Chapter Thirty-Four
Rosie
Rosie’s head was spinning. One moment she had been caught off guard by Andrew’s confession, and the next, she found herself
lost in the most passionate kiss she’d experienced in years. His strong arms encircled her, making her feel safe and desired
all at once.
She hadn’t realized how much she had been craving this connection until now. The tenderness in Andrew’s touch, mixed with
the obvious desire she could feel radiating from him, was intoxicating. All her worries about Pam, about Gary’s betrayal,
about the company melted away, leaving only the sensation of Andrew’s lips on hers and the promise of something new and exciting
on the horizon.
Rosie lost herself in the kiss, the strength of his muscles against her, his hands pressing her toward him.
What was it about this man that seemed to work its way through all her defenses? For ten years, she had used her grief as
armor, telling herself she would never find anyone else like Gary.
She had compared every guy she went out with to her husband, and they’d all come up short.
Now, as she lost herself in Andrew’s kiss, some part of her wondered if she had been wrong this entire time. Maybe finding
out Gary hadn’t been the perfect husband would finally give her freedom from those unrealistic expectations and allow her
to find room for someone else in her life.
They might have continued that way, wrapped in each other’s arms and lost to anything else but she heard the door to the house open.
She jerked away from him, her heart racing and her body on fire, praying whatever worker was coming out of the house hadn’t
noticed them.
She wanted Andrew more than she wanted anyone or anything in years. She managed to catch her breath, though she was quite
sure her features were still flushed when she saw one of the painters trotting down the porch steps.
“Oh good. You’re still here. I wanted to check to make sure we’re on the same page, that all the door and window trim will
be the same color, no matter what color we’re painting the bedroom.”
She could hardly make any part of her brain work. How was she supposed to advise the painters on anything right now, except
her own frenzied heartbeat?
“If that’s what the designer specified, then yes. But I’ll come take a look before I leave.”
He nodded and headed back inside, leaving her with Andrew.
What was she going to do about this attraction for him? She could tell herself this was foolishness, but she still wanted
to step right back into his arms.
“I hope you don’t think I kissed you out of pity,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to do that again ever since the first time.”
His words sent heat arcing through her. Oh, she had, too, even as she knew it was impossible. They were impossible.
“This is crazy, Andrew. What are we doing?”
He lifted his mouth in a half smile. “If you have to ask, apparently I wasn’t doing it right.”
She made a face. “Oh, be quiet. You know you were doing nothing wrong. That’s not what I meant. None of this makes sense. I’m very attracted to you, but I won’t have an affair with you. It would never work.”
“Who said I wanted an affair?”
Her face flamed again and she wanted to disappear. Had she totally misconstrued that kiss? “Right. You go around kissing all
your contractors.”
“Nope. Only you. I’m attracted to you as well, Rosie. I would think that’s fairly obvious. More than that, I like you. I would
be interested in seeing if there might be more than simple attraction. That doesn’t mean we need to jump into bed or that
we need to swear undying love for each other right now. I would simply like to get to know you better.”
She didn’t know how to answer him. It sounded wonderful. She would love the chance to see if this attraction could turn into
something more.
Why couldn’t they date? Unfortunately, she could immediately think of a dozen reasons, starting with the house behind them.
She sighed, already regretting what she knew she had to say. “We both know this isn’t the right time for either of us. You
have your deadline, the book tour, your children, the house.”
He gave a short laugh. “Yeah. My life is barely contained chaos. Thanks for the reminder.”
“Mine is no better. Even before everything happened last night, I had my hands full trying to juggle my mom, my daughter,
my granddaughter, the construction company. And now I have to replace someone who before yesterday I considered one of my
most valuable employees. All while trying to finish your renovation.”
“I think you’re trying to come up with excuses because you’re scared, Rosie.”
She opened her mouth to argue instinctively but closed it again.
She considered his words. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am scared. But that doesn’t change the fact that our lives are complicated
right now.”
Andrew nodded slowly. “You have a point. We both have a lot on our plates. And for what it’s worth, you terrify me.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, though she couldn’t deny she liked the idea.
“So what do we do about it?”
Andew sighed. “How about this. We don’t make any decisions right now. Let’s get the house done and I’ll finish my book. When
things have settled down a bit, we can revisit this conversation.”
Rosie felt a mixture of anticipation and regret. She conversely wanted to tell him she wasn’t sure she could wait that long.
“That sounds reasonable.”
“No pressure, no expectations. We’ll see where we are then and in the meantime there’s no reason we can’t get to know each
other better as friends.”
“Friends,” Rosie echoed, feeling both heartened and somewhat deflated at the prospect. “I can do that.”
“Okay. I think we need one more kiss to seal the deal.”
Though she knew it would only make the waiting harder, she couldn’t resist stepping into his arms again and lifting her mouth
to his.
When he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing hard.
“Promise me you’ll finish the house fast.”
She gave a husky laugh. “I can only push the subs so hard but I’ll do my best. What about your book?”
“You’re better incentive than if my publisher were standing over me, cracking the whip. Believe me, I’m not going to have any trouble writing authentic love scenes right now, with the way you’ve sent my imagination into overdrive.”
She laughed, feeling worlds better than she ever expected to today. She eased away from him. “I’d better go or John will be
wondering what happened to me.”
She hurried inside the house. When she was safely inside, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath, her hand pressed
to her mouth, aware of a flutter of excitement for what the future might hold.
For now, though, she was content to leave things open-ended, knowing they had time to explore these new feelings when the
time was right.