That was a good question, and Hank answered the only way he knew how. Standing, he tugged Mari to her feet. Only a wisp of air separated them, and as he gazed down at her, he knew this was about more than showing London she wasn’t in control. This was about his undeniable attraction to Mari, an attraction that had been growing every day. An attraction that he had no intention of curbing.

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then curled his hand around her neck, holding her in place. His gaze traced the outline of her jaw, stopping on those luscious lips, then moved to her eyes—eyes that were watching him with unmistakable wanting. Seeing his need reflected in her eyes, Hank reached out with his other hand and ran a finger across her bottom lip, tugging it downward.

Her eyes fluttered closed and a soft sigh slipped from her mouth.

He smiled, and taking advantage of her closed eyes, he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her throat, moving along the curve of her jaw.

Her skin was smooth, tender, baby soft, and oh so delicious.

* * *

Mari could barely stand it, the feel of his lips caressing the sensitive skin along her jaw. Desperate to have him kiss her, she nearly turned her head to meet his mouth with hers, but his hold on the back of her neck told her he didn’t want her to move. So she didn’t. As excruciating as it was to hold perfectly still, she did it. It was the best kind of unbearable tension.

A soft moan climbed her throat as his kisses enchanted her, captivated her, branded her. His lips were millimeters from hers, and with her eyes still closed, she softly panted as she anticipated his mouth claiming hers.

Then it did, his lips consuming hers.

Sensations uncoiled within her, and she let her body melt against his as her arms wound around his neck. Happiness and desire engulfed her as she clung to him. This was heaven, this was what she was made for.

After several moments, he released her. Breathless, she gazed up at him as she took half a step back, her lips tingling.

“Once I got a taste of your lips,” he murmured, his voice low and sexy, the green of his eyes barely visible around his dilated pupils, “I couldn’t go another day without tasting them again.”

Desire flared within her, and she smiled. Then the memory of London’s face, so firm and resolute, filled her mind, along with the message that if Mari and Hank became involved, London would fire her.

She was tempting fate. There was no doubt. That thought cooled the passion in which she’d been basking.

Turned out she wasn’t so sure Hank could fix this after all. She’d let her fantasies carry her away. That, and her powerful yearning.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, her voice soft, as if she feared speaking too loud would give them away. No one was there but them. Harper was sound asleep and Mrs. Stillman had left hours ago. Still, Mari couldn’t stop the caution.

A muscle worked in Hank’s jaw, but his gaze never wavered from hers. “I know.”

The acknowledgment was simple, but it wasn’t what Mari wanted to hear. Deep inside, she’d hoped he would say not to worry, that he would fix everything, that they could do what they wanted. But that had been wishful thinking.

The fingers of his hand wove into hers as he gazed at her. “No one can know about this,” he said. “About us.”

Us? Was there an us? Mari wanted nothing more. The idea that Hank felt the same made rainbows and butterflies come to life inside her.

But no one could know.

Her despair must have shown on her face, because he stroked her cheek and added, “Not yet.”

Did that mean there would be an end to this secretiveness? Hope flooded her.

* * *

Was he making promises he wouldn’t be able to keep? Hank wasn’t sure. All he was sure of was that he wasn’t willing to give this up. Wasn’t willing to give her up. He was falling for her. He knew that now.

“Trust me, Mari.”

“I do trust you.”

The look in her eyes confirmed her words, which only added to the pressure. But he was used to pressure. He thrived on pressure.

“Good.” Then he drew her against him and enveloped her in his embrace.

* * *

With his powerful arms around her, Mari felt the most exquisite sense of security. Nothing could hurt her. Nothing and no one.

“We have to be aware of Harper,” he murmured beside her ear.

She pulled away. “What do you mean?”

“We can’t have her telling London something that will make her suspicious.”

Remembering how Harper had told London about Hank teaching her to play pool, Mari nodded. “Right.” She paused a beat. “What about Mrs. Stillman?”

“I trust Mrs. Stillman implicitly, but just to be safe, we should be careful around her too.”

Mari nodded.

He gazed at her. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

No one was sorrier than she was, but at the same time, she was glad Hank knew the stakes, knew how important it was to protect Harper from the repercussions. Because if London found out, she would fire Mari. No question.

Smiling sadly, she said, “I’m sorry too.”

He led her to the couch that sat near the chairs they’d used earlier, and they snuggled and quietly talked, and as the evening grew late, they went inside and said good-night.