A loud, frizzy-haired blonde to his right grabbed his arm and slurred, “Hey, babe, how ’bout another beer?” wrenching him back to the present. Linc slanted an irritated look her way and got up and moved to the other side of the bar. He checked the action on the flat screen TV between the Miami Hurricanes and FSU Seminoles and rooted for the Canes to thrash the Noles.
He ordered another beer and straightened in surprise when he saw Isabel Garcia stroll in with three people. His eyes were instantly drawn to her as she glided into the dining area gracefully, the ends of her straight, glossy black hair brushing against her trim back, mere inches above her shapely backside.
When had she started dating again? It was none of his business, but something about her date bugged Linc. Maybe it was the man's cocky grin or the way his hand rested on the small of Isabel's back before seating her at the table.
Isabel glanced over and her face registered shock when she saw Linc. Their eyes locked for a brief, electrified moment. Linc inclined his head and raised his beer in salute. Cheeks flushed pink, Isabel nodded and quickly looked away.
Linc wished she didn’t feel intimidated by him, but she probably hadn’t forgotten how thoroughly he had interrogated her after her ex-husband’s death. He had had to watch her break down many times, aware that his probing and necessary questions tormented her. Those memories would be hard to erase, and he wasn’t sure if she’d ever see him as anything but a big, bad detective.
He needed to make her see him as a man, not a tough cop. He gritted his teeth and ordered a bucket of peel-and-eat shrimp as he mulled over how he would do it. His gaze sought her from time to time, and he hated how she doggedly kept her gaze averted.
From the first time he’d met her, his off-the-charts attraction to her had stunned him and ever since he’d seen her again, he’d fought the gnawing need to seek her out. The private moments they’d spent together in the past when she’d revealed personal details of life with her ex-husband had made Linc rage inside. She deserved a man who would treasure her and help raise her little girl.
He was that man, and he’d be damned if he’d let her slip away this time. Six months ago, her pain had been too raw, and he had been the uncompromising cop making her face the reality of Frank’s criminal dealings. Even three months ago when Linc had gone to her house after it had been broken into, he had felt such renewed attraction, he’d left frustrated as hell at the impenetrable, protective wall she kept around her.
She was bruised inside and needed tender healing. Her stiff body language and the look in her eyes told him she didn’t trust men anymore. How could she when her husband had been a heinous perpetrator leading a double life? Linc prided himself in being patient, but at thirty-three, he knew what he wanted. Smothering a self-deprecating snort, he acknowledged he wanted Isabel with the openhearted fervor of a teenage boy for his first crush.
It went against his nature to be passive, and he intended to have her in his life. If he wooed her, he just might win her over. Linc shook his head as he considered the old school term. Woo. His friends would have a good laugh if they caught wind of it, but that was exactly what he was planning for the elusive Latin beauty.
Chapter 3
Isabel felt Linc’s steely gaze on them and her face heated knowing he was witnessing the awful date. He was the last person she had imagined she’d see tonight, and his magnetism relentlessly drew her from across the room. He affected her in such a primal way, she couldn’t concentrate on anything but him.
With his elbows braced on the bar counter, Linc’s muscular forearms strained the rolled up sleeves of his dark blue shirt. He was too formidable to dismiss as she listened to Eugene drone on and on ad nauseum.
Her date had hogged the conversation from the moment they sat down. Samantha and Nathan had graciously listened to his boasts about his crowning achievements in college sports and in his “stellar” career. Isabel was trying to be equally courteous, but her frozen-in-place smile was fading as Eugene's conceit became blatantly obnoxious.
Linc had probably noticed she hadn't gotten two words into the conversation. Glancing down at her broiled grouper, she lamented losing her appetite and dreaded the evening ahead.
They had barely finished their entrees when the hostess approached Samantha and told her Jason’s babysitter was on the line and had been trying to reach her on her cell.
“Oh no, I have my phone on silent.” A frown tugged at Samantha’s forehead. “But I just checked and there were no calls. Excuse me,” she said, getting up immediately to take the call.
