“You are my mate,” she said simply. “I would move the stars for you.”
The feel of his fingers against hers made her shiver. He was so strong, his fingers calloused and rough against her skin.
He stared and her, then slowly squeezed her hand, using it to draw her nearer, until she was close enough that he could put his other hand at the small of her back and bend down to kiss her.
Chapter 11
Lydia’s lips were everything Wrench had suspected they’d be, her hot mouth opening at his touch. He was not sure how her fingers had slipped from his, but both her arms were somehow around his neck. She was stronger than she looked, and if Wrench had wanted, he was not sure if he could escape her.
He had no desire to escape.
He did have other desires, and when she pressed herself against him, he knew she could not be unaware of the need he was feeling. His erection was not in the slightest way disguised by the suit he was wearing, and when Lydia slid against it, he wasn’t the only one whose breath hitched.
She was more woman than he’d ever held in his arms, more eager, more alive. Her hands were at his neck, his shoulders, sliding along his jaw. Her tongue was demanding, and when he finally had to break away for breath, she was panting.
“That’s more like it,” she said, sounding raggedly delighted.
Wrench wasn’t great at conversation, but he was better at this, so he kept silent, and when Lydia tugged at his tie, bent willingly to kiss her again.
This kiss was brief and relatively chaste. “I don’t know what time Jenny will leave tomorrow,” she said warningly. “If we want to talk with her about it, we should catch her tonight.”
Wrench couldn’t quite keep from growling in displeasure, both at the interruption, and at the reminder about Ally. He nodded, and reluctantly let go of Lydia, first one hand, then the other, giving her shoulder one last caress.
She fixed his tie and rubbed her lipstick from his mouth, to his bemusement, then turned and marched down the pool deck, her heels clicking commandingly on the tile.
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Wrench followed, moving silently behind her.
The guests gave them no more than a glance, but Tex and Laura, behind the bar, both smirked knowingly at their approach. Wrench suspected they’d been watching, and glowered an unspoken challenge at the bartender.
“Is Jenny here?” Lydia asked firmly.
“At The Den with Travis,” Laura supplied, turning serious. “What’s up?”
“Is she still planning to spend a few days in LA?” Lydia asked.
Laura nodded. “As far as I know. She’s planning to leave on the charter tomorrow morning.”
Lydia exchanged a look with Wrench. “She may be coming back with a… visitor.”
Laura and Tex both leaned in eagerly. “Who?” Laura asked avidly.
Wrench would have kept them out of the mess, but Lydia clearly had other plans. “Wrench’s niece, Ally.”
That earned him surprised looks. “How old is this niece?” Tex asked suspiciously.
“Eight,” Lydia explained, and both Laura and Tex made little noises of protest. “And she’s in trouble, with the same lovely people who brought you to us in the first place.” That was to Laura, and Wrench had to smother a smirk.
His lady was no dummy.
Laura’s look of pity and guilt was immediate. “Blacksmith?” she said quietly.
Wrench nodded an affirmation. “My sister’s in witness protection. I need Ally out of his reach.”
“Just until we figure something else out,” Lydia added quickly.
Laura and Tex exchanged worried looks.