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“That a pretty girl wins every time.”
Why I was blushing, I had no idea. But my face heated up and my heart turned over a little, proving I was not as immune to him as I wanted to be. I put a couple extra inches between us as we walked.
The cottage was surrounded by trees, as was most of the land the inn was on, so the farther we got from the lamppost in front of the inn’s entrance, the darker it got. Naturally, I’d forgotten to turn on the porch light, but the moon was out, filtering through the leaves here and there, giving us enough light to see.
“What’s on the infamous to-do list for tomorrow?” he asked.
“I’m getting up bright and early to make muffins for the guests. Any tips?”
“The bakery downtown opens at seven o’clock.”
“Smart-ass.” Just like cooking, baking skills weren’t in my wheelhouse, but Aunt Phyl had left a few recipes, and I wanted to try my hand at them. “I can follow directions.”
“That’ll get you somewhere with baking. Preheat your oven all the way before you start. Pray a lot.”
I whacked his arm as I looked up to find a mischievous grin that was lighter than any smiles he’d sent my way since I’d been back. More like old times when there was no tension or ancient history between us. God, that smile could curl my toes.
When we got to the door, Cash leaned a shoulder against the wall, watching me while I dug out the single key from a pocket in my clutch. Once I’d grabbed it, he held out a hand for me to give it to him. Without thought, I did, and he caught my hand in his, pulled me closer as he straightened, then wrapped his big hands around my waist, settling them on my hips like he owned them.
The movement made me sway into him, a little off-balance, and my hands found his chest like they had earlier. His chest… The years had only made it better. Broader, thicker, harder. Tougher to resist, but I was supposed to be resisting.
“Cash…”
“Mm?”
“Did you hear anything I said back there at the bar?”
“I heard you. We’re not a thing. But your body is giving off a different message.”
I couldn’t deny that, nor could I convince myself to snap out of it. I should be putting distance between us, but it was too easy to stay here. Too comforting. Too familiar. My heart raced with the exhilaration of being so close to him again, and I lifted my gaze and met his heated one.
He lowered his lips to mine, and I let him. I couldn’t help it, couldn’t resist another few seconds of his talented mouth on mine, this time slow, gentle, persuading.
I let him for more than a little while, losing myself in his kisses, loving being the focus of his attention again. Our bodies were meshed together, his hardness pressing into me, showing me he was as into this as I was. That we could go inside the cottage and have it and my double bed and the whole night to ourselves was at the forefront of my brain, but I refused to give in to that. That was a road I knew wasn’t smart and would be so much harder to come back from.
The thought was enough to make me pull back from the kiss and duck my head slightly, still glowing from his affection, fighting myself hard to give it up.
“I’m leaving in a few days,” I managed to get out.
“And coming back a couple days after that.” He moved his hand up to cradle my face, rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip.
“Only temporarily. You know that.”
“I do.” He brushed a brief kiss to my lips. “We’re just kissing. That’s all.”
When he put it like that…
“Our lives are on opposite sides of the country most of the time,” he continued. “We have a few weeks that we’re in the same place. We seem to like each other.”
I laughed quietly at the understatement.
“We sure as hell still have chemistry,” he pointed out.
“We do,” I admitted.
“We’re adults. As long as no one’s getting hurt, why not spend time together?”
There was nothing I could argue with in anything he said. I looked up into those dreamy eyes that were peering down at me so intently. I nodded. “We can spend time together.”
