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.