Page 60 of Trouble Walked In

Renic winked at her and held out a hand. “No need.”

“Why?” She took his hand and let him lead her down the last few steps and around the retaining wall onto the deck that overlooked the lake. It was filled with comfortable furniture, including a daybed, two loveseats, and crates that doubled as storage and side tables.

All of it, including the railing, the edges of the rocks, the potted plants, and the edge of the deck itself, was outlined in lights. The canopy over the daybed glowed from the sheer amount of lights placed along the top, and a string of them around the back of the bed lit the pillows in twinkling white light.

The effect was magical.

“I guess we had enough after all.” Lizzie hugged the blankets and her binder tight against the chill in the air and beamed at Renic. “This looks exactly like I hoped it would. You did this?”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised,” Renic teased.

“I just thought I’d kept you too busy to sneak off. I must be slipping.” She smiled.

He pulled her close. “If you slip, I’ll catch you.”

The heat of his hands and the intensity of his gaze made her go to war with herself. On the one hand, she longed for him in a way that was almost painful. On the other, she hadno trust in her own judgment as far as men were concerned. She’d spent the last three years alone because it was just easier to ignore them altogether than it was to sort out the good ones from the bad.

Renic looked at her with a question in his eyes. She had the feeling that he’d wait like that until she was ready to take what he offered.

She tilted her face to his and leaned into him.

He took the hint and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. When he was done, his lips lingered on her cheek, then her forehead, tender and sweet. “I want you. Right here, right now.”

She burrowed her face in his chest, crushing the blankets between them. “God help me, I want you too. I shouldn’t, but I do.”

His arms tightened around her. “Why not?”

“You’re dangerous.”

If he held her much longer like this, surrounded by the lights and the night, she might lose herself in him.

If he kissed her again, she wouldn’t care.

“In what way?” She could hear the amusement in his voice. He caressed her back, his hands chasing away the cold wherever he touched.

“You spin my head around,” she admitted. “I’ve spent my life handling things, and usually I’m pretty good at it. Then you came along and suddenly the things I was supposed to be handling fade into the background and I wind up dancing or in the backseat of a car. Not to mention my track record where men are concerned isn’t great.”

He kissed her forehead. “Your ex is a moron. I had no idea what he was doing with the leads I sent his way. I’m sorry I had any kind of hand in that. I mean, I’m sorry you were hurt. Can’t say I’m sorry you dropped his sorry ass. His loss isdefinitely my gain. In hindsight, it seems like I might have done it on purpose. I didn’t. I swear.”

She laughed.

He kissed her left cheek, and she lifted her chin so he could kiss her neck.

“It…wasn’t your fault…he was—” She sucked in a breath when he teased her earlobe with his tongue.

“Hmm?” The rumble of his voice against her skin tickled. “You were saying?”

“How could…you know he had…oh, Jesus…”

Renic continued kissing her neck and earlobes, lingering over soft spots long enough to scramble her words and make her forget what she’d meant to say.

Her grip tightened on the blankets. She should go. She should retreat before they did something even more insane than last night. “You know…it’s very hard to think…when you’re doing that.”

“What, this?” He massaged the base of her neck, loosening the tension from the day and making her legs feel like rubber.

She sucked in a breath. “Among other things.”

“Good. I like it when you stop thinking.”

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