Page 39 of Lay Down the Law

CHAPTER 7

“What is it, Em?” Nick winced at the sound of his voice. Hoarse, breathless, it sounded as if he’d swallowed a chunk of concrete.

The older woman stood twenty feet away, her hands on her hips, looking at him as if he’d just landed his spaceship at the end of the driveway. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said primly.

Nick didn’t move. He couldn’t get any closer, not without her noticing his state of arousal. “You didn’t interrupt anything,” he said.

“Uh-huh.”

Uncomfortable, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “McNeal and I were just talking.”

“I figured it was something like that.” Mrs. Thornsberry clucked her tongue. “Steph asked for you.”

Concern and a hefty jab of guilt stabbed through him. His daughter had been upset. She needed him. And here he was making out with one of his deputies in the driveway.

“Is she all right?” he asked quickly.

“She’s fine. She’s waiting for you out by the garage.”

“By the garage?” It was nearly her bedtime. What was she doing out by the garage?

“Good night, Nick,” the nanny said.

Feeling like a kid who’d just ticked off his mom and would have hell to pay in the coming days, he watched her walk away.

“I’ve got to go.”

Nick turned at the sound of Erin’s voice. She stood next to her cruiser, her eyes dark and cautious in the moonlight, her lips glistening. He could still feel the pressure of her mouth against his, recall the sweet smell of her breath, the scent of her hair. The memory sent another rush of blood to his groin.

What had he done? Why did he keep making the same mistake over and over when it came to this woman? She wasn’t right for him. She wasn’t right for Steph. Erin was wild and impulsive and would end up breaking both their hearts. So why couldn’t he keep his hands off her?

“Uh…” Nick resisted the urge to rearrange himself. He was still painfully aroused, his body screaming for release. He was going to have to start dating. Take up running. Cold showers. Maybe he’d just shoot himself in the foot. Anything but get involved with Erin McNeal.

“Steph asked for me,” he said. “I’ve got to go.”

Without speaking, Erin opened the car door and slipped inside. Nick approached, not sure what he was going to say, knowing he couldn’t let what had just happened between them go without explanation. “McNeal.”

She slammed the car door, then lowered the window. “Tell Steph I’m sorry about the basketball, will you, Nick?”

“Sure.” He leaned down. “Erin…”

“You don’t have to say it.” She started the engine.

Nick figured he didn’t have a choice but to say what needed to be said. “This can’t happen again.”

“I know. I shouldn’t have come here tonight.”

He grimaced. “Probably not.”

Her flinch was barely perceptible, but Nick saw it, and he hated that she was paying the price for his own lack of control.

“I’m turning the remainder of your training over to Hector,” he said. “I think we should steer clear of each other for a while. This isn’t fair to either of us.” He wasn’t exactly sure what “this” was, but knew it was something they shouldn’t be partaking in, no matter how good she felt in his arms.

“Of course. I agree.” She said the words a little too quickly and with a little too much enthusiasm.

Nick didn’t want to debate the issue. His body sure didn’t agree, but he let the statement stand. Straightening, he stepped away from the car. Without looking at him, she put the car in gear and drove away.

He watched the taillights disappear, aware that his heart was beating too fast, that his palms were wet with sweat. He refused to believe anything had happened between them that didn’t have to do with hormones or three years of celibacy. Nothing happened, he told himself. Not a damn thing.