Fool's Gold Collection Volume 4: Halfway There / Just One Kiss / Two of a Kind / Three Little Words

“You’re trying to keep your daughter safe.”

Patience wished she could accept the compliment, but she wasn’t being completely truthful. “I might have other motives. I’ll admit there’s a part of me that doesn’t want my relationship with my daughter to change. I don’t want to share her with Steve. I’m also scared that if he gets involved, Ned might find out and have a spiritual awakening or something.”

Justice shifted a little closer and took her hand in his.

She let him, liking the physical contact and sign of support. He had big hands, she thought idly, then had to clear her throat when the slutty part of her mind whispered that old wives’ tale about men and the size of their hands.

Foolishness, she told herself. And not the point.

“I checked out Ned, too,” he told her. “He’s a jerk. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you have to worry about him suddenly having a guilty conscience. From what I can tell, he doesn’t have much of a conscience to begin with.”

“Which makes me really stupid for getting involved with him.” She held up her free hand. “I’m being scattered. The point is Steve isn’t a bad guy and I should probably give him a chance.”

“What does your mom say about him?”

“She’s on his side, which surprises me. I would have thought she would be more concerned about him. But she’s all in favor of Lillie getting to know her grandfather.” Patience bit her lower lip. “That worries me, too. Her agreeing. She’s been odd lately. Getting calls and taking them in private. Not saying what they’re about. I don’t expect her to share every detail of her life, but there’s something going on.”

Justice’s gaze was steady. “Do you think it’s about her health?”

He’d voiced her greatest fear. “I hope not, but I do worry. What if she’s sicker than she’s letting on? She could be eager for Lillie to have more family because she’s not going to be around as long as she would like.”

Pressure built up in the back of her throat and her eyes began to burn. Patience blinked and swallowed, not wanting to break into hysterical sobs just now.

Justice grabbed her other hand. “Hey, look at me.”

She did as he requested.

“Your mom isn’t dying. You’ve seen her around here. She’s moving great. She’s doing as much as she used to and she’s completely involved with Brew-haha. Right?”

“Yes.”

“So whatever she has going on, it’s unlikely to be her health. But if you’re still concerned, ask her.”

“That’s so sensible.”

“Not your thing?”

“Not on purpose.”

He laced his fingers with hers. “Ask her.”

“I will. After the opening. I don’t want her to feel I’m spying on her, and we’re both stressed right now.”

Plus, his observations about how Ava was dealing with her activities were right. There hadn’t been any changes, except for the mysterious phone calls. Ava was still going out with her friends and working regular hours.

She drew in a breath. “I guess I have to call Steve and let him know he can see Lillie.”

“Want me to be there for the first visit?”

She leaned toward him. “You wouldn’t mind? It would help so much.” She managed a smile. “I know you can step in if things get difficult.”

Justice would also be a nice distraction for her daughter. And hey, if the professional bodyguard made Steve a little nervous, all the better. Patience acknowledged that her plan of keeping Justice and her daughter apart had just gone down the toilet. But right now Steve was the bigger threat.

“I wouldn’t have offered if I hadn’t meant it,” he told her. “Lillie’s a great kid. I’m happy to make sure nothing bad happens.”

“Thank you. You have your secret bodyguard trip coming up. I’ll schedule the visit before that.” She laughed. “It’s some rock star, right? Like a band, and you’re embarrassed, so that’s why you’re pretending it’s dangerous.”

His blue eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn’t read. “You’ve caught me.”

“I knew it.”

“You’re pretty smart...for a girl.”

She straightened. “Seriously? You did not say that to me.”

“I like that you’re a girl.”

“Don’t try to be all nice now. I’m insulted.”

She started to stand, but he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him. She wasn’t really trying to stop him, but even if she had been, she was suddenly not in control of the situation. He shifted and twisted and there she was, sitting on his lap, his face inches from hers.

His thighs were rock hard beneath her butt. His arms came around her and both supported her and held her captive. She could inhale the scent of him—clean soap and something slightly more sensuous and masculine.

“Are you taking control of this situation?” she asked softly.

“I am.”

She knew there were concerns. That who he was and who he had been weren’t the same. She was assuming the boy she’d known had grown into the same kind of man. Her gut said to trust him, but it wasn’t her gut she was worried about. It wasn’t even her body. It was her heart.

Justice was a blue-eyed knight riding to her rescue. After years of taking care of herself, that was tough to resist. But she had her questions. At the risk of sounding like a father in an eighteenth-century novel, what were his intentions? This was not a good time to get her heart broken.

But when he leaned in and kissed her, she couldn’t find it in herself to resist. The man was hot, and she had been without any hotness for what felt like a lifetime.

She welcomed the heat and pressure of his mouth on hers and parted her lips instantly. He slipped his tongue inside and she got lost in the erotic dance as shivers rippled through her. Her arms settled around his neck and she leaned in to feel his body against hers.

Closer, she thought, tilting her head and kissing him deeply. She needed to get closer.

Fortunately mind reading seemed to be one of his skills. He shifted his hands, then shifted all of her so she was straddling him. They were close enough to do a lot of intriguing things.

She opened her eyes and stared at his face. Slowly, not wanting to rush the moment, she touched his cheek, then traced the line of his jaw.

“Tough guy,” she murmured.

One corner of his mouth turned up. “That’s me. Tough.”

She supposed lethal was a better word, but not for her purposes. She rested her fingertips on his broad shoulders and let herself get lost in his gaze.

“You sure about this?” she asked.