Hot and Bothered (16 page)

She stiffened. “How can you ask that?”

He tilted her head back. “Because I have to.”

“Then you don’t want me. Not really.”

She pushed away from him, hard. He almost didn’t let her go.

“I want you,” he said. “Can’t you tell?”

“But only for sex.”

“Dammit!” he exclaimed. “I’ll show you what I want you for.”

He pulled her to him again, his kiss demanding. She resisted his efforts this time, her heart breaking as she did. His kiss proved he wanted only something physical from her, no words, all action. When he let her go, they staggered back as if their legs wouldn’t even support them. Judith knew hers wouldn’t. She held on to the
counter for dear life, staring wide-eyed at Paul. He stared back.

“Don’t drive with Pedro anymore,” he said. “Don’t be that foolish.”

He walked out the door.

“Don’t drive with Pedro?”

Paul was still muttering that stupid statement to himself several days later while sitting in one of the wicker chairs on his patio. The heat of the afternoon simmered around him, turning his skin into a puddle, but his brain was elsewhere.

He had made a complete ass out of himself with Judith, and he had been avoiding her ever since. Granted, he’d gone into a panic when he’d heard Pedro had driven her to the store. He had been even more upset when he had seen the Cadillac careening down the road on its return, looking like it would plunge straight into the sea. He had run to the car without thought, only determined to ensure she never did such a thing again.

That had been his first idiotic move.

He should have let it go, he thought. He had asked her to mind her own business, and he should have minded his. Instead, he had compounded poor judgment with angry words and a futile kiss.

But she had kissed him back.

Paul smiled, a little cheered by that thought. For all her outward dignity, she still wanted him
as much as he wanted her. He had needed to know that. Yet in needing to know, he had thrown away his emotional protection. Hell, he’d probably never had it in the first place.

The second kiss hadn’t gone so well.

He had been trying to tell her that he wanted her more than anyone else in the world. But she hadn’t received the message and had resisted his efforts. She might want him physically, but she didn’t want more than that. Not really. He was clinging to a false hope otherwise.

The kids on the beach below were getting ready for their swim. Judith brought up the rear. She was wearing her usual bathing gear—T-shirt and shorts. He was amazed at how she was fitting in with the people here. Pedro had raved about her helping him. Evidently she was rather proficient with house framing. Paul never would have thought she would be willing to get dirty. Not only had she, but she seemed to relish the work.

He wished he’d never fought with her. She complained that he wasn’t allowing her into his life. That wasn’t true. He was calling just one portion of it off limits for discussion. For his daughter’s sake. Judith had to understand that. She
had
to.

As if in an out-of-body experience, he found himself rising and walking down to the beach. He waded out, ignoring that first jolt of coldness, until he reached the swimmers. The kids shouted and flung themselves at him, almost swamping
him. He nudged them off and swam after Judith, who was doing a fair imitation of someone trying to swim to Australia.

“Hey!” he said when he reached her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fight with you the other day.”

She stopped and stood, the waves lapping around her breasts. “Neither did I.”

“I would like to be friends,” he said. The suggestion left a bad taste in his mouth. “Friends” was not what he wanted.

“Friends.” She said the word flatly. “I don’t think we can, Paul.”

“You could bust the
cojones
of the Tin Man.”

She flushed. Evidently her Spanish was improving. “I’m only being honest.”

“What happened with us?” he asked. “How could something so good collapse so fast?”

“We want different things, Paul. You want a surface relationship. I’m … I’m not equipped to handle that.”

“Are you saying you don’t want me?”

She glanced at the children who were swimming near them. “I don’t think this is an appropriate place for that conversation.”

“I think you’re chicken to admit you do.”

“I think you have an ego the size of California.”

He realized any mending was headed straight for the hopper. “Let’s not fight, okay?”

“Fine.” She pushed off and began swimming again … toward the children.

Paul threw himself across her path. She bumped into him and he steadied her. Her skin felt like cool silk. Their legs brushed together. A shudder of overwhelming desire rushed through him.

