Page 56 of Covert Temptation

But then the breeze brought a hint of wood smoke to his nose. Nostrils flaring like he was catching the scent of danger, he hurried around the back of the house.

There she was, sitting on an old wooden lawn chair in front of the fire ring he’d created. Orange flames danced and flickered.

His chest flexed as his gaze settled over her. She was huddled in the depths of her coat, blonde hair stirring in the light wind. When she turned her head slightly, he saw she was wearing a fuzzy headband over her ears, the gold of some designer logo glinting in the low light.

Seeing she had dragged a chair over for him too, he crossed the yard to it and sat.

A genuine smile flashed across her pretty face and replaced the shadows of worry in her eyes. “Oh, honey, you’re home!”

To his surprise, she reached down and lifted a glass bottle.

He sat forward. “Where did you get that?”

“Turns out the kitchen is more well-stocked than we realized. I did a little digging in the cupboards and pantry to find this.”

“Is thatbeer?”

“Yup.” She held it out to him, and he took it with a grin.

Her mouth dropped open in mock surprise. “Is that a smile I see? If I’d known all it took was some beer to make you happy, I would have done this weeks ago.”

Twisting off the top, he threw her another smile. She lifted a bottle, already opened, and they both sipped. Kennedy was full of surprises. He never thought a woman so in love with designer clothes would enjoy beer and hockey.

“All we need is some hot dogs.” He sipped, watching her cheeks glow from the heat of the fire.

“Sadly, there weren’t any of those. All I could find in the pantry was Spam.”

“That’s great over a fire.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Crossing her legs, she contemplated him across the flames. “So, the run helped.”

He blinked at her.

“That little crease between your eyes is smooth now.” She lifted a fingertip to the flawless spot between her own brows.

Suddenly, he was hyperaware of her—of the firelight painting golden flickers across her cheekbones, the way her lashes caught the glow. Then there was the soft curve of her mouth. He couldn’t stop staring.

It wasn’t only about the crease. She sawhim. Not just the physical tension he didn’t realize he carried until it started to ease, buthim.

His throat worked around the sudden thickness there. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Guess it did.”

Kennedy smiled, and it wasn’t practiced or diplomatic like the photos with Alyssa, or even guarded. It was soft. Real.

And Christ, he wanted to kiss her again.

Their kisses before were born from heat and desperation. Everything had been tangled in adrenaline and confusion. This time he wanted to explore this pull that started somewhere low in his chest and burned outward.

He wanted to close the space between them and tease his mouth over hers to see if she’d melt into him.

But he didn’t move. Not yet.

Instead, he sat back, letting the heat from the fire ground him in this decision.

Because if he kissed her now, it wouldn’t be a distraction.

It would meansomething.

And he wasn’t sure either of them was ready for that.

---