Yeah, it appeared he couldn’t stop.
“I almostdidkiss you last night.” The words fell from his mouth.
“Would that have been so bad?”
“Yes.” Another flicker of hurt. She tried to pull away, but he inched closer, tightening his fingers—not enough to hurt her, but just so she couldn’t go anywhere. “You’re younger than me. You just got out of an engagement. And you’re important to Avery.”
So many reasons to not give in to every primal urge telling him to make a move on this woman.
It was only when her breasts lifted on a deep breath that he realized just how close they stood. Close enough for her chest to graze his. For her exhale to whisper across his skin.
“Guess you shouldn’t kiss me then.”
Her quiet words barely registered. And even when they did, he didn’t want to acknowledge them. But fuck, it was true. They shouldn’t kiss or touch or do anything else that would cross a line.
Reluctantly, he stepped back, dropping his hand. “I’ll see you later, Sadie.”
Then he forced himself to walk away, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.
CHAPTER 6
Sadie took a deep breath as she stepped out of her car in the Misty Peak Visitors Center parking lot. The center was right in the mountains, and God, the air up here smelled good. Of pine and dirt and just freshness…was that a smell?
She’d done plenty of hikes here over the years, but today, she was purely here for coffee. It was her first time visiting since returning to town, and if the coffee was anything like she remembered, she needed it. Plus, today was her day off from Sugar and Spice, and she needed to go somewhere different.
As she walked toward the building, her mind inadvertently drifted to that conversation with Eastern last week. The way he’d touched her while apologizing for touching her. The way he’d told her they couldn’t kiss while hovering his lips so close to hers.
Dammit. It was so freaking confusing. It was like his words said one thing while his body said another. And she was hopelessly attracted to that body. Which meant his words had hurt that much more. The man she was attracted to had basically told her he couldn’t and wouldn’t kiss her. It felt like a cold bucket of water over her head.
She moved straight to the back deck of the center, scanning the mountains as she walked. They surrounded her, and they were spectacular. They were the reason so many people came to Misty Peak—because it sat in a valley in the Smoky Mountains.
She only took her eyes off the scenery when she reached the café door. Elle, the woman who ran the café, stood behind the counter. Kayden, Eastern’s older brother, waited on the other side.
“So he’s definitely coming back?” Elle asked as she made his coffee.
“Yeah, he should be home in a couple months.”
Elle’s brows pinched, and for a moment she almost looked uncomfortable. Then she smiled, seeming to pull herself together. “That’s great. You must be excited to have him home. Where’s he going to live?”
“He actually just bought Mom and Dad’s old place.”
If anything, that seemed to make Elle evenmoreuncomfortable.
Elle pushed a to-go cup across the counter. “I’m glad you’ll have another brother home.”
Kayden dipped his head. When he turned and spotted Sadie, he gave her a small smile. “Hey. Sadie, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Kayden. Eastern’s brother.”
“I know. It’s nice to see you, Kayden.”
“You too.”
The second he stepped away, Elle’s smile widened. “Sadie! I heard you were back. I’ve been waiting for you to come see me.” The other woman rounded the counter and pulled Sadie into a warm hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too.”
