Free Wild About The Bodyguard by Tabitha Robbins

quiz him, but it got too late.”
    In P.I. mode
again, his gaze narrowed. “Did you get the insurance
papers?”
    “ Copies. I
felt a little guilty, but I looked through Ann’s other files,
too.”
    “ Anything
interesting?”
    “ Only a bunch
of old Christmas cards. Mom used to spend ages choosing them. She
loved to get just the right verse. Ann and I would always make our
own. Made our own decorations, too. Lame stuff like colored paper
chains and cut-outs of bells and snowmen.”
    His smile was
soft. “Not so lame.”
    “ You’re being
kind.”
    “ You’re
speaking with a home renovator. We love creating our own, piecing
it all together.”
    Sammy bit her
bottom lip to contain the grin. He was being kind...but also sincere.
Double bonus.
    “ Are there
any kids in your family?” she asked, setting her sticks down as an
excited couple took the neighboring table.
    “ On my mom’s
side. An aunt has teenage girls.”
    “ Ann and Rick
haven’t had kids. She doesn’t say anything about it, and I don’t
ask.” Sammy felt as if she ought to make an excuse. “It’s a big
responsibility.”
    “ The
biggest.”
    “ It’s hard
enough working it all out for yourself, right? Life, I
mean.”
    “ And you have
to make sure you’ll be around for the long haul.”
    When his gaze
grew distant, Sammy wasn’t sure she understood. “Your parents are
divorced?”
    He focused
again. “I didn’t mean that.”
    Before he
could explain, or she could ask, the far off roar of the crowd
filtered through the area and Chase pushed to his feet.
    “ Warm-up’s
over.” He put out his hand. “Let’s play ball.”
     
    Later, Chase
ushered “Giants done us proud” Sammy in through the internal entry
of his garage. He flicked on the lights before moving into the
kitchen, which had obviously been lovingly renovated by a skilled
hand. Spacious, tasteful and sparkling clean.
    Crossing her
arms, she looked around, grinning. “You’re a
perfectionist.”
    “ In some
things.” He set down his car keys. “Most things.”
    She could
testify to that in the making love department. She couldn’t wait for
“dessert.”
    She surveyed
the polished floors, the freshly-painted walls, and cocked a brow.
“Want to show me what you’re working on at the moment?”
    “ Assure me
first. You don’t shrink at the sight of sawdust or peeling
wallpaper?”
    She put on a
stoic face. “I can take it.”
    They moved
through to the living room. As finished and buffed as the kitchen
had been, this room was definitely a work in progress. The wooden
floor was dull and scratched. Bare beams lined three of four walls.
A wooden workhorse was corralled to one side. Dead center sat a
worktable littered with bits and pieces.
    She lifted an
odd looking pair of pliers. “Tell me these are strictly for…” She
angled her head. “Uh, what are they for exactly?”
    “ I’m putting
together a stained glass panel.”
    She spotted a
stencil highlighting the words Chase’s
Place .
    Okay. Yeah .
    “ I like it,”
she said.
    When he came
in extra close, she sighed as his heat and scent enveloped her.
They’d sat close all through the game, but now they weren’t
surrounded by 40,000 other mad Giants supporters. They were
blissfully, finally alone.
    When he
collected a piece of crafted glass and held it up to the light,
prisms of red shifted across his handsome, upturned face. “I
thought maybe this would be—you know—too much.”
    “ I think
it’ll be incredible.” Looking up into the glass, too, she held his
arm, which was warm and deliciously buff. “Where’s it going? In a
bar?”
    “ Over the
front door.”
    Cool. If the kitchen was any indication, when the house
was fully renovated, it would be nothing short of
amazing.
    “ You’re full
of surprises,” she said.
    Setting aside
the glass, he admitted, “I have a few special ones up my sleeve
just for you.”
    Wrapping her
up in his arms, he claimed the long, unhurried kiss she had