Page 70 of The Keeper

Dawn scoffed and swatted his arm gently before heading toward the kitchen. I pounced at my chance for a little fun at his expense.

“So you do have the ability to be friends with a woman you haven’t slept with.”

“Wow. Do you want the knife back that you just plunged into my heart?”

“Drama doesn’t suit you.” I rested my arm on the bar. “How long have you known Dawn and Ray?”

“Since I moved here. Ten years.” He put his hand on my arm, stroking it slowly. “How long have you known them?”

“Forever.” The light caresses on my arm set off a flurry of butterflies in my stomach. “I was probably nine or ten when I first met her.”

“So before she owned the place?”

“Mmhmm. She worked here then. There was no Ray at the time. Well, there was. They just weren’t a thing.”

“A thing,” he repeated quietly, turning my hand so the palm faced up. “You came here with your family often?” He glided a finger along my palm before holding my hand. I knew what he was doing. He wanted me unguarded.

“We’d come here in the summer. Usually mid-July to mid-August.”

He rested his foot on the lower rung of my stool, positioning his leg so it fit between my knees. The constant feel of his body on mine helped assuage my growing anxiety. Keeping my walls up around him became more and more of a challenge. The more physical contact there was, the less resistance I had.

“Did you like coming here?”

“Very much.”

He laced his fingers in mine, pulling my hand down to his lap so he could hold it in both of his. He looked at me with his brows knit together, like I was a puzzle meant to be solved. Like there was some huge secret meant to be uncovered.

“You should come back more often.”

“Why?”

One shoulder lifted in a small, elegant shrug. “Just a suggestion. Besides, I need someone to swat all the ladies away like you did the other night.”

I stifled a giggle. “Seriously?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to mention it but yeah, that would be a big help.”

“There must be hundreds of them.”

“Another knife.” He clutched his chest in mock agony. “I don’t know whether to kiss you or leave with whatever dignity I have left.”

“What happened to nothing about you being fragile? A little truth never hurt anyone.”

“Maybe.” He ran his tongue along his bottom lip. “I’d end up kissing you though.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah? I could kiss you right now.”

I felt my cheeks flush. Sneaky flirt. “You could.”

“I want to.” He reached to feel my lip, which I knew was still a little bruised. The whisper-soft caress felt so good. “I won’t stop if I do.”

His hand fell back to his lap to hold mine while I sat beguiled by his words. By his touch. By the way his throat worked when he swallowed. The messy tousle of his hair. The flecks of midnight in his sapphire eyes. The urbane exterior that swaddled the edgy, sexy, filthy lover beneath it.

Two plates of food slid in front of us, breaking the spell.

“Alright you two, enjoy.” Dawn caught a glimpse of my hand in his and smiled at me. “I told you to watch out for this one. The charm is real.”

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