By the Book

by Kay Lyons

  “You say that but…it’s a bad idea,” she said with a shake of her blond head. “It’s a bad idea, right? I wouldn’t want to use you that way.”

  Oh, he could think of a lot of ways he wouldn’t mind her using him for practice. “I think it could be fun,” he said, trying and failing to hide the way they collided a bit when she stopped so abruptly.

  “You do?”

  “Well,” he said, steering her off the dance floor to a shadowy area along the walkway. Eliza had placed oversized lanterns filled with crystals, seashells, and flickering fake candles near a stone bench, and he led Claire that way. “You can’t deny we share some chemistry, and I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my time here in town in a beautiful woman’s company.”

  “You could go into any bar and ask any woman and she would say yes.”

  “So say yes,” he said. “And let’s have some fun.”

  She turned toward him as they neared the bench, her hands clasped in front of her. “Denz…”

  “I can see why Marsali says you need the practice.”

  Claire looked insulted.

  “What does that mean?”

  “You’re taking what will be some outings and dinners and time spent hanging out and putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on it.”

  “Because it’s temporary, and knowing that means I’m not in danger of catching feelings for you because…I know you’re leaving.” The frown cleared from her face and a laugh emerged. “Oh, my gosh, you’re right. I hear it. Okay. Yeah. I definitely need help, don’t I?”

  No danger of catching feelings for him? “Yeah, but you’d be fine.”

  “And you’d be okay? You wouldn’t feel used?”

  “You do realize I’d get to date you, right?” His gaze narrowed on her. “It’s not exactly a hardship.”

  Her teeth sank into her lower lip and she managed a smile.

  “So is it official?” he asked. “Are we dating?”

  Claire stepped in front of him and stopped him in his tracks, hands gripping his waist as she leaned toward him. “I think we are. Now what?”

  He grinned at her and lifted his hands to cradle her face. “Now this.”

  Denz brushed his lips over hers and held, just touching. He liked the way her breath hitched in her throat and felt her fingers clench into his shirt at his stomach.

  He deepened the kiss, and by the time he lifted his head, he was pleased to note she looked more than a little dazed.

  Yeah, kissing her wasn’t going to be a hardship, either, and he planned to do plenty of it. Well, at least as much as she’d allow.

  By the time he lifted his head the second time, she looked thoroughly kissed and more than a little dazed, and he felt a kick of satisfaction at the sight. “Come on, you. Let’s go get some cake.”

  The rest of the wedding was uneventful. Denz and Claire danced and ate cake and sipped champagne as the sun sank deeper in the sky. The day wound down and guests began to trickle away in pairs or groups, and Denz watched as the headset-wearing Eliza did her thing and began to direct catering and the cleanup crews.

  Oliver had pulled Denz aside again to discuss more security ideas, and Denz promised to work on a comprehensive plan that would cover all the bases. Oliver was worried about Marsali’s close call, and Denz knew the man would want nothing left to chance.

  According to police, the guy’s motive for being in the house was anger. The guy’s girlfriend had ended things between them, and he blamed Marsali because the girlfriend had been reading Marsali’s book. It just proved one never knew how someone else’s mind worked. Or how freaky things could get when it came to domestic relationships.

  A round of feminine laughter sounded, drawing his attention to where Claire sat with Amelia, Marsali, and Amelia’s friend, Izzy. Claire held Amelia and Lincoln’s baby and Denz frowned at the sight.

  Claire had gotten pregnant young but she was only thirty. Did she want more kids?

  A flash of jealousy stabbed him when he thought of her carrying a baby. With another guy.

  “You’re looking downright moody,” Carter said, coming up to stand beside Denz. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Yeah. Keep saying that,” Carter said. “This have anything to do with Claire’s announcement that she’s agreed to let Marsali match her up?”

  Truthfully, it did. Because in the time since he’d agreed to Claire’s suggestion to “test the waters” of dating, he’d found himself not liking the idea because of what would happen after he left town. Done right, it meant he basically wrapped Claire up in a bow and handed her off to some lucky guy from Marsali’s database. And while Marsali vetted all of her clients with background checks, those didn’t weed everything out, and Denz hated the idea that someone would slip through the system and not treat Claire right.

  “Ah, man. You’ve got it bad,” Carter said, clapping a hand hard on Denz’s good shoulder.

  “She’s different,” he said simply. Because it was true. Claire wasn’t like the single women he’d dated. Those women were typically more into their jobs or themselves. Claire… She had a son, had a life, plans and goals. Boundaries. And he liked that about her. Respected that about her.

  “The good ones always are, buddy. The good ones always are.”

  Claire allowed Denz to help her out of the SUV. He tucked her hand in his for the walk toward the door, and between her aching feet and the extra glasses of champagne she’d had with the girls before leaving, she was a little wobbly.

  They made it to the porch and she giggled when she stumbled on the stairs.

  “You okay there, bubbles?”

  “Bubbles? Oh, the bubbly. Yup, feeling fine.”

  “You look it,” he said, a smile in his voice. “Come on, up you go.”

  She gasped when the arm he had wrapped around her waist tightened and he simply lifted her up and carried her to the porch before setting her down again. “You’re very strong.”

