"At the Evans Yachts Building?"

"At the boat building in the marina, so I wouldn't be anywhere near the corporate offices."

"Alison, I don't know about this..."

"Seth's foreman is going nuts with administrative work. I mean, the man's a whiz at building yachts, but you put him at a desk and he's a walking disaster."

"I'm not saying he doesn't need help. All I'm saying is that you're not the right person to do it."

"It's the perfect position for me, Drew. The hours are flexible. The money is good. I'll have the freedom to take Kevin to his appointments. Not to mention the fact that I really like Laura and Seth and Emma."

He finally looked at her. "You're exponentially overqualified."

"So I'll hit him up for a higher wage."

He didn't look convinced. "Alison-"

"Drew, I need to work. I want this job."

He scrubbed a hand over his face, then scowled at her. "When do you start?"

"Tomorrow."

When he groaned, she felt a smile emerge.

"What are you smiling at?" he growled.

"You."

"I'm a barrel of laughs, huh?"

"Just a little overprotective. It's adorable."

"Adorable?" He choked out the word as if it were a shard of gla.s.s. "A guy doesn't want to be adorable."

She threw her head back and laughed-something she hadn't done much of lately. It felt good. "Be happy for me."

He gave her a reluctant smile. "I'm still going to talk to him about adding extra security."

Before she even realized she was going to move, Alison was out of the chair and rounding the desk. She heard his chair sc.r.a.pe across the tile floor as he rose. An instant later she reached him and was surprised by a moment of awkwardness. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For caring. For being such a good friend. Both of those things mean a lot to me."

"Hey, you're not going to go all misty-eyed on me, are you?"

"Probably. That okay?"

"I was just judging the distance to the door in case I need to make a run for it."

"Too late."

"I'm pretty fast."

"Be quiet, silly." Leaning close, she put her arms around his broad shoulders the way she had a dozen times in the years past. He felt solid and rock-hard against her. Ignoring an uncomfortable flutter in her stomach, she stood on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss across his cheek. His jaw was firm and slightly stubbled against her lips. The swift rise of pleasure stunned her. Inexplicably, her heart began to race so hard, she could hear the pound of it in her ears.

"Alison..."

She heard her name as if through a tunnel. His voice echoed in her ears. In a small corner of her mind she knew all the things that were happening to her weren't supposed to be happening. He wasn't supposed to feel so good against her. After all, this was just a simple hug between old friends.

But by the time she realized the situation was out of control, it was too late. His hands went to either side of her face, rough palms sc.r.a.ping over her cheeks. She caught a glimpse of eyes the color of a summer storm, dangerous and unpredictable and moving rapidly toward her. She saw intent in those eyes, and the knowledge shook her even as her body responded.

His mouth came down on hers like a waterfall crashing down. She could hear the roar of it in her ears. Feel the power of it in the way the floor trembled beneath her feet. Alison felt as if she were standing beneath the crashing spray, paralyzed by its awesome force, the water drenching her, drowning her, and she absorbed it like drought-stricken earth. The pleasure of the kiss shocked her system, shorted out her brain, made her legs go weak.

It had been a long time since she'd been kissed by a man. She'd forgotten the heady power of it. The intensity. The thrill. Most of all, she'd forgotten just how sharp the razor edge of need could be. She felt those things with stark clarity as Drew's mouth possessed hers. She was keenly aware of the hard plane of his body against hers. The hot rush of his breath against her cheek. Restless hands moving over her back, pulling her inexorably closer.

Her intellect ordered her to stop the madness before things went too far. But dear G.o.d, how was she supposed to be smart about this when her reasoning powers lay in a puddle at her feet?

But in some small corner of her mind, she knew the situation had already gone too far. She knew there was no stopping it, like a train careering wildly down rickety tracks toward an inevitable crash. All she could do was hang on for the ride and hope she survived the impact.

CHAPTER FIVE.

It wasn't often that Drew completely lost his head. He was neither impulsive nor reckless. He didn't get off on adrenaline or court disaster just for the thrill of it. He had a code of honor and a steely discipline, and he maintained both at all costs. He supposed he was going to make an exception today because kissing Alison Myers broke every rule in the book.

