Kiss Me If You Can (9 page)

But an unexpected thing had happened after
wards. He'd looked into his daughter's and granddaughter's eyes and realized that he wasn't the same man who'd stolen from the rich all those years ago. He'd raised his family with morals and decency and, dammit, he felt guilty now for taking something that didn't belong to him.

Wearing gloves, he bundled up the laptop in plain brown wrapping, protected it in bubble wrap, boxed it and headed to the busiest post office in Manhattan. He disguised himself with a toupee, which gave him a full head of hair again, a walking stick and sunglasses. He'd asked a stranger to address the box for him. Paying cash, he mailed the laptop back to the reporter, alleviating his guilt somewhat.

Then he returned home with the same two problems he'd had when he started. The ring was still out there, waiting to lead some smart person back to him. And so were his accomplices.

“I
T WAS NICE
of Sara to let me stay with her until you came home,” Lexie said as they walked into his place.

He tossed his keys onto the console table and locked the door behind them.

“I hope she didn't make you too uncomfortable.” He knew how Sara could get when she was in an inquisitive mood.

“I'm a big girl. I can handle myself.” Lexie treated him to a smile he recognized as forced.

In the short time he'd known her, he'd come to expect her relaxed grins and easy laughs. She wasn't feeling at ease now. “Meaning she grilled you mercilessly, like the cop she is?”

Lexie paused a beat. “Let's just say she saw fit to lay down the law.” She glanced away, her gaze falling on the table by the couch in the living room. “Is that a new laptop?” she asked, obviously changing the subject.

He'd have to find out what Sara said another
time. “That's
my
laptop. Stolen the other night and returned in the office mail today. Another reason I was late. I had to wait for the cops to dust it for prints and check it over. Not that they expect to find anything.”

She glanced back at him. Behind the frames, her eyes opened wide. “Get out. Whoever stole it sent it back?”

He nodded. “Sounds strange to me, too, and I write this stuff for a living. I thought for sure the hard drive had been wiped clean or the whole thing taken apart piece by piece and sold for scrap.”

She strode over to the table where he'd put the computer. “Do you mind if I take a look?”

“Of course not, but why?”

Lexie sat down on the couch and popped open the top. “Because I want to make sure nobody installed a Trojan horse or hidden spyware of any kind while it was out of your possession.”

He cocked an eyebrow, impressed with her way of thinking. “Never thought of that.”

She grinned. “That's what you have me for.”

The impact of her words and her genuine sunny smile kicked him in the gut. She was so easy to be around, so happy and adorable, he couldn't believe how fast he was falling. Deadly for him in the long run, but he couldn't bring himself to worry beyond now if it meant giving her up before he had to.

“You do your thing and I'll put the food out for us. I hope you like Chinese.”

“Love it,” she said without looking up from the computer. Already engrossed in her task.

As he set the table with the plates he'd put together from his father's bar, he realized this was the first time he'd had any woman over for dinner—and he couldn't even serve the meal on a matched set. Though the guest in question didn't have an apartment of her own and he figured she wouldn't mind, it bugged him anyway. Wait till she realized his sheets and pillowcases weren't much better, he thought wryly, and decided the only solution was to keep her too busy in bed to care.

“How's it going over there?” he asked when he'd finished arranging the white boxes on the kitchen table.

She muttered something he couldn't hear.

“Say that again?”

“I said, why can't the world all convert to using Macs? Everything takes longer and is harder on a PC.”

“So I'm a PC and you're a Mac. Is that a deal breaker for you?” he teased.

She blew out a breath of air, lifting her hair, which had fallen over her face. “Nah. I think I can live with it. At a glance it looks like your computer is
clean, but I'm letting it run a full check just to be sure, which will take a while.”

“Thanks. I never remember to do that stuff on my own.”

“I figured. I'm also updating your virus software and installing some other free programs to keep this thing running well.”

Listening to her explain, he couldn't control a laugh. “Did anyone ever tell you you're cute when you talk geek?”

She grinned. “Not in so many words, no.”

He waved her away from the computer. “You can finish that later. Come eat. I've kept you waiting long enough.”

