Chapter Eighteen
Andrew
When he decided to make a mistake, he never did anything by half measures.
Even as he kissed her, Andrew knew he would regret this. Rosie was the contractor he was going to have to work with on the
house renovation for the next few months. Now he had made everything extremely awkward by throwing in a spontaneous, unprovoked
kiss that would definitely tangle their relationship.
Even as he thought the words with one part of his brain, the rest of him was consumed with the taste of her. She was small
and soft in his arms, her mouth tasting of mint and sugar cookies. The kiss was intoxicating, awakening a hunger in him he’d
long forgotten. Her lips were pliant against his, moving with a passion that matched his own.
Andrew found himself lost in the sensation, his body responding with an intensity that both thrilled and terrified him.
He pulled her closer, one hand sliding up to tangle in her hair, the other pressing against the small of her back. Every curve
of her body fit perfectly against his.
The world around them faded away, leaving only the sound of their ragged breathing and the pounding of his heart. He deepened
the kiss, savoring the small gasp that escaped her. A primal part of him wanted to sweep her off her feet, to carry her inside
and explore every inch of her. The desire coursed through his veins like liquid fire, consuming all rational thought.
Time seemed to stand still, and yet it wasn’t enough.
Andrew knew he should stop, that he should pull away before things went too far.
But he couldn’t bring himself to end it.
Not yet. He wanted to memorize every detail.
The softness of her lips, the warmth of her skin, the way she melted against him.
The rumble of distant thunder made her body jerk and sent reality crashing into him like a rogue wave.
She eased away to gaze at him through the darkness, eyes wide and her breathing ragged.
He drew in a breath, fumbling for a way to explain his actions.
“I’m sorry, Rosie,” he finally said. “I’m not exactly sure where that came from.”
Had he ever felt quite so awkward and socially inept? Even at the Academy Awards ceremony, he had been more at ease—and that
entire experience had been far outside his comfort zone.
He was fairly certain none of the characters he wrote would actually apologize for kissing a woman they were attracted to.
They would simply go for it and damn the consequences.
In his experience, real life was a great deal more complicated than fiction.
Unfortunately.
She released a shaky breath. “I think we both were not expecting that.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m the kind of guy who goes around randomly kissing the people who work for him.”
Oh Lord. He was making this worse.
She blinked, her gaze fixed on his. He couldn’t read her expression. Was she annoyed? Offended? Disgusted?
“I don’t.”
He wanted to slip out of her yard and rush home as fast as he could but he couldn’t just kiss and run, as it were.
He sighed. “I’m attracted to you, Rosie. I don’t see any point in trying to pretend I’m not. You’re a lovely woman and you’ve
been everything kind to me and my children.”
Except for that unfortunate moment in the bookstore when she didn’t know he was eavesdropping, but this wasn’t the time to
mention that.
“I’m attracted to you. More importantly, I like you. Very much.”
Her cheeks turned pink and she looked both surprised and flattered by his words. “I like you, too,” she said. “And I’m obviously
attracted to you as well. I don’t go around kissing every guy who helps me clean up after a party.”
“Good to know.” Some of his discomfort seemed to ease, replaced by amusement. She seemed as unnerved by their kiss as he was.
“But we have to work together for the next few months, especially since you’ve taken over as project manager for Stormhaven.
I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was . . . inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate,” she repeated slowly.
“I would hate for things to be awkward between us now. Could we backtrack a bit and pretend that kiss never happened?”
She said nothing for several beats, as if trying to gather her thoughts. Finally she nodded. “Yes. You’re right. A hard rewind
would be better all around.”
Perversely, hearing her agree with him made him rethink the suggestion. He didn’t want her to forget the kiss. He knew he
certainly wouldn’t.
“I should probably take off.”
“Right,” she said again. “Thank you again for helping me clean up. It was very . . . neighborly of you.”
He didn’t want to be neighborly with her. Nor did he want a business relationship. He wanted to go on kissing her here on her porch steps while the ocean murmured below them.
“Will this make things weird between us?”
“Not if we don’t let it,” she answered in that matter-of-fact voice he was beginning to recognize as sheer determination.
“Right.”
“I plan to spend the rest of the weekend going over the Stormhaven project and reaching out to all your subcontractors to
check their status. I will try to do everything I can to fast-track the project for you.”
Not only did he want to be done with the renovation for his and his children’s sake, now he wanted it to be done so that he
might have the chance of kissing her again.
“Sounds good,” he said. “Have a good evening.”
“Same to you.”
As he trotted down her steps, the rain misted in his hair and pearled on his exposed skin. Andrew didn’t mind. He welcomed
the cooling effect as he walked the short distance between her house and Stormhaven.
When was the last time he had reacted so instantly to a woman?
He certainly hadn’t to Willow Voss, despite the media firestorm that had erupted after they went out a few times.
He’d liked Willow but she had mostly been interested in picking his brain about her character and the direction he intended
to take it in the remainder of the series.
He suspected she had also loved the publicity they invariably generated when they were seen in public together.
Sighing, Andrew ran a hand through his hair, trying to clear his thoughts.
As much as he wanted to pursue this connection with Rosie, he knew the timing wasn’t right.
His life was in flux, with the house renovations still ongoing and his career at a critical juncture.
Maybe when his house was finished and his life more settled, he would be ready to explore a relationship with her.
For now, though, he had to put any romantic notions about Rosie out of his, which might be a more Herculean task than anything
he threw at his characters.