  “You’re very cute.”

  “You’re sweet.”

  Denz shifted her until her back pressed against the screen door, and he pressed against her front.

  “You think I’m sweet?”

  The look on his face in the dim light of the porch was anything but sweet. “And sexy.”

  His eyes sparkled as he stared at her.

  “Right back at you, sweetheart.”

  Claire watched as he lowered his head. She closed her eyes and lifted her face, welcoming the kiss. Her head whirled from the sensation, and while she wanted to blame the champagne, she knew it wasn’t entirely to blame.

  No, it was Denz. Ever since their talk, he’d stayed by her side and showered her with attention. He’d fetched her cake and even fed her bites of his. He’d danced with her, teased her, touched her neck and the soft lobe of her ear, his big hands at her waist or the small of her back or perched along her chair.

  Denz ended the kisses and lifted his head, and she saw the desire in his gaze that he didn’t try to hide.

  “Sweet dreams, Bubbles.”

  “G-good night.”

  He took her keys and unlocked the door before handing them back to her. She went inside and locked the door behind her, then moved to the kitchen sink to look out the window.

  Denz stayed on the porch for a long moment before turning and heading toward the garage.

  Claire watched him go, wishing she was brave enough to follow.

  Chapter 21

  Ten days later, Claire donned her bathing suit and finished packing her beach bag for a day on the water. She was insanely nervous about going out with Denz in such a public way, but Oliver had invited Denz and Claire to join in on the fun, and Claire knew Marsali was behind the invitation.

  Ever since the wedding, she and Denz had spent every spare moment of time together. They went to the beach to sun or to walk, out to eat, to the movies. They went on a dinner cruise on the Cape Fear River, took the ferry to Bald Head Island and spent the day riding from be
ach to beach on a golf cart, and checked out several restaurants and music groups downtown.

  They cooked out with Tommy and her father, rode bikes through the neighborhood, and had ice cream on the swings by the pier. Every day held a new adventure of some sort, and even though some of the time was spent doing mundane things, like washing her Jeep after taking it out on the sand, it was still special and fun due to the man she was with.

  Claire left her bedroom and moved through the house to find Tommy waiting in the living room. “Wow. You beat me.” Here she thought she’d have to prod him along.

  “I didn’t want to make you late. Is it a big boat? How many Jet Skis do they have? Where are we going?”

  She smiled at the barrage of questions and shook her head. “You know as much as I do. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”

  “And they’re okay with me coming, too?”

  “Denz invited us both.” Apparently that wasn’t the thing to say, because Tommy’s excited expression changed to a frown.

  “Mom, are you dating him?”

  Tommy had hung out with his new friends a lot this week and even attended a birthday party for one of the kids, but Claire knew she couldn’t hide anything from him, especially when they all lived in such close quarters. “We’re friends, Tommy. That hasn’t changed.”

  “But he likes you.”

  “What?”

  Tommy crossed his arms over his chest and looked very much like his father when he stared at her.

  “Denz told me he likes you but you needed more than a friend and he wasn’t that guy.”

  “When was this?” she asked, lowering her bag to the couch to give herself something to focus on instead of the jab of unease currently pummeling her stomach.

  “One day when we were driving to the gym.”

  “What else did he say?”

  “He said he wasn’t going to tell you how he felt because he would be leaving soon, but I heard you tell Marsali you weren’t going to work as much this week. Is it so you can go out with him?”

  Oh, how she hated old houses and thin walls. “Tommy, Denz and I are friends, but… Yes, we’ve decided to hang out together while he’s in town. It’s nothing serious and nothing you need to worry about.”

  “So you don’t like him?”

  That again? “I like him as a friend. Otherwise I wouldn’t want to spend time with him. But it’s not serious, because like you said, Denz will be leaving and… It’s like your new friends at the gym. You said there are girls in the weightlifting group, and you all hang out together on the beach. Denz and I are spending time together so we don’t have to do things alone, and having fun. That’s all.”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt, Mom.”

  Her heart pinched at his grown-up words, and she moved toward him, wrapping him in a hug, amazed as always when he lowered his head atop hers. When had her little boy gotten so big? “Thank you for watching out for me.” She squeezed him. “You know, I’ve been thinking. I may have overreacted when I added a full month to your punishment.” She leaned her head back to look at him. “So I’m going to let you off with time served. You can have it back so long as you stay out of trouble.”

  “Really?”

  “When we get back,” she quickly added. “You can’t take it on the boat and you can’t stay home to play it.”

  “Thanks, Mom. And I’ll stay out of trouble. I promise.”

  Claire laughed when he picked her up off her feet and then set her down again. “Just be the young man I know you can be.”

  “Mom?”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s okay if you like Denz. I mean, he seems nice.”

  “That’s…surprising.”

  Tommy shrugged. “I’ve just been thinking, is all. My friend Madison’s mom died six months ago, and she said her dad is already engaged.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah. I get you being lonely, though. Dad was gone almost two years before he was killed, so even though it’s only been a year, it probably feels like more to you. I didn’t think about that before.”

