Page 45 of Recklessly Yours

Her breath hitched at the contact, and our gazes locked. I was tempted to lean in and take her mind off the chaos happening outside.

See if her lips were as soft as they looked.

My stomach dropped. What the hell was I thinking?

It would be better, for both of us, if I got her talking. “Tell me about the weirdest date you’ve ever been on.”

Her lips quirked with the hint of a smile. “One guy asked me if I was fertile.”

My lungs seized up. Was she joking? “Seriously?”

“Yep. Apparently, his mom told him to make sure any girl he went out with could have babies, because that was what was important.”

“How did you respond to that?”

“Um.” Her cheeks heated. “I excused myself to the bathroom and texted him, telling him that I was sick. Then I got the hell out of there.”

I chuckled, the sound causing her eyes to drift to my lips.

I should pull away. Fight this.

Too much was at stake. Giving in would be a mistake, but I was leaning forward anyway.

Thunder rumbled again, and her eyes widened.

That only encouraged me. I had no intention of letting her spiral into her fear again.

I brushed my lips softly against hers, and when she melted into me, I tilted my head, deepening the kiss. It was all-consuming. My entire body, inside and out, screamed for more. Giving in to the temptation, I pulled her close. With my fingers tangled in her hair, I devoured her mouth. But a second later, when thunder rumbled again and she stiffened in my arms, I pulled back.

Fuck. Heart racing, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and studied her. What the hell had I done?

Space. I needed space. Because now, all I wanted to do was dive back in.

“I better check the cameras.” The excuse was lame, but if I stayed here another second, I would cross more firmly drawn lines. “Make sure they’re back up and running.”

She nodded, her lip caught between her teeth. “Okay.”

Standing, I roughed a hand down my face. Then I headed through the kitchen and into the sunroom. Once I was alone, I grabbed the back of my neck with both hands and pinched my eyes closed.

How had that happened? Better yet, why had I let it happen? My career, her safety, and Rhett’s friendship were all at stake if I crossed this line. I wanted to blame it on how gorgeous she was, but I knew better. I’d been tempted by plenty of beautifulwomen over the years, yet I’d never given in when there were circumstances that complicated the attraction.

So what made Hattie different?

It was so much more than my physical attraction to her that drew me in. The few times she’d been vulnerable with me, I couldn’t resist offering her comfort. Like the night the car followed her, and she ended up at my house. Or when the stalker scared her with his recent text. Even tonight, with her fear of thunderstorms.

I hated to see her so scared, so distraught.

A loud banging on the front door echoed through the house, making my heart leap in my chest. Shit. I’d left my phone on the coffee table. I was such an asshole. It had to be obvious to Hattie that I wasn’t checking the cameras if my phone was sitting in another room.

I made my way back toward her, trying not to make eye contact. I didn’t regret kissing her, but I couldn’t let it happen again. And the last thing I wanted was for her to see any type of regret on my face.

I snatched my phone off the coffee table and saw I’d missed a text and phone call from Logan.

Fuck. As I turned and headed for the front door, I pulled up my camera app so I could confirm he was the person on my front porch.

With a smirk, I swung the door open. “Let me guess,” I started, taking in the two adorable girls standing in front of him. The wind and rain had let up a bit, but it was still coming down, so I gestured for them to come inside. “You’re in a bind and need me to watch the kids?”

The look he shot me as they hustled into the house and out of the rain saidyes, but don’t give me shit about it.

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