Dancing with Fire Read online

  “Of course.” Her grandmother led them through a series of rooms. Tastefully, expensively decorated rooms.

  Kaylin took the time to regain her equilibrium. As she regrouped, she realized that her grandmother had plenty of extra bedrooms. She could easily take in Becca and Lia. Her sisters could be safe here, and she believed her grandmother would enjoy their company.

  But perhaps just as importantly, Kaylin and Sawyer seemed to have bonded in a way she’d never expected. Without her asking, he’d been there for her. He’d been incredibly supportive. He hadn’t mocked her for being emotional. Hadn’t chided her or teased her. He hadn’t even tried to convince her she was fine when she wasn’t. He hadn’t tried to solve her problems or tell her what to do. He’d been there, saying the right thing. He’d been . . . exactly what she needed.

  Too wrung out to be scared that she might become dependent on him, she was simply glad he’d come with her. And she accepted that his being in her life now felt right. They had something too good not to explore further.

  Being with him didn’t mean she’d give up on New York. She wouldn’t stop thinking ahead. Planning. However, she’d just heard what planning with the best of intentions had done to her grandmother. Kaylin didn’t want to make similar mistakes. For once she’d live in the moment. Go with the flow. Enjoy these days with Sawyer for however long they lasted.

  So he might not be the right guy long term. But he might be the right guy for now.

  They headed outside. A waterfall trickled over rocks and into a pool. The soothing sound calmed Kaylin’s ragged nerves. Although the temperature outside had to be in the mid-eighties, overhead fans cooled the shaded porch.

  Now that she’d begun to forgive her grandmother, she didn’t know if she wanted to hear what else she had to say. Yet, she couldn’t get over the past if she didn’t hear her out. They took seats around a patio table, and she thought Sawyer would settle in beside her. But he strolled around the pool, dipping a finger into the waterfall to test the temperature, skimming his hand along the slide.

  “What else did you want to tell me?” Kaylin asked her grandmother.

  The older woman moved aside a Florida Architecture magazine, settled into a lounger, and donned a pair of sunglasses. “I’m not trying to hide anything, but the sunlight hurts my eyes.”

  “I understand.” Kaylin recalled her mother’s eyes had also been sensitive to bright light. When she’d worked outside with her roses, she’d worn dark glasses and a hat. Her car always had a dark tint on the windows.

  “After what happened with Danielle, if Henry had ever needed help with you girls, he would never have come to me—not that I blame him. But I decided I couldn’t have on my conscience any more illnesses that weren’t treated properly. So I . . .”

  Kaylin leaned forward. “Yes?”

  “You aren’t going to like it.”

  Kaylin simply waited.

  “Ever since Danielle’s death, I’ve paid someone to watch you girls and report back to me.”

  “You were spying on us?” Kaylin raised her voice, and as if on cue, Sawyer came up behind her chair, placed his hands on her shoulders, and began to knead her tense muscles.

  “If I’d known your mother was sick, I would have paid her medical bills, gotten her top-notch care. Money couldn’t save my Garrett, but it might have helped Danielle. Or her children. I refused to repeat my mistakes.”

  “So you pay a private investigator to watch us?” No wonder her grandmother had recognized her on sight. She’d been having her watched for the last four years. Kaylin bristled at her immediate feeling of violation. How far had her grandmother gone? How closely had they been watched?

  “I suppose now you’ll hate me. But I don’t want there to be any more lies or secrets between us.”

  Kaylin didn’t cover up her own feelings. “I certainly don’t love you for it.”

  “I can live with that. In fact, you can hate me all you want, but unless you promise to call me if one of you gets sick, I won’t call off—”

  “This PI. How often did he check on them?” Sawyer asked.

  “Every few days.” Her grandmother’s gaze narrowed on Sawyer. “Why?”

  “Did he notice people who came by the house? Who visited? Where we went?”

  “I have no idea. I asked for a few harmless pictures and to be informed if any of the girls took a serious dive, healthwise—nothing more.”

