Page 45 of Unstable

His hand landed on her knee, then slid further up her thigh until it rested beneath the hem of her sundress. She sucked in a breath as his fingers drew little circles over her flesh, goosebumps exploding in their wake. “Keep it up, and you’re going to push me too far.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and her anger dissipated into thin air at his low spoken words. She opened her mouth to speak, but the pretty waitress materialized beside their table before she had the chance.

“Can I get you any dessert?”

“No, thanks,” Roman replied smoothly, a glint in his eyes. “I think my wife has something waiting for me at home.”

Irina was caught somewhere between shock and laughter, and she watched in bemusement as the waitress’s cheeks flared bright red. With a curt nod, she slid the checkbook onto the table. “Have a nice night.”

“Oh, we will.” Roman’s voice was filled with promise—though Irina knew that couldn’t bode well for her. She shifted on his lap, away from pinching fingers, and pressed her lips together to contain a smile as Gabi flew back to the kitchen.

As soon as she was gone, Irina turned back to him. “Wow. I wish I’d thought of that.”

He smiled, a pair of dimples carving small crescents into his cheeks. “Happy now?”

A sudden realization caught Irina off guard. She was happy. Most of the men she’d dated, especially in the music industry, had thrived on the attention they received from people. It was nice to see a man stand up for her, even if he was only pretending. “Thank you.”

His chin dipped in a nod, but she felt the need to explain. “No, really. I appreciate it. Anyone else I’ve dated would’ve flirted right back, maybe even gotten her number to call her later.”

Blue eyes stared into hers. “Then you haven’t been with the right men.”

Heat flared around her heart, sliding through her chest, then slithering lower until it pooled in her core. She held his gaze, unable to tear herself away as she slowly shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

Roman held out his hand. “Come walk with me?”

“At night?” She darted a quick look toward the beach before slipping her palm into his. “Are we allowed to do that?”

He managed to bite back a smile. “Nothing that says we can’t,” he replied. “Wait till you see the moonlight on the water. You’re gonna love it.”

He helped her off his lap then stood, reveling in the feel of her slender fingers in his. It was a terrible idea, but one he hadn’t been able to talk himself out of. She was just a job, and their time together would be over just as soon as the police found her stalker. According to Knox’s last message, they were investigating a few new leads, one of which sounded promising.

He wasn’t sure how much time he and Irina actually had left, so he wanted to make sure she enjoyed every minute. He tried to focus on her and not the disappointment that had settled like lead in his gut. He knew this was all for show, but he couldn’t help how right it felt to have her by his side.

He slipped several bills into the folio on the table and tucked her sunglasses into the neckline of his shirt. Tightening his fingers around hers, he tugged her toward the wide steps that led down to the beach. At the bottom, he pulled her to a stop and motioned for her to remove her shoes. He held her hand while she bent over to remove first one sandal, then the other. No matter how stupid it was, he couldn’t force himself to let go of her.

A smile curved his mouth at the sight of her stepping out of her sandals. The little brat had been playing footsie with him under the table. At first, he thought it was an accident, so he’d pretended he hadn’t even noticed. But then she hadn’t moved. He’d been tempted to reach under the table and pull her foot into his lap, to show her exactly what she was doing to him.

She straightened, and he took the shoes from her, letting them dangle from his fingertips as he propelled her onto the sand, still slightly warm from the sun. He watched her expression light up as she took in the moonlight rippling over the ocean. “It’s so beautiful.”

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. “It is,” he agreed, not referring to the ocean at all. She darted a look at him, and he swore he could see her cheeks flare pink at his implication. He squeezed her hand. “Want to walk down to the water?”

“Sure.”

Hand in hand, they picked their way across the sand down to the edge of the surf. She jumped back as the cool water lapped over her toes. He reluctantly released her as she began to look for stray shells buried in the sand.

“It’s better to look for them after high tide,” he said. “The ocean brings all the shells in at high tide, then leaves them when it goes back out.”

“Can we come back when—” Her question was cut short as she let out a little squeak of surprise. “Oh, my God! What was that?”

The weight of her petite body slammed into him, her arms and legs winding around him like a vine. Already scanning for whatever had frightened her, he scooped her into his arms, lifting her easily against his chest. Still holding her tightly, he turned, checking every direction, searching the darkness. Seeing nothing, he dipped his head to look her in the eye. “What’s wrong?”

One arm curled around his neck, she pointed at the ground, her words shaky. “I don’t know. Something ran over my foot.”

He glanced down in time to see a handful of white creatures burrow back into the sand, and relief poured through him. “Probably just a ghost crab.”