His Sheltering Arms

Zach sucked in a deep breath. “Gil, how’s it going?”

“Fine. Don’t get up.”

Thank God for small favors. Zach couldn’t stand if he wanted. Not without losing his dignity.

Zach shot a glance in Erin’s direction. Her lips looked swollen and bruised from heated kisses. The red patch on her chin revealed the first signs of whisker burn. He had done that to her. That fact brought on another rush of excitement. Then came the guilt when he saw that the blush on her cheeks had faded, and she looked pale. His fault, too.

“Am I interrupting something?” Gil asked.

“Not really.”

Erin’s voice was amazingly calm, but Zach realized that only a fool wouldn’t notice her appearance. Gil was no fool, but he was a good friend. Gil wouldn’t say anything to embarrass either of them. Not in front of Erin, anyway.

“Ms. Brailey and I have been going over the security plans,” Zach said, affecting nonchalance.

Gil stroked his bearded chin like a pet. “Ah. Did you get a lot accomplished?”

Erin brushed her hair away from her face with one hand. “Yes, but we’re about ready to wrap it up. What did you need?”

“Actually, I have Zach’s contract. Thought you might want to go over the financial aspects. Since he’s here, I can review it with you both.”

Erin grabbed for her briefcase. “You guys can work it out. I need to get home. Check my messages. Feed the cat.”

Gil’s smile was cynical. “You don’t have a cat, Erin.”

“That’s right, I don’t. But you never can tell when one might show up on your doorstep. I really need to go.”

Zach stared at Erin. The little minx was bailing out on him. “Yeah, you do that, Ms. Brailey. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She strode toward the door. With a hand on the knob, she turned to face them both, but she looked at Zach. “Good night, Gil. And Mr. Miller, thanks for your time. See you around.”

“Have a good night,” Zach called as she headed out the door. “Enjoy your bath.”

Erin sent him a don’t-you-dare look as she closed the door.

Gil’s chuckle echoed in the barren room. “Damn, Miller, you don’t waste any time, do you?”

Zach decided playing dumb might be in his best interest. “There’s not much time to get the security kinks worked out.”

Gil leaned back against the table, arms crossed, legs stretched out in front of him. “Come off it. Erin’s all business. Under normal circumstances she’d insist on going over the contract with a fine-tooth comb. Obviously she’s all shook up. I have the distinct feeling that’s your fault.”

“She’s in a hurry. Probably ready for bed.”

“You both look ready for bed.” Gil laughed again. “You and Erin Brailey. What a match. Sorry I didn’t think of it.”

“You been drinking, Gil?” Zach hated the fact he sounded so defensive. He’d always been good at hiding his emotions.

“Your secret’s safe with me, Zach. But I tell you right now, you’re playing with fire if you’re playing with Erin.”

He’d already been scorched. “How so?”

Gil pulled out another chair and tossed a folder onto the table. “She’s a tough cookie. She comes from money. Big daddy used to be a state senator, and nothing’s more important than his little girl. He probably eats her boyfriends for lunch.”

Zach streaked a hand over his face and cursed his stupidity. “So Erin is the esteemed Robert Brailey’s daughter. What else do you know about her? Personally, I mean.”

“She’s driven, never been married. She did live with some guy for a while, an attorney in her father’s firm. I’d say she’s pretty much married to her work these days.”

That much Zach knew. “Then she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“No.” Gil’s lewd grin made another appearance. “Are you intending to bid for that job, too?”

“No way.” He didn’t sound all that confident. “I like her, but I don’t do relationships.”

“No, my man, that you don’t. I’ve known that since we were high school freshmen, and you were breaking all the girls’ hearts on a regular basis. But in spite of her father, you couldn’t do better than Erin. She’s sexy as hell. Smart, too.”

“No kidding,” Zach muttered. Yet tonight she hadn’t been too smart. But then how would she know that staying away from him would be the best thing for both of them?

Gil’s chuckle turned into a full-fledged laugh. “Looks to me like she has you by the jewels, Miller.”

“Where’s that damn contract?” Zach asked, refusing to admit Gil Parks was right on the money. Erin had him all right, he just wasn’t sure what she intended to do with him.

Erin had no idea what to do about him. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to clear her mind of Zach Miller.

Brushing her fingertips over her collarbone, she recalled the feel of his hands on her. His mouth on hers. Although the ceiling fan whirred above her and she wore nothing more than a frown, she might as well be decked out in a parka. She felt hot, restless, needy.

Rolling over, she buried her face in the satin-covered pillow. What had she been thinking to let things go so far? Better still, what did he think of her now?

She had never experienced such a total loss of restraint. She had never so much as held hands with anyone in a professional setting. Not even Warren. Not that Warren would have ever considered doing something so spontaneous. During their two years together, he had barely touched her in public. They had been professional people living professional lives. Somehow she had fallen in love with him, anyway, or at least she’d thought she had. He’d used that to his advantage, taking what she could give him—more accurately, what her father could give him—and then eventually left her behind when she couldn’t live up to his ideal of the proper attorney’s wife.

Zach seemed different. More down-to-earth. Strong and sensual. A man who knew how to kiss a woman. How to caress a woman. A man in control. The type of man she had vowed to avoid from now on. She needed to be in control.

Still, she itched to get beneath his skin and find out his secrets. After his confrontation with the detective, she had witnessed his anger. Later she’d seen sadness in his dark eyes. Despite his tough facade, she sensed his compassion. Not many men would provide a service to a women’s shelter without garnering any profit for their fledgling company. She wondered if he had some other motivating force. She wanted to find out.

She’d call him tomorrow. Maybe even apologize for her reckless behavior. Truth was, she wasn’t at all sorry. And if she had it to do all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing. That was a dangerous concept. She could stand to lose a lot, namely her heart.

No, she wouldn’t allow that. If anything happened between her and Zach Miller, it wouldn’t go beyond the physical. She did want him, she couldn’t deny that. And apparently he wanted her, too. So what was wrong with indulging in a little physical gratification? They were both consenting adults. And it had been a very long time.

Then something occurred to her. What if Zach withdrew his offer because of what was happening between them? He didn’t look too pleased when she’d left him alone with Gil. Surely he wouldn’t. But how could she be certain?

She couldn’t wait until morning to make the call. She would never get any sleep unless she knew things were okay between them and she hadn’t compromised her plans for the shelter.

Glancing at the clock, she realized it was nearing midnight. But Zach had said he was a night person. If her hunch was correct, he was probably still up.

Midnight came and Zach was still up, in many respects. He’d downed his second cup of coffee in the comfort of his well-worn leather lounger and was starting on his third.

The monotonous tick of the clock broke the silence in his apartment. He considered turning on the stereo and immersing himself in the mournful sounds of a saxophone. But he wasn’t in the mood for music. What he was in the mood for required a more hands-on approach.

Yeah, thanks to Erin Brailey he couldn’t fall asleep even if his mental health depended on it. Luckily he didn’t require much rest. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to get much in the nights to come unless he made a conscious effort to get her out of his system. What that entailed he had no idea.