Her heart gave that inconvenient little twist.“How tragic.”
“Tragic,” he echoed, leaning back, “or convenient?”
She couldn’t resist his smile, but then, she couldn’t really resist him.“Depends who you ask.”
For a while, they played without words, but when her fingers brushed his as they both reached for the same piece, neither of them pulled away.The game moved more slowly after that.
“Where are you on your book?”she asked, after a few moments of quiet play.
“I’m emailing what I have out tomorrow.Hoping it’s enough, at least for now.They wanted a detailed outline and three chapters.I’m sending the outline and six.”
“Overachiever,” she teased.“Knight to F5.”
“Terrible move.”
She grinned.“Maybe I’m ready for the game to end.”
He moved a rook without looking up.“What would we do then?”
“I’m sure there’s something we could do indoors…”
He looked at her then, the air between them suddenly charged.“I am listening.”
“I will need to go when the weather clears but you said it could be a few days.
“Will most definitely be a few days.”
Their eyes held steady, and she felt the pulse in her throat beat hard enough to make her breath shallow.
“Your move,” he said, voice husky.
Cat felt as if she was on fire, her pulse too fast, her skin too sensitive.She moved a piece but wasn’t paying attention anymore.
Rhys moved his piece, slowly, and the scrape of wood on wood was louder than it should have been.
“What about your job applications?”he asked finally, tone softer.
“I’ll keep an eye on them.I can work from here as easily as anywhere else.”
“So, you’re saying it’s practical.”
“I’m saying,” she murmured, “that there’s no sense rushing out into a storm.”
“And I used to be the sensible one.”
Cat moved her queen forward, feigning focus.“Can’t we both be sensible?”
He sat very still, the flicker of firelight catching in his eyes.“Stay.”
It wasn’t a command, nor even a plea, just the truth, laid bare between them.
Her breath caught.“You’re making it rather difficult for me to go.”
“That’s the whole point.”
For a long moment, neither moved.
Then Cat nudged her queen one square farther.“Check.”
