Journey to Seduction. Candace Shaw

is it tae kwon do this evening? I don’t know. His schedule is busier than mine, and he’s only seven.” Megan laughed but stopped abruptly. “I’m sorry, sissy. Just try to suck it up. I really hate for you to be alone, and Bryce is a good guy once you get to know him.”

      Sydney grabbed her brush and a few hairpins to wrap her hair, laying the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could use both hands. “He’s been pleasant and concerned, but more so for your peace of mind.”

      She thought about their kiss. Their freakin’ passionate kiss that sent a shiver through her at the mere thought, but she wasn’t going to indulge that information. There was no need. It wouldn’t happen again, and she didn’t want Megan excited with romantic, whimsical thoughts of something more happening between them.

      “That’s good. Bryce is very family-oriented.”

      “I know. I’m going to take a shower and put on some sweats. Bryce is ordering a pizza—I’m starved.” Sydney wrapped her hair in a scarf and tucked in a few strays underneath. “I haven’t eaten since my coffee and bagel breakfast.”

      “That’s your problem. You forget to eat, and when you do, its junk food from the vending machines at headquarters or some greasy fast-food place nearby. Do you at least have some veggies or salad fixings in the fridge?”

      “Yes. I went to the DeKalb’s Farmer’s Market on Tuesday right before I went in to work. I’ll eat some raw carrots and broccoli, dipped in ranch salad dressing of course.”

      Megan huffed. “Of course,” she said sarcastically. “I’ve heard your shower run long enough. Get in it and don’t keep your company waiting.”

      “Yes, sissy. And don’t keep the senator waiting,” Sydney answered in a singsong tone.

      The sisters laughed and said their goodbyes.

      Sydney placed her plastic cap on and hopped into the shower. It was the ideal temperature, and she let the soothing water cascade down her tired body as she thought about her current situation. The man she loved to hate was in her house to take care of her for the evening. So far she’d done a very good job of keeping him at a safe distance, minus that kiss. She cringed. She had to get that kiss out of her head, but it was no use. Every time she looked at his luscious juicy lips surrounded by that neatly trimmed goatee, she was reminded of how his warmth had engulfed her, how he’d tasted her with tantalizing strokes like an artist’s paintbrush. The tiny prickles of his facial hair had rubbed against her skin in a soothing way. She’d never cared for a lot of hair on a man’s face, but it suited Bryce, making him even more handsome and charismatic. She’d seen him a few times with it shaven and was never impressed. The hair on his head was low-cut with soft curls even though sometimes he let it grow out into a short, curly fro.

      I can’t believe this is happening, she thought as she dried off from her refreshing shower. This has to be a cruel joke. I’m spending Valentine’s Day with the man I despise.

      * * *

      Sydney emerged from her bedroom, relaxed in a pair of GBI gray sweats, to the smell of something quite delicious. It wasn’t pizza. Upon entering the living room, her eyes zeroed in on the roses now standing in the vase on the mantel above the lit fireplace. Frowning at the romantic scene, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had flowers in her home. They added a pleasant touch to the room that she barely used. Her nose guided her to the aromas floating from the kitchen. There were chopped red and yellow bell peppers on the cutting board next to the stove along with onions, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Bryce stood over a huge frying pan stirring and tossing the rest of the vegetables in.

      “You’re cooking?” she asked.

      He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes roaming over her attire down to her fuzzy pink socks. “Yep. I was going to order pizza but then I looked in the fridge and I saw all of these healthy ingredients. You had some shrimp in the freezer so I thawed them in water.”

      She stood beside him and inhaled the mixture of the organic vegetables he sautéed. She leaned over the skillet. “Mmm...smells like heaven.”

      “Thanks. Just need to add the shrimp and the brown rice will be done soon.”

      “You need some help?”

      “You can stir this for a minute or two while I cut the shrimp in half.”

      “Sure.” She scooted in front of him and reached for the cooking fork. His hands grasped her waist, and her breath caught in her throat when he slid his body over hers as he moved over to the shrimp on another cutting board.

      “These are some huge shrimp,” he said, cutting them in the middle and tossing into a bowl with teriyaki sauce.

      Scared to utter a word, she nodded her head in agreement. She couldn’t believe she was actually nervous around him. She was a GBI agent who’d interrogated some of the worst kinds of criminals, from drug dealers and gangbangers to serial killers and child molesters. She carried a gun, did karate and could bench press almost half her weight, yet found herself a fumbling mess around him. This is a first, she thought.

      When his task was complete, she took a huge step back so he could retake his place at the stove, and she wouldn’t have to endure his body on hers again.

      Sydney opened the refrigerator and grabbed the bottle of white zinfandel that had chilled for five days in anticipation of Friday night. She needed a gulp of it, especially after Bryce’s rock-hard body had pressed against hers. Even though it had been a mere innocent second, heat had erupted through her veins at his touch. She didn’t know how much longer she could tolerate him being there without wanting what happened at the hospital to transpire again. She couldn’t believe her thought process, but she decided to chalk it up to not being intimate with a man in a long while. The kiss had rumbled pent-up desires. That was all. It didn’t mean she wanted Bryce. She could barely stand him, even though he was being quite the gentleman at the moment.

      “You want a glass of wine?” she asked, heading toward the dining room to retrieve the corkscrew and the wineglasses from the refurbished china cabinet that once belonged to her grandmother.

      “Sure. It’ll go great with the stir-fry.”

      Even though this wasn’t how she’d planned to spend her Valentine’s evening, she decided to make the best of it and to avoid conversations that would lead to their usual arguments—no matter how sexy he looked when he was mad.

      * * *

      “Well?” Bryce asked as he watched Sydney taste the shrimp stir-fry. They were sitting by the fireplace—her on the floor in front of it with her legs tucked underneath and him on the couch facing her. The color in her face was finally returning, and she didn’t seem as weak when he’d first arrived at the hospital. But what was still present were her blaze-filled eyes even though they had simmered down.

      “This is delicious. I’m rather surprised you know how to cook.” She took another bite and moaned, closing her eyes. It was the same moan she’d exhaled when he’d kissed her earlier.

       Am I delicious, too?

      He sipped his wine and tried not to focus on her tongue as it licked across her lips. But it was no use. She was adorable. Even with her hair wrapped in a scarf, no makeup and oversize sweats, she stirred something in the pit of his stomach.

      “Despite what you think of me, I do have some domestic capabilities. No, I don’t cook often but I do know how.”

      “I’m sorry, Bryce. You’ve been so wonderful to me today, and I keep finding ways to say something crass.”

      He shrugged. “I’m used to your bantering with me.”

      “Okay...I tell you what. Tonight, no arguments. We’ll avoid any conversations that have to do with our careers—especially cases where you may be representing someone that the GBI arrested.”

      He laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. Today was my last day