"So have you," she whispered without thinking.
He stiffened for just a moment, but it was enough for her to know that she'd hit a nerve. Sabrina slowly pulled back so that she could see him again. Really see him. Teague looked tired. She thought about what he'd said to her the night before.
"Did you sleep at all last night?" she asked.
"If I said yes … "
"I wouldn't believe you."
Teague shrugged. "Sometimes my brain doesn't turn off."
"I get that." How many nights had she lain awake staring at the ceiling? How many nights had she tried in vain to forget about her pain?
"But that's not what my problem was last night."
"No?"
"Not even close." There was that lopsided grin again. It must be addictive because suddenly Sabrina wanted to see more of it.
"What was your problem last night?" she asked lightly.
"You would be my problem last night."
"Me."
"Uh huh." Teague nodded, taking a step closer. "I already told you. I like watching you sleep."
Sabrina took a moment because she thought that just maybe she was about to cross a line that shouldn't be crossed. Not if she was smart.
"You watched me sleep?"
"All night."
"Are you flirting with me, Teague Simon?"
His eyes were heated and her heart jacked up so fast she felt dizzy for a second.
"Honey, I think we're way past flirting."
She smiled at him, but it soon faded when reality hit. She was a young mother of two and he was … well, she didn't exactly know what he was but she was pretty sure of one thing. Teague Simon was temporary. He was up here looking for something, but that something sure as hell wasn't Sabrina and her kids.
"What are we doing?" she asked, suddenly serious.
Teague's grin slowly faded and was replaced with an intensity that made her nervous. And excited. And damn scared.
"I'm not sure," he replied. "I don't know that whatever this is will be good for either one of us, but I'm willing to go with it if you are. Just say the word."
A warm breeze lifted Sabrina's hair into the air and she shivered, suddenly cold even though it was already hot. She reached for her coffee mug and held it out to him.
"I'll have another coffee."
What the hell was she doing? She should be running the other way. She should be thanking him for the kisses and cuddles and calling it a day.
There was that slow grin again. "Sounds good."
When Teague took their cups and disappeared inside his cottage, she sagged against the railing, grateful for the support because she'd have been on the floor without it. Her legs were like spaghetti and she gripped the ledge, eyes once more on the water.
"Jesus, Sabrina," she whispered. "I hope you know what you're doing."
She hadn't just crossed that line-she'd jumped over it. And only time would tell how hard the landing would be when she fell.
Chapter Fifteen
Teague had never flirted with a woman before. Never. It wasn't in his genetic makeup and it sure as hell wasn't something he'd ever needed to perfect.
He'd always been the dark and moody guy, the one most women thought they could fix. Even as a kid, nothing about Teague had ever been light or charming. His twin Tucker had been the winner in that department.
Teague had always been an intense adrenaline junkie who fed his sexual needs with one-night stands or no-string attachments where commitment wasn't ever considered and the ‘R' word was never uttered.
When the hell had he become the guy who would spend the day staining a dock while keeping up with the rapid-fire questions being thrown his way by a couple of kids who talked more than they should. A couple of kids who weren't shy about saying whatever the hell was on their mind.
Harry: What 's on your underwear? I 'm wearing Superman today.
Morgan: Do you shave your back? My friend Lily 's daddy does.
Morgan: Harry picks his nose and wipes it on the wall beside his bed.
Harry: (in reply to his sister 's piece of information) No I don 't. I wipe it on the floor.
So yeah, Teague had never been that guy and yet here he was, being that guy, and he was surprised to find out that it wasn't all that bad.
In answer to Morgan's question … no, he didn't shave his back, while Harry offered up a pair of his precious superhero boxers when he found out all of Teague's boxers were plain old white or black.
"You don't even have Spiderman?" Harry asked, hands on his hips in disbelief.
"Nope," Teague replied, putting his brush away. It was late afternoon and the dock was done. By morning the stain would set and they'd be able to use it.
"Are you really taking us for a boat ride tomorrow, Tigger?" Morgan asked, shoving her brother out of the way and not batting an eye when Harry pushed her back.
He'd offered when the first thing out of Harry's mouth on his return from Caleb's was to ask if he could go out on the boat.
Teague nodded, his eyes moving to their place. "I am." Louise and Sabrina were up there preparing dinner, and his stomach growled at the thought.
"I heard that," Morgan giggled.
"Me too," Harry added.
Sabrina appeared on the deck. "Dinner's almost ready," she shouted down to them.
"Why don't you guys head on up and tell your mother that I've got to take a quick shower."
Morgan took off at a run. "Okay Tigger!"
Harry followed suit and Teague waited until they were safely to the deck before he headed back to his own place. He'd just tore off his sweat-soaked bandana and clothes when his cell phone rang. Rifling through the pockets of his shorts he grabbed his cell, and nude, paused in his bedroom.
Richard Bowen.
Instantly he tensed and rolled his shoulders, and for several moments his fingers hovered over the number as a muscle worked its way along his jaw. The guy must have a lead on a story. Why else would he reach out to Teague?
He stared down at the numbers for so long that they blurred and, with a curse, he tossed the cell phone onto his bed and headed into the shower. There was a time when he'd have returned the man's call ASAP. A time when the thought of heading into danger and intrigue would get him pumped.
He'd call Bowen back, just not right now.
Right now the thought of spending the evening with Sabrina Campbell was all he needed. It was another, what-the-fuck moment, but like he'd told Sabrina that morning, he was going with whatever the hell this was between them. And Teague was, if nothing, a man of his word.
Twenty minutes later he left his cottage, a bottle of red wine in one hand and Bingo in the other. The damn dog thought he belonged at Teague's place and had been waiting for him, scratching at the patio doors when he finished showering.
"I wondered where he went."
Teague had just stepped into the Campbell cottage and paused in the doorway, eyes on the woman before him. Sabrina wore a simple white dress that sure as hell covered more than it showed, but there was something sexy about that. Especially because he knew exactly what was wrapped up in that little package.
Her hair floated around her shoulders and those sassy new bangs of hers framed her face and emphasized her eyes in a way that made them seem luminous.
"You look amazing," he murmured. "And you smell even better."
A pretty blush stained her cheeks and she moved back, accepting the bottle of wine he'd brought while the dog squirmed out of his arms and headed straight for the sofa and the twins.
Louise was in the kitchen and walked over to them, a big smile on her face that she made no effort to hide. She wiped her hands on a towel and tossed it onto the counter. There was a bag waiting for her by the door and she scooped it up, looping it over her shoulder.
"You clean up real good," she said with a wink.
"You heading somewhere, Louise?" he asked accepting a kiss on the cheek.
"Home."
Surprised, he glanced at Sabrina, who was looking at her mother-in-law with an equally surprised expression.
"What do you mean, you're leaving?" Sabrina asked. She gestured behind her. "You can't leave. We've got steak and salad and Teague's here and steak … "
Louise hugged her daughter-in-law. "Yes my darling, you have all of those things. But you certainly don't need me here. I've already said goodbye to the children, so there's no need to fuss."
"But … " Sabrina stuttered.
"No buts. Enjoy your meal. Enjoy yourself or I'll be back." She leaned close once more and whispered something into Sabrina's ear.
With one more wink, the older woman sailed past the two of them and disappeared down the steps before Teague or Sabrina could stop her. Less than a minute later, they heard her car start and wheel out of the driveway like a bat out of hell.
"I'm not sure what that was all about," Sabrina said, looking anywhere but at him.
"She's up to something."
"Yeah." The word came out a whisper and suddenly the air was heavier, super charged with anticipation. Sexual tension? Or something deeper?