Page 20 of Their Reluctant Catch

But it’s Colton who lingers in my mind, which I loathe with a passion. There’s a spark between us. I felt it when he took my hand and held onto it. It’s undeniably there and frustrating the living shit out of me.

The man seems to hate me, though. Or maybe it’s not hate; maybe it’s simply his personality. Does he despise outsiders? Women? Or is it just me?

Todd’s steering the van with one hand, the other resting casually on his thigh.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I ask before I can stop myself.

Todd flashes me a grin that could melt ice. “Hmm? Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About how handy you were with theSpirit. And how much trouble you might be.”

I bat my eyelashes at him. “Me? Trouble?” I snort and drop my act. “You have no idea.”

Todd snorts, too, but stays silent. I like that about him. He’s not the chatty type. Nor is he withdrawn or brooding like a certain someone I’m pretending not to think about, but Todd doesn’t fill the space with inane chatter.

As I turn my gaze back to the passing scenery, the tension in my chest eases. The unease in my stomach and the constant buzz in my head have softened since I arrived in Maine. I don’t think I’m cured of my mental disorder, but the PTSD isn’t a prominent feature in my life.

When I was bent over those engines—both the rental and the boat—I wasn’t watching my back, and I wasn’t second-guessing every sound or movement. I wasn’t stuck in the fears of my past but simply enjoying the moment.

I totally zoned out.

The realization is both comforting and terrifying. Sure, it’s a relief, but it also feels foreign. I’ve been living with this sharp-edged vigilance for months now. Letting it go, even for a moment, feels dangerous, like walking a tightrope without a safety net.

I clench my hand in my lap, and for a moment I’m back at my Miami workplace. The sharp crack of a gun and the nauseating thud of bodies hitting the floor. The incessant buzz in my mind is back, and my fear pushes through the cracks.

No, no, not going there.

I blink hard, focusing on the snow-covered trees. I’m not in Miami. I’m here in Northwick Cove, where there are no robbers, no shootings. Just... quiet.

Todd turns the van onto the main street where the B&B is situated.

“Here we are,” Todd says, pulling to a stop.

I unbuckle my seatbelt, glancing at him. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No,” he replies, his voice low and warm. “Thankyoufor fixing theold gal.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “You two talk about that boat like she’s a person.”

He grins. “Don’t you talk about cars like they’re human beings?”

Damn, he’s got me there. “Fair point.”

I reach for the door handle, but Todd leans in, pressing a kiss to my cheek before I can fully register what’s happening.

My breath hitches.

I stare at him, caught off guard, my cheek tingling where his lips touched. For a second, my mind goes blank, replaced by an image of his mouth—soft but firm—trailing lower and touching other places, like my mouth, my breasts, my?—

I snap back to reality and fumble with the door handle, my pulse racing. “I, uh, better go.”

I climb out of the van and close the door behind me. My heart hammers from merely a kiss. Damn him. Damn his easy smile and his warm brown eyes. And damn Colton, too, for taking up space in my head when I should be focusing on anything else.

Northwick’s Peace, my ass.

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