  “I’d like his name, please,” Sawyer asked.

  Her grandmother didn’t hesitate. “Lyle Jackson.”

  “What are you thinking?” Kaylin asked Sawyer, curious and uncertain how she felt about her grandmother’s snooping. On the one hand, she understood how after losing her mother she wouldn’t want to lose a grandchild. On the other, it creeped her out.

  Sawyer spoke, his tone thoughtful. “Perhaps Lyle Jackson saw Henry’s Middle Eastern visitors and noticed details no one else did. Like the make or model of their vehicle. As a trained observer, he might have taken photos and gotten a tag. Or maybe he checked out their names.”

  Her grandmother opened her purse, took out a business card, and handed it to Sawyer. “Call him. I’ll tell him to give you whatever information he has.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I have a request.” Kaylin figured now would be a good time to change the subject. She might not like that her grandmother had spied on them, but she would reserve judgment. The woman had been through a lot. And she certainly seemed to have their best interests at heart. Paying a PI to watch over them to see if they needed health care might be weird, but Kaylin understood her need to look after her grandchildren however she could. So Kaylin proceeded with her plan. “Would you mind letting my sisters stay here with you?”

  “Mind?” Her grandmother’s lower jaw dropped. “Of course not. I’d love it.” She lifted her sunglasses to peer at Kaylin. “They can stay as long as they like.”

  “That would be a big help. Thank you. I’ll feel better knowing they are out of Tampa. After Dad died, men broke into our house and vandalized it. We believe these men are connected to the lab explosion, but we have no proof. We aren’t living there right now—we’re staying at Sawyer’s grandmother’s house. However, we may still be too easy to find. I’ll feel better if my sisters are in another city.” She didn’t mention the threatening phone call since she couldn’t be certain her grandmother would follow her wishes and keep the authorities out of the situation. However, Kaylin already felt better knowing her sisters would be welcomed here.

  “If there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. Garrett’s oil wells aren’t producing like they once did, but I’m quite comfortable.”

  “Did you know Henry’s last project concerned biodiesel fuel?” Sawyer asked.

  “Biodiesel? I’ve never heard of it.”

  “That’s odd for a woman in the oil business.” Sawyer made the comment with a casual air, but his eyes were piercing.

  Her grandmother held his gaze. “Oil was Garrett’s business. Not mine. I never got involved.”

  Kaylin didn’t know her grandmother well enough to decide if she lied or told the truth. But how could anyone who listened to the news and read the newspapers not have heard of biodiesel? However, for all Kaylin knew, her grandmother only read astrology predictions and the advice columns of the newspaper, or maybe she didn’t read much at all.

  But at the realization that her father had gone into a business similar to his father-in-law’s, she wondered. Had her father intended to best his father-in-law? Or was that mere coincidence? Had Henry been trying to compete with his wife’s family—even after his wife had died? It seemed too extreme a motivation for her father.

  Yet, if her grandmother was lying about her knowledge of biodiesel, she might also be lying about the PI. Had her conversations with her investi
gator been only about their health, as she’d claimed?

  Perhaps bringing her sisters here might not be such a good idea after all. While her grandmother’s tears had seemed real, and Kaylin might forgive a quarter century of estrangement and misunderstanding, was that good enough? Could heartfelt words make up for the past? Enough to trust this woman with her sisters?

  Usually Kaylin didn’t keep changing her mind. But she didn’t know what to think. She wanted Sawyer’s take. But even if he remained wary, she figured her sisters were better off with their grandmother than at the mercy of the man who’d threatened to hurt them.

  Bringing her sisters here might not be the ideal solution, but it was the best one she had.

  21

  WHILE SAWYER drove back to Tampa, Kaylin slept. Although he enjoyed talking to her, he didn’t mind the silence. Before she’d fallen asleep, he could tell from the exhaustion in her gaze that the emotional meeting had worn her out. Even when she slept, he still enjoyed her presence. And he believed that reconciling with her grandmother had been a good choice. The Danner sisters needed family, and so did their grandmother.