When she returned, her face looked anxious. "I'm so sorry, but Nathan and I have to leave." Her gaze connected with her husband’s and he rose from the table.
"Is Jason worse?" Isabel asked.
"Yes. His fever is climbing, and you know how he gets febrile seizures."
Isabel nodded sympathetically. “I hope he’ll be okay. Can I go with you and help in any way?"
"No, but thanks for offering. Nathan will help me." Samantha gave Isabel a commiserating look that said, “Sorry about your date,” before she left with Nathan.
"It’s too bad they had to leave.” Eugene showed all his teeth in a shrewd grin. “But now I have you all to myself,” he said, his hand reaching across the table for hers.
Isabel snatched it back, disliking his clammy touch. It was bad enough he had put his hand on her back earlier, but if she had shrugged out of it, Samantha and Nathan would have noticed.
"Eugene, you don't have me all to yourself. I don’t like how you put that,” she said stiffly. Let him think she was prim. The sooner the date ended, the better.
He threw his head back and laughed. "You're funny when you act all prissy like that. It doesn’t go with your exotic beauty. I want to get to know you better," he said, looking way too confident.
When he reached for her hand a second time, Isabel lowered it to her lap and clasped it with her other hand. Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to rein in her temper. Undeterred, Eugene reached across the table to caress her cheek, but she recoiled. ''Your skin looks as soft as a peach. Why do Cuban girls have such beautiful skin?"
Ugh, this was ridiculous. Eugene was too forward and he wasn’t getting the hint that she wasn’t interested. "I think we should leave. We finished dinner and—”
"Not yet," he cut in smoothly. ''We haven’t had dessert. Don’t you like dessert?"
"Yes, but I need to go home. I have a five-year-old daughter…and she needs me," she said lamely. She hated using Suzie as an excuse, but a lot of men got turned off when they saw a woman as the mother of another man’s child. Maybe it would do the trick and he’d back off.
Eugene’s jaw tensed, and he ignored Isabel’s reference to Suzie. He called the server over, paid the bill and ushered Isabel toward the exit.
Isabel couldn't stop from glancing at Linc as she walked out with Eugene. Linc’s face had turned so grim, she wished she hadn't given in to the impulse to look at him.
Linc’s gut tightened as he observed everything from the bar. Isabel didn't feel comfortable with her date; she had already recoiled twice from the twerp’s smarmy touch. He waited until they went outside, then slapped enough money to cover his bill on the counter and left.
Isabel was out of her league with the smooth operator. She looked miserable, but was still acting polite. Her body language was stiff and reserved…but also resigned. She hadn't relaxed once during the evening. The civil smile plastered on her face hadn’t fooled Linc. She had to be on a blind date.
From a distance, Isabel’s back faced him as she waited for her date to open the car door. Before she reached for the handle, the guy pulled her toward him and his hands slid over her bottom as he tried to kiss her. Isabel stepped back and pushed at his chest, but he wouldn’t let go.
Shrouded in the dark parking lot, Linc ground his teeth. It had been one hell of a long day and he was beat. He had put in overtime on the drug case, making phone calls and pushing for leads. Off duty
tonight, all he had wanted to do was relax with a couple of beers and steamed shrimp. Now he was trailing Isabel and her date to make sure she would be all right. He smelled trouble.
When her date mashed her back against the side of the car, Linc staked Isabel as his to protect and it went beyond his duty as a cop. He saw the guy seize her hands with bruising force. White-hot fury sliced through Linc as he bounded toward them. Reaching the guy, he yanked him by the scruff of his neck and shoved his flailing body against the car door.
“Don’t fight him, Eugene. He’s a cop,” Isabel hissed.
"Didn't you notice the lady wasn't willing?" Linc snarled. "Or were you planning to force her?" He twisted Eugene’s arm behind his back and held his face pressed against the window as he flashed his police badge under his nose.
Turning to Isabel, he asked, “Are you hurt?"
Her lipstick and mascara were smeared as she stared at Linc. “No, just disgusted,” she said through clenched teeth. Turning on her date, she snarled. "You are a coward, Eugene. Lower than a cockroach!”
