Page 33 of The Billionaire's Runaway Bride

Lauren

I can’t believe I stood there and just let him kiss me.

I lick my lips as I run toward the cottage, watching my step so I don’t stumble. The last thing I need to do is trip in the dark so Marian can wake up and find me lying in the grass, horny, mad, and wounded.

“Oh, that man,” I grumble as I reach the safety and quiet of my cottage.

I close the door and lean against it, catching my breath from both the run and the exhilaration of feeling Caleb’s lips against mine.

His taste and style is everything I thought it would be. Hot. Urgent. Smoky, somehow, and darkly sexy.

He swooped in and just…I lift my fingers to my lips and feel the tingling sting of his rough kiss. I should have known. I should have left that porch swing the moment he showed up there all quiet and pensive.

When he stalked toward me near the firewood pile earlier, I felt like a cornered prey. Like I was the treasure he sought, the goal he wouldn’t quit for. It wasn’t the same trapped feeling I experienced at the idea of marrying Jeremy. It wasn’t panic in a bad way, but an exciting tease of something I wanted badly but had no business wishing for.

Caleb.

I shake my head and push off the door.

I should have known he wouldn’t leave it at that promise. I wanted to believe him, that he really meant it. That if Jeremy or my parents tried to drag me back to California to be married, he’d be there like my knight in shining armor and save me.

And with that growl of intention to defend me, I knew it was only the first step. A man doesn’t look at a woman like he wants to devour her and cherish her like that and let it lie.

When he skipped dinner, I was disappointed. Then when Marian commented with her assumption that Caleb was staying in his suite for the night, I felt uneasy with suspense. I knew the moment we spoke again that more embers would be stoked and the fiery tension between us would spark hotter and wilder.

“Maybe he’s tired from chopping all that wood,” Marian guessed flippantly at dinner.

I caught myself from smirking at her. Caleb was a beast, all muscles and determination.

He hadn’t skipped dinner because he was tired. He skipped it because he was stewing about me and being nosy enough to snoop online about my life.

My old life.

I drape my arm over my eyes as I lie wide awake in bed. I’m not sleeping at all, still reeling from his kiss. I’m attracted to him, but after that hot kiss, I know I’ve got no business falling for him. I would be smart to avoid feeling anything for anyone right now when I’m trying to get my life back on track.

I’m in survival mode, figuring myself out and understanding how I can move on after the sharp break from my former life of dependency. Or I should be.

And I definitely shouldn’t be lying awake all night reliving that kiss and thinking about Caleb.

In the morning, I pay for the crappy sleep. I’m tired. I’m sluggish. I’m moody and cranky. Not even coffee can seem to boost me out of this zombie-like state. So when I grab my coffee and head toward the front porch, I’m assaulted with too many details to think straight and not glower.

Seeing the porch swing and the spot where Caleb kissed me, I’m attacked with bittersweet memories of his lips on mine and the way I wanted more.

But finding Caleb standing there all perky and awake, smiling that damn charming grin at Marian as she talks to him, that’s my undoing.

I growl and almost stub my toe on the railing when I hurry to hear what they’re saying. I don’t want to feel left out, but I’m not awake enough to be graceful. Or safe.

“Whoa!” Marian laughs as she sidesteps the spray of coffee that flies out of my mug.

“Oh, darn it!” I whoosh out those words as I crash into Caleb. He catches me, chuckling.

“Couldn’t sleep last night?”

I could smack him for teasing me. Marian realizes I’m not a morning person today, though, and intercepts us. She wraps her arm around my back, and I want to snuggle into her comforting side hug.

“I was just telling Caleb about how quickly those social media accounts have proven their worth.”

I blink at her, daring to smile despite my mood. “Really?” It’s still a new thing for me to get used to, but I feel giddy and excited that I’ve done that. That I’ve made a difference for her and the Goldfinch.

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