Page 156 of Lethal Danger

“All right. I guess I will, on those terms.” A gorgeous smile curved her lips, ruining her attempt at a serious expression. She laid her palms against his chest. “But I have to make a confession.”

“Oh?”

“This heroine has fallen in love with the author, too.”

The thrill and joy that filled him was like nothing he’d ever felt. Wow, had he ever underestimated romance. Somehow, he managed to speak past his huge smile and the pounding of his heart. “Oh, really? What should we do about it?”

“Well, usually, if this were a romance novel, which I realize you don’t actually write...” Her gaze lowered slightly.

To his lips?

Heat zinged through his chest. “The heroine would be kissed by the hero.”

“Uh-huh.” She gave a barely perceptible nod. “Think you could pretend to be the hero instead of the author?”

He grinned. “Oh, yeah. Research is very important.”

A beaming smile lit her face.

Shifting to cradle her head with his hand, he leaned in for a kiss so full of love and passion that it could rival any romance novel.

Why had he been afraid of this? Of giving himself to Jazz?

He barely remembered. Because loving her like this, he’d never felt freer.

Epilogue

Anticipation and excitement crackled in the evening air as visitors gathered by the grandstand for the spectacular fireworks display that would end the Tri-City Fair.

A child laughed as he ran past, and Flash tugged slightly on the leash, wanting to follow. “Sorry, bud.” Jazz gave him a scratch behind his ear.

“Aw, it’s all right, boy.” Hawthorne’s voice filled Jazz with warmth, and she turned to see him approach with the large bucket of popcorn he’d gone to purchase for them. “I got you covered.” He winked at Jazz, then bent over and dropped a handful of popcorn on the blacktop for Flash.

“Hey.” Jazz feigned dismay, propping a hand on her hip. “You’re not supposed to feed the security K-9s.”

“Not sorry.” Hawthorne popped a kernel into his mouth as he grinned at her. “Are we, Flash?” He glanced down at the dog who was busy scarfing down the popcorn feast.

“You’re trying to buy his affections, so he’ll like you better than me.”

“Yep. It’s a male bonding thing. I don’t want to be outnumbered in my life now that Rebekah is moving in.” Despite his protest, the joy in his eyes said he was pleased Rebekah wanted to stay with him at his new apartment.

“Is she still moving next week?”

“That’s the plan. It times well with her lease expiring. But I don’t plan to stay at the apartment very long.”

“You don’t?” In all the lengthy conversations she and Hawthorne had enjoyed over the past week, she hadn’t heard him mention that. But she didn’t feel even an ounce of worry. He wasn’t leaving her. He’d made that clear. And she was learning with every day that passed, Hawthorne was a trustworthy man. Someone she could count on.

“I’m thinking of buying a house.”

Jazz smiled. She loved the sound of permanence in that plan. The sound of settling down. “You are?”

He nodded, his lips closed in a smile that looked like he was struggling to hold back some secret he’d love to let out. He stepped closer to her, lowering the popcorn bucket as he slid his free arm around her back. “But I want you to help me pick it out. The house you want to live in.”

A shiver tracked up her spine even as heat from his touch spiraled through her torso.

“For that future we’ve been talking about.”

The future. Jazz’s heart swelled with the happiness that had flooded her so many times in the past week that she thought she might burst. She finally had someone who wanted to have a future with her.

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