“Always know how to say exactly the right thing to make me feel better? To settle my nerves and remind me to just take a breath and relax?”
The side of his mouth lifted along with one shoulder. “One of those tricks I mentioned.”
Settling back against him, she couldn’t help but wonder what other tricks he had up his sleeve and when she’d be lucky enough to discover them.
16
Cody rubbed the strain from his eyes then stretched his arms over his head. Between the time he’d spent with Mike and now when he’d snuck into his office while Katherine put Ollie to sleep, he’d stared at a computer screen way too long today.
Which would be worth it if he’d found anything to lead to an arrest.
Instead, he’d tracked down more released inmates from the tri-county area.
This investigation was starting to feel like searching for a needle in a haystack in the middle of sandstorm. But he’d keep poking and prodding to ensure Katherine’s safety.
Katherine.
Just thinking about her made his heart stutter. He’d been naïve to think they could take things one day at a time without applying unnecessary pressure. She was a widow with a young son. Of course they needed to have the hard conversations before anything real happened. They couldn’t chance hurting Ollie more than he’d already been hurt.
But washeready? Ready to commit to a woman he’d hardly known a few days before—to a young boy who’d recently lost his father?
A tap on the doorjamb raised his eyes to the doorway. Katherine leaned against the frame, her head tilted to the side and long hair hooked over her shoulder. A pretty smile lifted her lips. “Still working?”
He closed the laptop and stood, drawn to her like a magnet. He rested his hands on her hips. “Not anymore. Ollie asleep?”
“Yeah. Didn’t take much. He had a long day. Bailey’s in there with him.”
“I’d be more surprised if she wasn’t.” He grazed the pad of his thumb over her hipbone. “I’d suggest another movie, but that didn’t turn out so well last night.”
Her eyebrows rose high on her forehead, eyes wide. “Oh really? Sleeping with me was that rough for you, huh?”
The memory of her wrapped in his arms crashed against him, and he tightened his hold on her, drawing her forward until there was no space between them. “It was the best night of my life.”
She swiped her tongue across her bottom lip. “You must not have had a lot of excitement in your life then.”
“Oh, I’ve had plenty. What I haven’t had is a beautiful woman I care so much about curled against me until morning. It’s something I could get used to.”
“Me, too.” She rested a palm on his chest and rose onto her tiptoes, pressing her mouth to his.
He tried to restrain himself even as every nerve ending in his body was set on fire. He fisted her shirt in his hands, heat building in his core.
She opened her mouth, looping her arms around his neck to bring them closer. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and she darted her tongue over his.
A low growl rumbled deep in his throat. His restraint barely controlled on a very thin leash. He drowned in her taste, reveled in her movements as she deepened their kiss. He wanted more, wanted all of her, but dammit he was happy to have any part she was ready to give. “You’re killing me, woman.”
She nipped at his lip. “We wouldn’t want that, but I do think we should maybe go somewhere a little more private in case Ollie wakes. I don’t need him to tell my dad he caught us making out.”
He groaned and rested his forehead on hers. His heart raced, his palms itching to touch more than just the soft fabric of her shirt. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
He was stronger than he ever thought possible. At any other time in his life, her suggestion was all he’d need to swoop her into his arms and carry her to his bed. Keeping her there until they both needed food or water to survive.
But this was different—Katherine was different. His entire body screamed to charge full steam ahead, but his brain and his heart cautioned him to slow down. To take his time. To let her know he was okay with postponing the physical aspect of their relationship for as long as she needed.
Even if it killed him.
Taking a step back, she let her arms fall to her sides and frowned. “Sorry, am I being too forward? This is new to me. I just thought…”
The doubt he’d created played in the twisted expression on her face and tore him in two. “I want to make sure you’re ready,” he said. “I know if you keep kissing me like that, it’ll be hard to stop. If you want to keep things light, for me to hold you like I did last night, then I need to step back and take a few deep breaths.”
