Page 29 of Devil's Due

The sound McCarthy made at the first bite of pizza was like a man in the throes of—well, ecstasy. “Oh, God,” he murmured. “That’s just … unbelievable. Sorry, but you’ve got no idea how many nights I thought about—”

“Pizza?” She kept her voice cool and amused. “I’d imagine there were other things to think about.”

He chewed and swallowed. Gave a Cheshire cat smile. “Pizza’s the one I’m willing to talk about.”

“Careful, Mr. McCarthy. I’m not on the menu.”

“No question about that. Shit, I can’t even afford the pizza.” He blinked, and before she could feel even the first impulse to take offense, said, “And I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

She had to laugh, because his expression was priceless. “Don’t worry. My dignity is hardly that fragile.”

“I meant—”

“I know what you meant. Enjoy the food.”

He did, wordlessly, letting out involuntary sounds now and then that strongly reminded her of other things he might have missed, during his time in Ellsworth. Which made her skin prickle and made her pulse thud faster.No. This is strictly dinner. Nothing more.

She was good at self-deception. It was why she had always been so damn good at undercover work.

He kept on watching her, as he made his way through his second beer and last slice of pizza, stealing glances when he thought she wasn’t looking. She felt them like feathery touches on her skin. Her glass was dry; she debated opening another soft drink, then decided to have a beer herself. She went to the refrigerator to pull one free.

“No,” he said flatly, and reached past her to close his hand around hers. She resisted the urge to drive her elbow back into his gut, mainly because the warmth of him, leaning against her, undid all her reflexes. “You’re on antibiotics. No beer.”

“What are you, my doctor?”

“Depends,” he said. He was still pressed against her, his hand hot around hers. “Do you need examining?” His voice had dropped to a low, dark-velvet whisper, warm against the back of her neck.

She needed a whole lot of things, and it shocked her, the depth of that need. How long had it been? Nearly a year, she realized, since that business in Dallas that had turned out such a mess. Not a good memory, though the sex … no, even the sex hadn’t been worth that. McCarthy made her body come alive in ways she wasn’t prepared to deal with—nerves hot and tingling, skin tight and sensitive to every touch, every breath he took.

She could say no to a lot of things, and a hell of a lot of men. It came to her as an inescapable fact that she simply couldn’t say no to Ben McCarthy.

The beer bottle slipped back into its place in the door of the refrigerator, and his fingers moved over hers, warm where hers were cold and trembling. Then he traced the sensitive inner side of her arm, his fingertips drawing a line of heat to her elbow, then around. He brushed her hair back in one slow, feather-soft motion, and let out his breath in a sigh that moved, moist and possessive, over her skin, across her throat. She felt her knees going weak. Her pulse pounded torturously fast.I can have this. I deserve this. Just this once. I know it’s not smart. I don’t care.

Without any warning, he stepped back. Far back. Cold air crept along her skin, an arctic chill, and she felt the gooseflesh he’d given her for entirely different reasons tighten in response. She shut the fridge door and turned to look.

He was walking away, his back to her, beer in his hand. Walking to the windows, where he stood staring out at the city lights and swigging beer as if his life depended on it.

“Ben …”

He tipped the bottle up and sucked down the last of the foam, then set the empty down on a table. He picked up the plastic bag that held his personal items.

When his voice sounded, it was rough and abrupt. Hard-edged. “Do they call cabs, your guys downstairs?”

“I can drive you—”

“No.”

She pressed her hands to the hard marble of the countertop and willed herself—commandedherself—back to some kind of professional demeanor. There was nothing she could do about the rate of her breathing, or the flush in her cheeks, or the dilation of her pupils. But she could ignore it. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, they can call a cab for you.”

“Set it up, would you? I need—” He swallowed convulsively and drew the back of his hand across his mouth. “I need to pick up my car. It’s getting late. And even though this motel promises to keep the light on, I’d better …” He was at a loss for words. She could sense the turmoil in him. He made an effort to put some nonchalance back in his voice. “Besides, I probably have some television viewing to catch up on. Any suggestions?”

She briefly entertained a few suggestions, but they were anatomically impossible. “You seem to enjoy baseball.”

“Yeah, love it. Baseball, Mom, apple pie, though come to think of it, I always preferred peach …” He was rattled, terribly off balance, and she imagined this was something of a new experience for him. She watched him visibly take control. “You’ve been really kind to a down-and-out excon. Thanks.”

It hadn’t been kindness. He knew that, and she wasn’t willing to humiliate herself by pointing it out. “Any time,” she said. Her lips felt numb and cold. “You’ll watch your back?”

“Sure. Watch yours. And—” His eyes met hers, blue and limitless and blind with the same yearning she felt. “You take care of yourself. You heard the doc. Any fever …”

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