“Godamighty,” he breathed, wanting to kiss her.

“No,” she said. “I
can’t
.”

He released her. “All you had to do was let one thing go, Judith.”

She swam past him for an answer. He stayed where he was, the water rocking him nearly off his feet. He didn’t understand her. She talked about her family pushing her around, but he couldn’t imagine anyone more stubborn than she. Why did she think he didn’t want a deeper relationship because he asked for his daughter to be left alone? Amanda had nothing to do with him and Judith. He wanted to live in the future, not the past, and he had taken a long time to come to that point. That didn’t make Judith a toy for him.

She was a virgin emotionally, in relationships, he thought. She had an ideal view, while he had a practical one. But he didn’t like the way things had ended between them, and he didn’t like the way they were now.

The kids called to him, but he only waved.
No tossing today. He swam after Judith, catching up with her as she emerged from the water.

She pulled at her clinging T-shirt, catching his eye and distracting him. She could distract a water buffalo with her body, he thought, wiping rivulets of seawater from his face.

“What now?” she asked, exasperation in her tone.

“I—” He paused, realizing that if he started the same topic again, they’d probably kill each other. “I wondered how you were coming along with your decision on your company.”

“It’s not my company.”

“When you own a pile of voting shares, it is.”

She snatched up her towel. “Why must you disagree with everything I say?”

“I only asked how you were doing.”

“I’m doing fine. Okay?”

“Okay. You don’t have to be hostile.”

“I don’t …” She smiled sweetly. “Of course I don’t. You’re very right.”

“Now you’re being compromising.”

“And you’re making me insane, Paul!”

He drew in a deep breath. “Do you need any help? A ride to the store? Please let me drive you to the store. Pedro’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Her eyes narrowed. He had the distinct feeling she was about to explode. To his relief, she didn’t. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t have to go to the store.”

It occurred to Paul that he was pursuing her, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Have you talked to a lawyer about your shares?”

“I told you I can’t. The ones I know are already involved. They have their agenda one way or the other, as well as personal ties to my family.”

“Don’t you think you’re being stubborn about that?” he asked. “Exaggerating your response to your family—”

She walked away from him.

He caught up. “Why did you walk away?” he asked, bewildered.

She stopped and whirled toward him. “
I’m
exaggerating my response to my family, but
you’re
not exaggerating your response to your daughter?”

“Yours and mine are two completely different things,” he said.

“Then don’t comment on mine.”

“So we’re back to that again.”

“Paul, you just don’t get it.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“You think I’m being silly, don’t you?” she asked.

“Well …” he began, trying to find a way of not saying that.

“Thank you very much.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, starting to become angry with her.

“Then how did you mean it?”

“Exaggerating. That’s
all
I meant. I told you before that you get in my face enough. I don’t see why you ran from your family.”

“You know, neither do I now.”

She stalked away. Paul had the distinct feeling that he had just ensured she wouldn’t be around the cove much longer. He became aware of a small crowd behind him. He turned to find the kids gathered in a knot, clearly having watched his fight with Judith with great interest.

“Don’t you have some swimming to do?” he asked, glaring at them.

“We just wanted to know if you would play with us. You and Judith.” Miguel smiled broadly. “But that’s okay. We’ll just watch—”

“Watching’s over!” he snapped.

“Just kiss her, Paulo.” Miguel made kissing noises.

“Go eat dinner!” Paul roared, completely out of patience with a kid who spoke wisdom from a smart-ass mouth.

The kids scattered. Paul cursed himself for taking his anger out on them. He turned back, only to find Judith nowhere in sight. Going after her yet again would be futile just then. He’d try again later.

If only he knew what he was trying for …

Before eight o’clock in the morning, Judith went to the
ejido
office at the top of the hill. Sure enough, Pedro was already there.

“You caught me at the right time,
Señorita
Judith,” he said. “I am going to my
nopalito
field in a few minutes.”