She jumped up and joined him at the table. As it turned out, Lexie loved Chinese food. He'd clearly chosen well and her eyes danced with delight as she opened each white box and took a sampling of each. She even ate with the chopsticks provided, while he used a fork.

She devoured the meal with a gusto that impressed him. She had quite an appetite and wasn't embarrassed to show it. A refreshing change from the women around the office who picked at steamed vegetables for lunch or those he'd had relationships with who'd order an appetizer and call it dinner. Cheap dates, but annoying to be with.

Lexie insisted on helping clean up and they con
tinued the small talk that came so easily to them both. He'd already filled her in on his long three days and she'd done the same. Since she hadn't mentioned the blog, he figured she hadn't seen the photo of them kissing. No time like the present to break it to her, Coop thought.

“So how's your grandmother?” he asked, leading into the subject.

She perched her hip against the counter near the sink. “Odd,” she said.

“Odder than usual?”

Her lips pursed in a wry smile. “Believe it or not, yes. She and Sylvia always seem to have their heads together over the computer. She barely knows how to use it when I'm around, yet she's always on the thing. And they're whispering. A lot more than usual.”

She passed him the plates to rinse and put in the dishwasher.

“I'm not surprised.”

Lexie hesitated. “Why?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

“Seems we're making headlines again.” He described the picture of them in the blog and waited for her to draw her own conclusion.

“Kissing,” she said, her cheeks taking on an adorable flush. “So that would be alone here or…at my grandmother's. I'm going to throttle her!” Lexie said, her voice rising.

He shouldn't laugh, but couldn't help it. “Come on, you have to admit it's funny. Your grandmother's got nerve.”

Lexie shook her head. “She's got me teaching her how to use the computer while she's snapping cell phone pictures and e-mailing them like a pro!”

He chuckled again. “At least she keeps herself busy.”

Lexie rolled her eyes. “She's still in for a lecture about minding her own business and respecting my personal life,” she muttered.

“Go easy on her.” This time he held back the laugh.

“Maybe I ought to call her now.” She glanced toward his telephone on the counter corner.

“Or maybe you should wait until you've calmed down?”

She moved her lips as if she were counting to ten. “You've got a point,” she said at last. “I'll talk to her tomorrow. By the way, did you know your answering machine light is flashing?” she asked, tipping her head toward the phone and attached machine.

He hadn't noticed. He'd been too preoccupied with thoughts of finally seeing Lexie again. “I must have forgotten to check when I came in earlier. I guess I was too caught up looking for you,” he said, hoping to take her mind off her troublemaking grandmother and put it back on them.

He stepped in front of her, reaching over and
hitting the play button on the answering machine. His hand not-so-accidentally brushed her chest, grazing her breast through the light cotton shirt.

She sucked in a surprised breath.

Mission accomplished, he thought, pleased with how her eyes dilated, awareness and desire shimmering in their depths.

He'd spent dinner trying not to think about sex with Lexie, focusing instead on learning more about her and just enjoying. But now the leashed desire had been brought to the surface and he could barely breathe from wanting her.

Suddenly a male voice from the answering machine interrupted the sizzling moment.

“This is Ricky Burnett calling again,” the gravelly voice said. “Did ya change your mind about returning my ring? I'll give you a cash reward for saving my daughter instead. You can find me at the store most days so stop by any time. It's got sentimental value and I want my ring back!”

“Don't hold your breath.” Coop frowned at the man's words.

“He asked if you changed your mind,” Lexie said, processing the message. “Has he bothered you about giving back the ring before?”

“Just once. Obviously, I said no.”

Lexie narrowed her gaze. She couldn't think clearly with him standing so close, but with her back
against the counter and his big body blocking hers, she couldn't step away. Nor did she want to. Every nerve ending inside her thrummed in anticipation of the kiss she'd been sure he was about to give before Ricky Burnett's message interrupted them.

Still, she wasn't about to let sexual desire fog her brain. “When was this?” she asked of Ricky's request for the ring.

