Page 43 of Trouble Walked In

If she turned her head just right, her lips would meet his.

What she wanted and what she should do fought with each other in her head, while her body reacted to how close he was. She should push him away and get into the car and never, ever look at him again.

She put her hands on his chest to do just that, but then couldn’t bring herself to actually do it. Her hands drifted slowly down the front of him. She savored the feel of him through his shirt. He was a strong, steady presence. The muscles in his stomach tightened as her fingers passed lightly over them. When she reached the waistband of his jeans, his breath caught. She snatched her hands away.

“I want…I want to help my sister.”

Renic growled a low, frustrated rumbling that sent a little shiver through her nether regions. “When are you going to just take what you want without thinking so damn much about it? When was the last time you let yourself be loved? When was the last time you put yourself first?”

She huffed out a bitter laugh as her thoughts raced fromhis question to the real answer she didn’t have the courage to say out loud: it had been three years since her divorce was final, three and a half years since she’d had sex.

What she yearned for right now was to act on the crazy desire she’d felt so many years ago.

She wanted Jackson Renic.

What would it be like to act on her impulses like Della usually did, instead of carefully planning every moment of every day?

The fact that she wanted him so much that she could barely stand made her irritated with herself, and with him. “I don’t need to be first. I’ve never needed that.”

He scoffed. “Everyone needs that. Hell, youdeserveto come first in someone else’s eyes. Didn’t your ex treat you like you were the only light in his world, at least at the beginning?”

She’d thought so, at the time. The first few months had been a whirlwind of parties and music and lust. But then their relationship had devolved, and she’d become a housekeeper, a secretary, a cook, and a convenient trophy to show off at parties.

“He gave me what I needed at the time.”

She refused to meet Renic’s gaze, even though she could feel the heat of it along her face. If she looked at him, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from acting on the desire that continued to grow with every word he said and every second he remained so close.

“Really? From where I stood, that man didn’t know the meaning of the word give. He was a taker, pure and simple.”

“That’s over and done with. I’ve moved on. I’m happy.” Her voice broke on the last word, and half a sob escaped her lips before she clamped down on it.

Damn the man for stirring up the past like this.

Renic took her chin in his free hand and gently turned her face toward his. She saw in his eyes a reflection of the desire that had been growing within her ever since he’d walked through the door of her inn. No, before that. Since they’d first met, if she were honest with herself.

She’d worn her anger as a shield so that she didn’t have to deal with the fact that she was attracted to him and that she’d liked him—far more than she should have—for a very long time. Removing that shield would leave her vulnerable. If she let him in, and if he turned out like her husband, it would hurt far worse this time around.

She stared into his eyes, and the shield slipped.

“You always were able to handle whatever life threw at you. But you deserve more than you’ve been given. Put yourself first. I dare you.”

He was so close that the space between them was practically nonexistent. His thigh brushed against hers. His face was close enough that she couldn’t really focus on it anymore. She wanted to know what his lips on hers felt like. All thoughts of her sister, the inn, and the wedding faded until they were a blur somewhere in the back of her mind.

Renic’s lips traced the barest hint of a trail along her earlobe. “It’s time to take what you want. Or do you not know what that is?”

Something inside her snapped.

She reached up and dragged his head down to hers until their lips crashed together. It was too fast and awkward and hurt a little at first. Then her lips softened against his, his tongue caressed hers, and the night melted.

Her hands clung to his shoulders as they tasted each other. The heat they generated chased away the cold. She was vaguely aware of cars entering the parking lot.

A laugh.

A soft whistle.

She ignored them. She took the kiss, then took another, and another, until she couldn’t quite catch her breath. When they finally came up for air, Renic’s eyes were half closed, and his lips were bright red.

“Jesus,” Renic said.

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