Page 74 of Austen Persuaded

He let out a bark of laughter. “I’m not going to step over you and move on. Geez, what do you think of me, Annie?” When I buried my face in my hands again, he chuckled again. “Never mind, don’t answer that. But let me help you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing he’d go away. When I heard no footsteps, I exhaled heavily and started to raise my upper body with my hands. One of his hands was braced on his thigh, and the other was outstretched toward me.

Oh, no.

Noooo, no.

The last thing, the verylastthing I need is to touch him. In any way.

But this job mattered to me, and I couldn’t completely blow off the boss. Gritting my teeth, I let him take my hand and tried to ignore the current that passed through me. As he helped me rise, he also put a hand on my waist and then my back, steadying me gently.

And … I couldn’t think.

Those hands, innocent though they were, and that heat …

When he deemed me steady enough, he released me and stepped away as though the contact had meant nothing to him. The only emotion in his eyes was concern. “Are you all right, Annie?”

“I’m fine. I—” I said hoarsely. “I just … I was—” I said before coughing.

He was staring into my eyes so intently that I had to look away. But I found my eyes drifting back, such was the pull of his gaze. He hadn’t looked at me that closely since he’d been back, since … since he’d gazed at me like I was the only woman in the world. But this look wasn’t love. Surely, he was simply worried about me.

“OK,” he said, his voice a bit gruff. “Let me take you home. You look pretty pale.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “No, I’m fine. Whywould you—”

“You don’t seem fine, Annie,” he said. Without warning, he stepped a little closer and gently placed the back of his hand on my forehead. After a moment, he removed his hand slowly, and his face relaxed a bit. “You don’t seem feverish, at least. That’s good. But I think—”

“Kylan,” I started. His name on my tongue felt strange. When had I last spoken his nametohim? Everything felt strange. He had just touched my face; his hands had been on my body; he was staring at me. What was I going to say?

“Yes?” His voice was quiet.

I opened my mouth to speak, and for a moment, no words came. Finally, I took a steadying breath and managed to say, “I’m OK, really. I just … I was just flustered because you …”

He was still, his voice still quiet. “Yes?”

Save yourself, Annie!

“Because I fell on my face. It’s embarrassing, you know? And more embarrassing to admit, so thanks for making me do that.”

But far less embarrassing than admitting the reason I fell—that I can’t be normal around you and my feelings and thoughts make no sense when we’re near each other.

Kylan stared at me before his lips twisted into a teasing smile. “You’re welcome.”

That smile! I can’t handle it …

Is he—is he joking around with me?

Maybe he doesn’t actually hate me anymore.

But that theory died when I saw his smile morph into a frown.

“Well, I’m sorry about the peaches in the breakroom. And the other stuff you mentioned,” he said, scratching his head although trying to remember all the details of the rambling I’d done before tripping in front of him. “But I just wanted to ask if you’d planned to cancel book club tonight.”

I tilted my head, drawing my eyebrows together. “Why?”

“Because of the snow,” he said, as though it were obvious.

“The …” I started to say before giggling. “The snow?”

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