Page 27 of Once Upon a Beast

Isaac watched her shrug as the sinking sun cast her features in deep oranges and reds. Had he ever seen a more beautiful sight? Del wasn’t a supermodel. She didn’t wear a ton of makeup or spend hours on her hair; she didn’t need to. The woman in his arms possessed a natural beauty, made all the more noticeable by her easygoing smile, inner confidence, and selflessness. She could have easily told him no when he’d called, not come all the way out here and help carry the big lug halfway home.

“You know, I always found humility attractive.”

Wait—had he really just said that aloud? Isaac held his breath, waiting for Del to pull away. Or smack him. Maybe both. Instead, she tipped her head to one side, smirking.

“Is that so?”

Okay, that was unexpected. Though this was Del—when wasn’t something she did unexpected? He shouldn’t be pulling her closer, shouldn’t be shifting his gaze to those perfect pink lips, but her boldness had scattered his responsible thoughts further.

“Mm-hmm. Know what else I find attractive?”

Her playful gaze met his. “No, what?”

Isaac dipped his head lower, nose skimming hers. “You.”

She shivered in his arms, and desire sidestepped logic. Isaac brushed his lips, featherlight, over hers. He kissed one corner of her mouth. Then the other. Del’s eyes drifted shut. Permission granted. This time, his lips pressed softly into hers…

“Youfoundhim?”

Del’s eyes went wide at the sound of Brooklyn’s voice in the distance. She and Isaac both took a hurried step back from one another.

“Uh, yep,” she called, forcing an innocent smile. “He was over at the shop, hanging out with Rex.”

Brooklyn threw her hands up as she continued stomping toward them, still a ways off. “It would have beennicefor someone to call andtellme that. Maybe then I could have stopped before finding that slick spot and landing square on my butt. In my brand-new shorts, of course.” When she finally reached them, she turned her backside toward them and looked over one shoulder. “How bad is it?”

Isaac looked from the massive mud print to Del, who was pretending to squint in its general vicinity.

“It’s barely noticeable,” she answered for them both.

Brooklyn gave her a flat look. “You’re a terrible liar, Aunt Del. And these grass stains had better come out.”

She angled for the road that would lead them back to her car, muttering about stupid, slippery ditch grass. The minute her back was turned, Del looked to Isaac, and the two burst out in muffled laughter.

“I can totally hear you,” Brooklyn called.

“Sorry, B. Coming!” A blush darkened Delaney’s cheeks. “Glad we could help you find Louie. I’ll, uh, see you around.”

“Yes, thank you!” he called as she hurried off.

But as he watched her put a comforting arm around her niece, Isaac realized she wouldn’t see him around, because here was the only place he should be. Amazing as that kiss had been, it shouldn’t have happened. This thing between themcouldn’thappen, not if he was going to keep his company safe.

“What was I thinking?” he said, watching them drive away.

Louie dropped his rump on Isaac’s feet with a snort.

“You’re right, I wasn’t.” On a sigh, he hoisted Louie in his arms, needing to get them home before darkness fell and they both got lost. “It won’t happen again.”

Chapter Seven

Delaney told noone about the kiss, nor about Isaac and his missing dog. Yes, she’d returned home to a waterfall of questions, but all she would say was that she had gone to lend a hand to a friend in need. And since she’d dropped Brooklyn and her car off at her home so she could change out of her muddied shorts, her niece wasn’t there to say otherwise. That meant the others could do nothing but pout and scowl when she refused to give them her temporary whereabouts, which she pretended to innocently ignore.

Mia, of course, would eventually go home and get the full story from her daughter. That didn’t worry Del; Mia already knew about Isaac. Even better, it was quite obvious that Brooklyn hadn’t seen the kiss. If she had, she would have given Del grief about it the entire drive back into town. That meant the only two people on the planet who knew about the kiss were her and Isaac.

And oh, what a kiss! It was soft and sweet and tentative and gentle and might very well have been the best first kiss ever. The kind that left you swooning and wishing for many, many more.

Which was precisely the problem—they were doing work for one another. Mixing business and pleasure could lead to poor decisions. Sure, his life would go on if she botched his landscaping, but what would she do if things soured between them before he got their website finished?

The worry consumed her the minute she was allowed off the hot seat, and she had trouble refocusing on the fundraiser meeting. Thankfully, her struggles were short-lived. Not long after she returned, the group began to dissipate. They’d formed general ideas as well as a strategy for how to get the mayor and town board’s approvals. Once the red tape was cleared, they would be free to proceed.

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