“I’m sorry—” Eugene protested hoarsely.
"Shut up,” Linc grated. “I'm going to arrest you for sexual battery.”
"No, don't arrest him," Isabel interrupted. "He's a colleague of my best friend's husband." Her eyes narrowed into angry slits as she hissed, "Did you really think you would get away with this, Eugene? I’m going to make sure Nathan knows how you treated me so you don’t do it to another girl. I doubt you’ll be friends for long."
Reluctantly, Linc released his hold on Eugene and barked, "Show me your I.D."
Rubbing his sore eyes, Eugene’s hand fumbled with his back pocket and handed his driver's license to Linc.
"Eugene Howard,” Linc said, reading his name from the license. “Have you ever been arrested?"
"No," he replied sullenly.
Linc stared at the license for a long moment, then slapped it back into Eugene's hand. ''You'd better keep your nose clean because I'm going to run a check on you. I'm letting you go only because of the lady's request. Don’t ever go near her again. You got that?"
Eugene glared at Isabel, but grumbled reluctantly, “I’ll stay away, but it was all a misunderstanding." He scrambled back in his car and tore out of the parking lot.
“Yeah, right. All a misunderstanding,” Isabel repeated sarcastically as she watched him drive away.
“Why did you leave the restaurant with him? I noticed you weren’t having a good time and were trying to shake him off.” Linc didn’t want to chastise her, but he had to make sure she’d be more careful in the future. “It could have ended badly tonight.”
“I know that now,” she huffed. “I shouldn’t have left with Eugene. I let my guard down because my friends introduced us, so I thought I could trust him.” Her eyes flashed black fire as she dropped her clenched hands to her sides. “Boy, was I wrong,” she muttered.
Linc took her elbow and gently led her to the passenger's side of his car. "Get in, hon, I'll take you home."
She didn’t make a move, but stood immobilized. Placing a gentle arm around her stooped shoulders, Linc drew her to his side. "Everything's going to be all right. You’re safe now."
He much preferred her earlier belligerence. Anger he could deal with, but seeing Isabel’s vulnerability tugged at his heart. She looked too beautiful and too damned kissable with those wide, glimmering eyes and softly trembling lips.
"I am mortified you had to witness what happened tonight,” she said with a shake of her head.
“I’m glad I stopped him before he—”
“Don’t say it.” She squeezed her eyes shut as her hands balled into fists. “I want to erase the memory of what just happened.”
Linc tensed. “If that bastard hurt you, I’ll—”
She shook her head. “No. He didn’t get a chance to hurt me, though he did manhandle me…and kiss me. Sloppy kisses.” She shuddered. “I don’t know why he bothered. Kissing is overrated.”
Linc’s brows snapped together as he stared at her, shocked. Most women loved kissing and couldn’t get enough of it. What kind of a marriage had Isabel had for her to say that? Did she think sex was overrated too?
His hand cupped her soft jaw and lifted her lovely face to search her eyes. “You really believe kissing is overrated?”
She gave a small shrug and avoided his gaze.
Linc’s body tightened with frustration as he eyed her pouty lips. A heavy ache settled in his loins as he thought of all the ways he wanted to kiss her and remedy her disdain for kissing. But this wasn’t the time, not after that bastard had manhandled her.
“Then you haven’t been kissed properly,” he murmured, noting the uneasy flicker in her wide eyes.
Chapter 4
Avoiding his gaze, Isabel wondered how Linc had nailed it. She probably hadn’t been kissed properly, as he put it. Frank had prided himself with being virile, but he had never brought her sexual satisfaction and in her limited experience, she hadn’t known any better.
Isabel flinched as past insecurities rose to choke her. She’d been a virgin when she married Frank, who she later found out had been quite the womanizer before marrying her. But he was a selfish lover, the slam bam, thank you, ma’am type of lover that had made her dread intercourse with him.
After Suzie was born, he began having a hard time performing sexually and he started treating Isabel badly, blaming her for his failures and cruelly calling her “lard ass.” He constantly mentioned the extra baby weight she’d gained as the reason he didn’t find her attractive anymore. After giving birth, Isabel’s breasts and hips had become rounder, but she wasn’t overweight, just curvier.
