Page 50 of Seaside Cowboy's Marriage of Convenience

“Finally!” she blurted out.

He brightened. “Really? Because I didn’t want you to feel obligated to, just because we’re married...”

Thankfully, he stopped talking and closed the distance between them. She met him halfway or at least a third of the way.

Her entire being woke to life, and every cell in her body seemed to respond to his kiss. She’d never before understood the expression of butterflies in one’s stomach. Now, there seemed to be a myriad of butterflies in her stomach, fluttering their tender wings and dancing with each other.

The kiss was sweet and tender, but there was so much promise in it, like the vows he’d said at their wedding.

Maybe kissing him was a mistake, but she couldn’t stop. A mistake because she knew now without a doubt this was the man she’d one day surrender her heart to, no matter how much she’d try to stop it.

Chapter Thirteen

EXCEPT FOR THE MOMENTof the kiss yesterday, Kennedy had never imagined feeling as euphoric as she did the next morning when she and Austin had breakfast in the rose—and whatever the other flowers were—garden.

Meanwhile, Smiley and Caramel chased butterflies. Well, Caramel had the untapped puppy energy to chase them. Smiley mostly sat in one place with dignity while allowing the butterflies to fly around him.

And incredibly, Kennedy still had her own butterflies in her stomach just from the memory of the magical kiss. She could so easily get used to waking up to Austin’s happy smile.

“How did you sleep last night?” He moved a saucer with croissants closer to her and slid over the deeper dish with cherry jam.

She didn’t know how great the croissants were in the café Mme. Lavigne frequented, but these ones were delicious, flaky, and soft. Or maybe everything tasted and smelled better in his presence.

“Surprisingly well.”

Apparently, she’d fallen asleep while they’d been watching a romantic comedy—yes, it had a dog in it—on the sofa. He’d carried her to her bed and covered her with a blanket as soft as a whisper.

“Glad to hear it. I, um, I’ve worried about your insomnia.” He knew about it and had accompanied her on nightly drives after their wedding.

“Me, too. Besides, I was afraid I’d feel suffocated in a castle. It’s not like I could take a long drive here.” She slathered jam on the croissant and bit into it. “Mmm, this is so good. The baked goods, not the insomnia part.”

She didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been wearing herself thin being up at night so often. There was a reason people needed sleep. She’d been getting more and more fatigued.

He took a sip from his large mug that she’d packed. “Maybe it would be a good idea to see someone about that.”

She drank some coffee while looking at him. It took all her willpower not to lean over the round table and kiss him again. “Already have. But anyway, if in the fairy tales, princes wake up the heroines with a kiss, you put me to sleep with one.”

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