Page 14

Katy

Looking into Andrew’s soulful brown eyes, standing so close to him, I couldn’t resist pulling him down for a kiss. I had to know if that kiss back in Denver was a fluke. If I’d had built it up in my mind to be more amazing than it really was.

I hadn’t.

His lips were firm and kind of cold from being outside, but as we pressed against each other our mouths warmed. He let me lead, and when I licked along the seam of his lips he opened his mouth and met my tongue with his own.

The kiss turned hot immediately, fire licking through my veins. I groaned against his mouth, my hands sliding to his shoulders to pull him closer. Everything around us faded away. It was just me and Andrew, our mouths fused together, my heart pounding in my chest so hard I thought it might burst right through my ribcage.

I wanted him. With every beat of my heart I could hear the word mine. But happily ever after was part of the fairy tale, and people like me didn’t get a Prince Charming. I’d learned that the hard way. Besides, I was way too old for this romantic crap. I was getting osteoporosis for God’s sake.

As if sensing the change in my mood, Andrew pulled back enough for us to catch our breath, his forehead pressed against mine. He hadn’t shaved yet this morning, and his dark scruff made him look even sexier than he usually did.

“What are we doing?” I whispered, even though I’d been the one to initiate the kiss.

“Giving into the inevitable,” he whispered back and then he was kissing me again.

I didn’t protest. I couldn’t.

His hands dropped from my waist to my ass, squeezing my cheeks as he pulled me even closer. We were both wearing layers of clothes, yet I could feel his erection pressing against my belly, making me want nothing more than to reach between us and feel it grow harder in my hand.

A car started nearby, then I heard the crunch of tires on snow, reminding me that we were standing in Andrew’s driveway in full view of the neighbors. I jumped back, breathing heavily, and without conscious thought my fingers moved to my lips as if they had a life of their own. My lips were tingling.

Andrew stared at me, his gaze intense, but waiting for me to make the next move.

“You, uh, you’d better get ready for work,” I said, breaking his gaze and looking over his shoulder. An older woman was walking her dog, not even trying to hide the way she was watching us.

Andrew glanced over his shoulder and then back at me, lifting one hand to press his hand along my cheek. I leaned into him.

“Fair warning. Mrs. McArthur will have this on the town Facebook page within minutes,” he said softly. “Then I’ll hear from my mother wanting to know what happened. That’s life in a small town.”

I groaned. The town had a Facebook page for gossip? Of course they did.

“I’m having coffee with your mother later today. She asked me to help her with some updates to the preparedness plan for Lawson.”

“Be prepared for a lot of nosy questions about us,” he warned.

“As opposed to your mother’s usual not-nosy questions?” I said with a laugh.

Marianne Lawson must have been a trained interrogator in her last life.

“Come on.” Andrew took my left hand in his. “Let’s have some breakfast before I go to work.”

As I headed into my bedroom to change out of my damp running clothes I replayed that kiss over and over in my mind. What was I doing? I was starting to fall for Andrew, and that would only lead to disaster. He was a great guy, almost perfect in fact, but we lived in different worlds. I needed to keep my distance until I was able to go home.

I just hoped that I could.

The next three days followed a pattern. Andrew and I went for a three mile run in the morning, but with no kissing. We’d share a cup of coffee and a light breakfast, then he’d go to work and I’d do what I could to keep myself busy. Read. Do a pilates video. Walk around the town. Try to convince Goldie that I wasn’t a threat to her.

I also spent a lot of time hanging around City Hall helping Marianne while simultaneously fending off her not so subtle hints that Andrew was perfect for me.

The thing was, she was right. Andrew was perfect for me. Sadly, I wasn’t perfect for anyone. Besides, as much as this weird little town was starting to grow on me, I couldn’t stay here. I had a life in Denver that I’d return to when my hand healed. This wasn’t real.

Friday night I was looking through the fridge trying to figure out what we could have for dinner when Andrew came home. He was wearing navy blue dockers with a white button down shirt and a tie with little cartoon birds on it. He should have looked ridiculous but for some reason his outfit was totally sexy.

“How was your day?” I asked, wincing internally as I realized how domestic this was, the little woman in the kitchen making dinner when the man of the house came home from work. It was like we were one of those sitcom couples I used to watch on TV when I was a kid.

“I have big news for you,” he said with a smile.