Kate Hoffmann - Declan

Rachel reluctantly crawled off of him, then smiled. “I’ll just finish cleaning up.” She grabbed her camisole and tugged it over her head, then walked out to the porch and began to gather the dishes from the small table. Inside, she heard Dec speaking softly on the phone. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but a sudden wave of doubt washed over her. What if he was talking to another woman?

A tiny knot grew in her stomach. She knew he had brothers, that he didn’t have time to vacation, and that he did work for Trevor Ross. A man as handsome and charming as Dec probably had plenty of female company. And many of them probably had his phone number. When she’d asked him if he had a girlfriend, he’d said no. Rachel frowned. And if he did have a girlfriend, why on earth would he agree to remain celibate for three months?

Maybe he’d had so much sex over the past year that celibacy sounded good. She laughed softly. Celibacy would never sound good to a man. It just wasn’t in their nature to give up sex completely, unless they planned to become a priest or a monk.

And did it really make any difference how many women he had in his past? This was never supposed to be anything more than a short-term affair, a passionate night or two together before they’d both agree to go their separate ways.

But the better she got to know Declan, the more she realized it might be difficult to give him up. If the sex was fabulous, it might even be impossible. Rachel stacked the dishes in front of her then picked them up and carried them into the cabin. She wasn’t going to think about the future. They had two more nights together and that would have to be enough for now. As soon as he was off the phone, they’d pick up where they left off.

Dec was standing in the middle of the kitchen when she went back inside, his cell phone clutched in his hand, his brow furrowed into a deep frown. “That was my office,” he said.

“I thought it might be one of your girlfriends.”

“I don’t have any girlfriends,” he said, his expression unchanged.

“Good to know,” Rachel replied as she set the dishes in the sink. “Is there a problem at the office?”

“The police just arrested someone in your stalking case. An intern from the radio station. Some kid named Jerry. One of my guys interviewed him earlier this evening and he admitted it.”

Rachel gasped. “Jerry? No, Jerry couldn’t have done that. He’s a sweet kid, he’s harmless. He cleans up late at night and I see him during my shift. Every now and then, he brings me coffee. He has a little crush on me. He’s just not capable of this.”

“He has a crush on you? Why didn’t you tell me this? Rachel, you can’t keep these-” He stopped and forced a smile. “He admitted it,” Dec repeated.

Rachel slowly leaned back against the counter, bracing her hands on the edge. “Then it’s over?”

He nodded. “I guess so.”

“Wow, that was quick.” She drew in a deep breath. “I guess that means we don’t have to stay here any longer.”

He walked over to her and slipped his hands around her waist. “It’s too late to drive back tonight and the traffic will probably be murder,” Dec said. “Besides, I’ve had a little too much to drink. We’ll stay tonight and go back tomorrow.”

Rachel turned back to the sink and began to fill it with warm water. She’d hoped that he’d want to stay longer, but he’d probably stayed away longer than he ought to, especially since this was a job and not a vacation.

Declan ran his palms up her torso and gently cupped her breasts in his hands. “We still have tonight,” he murmured.

“Tonight.” Suddenly, she wasn’t quite sure why she was doing this. Was she really willing to settle for one wild night of sex with this man and then return to her regular life? There were no promises between them, no indication that this was anything more than just lust. “Your job is done now.”

Dec gently turned her around, reaching out to shut off the water as he did. He took her face in his palms and gave her a gentle kiss. “This was not part of the job. This just happened and I’m glad it did. I hope you are too because it doesn’t have to end here.”

She took a ragged breath and fought back the tears that threatened. “It doesn’t?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He wove his fingers through hers and pulled her along toward the sofa. “Leave the dishes. I’ll do them tomorrow before we go back.” Dec sat down and pulled her down beside him. “Now that this is over, maybe we should get some things straight between us,” he suggested.

Rachel stared down at her hands, nervously twisting her fingers and knowing that the “let’s slow this down” speech was about to be dragged out. She had heard it before. You’re getting too attached, things are moving too fast, you expect too much from me. She’d promised herself this time that she wouldn’t fall in love, but a tiny part of her already had.

“I know,” she said, reaching out for his hand. “This was crazy, the two of us. But it was an affair of opportunity. I never expected anything long term.”

“You didn’t?”

She shook her head, falling back on an academic explanation for the ache in her heart. “Physical attraction doesn’t always translate into a long-lasting commitment. This was just about sex.”

Dec sat back, pulling his hand from hers. “So you were just another notch on my bedpost and I was just another chance for you to experiment?”

“We were more attracted because what we were doing was forbidden. Now that it isn’t, the attraction won’t be so strong.”

“Speak for yourself,” Dec said. He stared into her eyes, then smiled cynically. “Somehow, I get the feeling that this is a test. That you’re just watching me, ready to measure my response.” He stood. “The one thing I liked about you, Rachel, was that you didn’t play games. I guess I was wrong.”

“I’m not playing a game. I’m just being realistic. Can you really tell me that once we go home, we’ll continue on like we’ve been doing for the past two days? No. You’ll go back to work, I’ll go back to work, we’ll have excuses why we can’t be together. Occasionally we’ll fall into bed, and then it will gradually end.”

“Because that’s the way it’s always happened before?”

“Dec, let’s be realistic. We’ve known each other for two days.”

He considered her statement for a long moment, then shrugged. “You’re right,” he said. “Not a good idea. Better to stop it right now before we make a mistake.” He walked to the door, then stood staring out into the night. “I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back a little later.”

Rachel didn’t want him to leave, but in the end, she didn’t stop him. The moment the screen door slammed, she let out a tightly held breath and closed her eyes. This was for the best, wasn’t it? She’d been so caught up in this whirlwind of desire that she’d never really considered the consequences.

It would be so simple to fall in love with Declan. He’d been her white knight, riding to her rescue, ready to protect her with his own life. Gosh, it was such a predictable response that she was surprised she hadn’t seen it coming.

And never mind the fact that she’d manipulated him into wanting her. She’d had her own bad luck with love, but Rachel wasn’t sure she’d be able to recover from a bad ending with Dec. It wasn’t in a woman’s nature to separate sex from love. She’d tried and it didn’t work. Maybe, if it had been another man, she would have succeeded. But Declan Quinn was just too much of what she’d always wanted.

DEC WASN’T QUITE SURE how such a promising evening had ended so badly. He cursed his decision to pick up the phone, knowing that the call had been the beginning of the end. A walk in the woods hadn’t helped his mood and when he returned, he’d fully intended to straighten everything out with Rachel. After all, she’d always been interested in how he was feeling.