AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not sure if that’s creepy or charming.” An unmistakable flush darkened her neck, but her tone was playful. “I’m leaning toward creepy.”
“That’s fair,” he laughed.
“My research looks at the effect of using native cover crops on fruit yields in cider apple orchards and vineyards.”
“Interesting. Lots of money in the alcohol business.”
More lights winked out behind her, and the music stopped. In the sudden quiet, Harry heard the wind slither through cattail reeds at the pond’s edge. Rowan’s eyes glittered, her face underlit by the moon’s reflection on the water. “Exactly why I chose that direction for my research. I wanted to do science without the hassle of having to beg for money to do it with. I was better funded than anyone else in the department.”
“Smart. What’s next?”
A beat of hesitation as she looked down at her hands. “There were some—complications with my current project. Some of my data sets turned out to be unusable, so I’m writing a lot fromscratch with the numbers that are still sound. Publish, hopefully, by next summer. Postdoc afterward.” Abruptly, she shifted to a hip and pushed to her feet. “I should get back.”
Standing, she stumbled sideways and tilted perilously toward the water. Harry vaulted to his feet to steady her, planting his feet wide for stability. Her fingers latched hard onto his forearms, and the fresh cuts from the greenhouse thorns stung under the fabric of his shirt. With his hands socketed snug against her hips, they clung to each other, still as statues.
Christ, she smelled good. Lush and green.
Her hair brushed under his chin as she stared at the collar of his shirt, unmoving. Warmth from her breasts and belly infused him. The edges of reality came into bold focus, like an oversharpened photograph. It wasn’t generic human contact he needed. Everything inside him called out forthiswoman. This stranger.
“Is your family going to demolish that greenhouse?” Rowan said to his neck.
“No idea, but I’m definitely making sure it is off-limits for Team Tag in the future.”
“Funny.”
“Do you not want them to? Tear it down?” he asked.
“What I want is irrelevant.”
“Is it?”
The dock no longer swayed, and they could’ve safely let go of each other.
They didn’t.
“Why did you come after me? In the game?” she asked.
“I’m the only one who saw you. It’s—ah, a point of pride. Brady team hasn’t lost in a while.”
“So I broke the streak.”
“You’re not supposed to run after you’ve been caught,” he said. “Technically, you cheated.”
Rowan stiffened in his arms. He’d meant the accusation to be playful, but her quick intake of breath made it plain that he’d said the wrong thing. She pulled abruptly away and made a vague gesture to his crotch. “How’s your—um?”
Harry stuffed fists into the front pockets of his pants. “All good. Glancing blow.”
“Good thing for terrible aim, then.” She frowned and shifted from foot to foot. For a moment, the silence felt loaded. Then she kissed the tip of her pointer finger and touched just below his bottom lip. “It’s a crime to hide this chin dimple behind a beard, Dr. Brady.”
She stepped off the dock into the grass. As she walked away, her hair floated with the cadence of her steps, like the tendrils of a sea anemone in a quiet ocean. Harry bent down to pick up the empty wine bottle, rubbing a thumb over the smooth glass opening where they’d both pressed their mouths to drink.
A part of him that had been dormant for months sparked to life, like kindling catching flame after too long in the cold.
CHAPTER FIVE
Harry
“Rise and shine, Doctor Strange,” Duncan yelled through the door, pounding a fist to punctuate.
