Bachelor Unclaimed

What? Did he actually think she had come here looking for him? He moved closer and drew her to him again, intending to get another kiss. She shoved him away. “I didn’t come here for this … or for you.”

She could actually see the look of surprise in the dark depths of his eyes. “You didn’t?”

“Of course not.”

He lifted a brow. “Of course not?”

“Yes,” she said straightening her blouse and tucking it back inside her jeans and then smoothing her hair. “Why would you think such a thing?”

Why indeed? Winston thought, leaning back against the brick wall and regarding her intently. He liked the way she did that, fluff all that hair from her face with a single flick of her wrist. He thought she looked good in jeans, just as good as she had in a dress. Almost. He liked seeing her legs. But then, it seemed that no matter what she put on those luscious curves of hers, it could set his body on fire.

“Well?”

He glanced away from those curves and up to her face. “Well, what?”

She placed her hands on her hips and shifted her legs in one of those I’m-ready-to-take-you-on stances. “What made you think I came here looking for you? In fact, that night, you led me to believe you weren’t from Hilton Head.”

Winston placed his arms across his chest. “I’m not. This is Barrett Shores, an island separate from Hilton Head. And it’s private property and you’re here uninvited. Sex was good between us that night, so what else am I to think other than you came looking for me?”

Ainsley frowned. The man had an oversize ego. She had no intentions of stroking it by agreeing to how good the sex was. “I’m not here to see you. I’m here to see Dr. Chambers.”

He dropped his hands to his side, straightened from the wall and lifted a brow. “Dr. Chambers?”

“Yes.”

After pausing a moment, he asked, “And what is your business with him?”

She narrowed her eyes. “What are you, his bodyguard?”

Winston inwardly smiled. She didn’t know just how close to the truth that was. “Yes, I’m his bodyguard and you need to state your business with me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She then opened the small pouch around her neck and pulled out a business card. “Here. Now if you’ll just let him know I’d like to meet with him, I would appreciate it.”

Winston studied the card she handed him. Ainsley St. James, News Reporter, The New York Times. He glanced back at her. Ainsley? Her real name was Ainsley? He smiled, liking it already.

“What’s so funny?” she asked in a waspish tone.

He wiped the smile off this face. “Nothing.”

He then glanced back down at the card … at her occupation again. She was a reporter? Aw, hell. Winston immediately thought about his brother Evan who’d played in the NFL. A couple years back Evan had fallen for some reporter who had only wanted a story. She had pretended affection for Evan while doing an exposé on NFL players’ use of steroids. Although Evan’s reputation hadn’t gotten damaged by the story, several of his teammates’ had and he’d felt partly to blame. Winston recalled his brother’s pain at the woman’s betrayal and he had made up in his mind after that episode to never get involved with a reporter.

He glanced back at her and slid the business card in the pocket of his shirt. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to your car,” he said, taking hold of her arm.

She dug in her heels. “Wait! I can’t leave yet. I told you I’m here to see Dr. Chambers.”

“He doesn’t want to see you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “How would you know?”

“I know because he doesn’t do reporters.”

“I understand that. I also know he’s gone to great lengths to keep his whereabouts hidden and all.”

“Yes, he has,” Winston replied, and then one dark brow rose. “And that has me wondering how you found him.”

She blew out a deep breath. “Surely you don’t expect me to expose my sources.”

“Yes, I do. Either to me or Chambers. Either way he won’t see you.”

“Then I want to hear it from him.”

“He’s busy.”

“I’ll wait. You’re his bodyguard, not his spokesman.”

Winston chuckled as he leaned back against the wall again. “He values anything I tell him, trust me.” Every muscle in his body went rigid when a suspicion Winston didn’t like floated across his mind. Had she been on to him that night? He looked at her and frowned. “That night you told me you were in Hilton Head on a vacation.”