When she tried again, she hit the cue ball but not even close to where she’d wanted it to go, and after several more tries with the same result, she turned to him again. “See, I told you I would suck at this,” she said, setting down the cue stick. “Why don’t you take a turn? I’m sure it’s boring watching me miss a hundred times.”
He studied her for a second, wondering if he dared get close again, then saw the disappointed look on her face and with a sigh, stepped up next to her again. “Try one more time,” he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind and guiding the cue stick in her hand. “I’ll help you.”
This time the cue ball hit the seven ball squarely and sent it flying into the pocket with a satisfying clunk and Rose whoopedwith excitement. “Okay, now I get it,” she said. “It felt different that time, better. Let me try it alone.”
He reluctantly let her go, then watched as she dropped the nine ball neatly into the pocket, but was completely unprepared when she let out another excited whoop and threw herself into his arms. With her body pressed up against his, instinct instantly kicked in and before he could stop himself, he was pulling her closer and lowering his mouth to hers. Her lips were warm and soft, and she tasted like sugar cookies and something so enticing that he was sure he would never get enough.
***Rose***
Rose's senses were overwhelmed by everything she was feelingMalcolm's lips, soft but insistent as he kissed her, his tongue gently teasing her mouth open, his strong arms wrapped around her, pressing her body up against his. It all silenced the voice in her head yelling that this was a mistake, allowing her to give herself over to the best kiss she’d ever shared in her entire life. Kissing Malcolm was as wonderful as she’d always imagined it would be, and even though she knew that she should pull away, her body had different plans.
She finally managed to back away from him, her heart pounding, her breath coming in short gasps, a blush creeping up her cheeks. “Wow, that was some kiss,” Malcolm said, grinning at her. “If I’d known that’s what I’d get for teaching you to play pool, I would have done it a week ago.”
“Oh my God…I didn’t…that wasn’t…I just wanted…” she stammered, horrified by what she’d done. “I’m sorry, that never should have happened, I was just excited.”
“Yeah, you got me excited too. That might have been a mistake,” Malcolm said, desire flashing in his eyes and shegasped when her body answered with a wave of need that started deep in her belly and spiraled out until she was trembling. “I think I need another one.”
Before she could stop him, he dragged her into his arms again, and his mouth came down on hers in a hungry kiss that quenched some of the desire thundering through her. She moaned deep in her throat, unable to stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into his hard body as her nipples hardened against his chest, eliciting an answering groan from Malcolm.
When he finally let her go, she was wobbly on her feet, and she clung to him, afraid she might tumble to the floor. “I think our pool lesson is over for the night,” he said, looking down at her. “I don’t know what we’ve started, Rose. I never meant for that to happen, but I can’t say that I’m sorry.”
“Not sorry,” she croaked. “Need fresh air.”
When they got outside, she took huge gasping breaths of the cold air, fighting back the panic. She wasn’t supposed to get involved; Malcolm was the enemy, but it sure didn’t feel like it right then. Looking over at him, she noted the concern and worry on his face and couldn’t believe that he could be involved with the disappearances; he wasn’t that kind of person. She had no idea what she was going to do. Her sister was depending on her, and she had to find some information for her stepfather, or risk his wrath.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she fought back another wave of panic. “I think I need to go home,” she said, hating the way her voice was shaking. “It’s been a long day.”
“I’m sorry, Rose, I shouldn’t have kissed you, I just couldn’t help myself,” he said, shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal. “I hope I haven’t ruined everything between us. I hope we can still be friends.”
It took her a second to absorb what he’d just said; she turned and looked over at him. “I’m sorry, did you really just say that?” she demanded. “After you kiss me like I’ve never been kissed before, you just want to be friends? That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard. Take me back to my car right now. I want to go home.”
“Rose…I’m sorry…I just…” he tried, but she just crossed her arms over her chest and ignored him.
“I want to go home,” she said, glaring at him. “Do I need to find another way back to my car? I can always call a cab.”
“I’ll give you a ride,” Malcolm said, his voice full of misery, but she didn’t care, he wasn’t going to play with her feelings. “It really was an accident.”
She snorted. “Vanessa was right about you,” she said. “It’s not nice to play with people’s feelings.”
“Rose…I…” he tried again, but she turned her back on him. “Okay, I’ll go get the truck.”
They didn’t say a word to each other on the way to the office, and she was glad; she was closer to tears than she liked, and the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him. She had been warned, and it was no one’s fault but her own that she was hurting. Crying was a waste of time because she’d learned her lesson. Malcom was a player, and she wanted nothing to do with a man like that.
When he pulled up next to her car, she gathered her purse and opened the door. “Thank you for the pool lesson,” she said. “I hope everything goes well with the new building.”
She slid out of the truck and slammed the door before he could stop her, walking calmly over to her car, started it up, and drove away. It wasn’t until she was sure he hadn’t followed her that she let the tears come, but she was done crying over him by the time she got to her apartment. In a way, she decided, unlocking her door, it was for the best. Now she could do whatshe was sent to do without feeling guilty. It would all be over soon, her sister would be safe, and she could get on with her life.
Her conscience clear for the first time since she’d met Malcolm, she let herself into the apartment not bothering to turn on the light in the entryway. After dropping her purse and keys onto the little table by the door, she took off her coat and hung it up, thinking that a hot bath and a cup of tea might relax her. She’d just turned to go into the kitchen when it registered that there was someone else in her apartment, and she ran for the mace on her keys.
“Don’t bother, you wouldn’t use it on me anyway,” her stepfather said, then switched on the light. “Surprise, I thought I’d come check on you, make sure you’re screwing up like usual. Aren’t you going to offer me something to drink?”
CHAPTER 10
***MALCOLM***
The next morning, Malcolm staggered down the stairs, his brain fuzzy from lack of sleep, and headed for the kitchen, hoping some coffee would help. The kitchen looked deserted when he walked in, but it was clear that Hattie wasn’t far away; the room was filled with the smell of something wonderful. His stomach began to growl immediately, and he realized just how late it was, and let out a long sigh of frustration. There’d been so much he’d wanted to accomplish that day.
“Rough morning?” a gruff voice asked. “You look like you could use some coffee.”
