I stopped short. "What the hell?"
He rushed to the back of the house. "When did you see someone in my yard?"
“Just before I came over here."
"Wait here." He rushed off again, and I heard the back door open and shut.
I waited in the foyer for him to return. A few minutes later he came in. As he passed the table next to the stairs, he took the cartridge from his gun sitting them both on the table near the stairs.
"Whoever it was is gone."
I wasn’t buying it. "Is acting your next gig? He's not gone. He’s standing right in front of me."
He jammed his hands on his hips and glared at me. "You're delusional. What game are you and Bran up to?"
I let out a derisive laugh. "That's rich coming from you.” I stepped toward him, jamming my index finger into his chest. "I saw you jump my fence into your yard."
He leaned down toward me, and I felt the electricity of anger zapping between us. "I jumped your fence and got into my house in time to meet you at the door? I don't think so."
It wasn't impossible for him to do that except that as I took in his clothing now, nothing he wore was dark. He wore faded jeans and a white T-shirt. It was sexy as hell.
But no, dammit. I wouldn’t be sidelined by his sex appeal.
"The only time you would've seen me behind your house was when I was on the beach early this morning with Mo. Other than that, I’ve stayed far away from you. Maybe you should do the same. You can start by leaving my house before you wake up my son."
"I know what kind of man you are, Noel. I know that you have deep dark secrets. Like, what's the deal with the baby? There's no way that kid is yours. He looks nothing like you and he’s clearly miserable with you. You should return him to his real parents."
He flinched but didn't back away. I stared defiantly into his eyes. My breath hitched at what I saw. Sure, there is anger, but more than that I saw hurt. My words about Mo and his parentage had hurt him.
His jaw tightened and he narrowed the gap between our faces. "For a woman who wants people to stay out of her business, you sure spend a lot of time poking around into mine. If someone is looking in your backyard, call the police like a normal person would. Whatever game you and Bran are playing I'm not interested.”
I returned his glare as I tried to figure out what was going on.
Was I wrong about all this?
I knew what I saw. It couldn’t be a coincidence that right after Bran called, my lights went out and a man rushed across my yard. Sure, I left my gate open sometimes, but if the man came through the gate, why not leave that way too? Why did he go over into Noel’s yard when he could have left the way he came, or gone over the wall and to the beach?
The longer we stared, the more I felt the air around me change. The sparks were no longer from anger. Not when I looked into his blue eyes and saw fire from passion, not anger.
“I don’t play games.” I really should back away, but he was like a flame and I was the moth drawn to him.
His gaze drifted to my lips. I licked them and he groaned.
“You are playing a game. A dangerous one, but right now, I don’t give a shit.” His lips crushed down over mine.
I didn’t put up any resistance. No. I did the opposite. I gripped his shirt and held him to me as his mouth devoured mine, making my mind explode with a million tiny rockets.
His hands slid down my back and grabbed my ass, pulling me against his sizable erection. Good God, the man was well-endowed.
“Tell me to stop, Harper.” His lips trailed down my neck sending shivers through me.
“Why?”
He growled, maneuvering me to the room off the foyer. His hands lifted my blouse until they found my breasts, pinching my nipples.
“Oh God.” My body was on fire.
He undid the buttons and pushed my bra up, wrapping his lips around my nipple and sucking. I grabbed on to him to keep from flying away as pleasure speared through me.