“I was wondering if I could get a ride with you the next time you’re going into town,” she said. So much for Mr. Paul Murphy, she thought. She’d hitch a ride with whomever she damn well pleased, and her common sense could shut up while she was at it.

“
Sí
. No problem. I can go anytime you want.”

“Thanks.”

She set up a time with him, then left the office feeling proud of herself for taking a defiant stand. Now she only needed to stay out of Paul’s
way. She had to. Every time she saw him, he turned her to jelly. Every time he touched her, he set off a sizzling in her veins that left her weak-kneed. He had only to beckon and she was in his arms. She’d barely made it through their last meeting. Where was her spine? Where was her gumption? If she didn’t find them, she’d be throwing herself at him the next time she saw him.

A black Mercedes turned off the highway and onto the
ejido
road.

Judith froze like a rabbit caught in the headlights. She felt foolish, knowing she ought to confront whoever it was, then send him packing. But warning bells were pealing in her head, as if the Hunchback of Notre Dame were ringing them with all his childlike enthusiasm and overwhelming strength. She bolted, cutting through the brush, not worrying if she scared up a snake or worse.

Only when she reached the half-constructed houses did she stop. Panting for breath, she looked behind her. No one had followed. No car was coming down the hill. She couldn’t see the front of the office, so she didn’t know if the Mercedes had stopped there. Maybe the car had only been using the access road to make a U-turn. Maybe the car’s owner had nothing to do with her. She felt more silly now, but neither could she turn back and face whoever it was.

She kicked at a rock, disgusted with herself.
Every time she thought she was acquiring a little Collier backbone, she turned tail and ran. What the heck was wrong with her? She hated to admit Paul was right about her … but maybe he was. Maybe she was making mountains out of molehills.

Hammering inside the nearest house caught her attention. She peeked in the doorway and found several men working. One of them was a villager, but the others were unfamiliar to her. Curious as well as wanting to get out from the open, she went inside.

“
Hola, Señorita!
” the villager said, grinning happily. “Today my cousins came to help me with my house.”

Two of them were working on the framing on one side of the first floor. The other was putting a finish on the new cement foundation at the other end.

Judith smiled. “It’s coming along well.”

This house was in a more raw state than Pedro’s. Judith found herself drawn to the framing, running her hand along the wood. Again the feel of the grain impressed itself on her brain. Some latent instinct surfaced inside her. This wood wasn’t as good a quality as Pedro’s had been. She could tell simply by touch.

The men didn’t mind her presence, and she chatted with them, not willing yet to go outside and discover either the Mercedes man or Paul. She even helped, the men entrusting her with a
hammer and nails. When they took a break a short time later, she stayed on, with their permission, happily running a mixing rake through a large pan of water and concrete for the next step of cementing. She banged her finger against a wall stud in the process.

“Ouch! Damn, you son of a—” The growing pain suddenly burst like a light shattering, and she shoved her finger in her mouth, sucking on it to soothe the throbbing.

“
Perdone
.”

Judith whirled around. A man stood just inside the threshold of the room. He was dressed in a dark short-sleeve shirt and jeans. His face was hard despite a growing smile, and his eyes were harder, like black ice.

“Well, well. Judith Collier.”

Judith stepped back. Panic shot through her. She wished desperately that Paul were there to handle this man. But Paul wasn’t coming. She would have to handle this herself. “You’re mistaken.”

“No, I’m not. There are people wanting to see you back in San Diego.”

“I’m not available.”

“Don’t hand me crap, lady,” he snapped. “I’ve been all over this hellhole of a Baja looking for you.”

She swallowed, trying to calm herself. Okay, so she had finally been found. This wasn’t life or
death, the end of the world. She’d send this man back and then she would move on.

Only she didn’t want to move on.

Steeling herself to face reality, she said, “Tell my family I will see them at the board meeting. Not before.”

“I don’t think you get the point.” He reached behind him and brought out a small but very deadly-looking gun. “You’re going back. Now.”