He let the sentence dangle, punctuating its end with a shrug of his shoulder.
Something flickered in her eyes. Something that had him narrowing his. But it was there and gone in a flash.
“I’m not looking for love, Fish,” she assured him with a sad-sounding chuckle. “At least not tonight. Tonight I just want to forget. Won’t you do a gal a solid and help her forget?”
Her request hung in the air, a palpable force that tugged at something deep inside him. It was something that whispered in his ear, telling him he might be different. Something that promised him there might be hope for him yet. Something that…lied.
A muscle ticked in his jaw, a physical representation of the conflict inside him. “What happened to ya sayin’ ya didn’t want to be just another notch on my bedpost?”
“I’m not asking you tosleepwith me.” Her tone was matter-of-fact. So reasonable. So rational sounding. “Just kiss me, Fish.”
Could it be that simple?
Could he kiss her and offer her a little comfort? A little distraction? A littlereprievefrom all the horror she’d witnessed without it being any more than that? Without itmeaningany more than that?
At the hospital he’d thought there was nothing he could do to help her. But he could do this. Couldn’t he?
What’s a little kiss between friends?the devils whispered. And the angels? Oh, the angels had gone suspiciously quiet.
Without their grounding influence, there was nothing to stop him from cupping her face. Nothing to stop him from gently brushing a thumb over the bruise on her check.
Ya can’t give her the great Black Knights Inc. love affair she wants. But you can give her this.
“Ya sure?” he asked through a throat that was raw with emotion.
She nodded slowly and the pleading in her eyes broke through the last of his resolve.
“If we do this, it’s just this,” he warned. “I don’t do hearts and flowers. And I definitely don’t do love.”
“I told you, I’m not asking for any of that.” Her warm breath whispered across his eager lips. It smelled of hot chocolate, dark and sweet.
“Promise me ya won’t regret this in the mornin’.”
“If I regret it, I’ll have no one to blame but myself.”
That did it, just decimated the last of his restraint because she’d absolved him of all responsibility, of any future guilt. He leaned down, intent on brushing his lips against hers. But before he could, her cell phone jangled to life.
10
Eliza could feel the flames of frustration burning bright in her cheeks when Fisher pulled back and said, “Ya need to get that?”
“No?”
One corner of his decadent mouth—a mouth she’d beenmillimetersaway from kissing?—
quirked. “Was that a statement or a question?”
“Damnit!” She reluctantly pulled out of his arms, threw off the duvet cover, and sat on the edge of the bed. She’d slipped her phone into the drawer of her nightstand after her father’s call. And she seriously considered smashing the device to bits instead of answering it when she pulled it out.
Of course, the instant she saw the name on the screen, all her ire was replaced by curiosity. And a hint of alarm.
Fisher, who was looking over her shoulder, made a sound of disbelief. “You have Senator Chastain’s number?”
“Mmm,” she hummed distractedly.Why in the world would she be calling me?“She gave it to me at the inaugural ball. She said since she represented my district here in Chicago that I should feel free to call her with any policy concerns.” She glanced over her shoulder to find one eyebrow arched high on his tanned forehead.
“Yeah.” She made a face. “I know. Nepotism. But blame the game not the player.”
He sucked on his teeth but didn’t press the issue further. Instead, he asked, “What do ya think she wants?”
