By the time I finish cleaning up and throwing on my jeans, I can hear Charlie’s voice carrying from the kitchen. She’s chatting with Liam about God knows what, her tone bright and oblivious. I steel myself, schooling my face into something resembling normalcy before heading down the hall.
The second I step into the kitchen, Liam glances up and I feel it. That flash of heat. That private, dangerous little smile he only gives me now. It steals my breath for half a second.
Charlie, bless her, either doesn’t notice or pretends not to, because she claps her hands together like she’s just thought of something brilliant.
“There you are!” she says, beaming. “Sam said I can get the orange kitten, too!”
I nod, moving to the counter to pour myself a cup of coffee. I feel Liam shift behind me, and the heat of his body is way too close as he leans past me to grab his own cup, brushing against me like it’s an accident.
It’s not.
I shoot him a sharp glance over my shoulder, but he just smirks into his coffee like the innocent devil he is.
Charlie keeps talking, completely unaware.
“Though I did like the calico one.” She sighs. “Think he’d be mad if I come home with two?”
I snort. “I don’t think he’d mind at all.”
“Good.” She then says, “Sam said you have an important dinner tonight with a potential partner. Were you planning on going to town?”
The unspoken words have my eyes misting.
“No, we’re cooking here.”
“I’m really sorry about Lura,” she says. “And then a gas leak on top of that. Where are you staying?”
“Here? Luckily, my boss has extra rooms.”
Though I don’t foresee us using any of the extras now…
Liam says, “It’s the least I can do for my favorite employee. Especially one that makes a killer meatloaf.” He grins at Charlie. “One of my favorite things to put in my mouth.”
His voice is so loaded with meaning I nearly drop my coffee cup.
Charlie tilts her head, studying us both with the kind of knowing smirk that makes my heart trip over itself.
“Uh-huh,” she says, slow and sly, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth like she’s onto something.
Panic sparks in my chest.
I clear my throat, desperate for a lifeline. “Charlie, are you ready to go grab the kitten? Looks like that rain’s moving back in.”
She glances toward the window where heavy clouds are building again, the sky darkening fast.
“Yeah. Definitely don’t want to get trapped here if the creek rises,” she says, tossing me a playful look. “No offense.”
“None taken,” I say quickly, giving her a tight smile.
I motion for her to follow me, desperately needing to put some distance between me and the crackling heat still rolling off Liam.
But as I step away, I catch him looking at me. And the look he gives? Pure, devastating trouble. All lazy smirks and dark, hooded eyes, like he’s already plotting a thousand ways to finish what we started. Heat floods through me so fast I almost trip over my own boots. And the worst part? I’m counting down the minutes.
Charlie and I make our way outside, the cool air biting at my overheated skin, the low rumble of thunder somewhere far off in the mountains.
We’re halfway to the barn when she says it casually, like she’s just tossing it out there.
“So how long have you and Liam been dating?”
