He moved one hand to her waist, and his strong fingers squeezed her through the thin satin. A moan stuck in the top of her chest as his palm slipped upward, over her breast, to her throat. His knuckles brushed her collarbone and across the edge of her bustier. Then he slid his sensual mouth to her throat and his hand inside the tight satin top. He cupped her bare breast, and Delaney arched, pressing her hard nipple into his hot, hot palm. Her hands moved to his shoulder, and she grasped the soft fabric of his shirt in tight fists.

She ached all over and, with her last shred of sanity whispered, “Nick, we have to stop this.

“We will, he murmured as he pushed the bustier practically to her waist and lowered his head. He brushed his lips across the pink tip of her breast, then sucked it into his mouth, his tongue hot and wet and relentless. His big warm hand slipped between her thighs and he pressed his palm into her sensitive flesh. Through her damp cotton panties, his fingers felt her, and she squeezed her legs together, locking his hand in her crotch. Delaney eyes closed and his name escaped her lips, part moan, part sigh. It was the sound of need and desire. She wanted him to make love to her. She wanted to feel his naked body pressed to her. She had nothing to lose but self-respect. What was a little self-respect compared to a quality orgasm?

Then his mouth was gone and cool air swept across her breast. She forced her eyes open and followed his fiery gaze to her glistening nipple. He slid his hand from her thighs and picked up one end of her boa, slowly brushing it across her sensitive flesh. “Tell me you want me.

“Isnt it obvious?

“Say it anyway. He looked up, his eyes heavy with lust and determination. “Say it. The feathers made another downy pass across her breasts.

Delaney sucked in her breath. “I want you.

His gaze skimmed her face, then settled on her mouth. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and pulled her bustier back in place, covering her breasts once again.

He wasnt going to make love to her. Of course he wasnt. He had a lot more to lose than she did. “Why do we keep doing this? she asked when he lifted his mouth. “I never mean for this to happen with us, but it always does.

“Dont you know?

“I wish I did.

“Unfinished business.

She took a deep breath and leaned against him.

“What are you talking about? Unfinished business.

“That night at Angel Beach. We never got to finish what we started before you ran off.

“Ran off? She felt her brows lower then rise up her forehead. “I didnt have a choice.

“You had a choice and you made it. You left with Henry.

With as much dignity as possible under the circumstances, Delaney removed herself from his lap. Her left shoe was missing and her boa was stuck inside her bustier. “I left because you were using me.

“Exactly when was that? He stood and towered over her. “When you begged me to touch you all over?

Delaney tugged her skirt down. “Shut up.

“Or when my head was between your legs?

“Shut up, Nick. She yanked the boa free. “You were only out to humiliate me.

“Bullshit.

“You used me to get back at Henry.

He rocked back on his heels and his gaze narrowed. “I never used you. I told you not to worry and that Id take care of you, but you looked at me like I was some kind of rapist and left with Henry.

She didnt believe him. “I never looked at you like you were a rapist, and I would have remembered if youd said one nice word. But you didnt.

“Yes I did, only you chose to leave with the old man. And the way I see it, you owe me.

She picked up his jacket from the back of the couch and threw it at him. “I dont owe you anything.

“You better not be around here on June fourth, otherwise Im going take what youve owed me for ten years. He shoved his arms into his jacket and walked to the door. “And paybacks are a real bitch, wild thing.

Delaney stared at the closed door long after she heard his Jeep tear out of the alley. Her body still burned from his touch, and the thought of some sort of sexual payback didnt sound all that unappealing. She turned back toward the room and picked up Nicks txapel from the floor. She raised the beret to her nose. It smelled of leather and wool and Nick.

Chapter Thirteen

“Uncle Nick, did you see that movie on TV the other night about a girl who was kidnapped as a baby and she never knew it until she was like about twenty or something?

Nick stared at his computer screen, going over the budget hed projected on a home on the north shore of the lake. The foundation had been poured before the ground froze, and the roof put on before the snow. The home was close to completion, but the owner had decided on different fixtures throughout, and the finish carpentry was way over budget. Since business was slowing down, Ann Marie and Hilda only worked mornings. He and Sophie were alone in the building.

“Uncle Nick.

“Hmm, what? He deleted several figures, then typed in the new cost.

Sophie took a deep drawn-out breath and sighed, “Youre not listening to me.

He glanced from the screen to his niece, then returned his gaze to his work. “Sure I am, Sophie.

“What did I say?

He added a restocking fee and reached for a calculator on the edge of his desk, but when he glanced at his niece again, his hand stilled. Her big brown eyes looked back at him as if hed stomped her feelings beneath his work boots. “I wasnt listening. He pulled his hand back. “Sorry.

“Can I ask you something?

He figured she hadnt dropped by his office on her way home from school to watch him work. “Sure.

“Okay, what would you do if you liked a girl and she didnt know you liked her. She paused and looked somewhere over the top of his head. “And she liked someone else with really great clothes and blond hair and everybody liked her and she was a cheerleader and everything? She returned her gaze to his. “Would you give up?

Nick was confused. “Do you like a boy who dresses like a cheerleader?

“No! Geez, I like a boy who dates a cheerleader. Shes pretty and popular and has the best body in eighth grade, and Kyle doesnt know Im alive. I want him to notice me, so what should I do?

Nick looked across his desk at his niece, who was all shiny braces and had her mothers Italian eyes that were way too big for her face. She had an enormous red pimple on her forehead that, despite her best efforts, would not remain concealed with the makeup shed slapped on it. Someday Sophia Allegrezza would turn heads, but not today, thank God. She was too young to worry about boys, anyway. “Dont do anything. Youre gorgeous, Sophie.

She rolled her eyes and reached for her backpack sitting on the floor by her chair. “Youre no better help than dad.

“What did Louie say?

“That Im too young to worry about boys.

“Oh. He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “Well, I would never say that, he lied.

“I know. Thats why I came to talk to you. And its not just Kyle. No boys ever notice me. She dragged her backpack into her lap and slumped in the chair, a lump of misery. “I hate it.

And he hated to see her so unhappy. Hed helped Louie raise Sophie, and she was the only female hed ever felt completely free to show affection and love. The two of them could sit and watch a movie together or play Monopoly, and she never pried into his life or hung on to his neck too tight. “What do you want me to do?

“Tell me what boys like in girls.

“Eighth grade boys? He scratched the side of his jaw and paused to think a moment. He didnt want to lie, yet he didnt want to spoil her innocent illusions, either.

“I thought since you have a lot of girlfriends, you would know.