  When Sawyer pulled into his own grandmother’s driveway and shut off the engine, Kaylin opened her eyes and stretched sleepily, her back arching, her breasts rising. She peered from the dark house to the clock in the dash. “It’s late. I’m sorry for conking out on you.”

  “I’ll let you make it up to me,” he joked, trying to keep his eyes above her neck. Because the curves below were too tempting. Not that he found it a hardship to look into her big green eyes framed by long black lashes. With her graceful neck and elegant torso, she was built to dance. Practically born to be on Broadway. But that didn’t stop him from aching for her. Didn’t stop him from yearning to enjoy her while she sat next to him in the car.

  “I’d like that.”

  Huh? Like what? He’d been lost in his daydreaming and had to backtrack. But Kaylin’s response—that she’d like to make it up to him for falling asleep—startled him. From Kaylin those words were a most enticing comment. However, she probably meant she’d fix him a sandwich. Although his stomach growled, food was not what he had on his mind. It didn’t matter that Kaylin’s hair needed fixing, or that her lip gloss needed reapplication. She had a sexiness about her that made his fingers itch to tear off her clothes. Her hair’s red highlights glinted as the garage motion detector turned on a light. Her hair curled softly around her face and neck, emphasizing her high cheekbones. But the heat in her gaze set his pulse rocketing and gave him hope that she might actually be flirting with him, encouraging him.

  At the idea she might want him, blood downloaded straight to his groin. Wincing as his jeans tightened, he shifted in his seat. If he exited the car, she’d see exactly how he felt about her. He wanted her. Oh, yeah. A few kisses had only been the appetizer. He wanted a twelve-course, six-hour gourmet feast that included a fabulously rich dessert that he could savor for . . . forever.

  He reminded himself she’d had a trying day. A terrible week.

  His body paid no attention.

  He told himself to be patient. But he’d run low in the patience department.

  He leaned forward to kiss her, and she met him more than halfway, flinging her arms over his shoulders, grabbing the back of his head and tugging him closer.

  Damn, she smelled good, like the promise of summer rain, like the electric wind before a storm, like suntan oil on Clearwater Beach. He kissed her, and she tasted of lemonade, tart and sugary, a mixture that sharpened his senses and his hearing. Surely he couldn’t hear her heart pounding? That roar had to be his own blood rushing as he ran his hands through her hair, the texture rippling over his fingertips.

  Her lips were soft, seductive, sizzling hot. The woman didn’t just kiss, she invited more, and he slid his hand to her trim waist, under her shirt. She pulled back, and he figured she was done.

  But he was so wrong.

  With a sexy grin, she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Kaylin wore a violet lace bra, and at the sight of the material cupping her toned flesh, his mouth dried. Her curves complemented her slender body to perfection.

  Making out in the car did nothing to alleviate his erection, but he no longer cared about her discovering how much he wanted her. Although he tried to go slowly, his kiss must have communicated his urgency.

  She ripped off his shirt, the buttons flying under the dash, into the back seat, and against the windshield. He would have suggested moving to more comfortable quarters, but she pressed her palms to his chest.

  Her heat. Good . . . God. He didn’t care where they were. He couldn’t think about what would happen next. He could only feel her silky skin, her fresh scent, her eager mouth. And what she did with her hands on his chest had to be classified as sinful.

  Proper, careful, practical Kaylin had almost disappeared, replaced by the creative, bold, and passionate Kaylin that he craved. Whatever she did with her fingers, a light skimming flicker that left rivulets of tingling flesh behind, had him raring for more. But the two front seats were hampering his getting closer, his size preventing him from climbing over the console.

  But moving to a new location meant he’d have to release her. And the idea of letting go ripped at him, shredded him. He finally had his hands on her, and releasing her just wasn’t an option. She solved the dilemma by scooting over the console, moving his seat back, and straddling him.