  Claire stared into Tommy’s gaze and patted his cheek. “And you don’t need to think about it now. Stop worrying about me and let’s go have some fun, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  She told Tommy to get the cooler she’d packed for them and gathered up her bag once more.

  She wasn’t sure whether she should be thankful for Madison’s dad and his engagement, but she was thankful it had made Tommy think beyond himself. Coming to Carolina Cove had been good for him, and she prayed it would be an easy transition once they lived here full-time and he started school. It certainly seemed this set of friends was better for him than the ones back in Virginia.

  Claire ran through the list she’d made on her phone. She wasn’t sure what to bring other than towels, sunscreen, lip balm, and the like, but she’d tossed in a few other items just in case. Earphones seemed to be rude when on a boat with other people, but she grabbed a set for Tommy in case he got bored with the adults.

  She checked her watch and headed for the door, spotting Denz descending from the apartment. He hadn’t worn his shoulder sling since before the wedding, yet another sign of his healing and the fact he would be leaving sooner rather than later. He’d continued with his PT and she knew he was making progress.

  “Hey, you. Good morning.”

  “Morning,” she said. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting?”

  “Not at all. Got everything you need?” he asked, unlocking his SUV and tossing a backpack into the rear compartment.

  “I think so. I packed a cooler for us, just in case.”

  “I’m sure they’ll have plenty but it’s a nice gesture. Tommy, you ready for some fun?”

  Twenty minutes later, they were on the boat and heading up the Intercoastal toward Masonboro Island. The guys were gathered around Lincoln as he captained them, Tommy included, and Claire was thankful that the men were making an effort to include her son in the conversation. Lincoln’s son from his first marriage had joined them today as well, and though he was eighteen and in college, Claire noticed he shared a love of music and games with Tommy, and the two talked freely.

  “Tommy is fine. Stop staring,” Marsali said.

  “Sorry. Can’t help it.” The ladies sat on the lower level, sunning themselves as the boat trolled along the waterway.

  “I wish Breanne would’ve come today but she said she’d rather babysit,” Amelia added. “She’s saving up for a trip to New York City with her friends and is more interested in earning money than a day on the water.”

  “Good for her. A trip sounds like a great goal. Cute suit, Claire,” Eliza said. “I like that.”

  “Thanks. Yours, too,” Claire said, smiling.

  “So?” Marsali asked, leaning toward Claire. “How’s things going?”

  Claire laughed at the question. “I’m good.”

  “You know that’s not what I’m asking,” Marsali said. “I saw you and Denz kissing quite a bit at the wedding and you’ve been quietly MIA since.”

  “Wait, what?” Eliza asked. “How did I miss that?”

  “You were busy,” Marsali said to her friend.

  “I noticed, too,” Amelia added, tilting her head to one side. “Looked to be as hot as the kisses you shared on camera.”

  Claire took the teasing in stride and simply shook her head and pulled her floppy hat from the bag beside her. “We’re friends.”

  “Kissing friends,” Marsali added. “Oliver has tracked with Denz this whole time because of the security project, and you’ve been a busy girl with all of those dates.”

  “We’re…having fun,” Claire said, fixing the brim so that it shaded her eyes.

  “What’s that mean?” Eliza asked.

  “It means we’re spending time together while he’s in town,” she told them, “but we’re just friends.”

  “Can men and women be friends?” Eliza asked. “I’ve never known that
to be true. It seems like one or the other always develops feelings.”

  “Well, either way, he’s not been entirely friend-zoned,” Amelia added with a smile.

  “Can we talk about something else?” Claire asked, feeling more than a little self-conscious.

  “Things are going well, though?” Marsali asked. “Just tell us that and we’ll drop it. For now.”

  Claire thought of all the dates and fun and kissing she’d shared and nodded. “Things are going very well.”

  She didn’t want to think about the time when Denz would leave town, so she forced herself to compartmentalize that to be dealt with later. She was on a mission to live in the moment, one moment at a time.

  The boat slowed and Claire looked around to find they’d come to an isolated stretch of the uninhabited island.

  “Just remember,” Marsali said, her voice low because the men were heading down the stairs toward them, “we’re here for you.”

  Claire felt Denz’s gaze on her and looked his way. He’d removed his shirt, and his broad chest and muscled abs were marred only by the scars on his shoulder. The bruising had faded since their first meeting, but the bullet-sized scar was a huge reminder of why Claire couldn’t allow herself to plan beyond the moment.

  She’d decided she would never again be with someone who got shot at for a living. And for all his kindness and good looks and chemistry, Denz didn’t even allow his father to be contacted unless he was critical—dying.

  And if that wasn’t a red flag for a big ol’ never again, she didn’t know what was.

  Chapter 22

  Denz stared at Claire floating in the water and wondered how she’d gotten under his skin so easily. The time they’d spent together had been fun, and he’d found himself picturing them as more. Like they were a real couple who lived locally, just going about their daily lives. Holding hands as they went to dinner or walked on the boardwalk by the pier.

  He moved into the water and headed her way. Swimming arm over arm without a twinge of pain.

  He hated the news he had to share with her, because it would wipe the smile from her beautiful face, but he knew he couldn’t put it off any longer.