Cavanaugh Watch (17 page)

It astounded her that he could have found out so quickly what was going on. But then, people in his line of work had to be quick. Their lives often depended on it.

Janelle chose her words carefully. “You kept out of my mother’s life. Consider us even.”

“You want it that way?” Wayne asked.

The unspoken part of her statement asked for him to stay out of her life as well. “I think it would be best.”

There was a long pause on the other end. For a moment, Janelle thought Wayne would give her an argument, try to convince her that they should keep in touch now that there was no longer a secret between them.

“Yeah, me, too,” Wayne finally said. “Take care of yourself, kid. And tell Brian he did a good job.”

“I’ll pass that along,” she assured him. The next second, the dial tone hummed softly in her ear. With a shake of her head, she slipped the phone back into her purse.

Sawyer peered at her face. “Wayne?” he guessed.

“Boy, nothing gets past you,” she said with a short laugh, but for once she hadn’t meant the remark sarcastically. “Wayne,” she confirmed, looking at Sawyer. The nerves were back in full regalia. She liked it better when she just thought of the man as an annoying inconvenience rather than someone whose presence in her world had come to mean so much. It was easier the other way. “So, where were we?”

He traced a tendril along her temple. “You were just about to get naked.”

It took effort to control the shiver that danced up and down her spine at the image of the two of them that suggestion evoked. She did her best to sound flippant. “No, I wasn’t.”

“Not even if I bribe you with dinner?” he asked.

“You might stand a better chance that way,” Janelle allowed. And then the humor temporarily left her eyes. “Sawyer—”

Her tone of voice had him feeling leery. He tried, for once, not to expect the worst. “Yeah?”

She faced him squarely, even though the subject made her uncomfortable. “I don’t do this kind of thing normally.”

“Eat dinner?” he asked innocently.

“You know what I mean,” she retorted impatiently. Then her voice lowered. “Sleep around casually.”

Humor glinted in his eyes. “I wasn’t aware that naked was considered formal.”

Embarrassed, angry, she was sorry she’d said anything. “If this is going to be a joke—” Janelle tried to yank open the driver’s side door only to have him push it shut again.

“It’s because there’s this river rushing over me and I’m trying to tread water here as fast as I can.” He put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “I was in love once, with Allison, and when she died, it was like having all my guts ripped out. It just about killed me. I don’t want to be in love again.”

“No one’s telling you to be in love,” she retorted defensively.

He shook his head. “You don’t get it, do you? Nobody can tell you to be in love, you either are, or you’re not.”

“Okay.” Janelle drew the word out slowly as she tried to absorb what he was attempting to get across.

His hands moved from her shoulders to head, cupping her face. “And I am.”

“With me?” she whispered.

Nervous impatience shot through him. “No, with A.D.A. Woods. Of course with you. Now, I don’t know where this is going to take us—”

“Sawyer,” Janelle tried to cut in, but Sawyer just continued talking.

“—and I’ll probably screw up—”

“Sawyer—”

“—but, then, maybe—”

“Sawyer.”

He stopped abruptly. Why wasn’t she letting him finish? “What?”

She slipped her arms around his neck, bringing her body tantalizingly close to his. “I love you, too. Now shut up and take me to your place so that I can get naked without drawing a crowd.”

He grinned. “A crowd, huh? Think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?”

Janelle looked up at him, her eyes serious. “Don’t you?”

“Yeah,” he replied, pulling her even more closely to him, “I do.” He kissed her. Slowly. Tenderly. Then raised his head and repeated the last two words he’d said. “I do.”

There was mischief in her eyes. Mischief and such a wave of excitement it almost overwhelmed her. “Careful where you say those words,” she advised.

“Just practicing.”

Janelle stared, dumbfounded. But before she could ask him if he meant what she thought he meant, Sawyer was kissing her again. And stealing the very breath away from her.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-5967-0

CAVANAUGH WATCH

Copyright © 2006 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

Visit Silhouette Books at
www.eHarlequin.com