Page 39 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
“Is there anything I can do?” Lily asked.
“Nah.” Tim took the crock from her and set it on the counter. “It’s nothing to be concerned about. Robbie’s got her.”
Sure enough, Robbie came back in with Reagan a few moments later. The young girl’s eyes were still wet, but she gave Cassidy a brave smile when her sister called her name and thrust her wand out. Tim put the little girl on the floor, and she immediately toddled over to Reagan and put her arms around her, patting her on the back with little hands. Their sweet hug was heartfelt and endearing, the comfort in the embrace making Lily’s heart turn over.
“They really are the sweetest kids,” Tim said, coming up to stand beside her. “The wand idea was a great one, Summer. Thanks. I’m going to get a lot of mileage out of that if it rains tomorrow and we’re stuck inside. I might even see if my seniors enjoy it.”
He was trying to comfort her in his own way, and that was also sweet. She kissed his cheek softly. “Thank you, Tim. That made me feel a little better.”
“Good.” Tim was about to put a hand on her shoulder in camaraderie, but he stopped, and she was surprised to see Robbie was cutting him a hard look. “Aha. The green-eyed monster doth appear.I’ll just go and check on my other brother. Girls, come on, let’s show our other fair companions this eve our crowns and wands.”
Breaking apart, Cassidy rushed over to grab Miss Rosie while Reagan shot Lily a sad smile before following them out onto the patio. Billie didn’t seem to notice them until Tim dropped Cassidy gently in his lap, breaking the intense conversation he and Sheila were having over their nearly drunk margaritas.
“You have nothing to feel bad about,” Robbie said, pulling her gaze back to him. “It was an innocent comment. I wouldn’t have guessed Reagan would react like that. She’s been happy to be on this adventure since it started, but she’s clearly missing her mom more than she’s let on. That’s all to say that Tim doesn’t need to be comforting you. I’ve got a perfectly good shoulder here.”
So hewasjealous? Interesting. “I hate knowing I did or said something to make a child cry. I didn’t know my question would lead to her mom. Is she going to be coming here—like Cassidy hoped?”
Finally, she could ask a question that related directly to their case, although she hated to admit she was tempted to make use of his shoulder. For completely different reasons…
His gaze shuttered. “Like I said, you didn’t do anything wrong, so let’s drop the whole thing. Don’t make me grab Tim again so he can spout off some more Shakespeare crap to get you to smile.”
She wasn’t pleased by his evasion, but she couldn’t push on whether Tara was coming to join them. “Your brother is a very nice man.”
“Everyone says he’s the nicest of the O’Connor boys for sure. But no one’s perfect, as the Shakespeare thing proves.”
Did he think she was suddenly into Tim? “When I say he’s nice, it’s a compliment. I imagine he’d be fun to hang out with.”
He crossed his arms, his muscles flexing with tension. “He’s seeing someone.”
She closed her mouth, trying not to laugh. “I’m not interested in Tim, Robbie. You don’t need to wave me off. There aren’t many truly nice men in the world, and he’s one of them. I bet he’d make a good friend. That’s all I meant. I’m sorry if that ticked you off.”
Picking up her wine, she heard him exhale like an angry beast. “I must be losing my—I’m glad you clarified that, because I was getting pissed thinking you’d started liking my baby brother.”
His mouth moved like he was clearly fighting with himself and that green-eyed monster inside. My, how that gave her a warm little buzz.
“Over me,” he added in a husky voice, giving her a slow once-over.
She felt the punch of his honesty. Her pulse turned thready in response to the shot of hot awareness between them. “We’re on the same page,” she rasped out, letting her gaze drift and linger over his strong, hard jaw down to his wide, broad chest.
Checking him out is part of my cover. There’s no reason not to make it look believable.
God, she was lying to herself. Her personal feelings had woven their way into this assignment since the first day she’d seen him.
He was staring at her when she looked up, his blue eyes smoldering. “I hate to say this, but we aren’t on the same page. I’m on vacation with two young girls who are in my care. I’m not here for any complications. I mean this as a compliment, to use your phrase, but you, Summer, are one giant complication.”
Her chest grew tight and she fought for breath. This was her response to him as a woman—nothing undercover about it. “I didn’t come here looking for anything either. You surprised me.”
That was honest at least.
He crossed the kitchen until he was standing inches away from her. “I’m old enough to know better. So even though I want to kiss you right now, I’m not going to. We have an audience for one, and second, I have a feeling I’m not going to want to stop.”
That arrested all the oxygen in her lungs. His hungry gaze ran over her face again. His hands fisted at his sides, as if he was fighting the pull to touch her. She could feel the heat from his skin and wished she could lift her hand and touch him. But she couldn’t cross that line either. “Then we’re agreed. This would be stupid.”
“The stupidest.” His voice dipped to a sexy whisper, and from the way his eyes hovered on her mouth, she knew he was imagining all of the stupid things he wanted to do to her. She could suddenly see him lifting her onto the kitchen counter and stepping between her legs, all hard man and muscle.
She took a step back. “I should go and…see how…” She stopped herself from saying Sheila’s name. Wanting to slap herself for her near mistake, she walked swiftly to the patio door and let herself out.
The warm humid air only made her more aware of her hot cheeks. God, she was flushed. Sheila looked up immediately from canoodling with Billie, who was holding Cassidy on his lap.