“The day you and I met up at my father's bar. And before you get all righteously angry, I wasn't holding out on you. Back then I barely knew you. And I didn't think about it until after the robbery and we were interrupted by hurricane Charlotte,” he said, rushing the words, clearly on the defensive.

He'd anticipated her complaint and she relaxed a little more. He wasn't deliberately trying to shut her out of things.

“So it was before this place was broken into?”

“Yeah, which makes him my number-one suspect, since he obviously couldn't know I had the ring in my pocket the first time he called and asked for it back. Maybe when I said no he decided to try to retrieve it himself.”

“And when he didn't find the ring here, he took the laptop… Why?” she wondered aloud.

“To make it look like a legit robbery is my best guess,” Coop said.

“Then why return it?”

He shrugged. “Beats me. That part makes no sense.”

She pursed her lips, racking her brain for motive and finding none. Of course, with Coop's hard thighs pressed against hers, pushing her into the counter and arousing her more, it was difficult to focus on the robbery.

“What did the police say when you told them about Ricky and the ring?” Lexie managed to ask.

“I didn't tell them. At least not yet.” He shifted positions and she felt the swell of his erection against her stomach. His irises darkened, too, telling her he was every bit as aware of his actions as she was.

Lexie swallowed hard. “Why not?”

He braced one hand on the counter behind her. “Because I had the ring appraised and it
is
stolen property.”

“Then why didn't the appraiser jump to call the police?”

“Let's just say he owes me.”

Lexie nodded slowly. “Okay, and if you tell the police?”

“Then they'll begin to look into the history of the ring, find out it's stolen property and we'll both lose it before we ever figure out the mystery,” he explained.

“Aah. Makes sense.”

“I thought so.” He wrapped the other hand around her waist.

Her heartbeat picked up rhythm and her breasts grew heavy beneath her light halter. But somehow she retrieved the thought that had been niggling at the back of her mind.

“You know, when Ricky was speaking, I thought it was odd that he didn't mention that your apartment had been broken into. For all he knows, maybe the ring had been stolen, yet he didn't say a word! It's the first thing I asked about—after inquiring if
you
were okay, of course.”

“Yes, I remember your worrying about my welfare.” He grinned. “As for Ricky, maybe he didn't know about the robbery.”

“It's been all over the news. You're the Bachelor!” she said, unable to control a laugh. “And his store has been mentioned in every recent article about you. I can't imagine him missing the break-in.”

“True.” Coop nodded slowly. “So if we play this out, if Ricky is the culprit, then he wouldn't mention the robbery because he wouldn't want to bring it up and have me link him with it in any way.”

“That's what I'm thinking. I'm also thinking we need to go talk to this guy in person,” Lexie said. She still held out hope that somehow the ring would end up in her possession as a gift for her grandmother. But she couldn't think beyond the here and now.

Her entire body tingled in anticipation of his first real touch.

“How about we go check out the store first thing tomorrow when it opens?” Coop asked.

She nodded. “I'm in.”

“Yeah. I thought you would be.” He tipped his head until his forehead touched hers. Behind her, his thumb brushed lazy circles on her bare back. “The question is, What are we going to do with ourselves until tomorrow?”

“Oh, I can think of plenty of things to keep us busy,” Lexie murmured.

Because she was finished talking, thinking or doing anything except this. She cupped her hands around his face and sealed her lips against his, effectively ending all conversation, hopefully for a good, long time.

 

C
OOP HADN'T MEANT
for the answering machine message to be foreplay, but that's exactly what happened. While he and Lexie bounced ideas off each other as if they'd worked together before, he'd driven himself into a heated frenzy. And judging by the way she'd beaten him to the first kiss, he'd done the same to her.

She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled him against her, nibbling at him with her delicate mouth and tongue, urgent and insistent yet utterly feminine.

He groaned, unable to hold back the sound, then slid his hands around her waist, picked her up and settled her onto the clean countertop.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her cheeks flushed and her lips damp.

“Giving myself easier access,” he said in a gruff voice he barely recognized.

“To what?”

“You. This.” He thanked the good Lord for the easy tops women wore in the summertime as he pulled the sides of her halter toward the center, revealing her bare,
braless
breasts for view.