No Remorse (Manhunters 2)

Pulling away from her was painful. But he slid his arm out from behind her and stepped back, rubbing his face. “Wow. That was wr

ong on so many levels.”

“Excuse me?” Her tone made him wince.

“I didn’t mean it the way—”

“It sounded?”

He opened his eyes and found Everly scowling. The hand that had been pressed to her lips lay against her chest.

“That’s good,” she said. “Because it sounded harsh.”

Fuck me. “I’m sorry. I think we got caught up in the argu—”

She fisted his T-shirt and hauled him forward, pushing up on her toes to meet him, mouth to mouth. She kissed him hard, then dropped back and gave him a shove. “Don’t ever apologize for kissing a woman, you idiot.”

She turned, pulled the door open, and cut a look over her shoulder. “You know where I’ll be if you want to fire me.”

7

Everly made her way outside with her sketchbook. She took a seat on a lounge near her room at one end of the pool. Her head and heart bathed in Bella’s incessant giggles. The girl had been laughing and squealing for over an hour, thrilled with her Daddy time.

Austin was patient and sweet with Bella. In fact, to date, Everly hadn’t heard him say one wrong word to the girl, even when Bella pushed limits or ignored direction or deliberately disobeyed. And he was fun, playing all kinds of games in the pool when most adults would have done little more than sit on the sidelines. Even the people she knew who liked kids didn’t spend that much one-on-one time with them.

She eased back on the lounge, still angry with the way he’d pushed her away earlier. The anger helped her deal with the bizarre sensation of hurt. She never put herself in a position to be hurt, at least not emotionally. And now she remembered why—it sucked.

But it was also a sign she’d pushed the boundaries of their relationship too far. A reminder that she needed to collect herself and focus on what she’d been tasked to do. Then she found herself speculating over the possibility of Bella getting the same quality attention and love from a working, traveling, social couple in their sixties, living in DC’s concrete jungle, and a new angst filled her gut.

She couldn’t help but wonder if her views were skewed by the feelings Austin stirred inside her. Or her own childhood laden with loneliness and fear.

Annoyed, Everly flipped through the pages of her sketchbook until she came to the image of Bella she’d been working on. While Bella tiptoed along the diving board, Everly studied the girl’s profile. She stood on the end, her toes curled over the edge.

“Just the way Everly taught you.” Austin was treading water beneath the board. Bella stood there dripping and staring down at her father, clearly hesitant. “I’ve got you, baby.”

The sweet simplicity of the statement struck Everly. She had no doubt Austin would throw himself off a cliff if it meant keeping his daughter safe. How could Everly not admire that all-encompassing, selfless kind of love? A flicker of envy singed her heart. Everly had never known that kind of love. Doubted she ever would.

How could she take a girl away from that kind of love? How could this environment possibly be harmful to Bella? She might not know her grandparents, but if they had their way, Bella would never know her father or his unconditional love.

“Everyee.” Bella’s voice drew Everly’s gaze, and she found the girl nervous.

“You can do it, sweetie,” she told her. “Fingers hit the water first.”

Bella lifted her arms over her head, then bent and leaned forward until her feet left the board. And she slid right into the water, fingertips first.

Everly experienced a flash of pride, and when Bella surfaced, Everly clapped for her.

Now that Bella had broken that fear barrier, she couldn’t get out of the pool and back on the diving board fast enough. And for the next half an hour, Bella dove and dove and dove. And Austin treaded water beneath the board until Bella broke the surface and swam to the ladder on her own. Even then, he hung on the side of the pool, just in case.

Everly took out her pastels and added to the sketch. Rose to Bella’s cheeks and lips, gold and brown to her loose curls.

Staring at the sketch, Everly realized just how upset she’d be if Austin fired her. The rush of water drew her attention just in time for Everly to watch Austin push himself out of the pool. The muscles of his shoulders and arms flexed beneath skin tanned by the Costa Rican sun. Water matted the dusting of dark hair to his pecs and streamed over the ribs and valleys of his abs.

She ran her thumb across her bottom lip, still sensitive from the abrasion of his stubble, the roughness of his kiss. Her mouth was already watering when he planted one foot on the deck and stood. Heat and tension coiled inside her, collecting in her chest and between her legs.

All that man packed into one person was just sinful.

“Everyee, see me?”