She stared at the kid in the photo. He was a younger, less muscular version of the man who sat beside her, but his smile was the same. “You were hot even back then.”
Her heart gave a knock when she realized what she’d just said, her gaze jerking to his, heat rushing into her cheeks.
A grin tugged at his lips, the warmth in his eyes making her pulse skip. “You think I’m hot?”
She stammered. “Well, I didn’t say … I only meant … Can I plead the Fifth?”
Could the world please swallow her now?
His grin grew into a broad smile that put flutters in her belly. “I’ll let you off easy—this time.”
They worked through the afternoon, Kenzie asking him questions about growing up in Alaska—and secretly ducking into the bathroom once or twice to refresh her lip gloss and check her hair.
You are hopeless, girl.
They took a break so that Gabby could have some outdoor playtime, practicing puppy runaways until it started to rain. Then, with the puppy worn out and asleep in her crate, they went back to unpacking.
Most of what Conrad had brought from The Cave was basic household stuff, tools, and personal belongings like clothes, towels, and sheets. Much of it needed to be washed and dried after spending more than a year in storage. But there were strange odds and ends, too—old albums, pieces of rock that Harrison had brought back from mountains all over the world, a box of old phone chargers and electronics.
“Where do you want me to put these?” Kenzie held up a shoebox of rocks.
Harrison glanced up from the drawer he was stuffing with socks. “You can stick that on a shelf in the closet.”
She stepped into the closet to find the lower shelf already crammed full. The upper shelf was almost empty, but it was beyond her reach. She glanced around for something to stand on—all she needed was another couple of feet—and spotted an old wooden step ladder in the back of the closet. Mrs. Beech had probably used it, too. She hadn’t been much taller than Kenzie.
Box tucked under one arm, Kenzie moved the step ladder into position. She didn’t like heights, but she would only be a few feet up. She stepped onto the first rung, the second, and then the third, only to feel the top step give way. She toppled sideways with a shriek, rocks scattering.
Harrison caught her in mid-air. “Going somewhere?”
He didn’t set her on her feet, but held her in strong arms, his face inches from hers, his body hard.
Kenzie could barely breathe, being close to him like this sending her pulse into overdrive. Somehow, she managed to speak. “How did you get to me so quickly?”
“I was already on my way to help you. You don’t need a ladder when I’m here.”
Then his gaze dropped to her lips—and he kissed her.
Chapter 7
At the firstbrush of his lips against Kenzie’s, Conrad knew he was in trouble. She was perfect. Everything about her was soft and sweet—her lips, her skin, her scent, the feminine feel of her body.
Hell, yes.
He kissed her again, deeper this time, and she came alive in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, curling her fingers in his hair.
The heat that had simmered inside him all afternoon, that hungry spark of desire he felt for her, burst into open flame. Blood rushed to his groin, his cock straining against his jeans, lust pounding in his veins like a pulse.
It hit Conrad that he could fuck herjust like this. She was small and light in his arms. Yeah, he could fuck her like this—standing, holding her, her body clinging to his.
An image of her, naked and grinding against him while he held her filled his mind—and then he remembered where they were.
Not in the damned closet.
He turned, walked with her to his bed, and lowered her to the mattress amid piles of laundry, following her down, his hips cradled between her thighs. He looked into her eyes, saw what he thought was longing.
He needed to be sure. “Do you want this?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