Thinking back on it, she realized Frank must have had a drug habit during that time. It could have impeded his performance and made him act irrationally. He’d been such an egomaniac that any evidence of weakness or difficulty had made him feel less of a man. Ultimately, it had made him a nightmare to live with.
Looking up, Isabel’s eyes met Linc’s heavy-lidded gaze and her breath caught in her throat. He was waiting for her reply to his comment, a languid smile tugging at his lips.
“Maybe…or maybe I’m not very good at kissing,” she said with a self-deprecating shrug.
“I doubt that.” Linc’s big hand smoothed a lock from her face, his calloused fingertips brushing her cheek ever so lightly and sending a tremor of pleasure straight to her toes. “Very much,” he added in a husky tone that made shivers dance along her skin.
Her mouth went dry and she could barely breathe as heat and desire washed over her. The night air hung sweet and sultry between them, and Isabel stood still hoping he would kiss her. But her phone buzzed inside her purse, breaking the spell.
She sighed as she read the text. “That was my friend, Samantha, who set up the blind date. Her husband, Nathan, just heard from Eugene that our date didn’t end well. What a jerk. I can’t believe he would cover his tracks so fast.”
“No surprise there,” Linc said contemptuously.
“I’m going to let her know I’m okay or she’ll keep texting. I’ll call her tomorrow.” Isabel texted back a message and slipped her phone back in her purse. “Sorry to be such a downer. Between the briefcase and everything else going on, I’m not much fun to be with.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Linc murmured. “What do you mean by everything else?”
“There are a lot of things stressing me out. My family’s nursery business is slowly sinking. Last year our crop of fruit trees was devastated from freeze damage and we took a huge loss. We need to buy a new irrigation system, update our equipment and hire more workers."
"That's rough, but there has to be a way to turn the loss around," Linc said with more confidence than Isabel felt. “What else is stressing you?”
She sighed. “Suzie's been so difficult lately that I've been doubting I'm a good parent." She shook her head. "And now, my first date in a long time ends so stupidly."
Linc watched her w
ith a furrowed brow. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
"I can't believe I just poured my heart out to you," she said, feeling awkward. "I usually don’t share this stuff with anyone. I hate self-pity, but the truth is…” She drew in a deep breath and exhaled it forcefully. “I feel like I’m falling apart."
Linc took her hand in his and squeezed gently. "Come on, I’ll take you home, and we can talk about it," he said, releasing her hand. "There are solutions to every problem. I’ll help you any way I can."
Linc drove to Isabel's house in silence, conscious of how she fought to regain her dignity as she stared out the window. She surprised Linc by turning to him and laying her soft hand on his arm. "I guess I needed to vent. I'll be okay."
"I know," he said, warmed by her attempt to reassure him. "You’re one of the strongest and bravest women I know."
“Me?” She wrinkled her nose. “How can you say that when you’ve seen me have meltdowns?"
"That doesn't make you weak. You're strong because of the way you've raised Suzie and managed your nursery, in spite of everything that has happened."
"Oh," she said, looking relieved.
As he drove up the circular driveway to her house, he noticed it wasn't particularly well lit. "You need to add better lighting. It’s too dark out here. Where does your mom live?"
"Next door, but there are a few acres separating our houses."
He parked and turned to her. Cradling her face in his hands, his thumbs wiped the smudges under her eyes.
"I must look really awful," she moaned. “I haven’t worn make-up in a long time, and I’ll bet it’s smeared now.”
"It's not bad if you like the raccoon look," he teased.
“Ha, very funny.” Isabel pulled a compact and tissue from her shoulder bag and wiped off the remains of her lip gloss and the mascara under her eyes.
Linc walked with her up the porch steps to her house. The tropical trees surrounding them exuded a blend of citrus scents that perfumed the air. Amid the lush landscape of her home, Isabel reigned supreme like an exotic hothouse orchid.
Wooed by You Page 3