There had always been a certain amount of electricity between them. Drew had accepted it, convinced himself it was one-sided and handled it because he'd known they were too smart to venture down that shadowy trail. Alison was too decent. He respected her too much. He had respected Rick too much.

But the instant his mouth touched hers it was as if something primal had been unleashed inside him. A long-buried need that had been abruptly unearthed. He knew better than to give it free rein, but the need to hold her, to possess her was like an unruly beast tugging against a tenuous cord. A cord that was dangerously close to snapping.

Closing his eyes against the hot burst of pleasure, he drank in the essence of her. The taste of her mouth. The feel of her in his arms. It seemed as if he'd wanted to kiss her forever. Intellectually, he knew Alison Myers was off-limits for too many reasons to name. She was the widow of his best friend. A man Drew had seen die. A death Drew had played a role in. The irony that she would want him after that burned. The burden of guilt was crushing.

Drew's body didn't give a d.a.m.n about either of those things.

Her body was small and curvy and incredibly soft. He was aware of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his chest. His senses were so heightened, he could feel the hard nubs of her nipples through their clothes. The warmth of her sigh against his cheek. The sweet taste of her mouth mingling with the bitter knowledge that he was making a very big mistake.

He knew better than to take the kiss to the next level. Not with a thousand warnings blaring in his head and her little boy sleeping just a few feet away. But his intellect relinquished its hold. The beast gained a foothold, dug in with spindly claws and slowly took control. Drew had neither the discipline nor the will to fight it.

He tested her with his tongue. She hesitated, but her uncertainty didn't deter him. He didn't slow down, didn't stop, and he didn't ask nicely when he tilted her head back and went in deep.

The earth shifted beneath his feet when she opened to him. Her mouth was like warm, wet silk. He marveled at her taste, let it intoxicate him like an exotic wine. He wanted to guzzle. He wanted to drink in every inch of her, every dark corner, consume every last drop.

Vaguely he was aware that he'd backed her against the wall, that her body was flush against his. His breaths rushed in and out as if he'd just run a marathon. Blood pulsed like lava through his veins. His thoughts were scattered, his focus centered completely on her mouth, on the contact of their bodies, the fire burning low and hot.

His hands trembled when he laced them with hers and drew her arms over her head. He felt her go slack against the wall. Her head went back, exposing the column of her throat. Bending his head, he kissed her there, tasting her, his tongue leaving wet trails on her soft flesh. She shivered against him, her back arching. Need coiled and snapped inside him. A short fuse connected to a keg of dynamite that was ready to blow.

He wanted to explore every inch of her with his hands, with his eyes, with his mouth. He wanted to be inside her. Her body. Her mind. Her heart. She'd been inside him for so long, it was as if she were already a part of him, every bit as vital as his heart or his lungs. The need built inside him like a flow of melted rock, red-hot and trapped within the earth, ready to burst in an explosion of heat.

He'd wanted her even when she was with Rick. He'd wanted her after she'd taken her vows and married his best friend. He hated it, but he'd wanted her even after his best friend had died. Now, with his body on fire and his heart slamming against his ribs, Drew felt like a b.a.s.t.a.r.d. For wanting when he shouldn't. For touching when he didn't have a right. For betraying his best friend in the worst possible way a man could be betrayed.

Take care...Alison and Kevin...

Rick's last words rang inside his head. A flash of conscience jolted him. The realization of what he'd allowed to happen stopped him cold, like a vehicle crashing into a brick wall. The impact brought him out of his l.u.s.t-induced trance.

Shocked by what he'd done, Drew released her abruptly and stepped back. "h.e.l.l..."

Alison shook herself as if waking from a dream. Pressing her back flat against the wall, she closed her eyes for a second, then let out a shuddery breath.

Annoyed because he'd allowed himself to cross a line he swore he'd never cross, Drew scrubbed his hand over his jaw and muttered a curse. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," she said quickly. "That was...really dumb."

"I didn't exactly give you a choice."