  “Mmm. Much better.” His head dipped toward the edge of her bra, and he traced the lacy path with his tongue.

  She threw back her head, arched her chest into him, and moaned. “That tickles.”

  He unsnapped the front clasp of her bra and nudged it aside with his mouth. “You have beautiful breasts. You’re gorgeous.”

  She leaned forward and nipped at his neck. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  As his nerves tingled straight from his shoulder down his spine, she licked away the pain until the sting merged with pleasure. Ah, two could play that game. And with her breasts conveniently even with his face, he took his time. As he lightly scraped his five o’clock shadow over her delicate skin, her flesh, so whisper soft, quivered.

  “Does that feel good?”

  “Your mouth would feel better.”

  At her eagerness, he grinned and used his lips, testing the flavor and firm texture of her skin. “Such impatience.”

  She wriggled her bottom against his erection. “Look who’s talking.”

  “I’m . . . enjoying.” He licked her nipple, blew on the wetness, and adored the tiny goose bumps that arose. Ah, he’d waited so long for her. It seemed like forever. God, how he wanted her. Sexy, serious, Kaylin. Seriously out of control, Kaylin.

  She reached down to unsnap his jeans, not an easy task with her on his lap. Somehow, she succeeded, but his pants stopped her natural progression. “We need to move.”

  “You do that,” he agreed, then took her nipple into his mouth to hold her still.

  She tensed beneath his hands. Squirmed but couldn’t escape. He had her right where he’d always wanted her . . . restless, edgy, impatient.

  She purred into his ear. “You so don’t play fair.”

  If she could still talk, he hadn’t done his job properly. Keeping his mouth on her breast, he sucked in the nipple, flayed his tongue over the tip.

  She moaned, melted, and although her fingers clenched his shoulders, he didn’t stop. Soft coos of pleasure escaped from deep in her throat. And he was loving every second of her excitement. Wished that he could prolong this moment.

  Kaylin finally wanted him, and he intended to make this last as long as humanly possible. He’d ached to be with her, but he’d feared the reality wouldn’t be as good as the fantasy. But she was better than his best dream. Soft, exciting, so female. With her scent rising up to him and her breast filling his mo
uth, holding back, waiting, caused sweat to bead on his forehead. His blood simmered and bubbled through his veins, and his hips tensed to thrust.

  At the same time, he refused to give in to his need to go faster. He was with Kaylin. Beautiful, graceful Kaylin. She tasted so sweet, so hot, so spicy. And her toned dancer’s body had him so ramped up he began to let instinct take over.

  A dog barked. Scratched the door between the house and the garage. Then more barking. At this rate, he’d wake up the entire household, and they’d come investigate.

  It took all his willpower to pull away from her. “Randy hears us. If he wakes your sisters and they find us . . .”

  “Damn.” Kaylin swore and opened eyes clouded with passion. “I don’t want to wait.”

  “Come on.” He popped open the door and helped her slide from his lap. She scooped up her shirt but didn’t put it on. He led her out the back of the garage, toward the lake.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, slightly breathless.

  “By the river, where we can have some privacy.” He plucked a cushion off the chaise lounge.

  She laughed and raced ahead of him, kicking off her shoes and hopping up and down as she removed her slacks and panties. Then, like a pagan goddess, she twirled naked on the dock, her hair flying, moonlight caressing her skin.

  He could have caught up to her in a heartbeat, but instead, he paused to enjoy the spectacular sight. Dancing and spinning to a beat only she could hear, she gyrated, her hips making figure eights as her arms beckoned with a come-hither gesture. Entranced, he walked toward her, trying to slow his steps.

  He wanted to remember this moment, the wildness in his heart, the heavy need in his groin, his excitement that Kaylin was letting go. With him. She was going to make love to him under the stars and a canopy of Spanish moss that draped the granddaddy oaks.

  Crickets and frogs set the beat. And Kaylin pulled his strings like a master puppeteer. At that moment he couldn’t have refused her anything.