Page 28 of Kiss of Steel

“Maybe we could spend some time together and see if this could lead to a genuine marriage?”

What would a genuine marriage involve? How would that differ from what they had now? He didn’t know, but he wanted to find out. He hadn’t come this far to live a shadow life.

“I would like that,” he said.

Chapter Thirteen

Honoria awakened with a smile of happiness and optimism. The troubles of the past, if not erased, had faded into insignificance. The future looked rosy and promising.

She studied her sleeping husband. Covers pushed to his waist, he lay on his back, his upper arms tight against his side, his hands folded over his chest in the same position she’d found him in the empty room. The compactness of his pose suggested he was accustomed to sleeping in a narrow space.Had he served in the military? Was he used to sleeping on a cot?She’d assumed he’d been a civilian all his life, but maybe not.

She didn’t know much more now than she had yesterday. Consulting could mean anything. Her former employer had been designated a “consulting firm.” Her inquiry into Steel’s former work had gotten derailed by the kiss. The incredible kiss. She smiled and touched her lips.

Holy horniger, he could kiss! He’d curled her toes.He’s not immune to me.

Even before the kiss, he’d brought her a gift—tongs. A loaner, but he’d been thinking about her and realized she disliked handling the herb cakes.

What he lacked in conversation skills, he compensated for in action. And the former had improved, too. She’d preferred a doer to a talker anyway. Charm was overrated, deceptive. Blane had been very charming up until he tried to have her killed.

Even when Jason’s attitude had been frosty, his actions had been solicitous. He’d given her his coat during the freezing wagon ride, waited for her after dinner so she wouldn’t get lost, then he’d gotten her shit-brick tongs.

How romantic!She grinned.

His eyes popped open.

“Good morning!” she said.

“Good morning. What are you smiling about?”

“How wonderful you are.”

“Nobody would ever call me that.”

“Sweet and thoughtful.”

“That either.”

“Well then, you haven’t been hanging with the right people.”

“You could be right about that.” His gaze swept over her face. Her hair was probably sticking up all over the place. Sometimes she woke up with a crease from the pillow across her forehead and drool running down her chin. Not to mention morning breath. If not for worries about the latter, she would have kissed him good morning. He reached out and cupped her cheek. His expression softened. “But I’m with the right people now.”

Who said he wasn’t a sweet talker?She kissed his palm. “Same.”

His eyes darkened, and her heart thudded with awareness of his closeness and the promise of intimacies to come.

“Ready to face the day and get to work?” he asked.

“Yep. I’m going to kill it!”

He blinked; his hand dropped from her cheek. “What?”

“I’m going to knock ’em dead, kick ass, and take names—you haven’t heard any of those sayings?”

“No…”

“It means I’m going to strive to succeed. Speaking of which, we do have to get a move on. We don’t want to be late.” She leaned over, gave him a wifely peck, and slid out of bed. “We both showered last night, so we have time to grab some breakfast at the mess hall.”

* * * *

---