She raked her fingers through her hair with a trembling hand, looking everywhere but into his eyes. He watched her, all too aware that he was aroused and wanting and a hair away from crossing the distance between them and finishing what they'd begun.

When her eyes finally met his, he felt the contact like a physical touch. He wished she wouldn't look at him like that. As if the kiss had meant something to her. He wished she wouldn't look at him at all because that only made him want her.

She was so close, he could see the beads of perspiration that had popped out on her forehead. Her mouth was kiss-chafed and wet. He could see the damp trail his tongue had left on her throat. In the back of his mind he wondered how far this might have gone if his conscience hadn't interrupted.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," she said.

"You didn't, Alison." He sighed, disgusted with himself.

"Well, I did, actually. I just...shouldn't have kissed you like that. I mean, we didn't mean it that way." She blinked at him. "Did we?"

If the situation hadn't been so dire, he might have laughed. But he didn't. He'd intended the kiss exactly the way he'd delivered it. Raw and s.e.xual and tongue to tongue. Conscience aside, the only thing he regretted now was that they hadn't finished what they started.

"I think you ought to go," he said after another too-long moment. "I'll carry Kevin out to the car for you."

"Drew..." She started toward him, but he stopped her with a hard look.

"Don't," he said. "I think we'll both be better off if we just leave this alone."

"It was a mistake. An innocent kiss that got out of hand."

"There was nothing innocent about that kiss," he growled.

"Let's not blow it out of proportion."

"Where are your keys?"

She ignored the question. "I don't want this to interfere with our friendship."

Frustrated with himself-and with her-Drew walked over to where Kevin was sleeping. "It already has."

"I don't believe that."

"A lot can happen in four years. I'm not the man I was before..." Because he couldn't say Rick's name and stand there and want her at the same time, he let his voice trail.

"Whatever happened...I mean, just now. Drew, we can work through it."

"I think this is one of those things that's best left alone."

"You don't believe that."

He wondered if she was into some kind of denial. While he might have been the one doing most of the kissing, he'd been around the block enough times to know when a woman was enjoying it. Alison had definitely been enjoying it. For a moment he considered pointing that out to her, then decided this would be less painful for both of them if he just let it go. If he just let her go and moved on with his life without her. She might have been a friend once, but things had changed. There was no going back. And there was no way in h.e.l.l he could live with himself if he pursued this.

Drew looked down at the boy, relieved that he was still sleeping soundly. "Do you want me to carry him out to the car for you?"

"I don't want to leave things like this," she said.

"You don't have a choice." He didn't want her angry at him, but he knew there was no way to fix this without getting himself in deeper than he already was. "I've got to get ready for my next tour."

When he didn't say anything more, she went to Kevin and set her hand on his shoulder, shook him gently. "Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up, honey. We've got to get going."

Squinting, his hair sticking up like porcupine spikes, Kevin looked around. "Where's Drew?"

Drew forced a smile he hoped looked real. "I'm right here, sprout."

Kevin stretched and climbed off the sofa. "Do we get to do it again tomorrow?"

Drew hesitated long enough for Alison to jump in with an appropriate answer. "Drew has customers to take care of tomorrow, sweetie. Right now you and I have to get home."

"Why? Mommy, I want to go back out and look at the plane. Drew said I could help him with some stuff."

Drew felt like an ogre for reneging on his promise. During the flight he'd told Kevin he could help him inflate and check the air pressure of the floats upon their return. After what had just happened between him and Alison there was no way in h.e.l.l he wanted either of them sticking around.

He glanced over at Kevin, hoping his smile looked real enough to fool a four-year-old. "Maybe you can give me a hand next time. Okay?"

"Thank Drew for taking us for the flight, sweetie."

Looking grumpy and disgruntled, Kevin padded over to Drew. "Thanks," he said.

Drew stuck out his hand. "Thanks for all your help."

The little boy's chest swelled. "'Kay."

He shook the boy's hand, telling himself it was for the best that he send them on their way now. "See ya next time."

Alison put her hand on Kevin's shoulder and guided him toward the door. "See you tonight, Drew!" he shouted.