Page 67 of Protective Heroes

His grin widened.

Mrs. Morgan jumped in to fill the silence before things could get any more awkward. “This is perfect. You know Trevor knows Hartwood like the back of his hand. I’m sure he can help you find the perfect spot for the wedding you have in mind. No trudging through the rambling forest alone needed.”

Okay. Maybe I’d been too hasty in thinking it was a good thing Mrs. Morgan filled the silence. How on earth was I going to get myself out of this?

“I’d be happy to take you anywhere you want to go,” Trevor said. “What did you have in mind?”

I blinked up at him for several long seconds. “I thought I’d do a fairytale theme. I wanted to do something really elegant, but in the middle of a forest setting. Of course, it can’t be too remote. We want to make sure all the guests can easily get to the location.” As I spoke, I realized by filling in all the details, I might be inadvertently agreeing to the plans he and Mrs. Morgan were making to have him take me around the town. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Oh, but I didn’t mean you have to take me…”

Muscles shift and bulge as he moves in.

“I know I don’t have to. I want to,” Trevor said, his eyes steady on mine. “We can catch up.”

I swallowed and found myself getting lost in his hooded eyes and calm expression. A familiar warmth ignited deep in my belly and spread throughout my body. There was something about him I had no power to ignore. My mom said that feeling was a clue to being near your soulmate.

I called it horse shit. She called it fate.

That thought brought me back to my senses. Business. I was here on business.

I was not turning into some ridiculous creature who fell at the feet of the man who burned me just because his eyes and panty-dropping smile made old memories spring to mind.

Though, if I were being honest with myself, I had to admit that Trevor was more than attractive. He was every bit the poster boy for the Navy SEALs.

He wasn’t classically handsome. His face was too rugged for that with the fine lines around his eyes as if he spent lots of time in the sun, the crook in the middle of his nose that said he’d broken it a time or two, and the small scar that cut into his top lip.

And then there were the scars crisscrossing his forearms. They caught my attention earlier this morning. From his time in the Navy, I assumed.

His height and broad shoulders normally made women of my size wary. Instead, I had this odd sense of being protected. The straight lines of his jaw and cheekbones made him look strong, like he could handle any and everything life sent his way.

It kind of made me jealous. I wanted to be that strong.

His dark eyes, they were almost indescribable. The way he looked at me in the penetrating way he did, made me feel stripped bare. Like he could see all the parts of me I kept hidden from the world.

And that’s the thought that had me searching for my inner ice princess. The one who protected me from the advances of strange men in cities across the globe.

But Trevor is no stranger.

I ignored the pang of regret that hit me. If I gave into all these feelings coursing through me, I’d be no better than my flitty mother. Time to put a stop to…whatever this was going on here. I didn’t come here for a walk down memory lane.

But I never got the chance. Once again Mrs. Morgan stepped into the breach. “Wonderful! It’s all settled then! Trevor, you can come in the morning and take Miss Mackenzie all over Hartwood and I’ll pack you both a lunch.”

“Oh, but...” I started, at Mrs. Morgan.

“That would be great. Thank you, Mrs. Morgan.” Trevor rose from the table. “And thank you for dinner. I hate to eat and run but I have a few things I need to take care of tonight in order for tomorrow to go smoothly.”

What did that mean?

“I don’t think…” I tried again, but before I could get more than those three words out, Trevor was turning those eyes on me. I swear he was doing something to me with that look. My ice princess melted like a puddle before she even had a chance to think about giving him the cold shoulder.

“I’ll come by around nine tomorrow, sweetheart. Be ready for me, Kami.” He gave me a wicked looking smile and stepped closer to my seat. Leaning in he whispered, “We’ll have a lot to discuss, baby. You’re on my mountain and this time I won’t be a fool and let you go.”

My heart failed to beat. He withdrew and our eyes connected. My lips parted and he didn’t care that Mrs. Morgan looked right at us when he slid his lips across mine.

And I guess i didn’t care either, because I kissed him right back.

“Kami,” he said my name in a husky roll of sin waiting to happen. “Until tomorrow.”

My one-time lover reached for me. Rough palms glided over the smooth skin of my cheek and the friction sent currents over my body.

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