you.”
He shifted his gaze back to her. “Maybe you should stop worrying about me and consider what makes you happy.”
Claire opened her mouth to say that she was doing just that but shook her head instead. Since finding out she was pregnant with Honey, she’d put her daughter first. Honey’s security and happiness was all that mattered. This interlude with Linc had been selfish and reckless. Claire’s throat closed as panic enveloped her.
“I shouldn’t be here,” she whispered, sitting up and looking around for her clothes. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?” Linc made a grab for her arm, but she’d already slipped out of the bed. “Claire, don’t go.”
“It’s late. Honey will be getting up soon and I have to start your breakfast.” She knew she was babbling, but she had to remind herself what was important. “You’re supposed to be at the gym for your workout.”
“I already had my morning workout.”
r /> His tone was so smoky she couldn’t resist glancing at him. Her heart gave a start as he slipped off the bed and stood naked before her. The sheer perfection of his chiseled torso, powerful thighs and sleep-tossed hair made her knees weak and her blood started to pound in her ears. If he reached for her, she’d fall back into his arms without a moment’s hesitation.
“That was cardio,” she retorted, tearing her eyes from him. “You need to balance it with lifting and...”
The rest was lost as he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up against him. He set his fingers beneath her chin and tilted her head to the perfect angle. She melted against his solid form as his lips claimed hers in a possessive kiss. Her tongue darted forward to tangle with his and she moaned as he palmed her butt cheek and lifted her against his growing erection. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and hung on as he feasted on her mouth. The rest of the world fell away, leaving her trapped in a whirlpool where only his hard muscles, strong hands and passionate mouth kept her grounded.
By the time he broke the kiss and gazed down at her dazed expression, she was weak with desire. Whatever he wanted to do to her, she would’ve gladly said yes. He surveyed her bruised lips and brushed his knuckles lightly against her tight nipples, satisfaction plain in his half smile.
“I’m going to take you and Honey out for breakfast,” he announced. “You have half an hour to get ready.”
Before she could protest that she wasn’t recovered enough from their morning activity to be seen in public with him, he turned her toward the door and gave her a friendly pat on her rear end. She was in the hallway before her brain could form a coherent thought and by then he’d disappeared into his master bathroom.
After checking on Honey and finding her still sleeping, Claire decided she would take a cold shower and restore her equilibrium. If this was to work with Linc, she had to figure out how to give him everything in the bedroom while giving nothing away outside of it. It was a tricky path to walk, but if she wanted this time with him, she would just have to make it work.
Eight
The morning of his mother’s party, Linc woke alone in his bed with a sense of foreboding. These past few nights with Claire had been some of the best he’d ever known. Her passion and openness drove him to want to take her pleasure higher each time they made love.
And she’d surprised him by being a curious and sensitive partner in bed, up for any number of adventurous activities. The shyness she often demonstrated vanished behind his closed bedroom door and this intrigued Linc all the more.
One thing she hadn’t given him was any deeper insight into the hopes, fears and dreams that had shaped the woman she’d become. As much as he’d spoken of how things had been before and after his father’s illegal dealings had surfaced, she’d glossed over her own childhood experiences growing up in San Francisco, leaving him with a vague picture of a little girl who’d been lonely and neglected by her father after her mother had left them.
Nor had he had any luck bringing their relationship into the light of day. As soon as the sun came up, she returned to her housekeeper role. He’d made no headway on breaching the walls she erected that kept him at a professional distance.
Which was why when he found her in his kitchen, going over her to-do lists for his mother’s party, he decided to tackle what was bothering him.
“This upstairs-downstairs thing with you isn’t working for me.”
She regarded him blankly. “The what?”