Excerpt of Guarded Star by Christine Ashworth

Evie sat back, crossed her arms. “I know you like wearing suits, but I didn’t think someone who could kiss the way you do could be so damned stuffy.” Amusement warred with irritation in her voice.

“I’m not stuffy.” God, he sounded stuffy.

“You are. You’re nervous, too. Why?”

His overriding concern spilled out. “Because I got married just a few weeks after my dad died. I know how grief can alter a young person’s reality, how something you’d never normally do suddenly seems the height of rationality. I want to spare you those mistakes.” Jake’s heart thumped hard, the sound loud in is ears.

Evie ducked her head so he couldn’t see her face. For a long minute, she didn’t say a word. She took a breath, blew it out. Shook her head.

“Wow. You want to spare me. From what? Ravishing you? Proposing? Planning a wedding?” She shoved off the bed and went to the door. There she hesitated and turned just a little back toward him. “If you’re not careful, they’ll be asking you for your AARP card at the movies soon. And for the record? If you were trying to talk me out of having sex with you, you’ve succeeded.” The door closed behind her with a decided snick of temper.

Good. She was gone.

Damn it. Jake jumped out of the bed, cursing under his breath. He rummaged for a pair of jeans and tugged them on over his hardening cock, doing up most of the buttons on the fly but not bothering with a shirt. She was the most frustrating, sexy, infuriating, sexy, confusing woman he’d ever met. He flung his door open and, seeing light from down the hallway, headed to the kitchen where she had pulled the leftover pizza out of the fridge and set it on the island countertop.

He stopped, keeping the island between them, his temper sizzling. “I wasn’t trying to talk you out of having sex. We haven’t even gotten to the part where we can talk each other into having sex. I am dead serious. I know what it’s like to have the stable force in your life suddenly disappear. I know how rocked your world is right now. I don’t want to add to that.”

She gripped the edge of the counter. Emotion swirled in her dark eyes. “Tell me this. Did you know who I was on the beach last night?”

“What? No. Of course not.” Offended, he slapped the counter. “Do you think I was spying on you?”

She cut him off with a gesture. “Just wait. Why didn’t you follow me? I invited you. I could have sworn I was going to see you very soon, walking up to the bonfire, looking for me. Why didn’t you show? If you had, we’d have already had sex and gotten it over with.”

His desire and his temper flared. “Not that I have to explain, but okay. First off, I don’t do one-night stands. Second, I was starting a new job the next day. I didn’t know how long I’d be gone, or how long the job would last. That is no way to start a relationship, so I relegated you to a fantasy and let it go. Third, us already having had sex would not have made tonight any easier. I don’t know where you got that idea.”

Her eyes widened. “You labeled me a fantasy?”

Heat burned through him. “Did we share that amazing kiss under the moonlight? That was you in the electric blue bikini, right?” He watched as she swallowed hard. God, he wanted her.

Her breath came a little faster. “Yes. That was me.”

“Okay then. Okay.” He took a breath and wiped his face with one hand. He needed to dial it back or he’d be stripping her, bending her over the island. Plunging into her body. Damn it, he chastised himself silently, don’t go there. “Give me a piece of pizza, and no one gets hurt.”

The heat in her eyes eased into humor. “That’s it? I think I’m still pissed off,” she said, handing him a piece of pizza. “Do you want a plate or a paper towel?”

“Paper towel.” He took a bite of pizza and let out a little groan. “Still good.” Not as good as sex, but that rather went without saying. Too bad his cock was still on the whole “let’s have sex now” trip. At least the island hid the obvious.