Chapter 5
Parker took a deep breath. With beautiful Genna standing beside him, raw longing nearly took him out at the knees. How easy to imagine what they could be, if she’d just allow him in.
She’d kissed him. And the kiss had rocked him to the core. For one moment, one shining moment, he’d believed she’d wanted him as much as he did her.
At least she hadn’t apologized.
Putting his attention back where it belonged—on the discovery of yet another likely victim of the Fiancée Killer, he took a deep, shaky breath. That woman, whoever she was, had been someone’s daughter, sister, friend. To have her life snuffed out in such a horrible way was gut-wrenching.
“I hate that another woman lost her life at that serial killer’s hands,” Genna said, her voice somber. “I sure hope they figure out who he is and soon.”
“Me, too. I think everyone does,” he replied.
Taking another sip of her coffee, she looked up at him. “We’d better head for the office,” she said. “I need to get the place opened up and ready for the first group. It’s going to be a busy Saturday.”
He glanced at his watch, saw she was right, and turned to walk back inside. “I can go whenever. How long do you need?”
“I’m ready now.”
Surprised, he nodded. “Let me grab my keys and we’ll go.”
She followed him into the kitchen, setting her mug down next to his in the sink. The simple act made his heart squeeze. Ridiculous, he chided himself, snatching his truck keys off the counter.
“Let’s go.”
As they drove toward headquarters with the sun shining, it was hard to believe the road had ever been under water. Everything—the trees, the grass, even the pavement—glistened.
Next to him in the passenger seat, Genna fidgeted.
“Are you okay?” he finally asked her.
“Yes,” she replied. “No. Not really. Listen, we need to talk about what happened last night.”
“No, we don’t. Don’t worry. Everything is all right.”
She sighed loudly. “But it’s not. You were kind enough to let me stay in your home. You fed me, too. And while I deeply, deeply appreciate that, I’m afraid I might have given you the wrong impression when I—”
“Nope,” he interrupted. “No wrong impressions were made. You were asleep. You acted without thinking. If anything, I took advantage of you by kissing you back.”
“Oh, please.” He could almost hear her rolling her eyes. “Would you at least let me finish? I owe you an apol—”
“No.” He stopped the truck, glad no one else was out and about on this road so early. “Don’t you dare apologize to me. At least let me hang on to what shreds of dignity I have left.”
Eyes huge, she stared at him. “I don’t get it. I’m confused. What do you mean?”
As their gazes locked, again that pull of attraction passed between them. At least for him. He found it difficult to believe this could be one-sided.
“I wanted that kiss as much as you did,” he elaborated. “Probably even more. If you’d have invited me into your bed, I would have gone without hesitation. To put it mildly.”
Heaven help him, his blunt words not only made her swallow hard, but he swore he saw a flare of desire in her green eyes. She swayed toward him, making him realize she wasn’t as immune to their connection as she pretended to be.
Now was not the time. For both their sakes, he knew he had to be strong. Turning to face the road, he shifted into Drive and continued on. Genna sat silent beside him.
They reached headquarters without incident. Everything appeared to have returned to normal and, aside from standing water in some of the ditches, he couldn’t tell that there had been any flooding.
As soon as he parked, Genna had the passenger door open and was out. He followed at a more leisurely pace while she used her key to unlock the front door. Once inside, she turned on all the lights and booted up both front-counter computers before going into the back.
“Would you mind getting the coffee started?” she called out, her voice professional as she continued on her way to her office. “I need to check the schedule, but I’m pretty sure we have a tour group arriving in under an hour.”
“We do,” he answered. “It’s my group.”
“Hiking?” She turned and grinned at him.
“Not this time. Four-wheeling. Demand is high this time of the year to head up the mountain and see the fall foliage.”
“Got it.” And she disappeared into her office, leaving him staring after her. This wanting, this craving, made him restless. Uncomfortable in his skin. He didn’t have any idea how to cure it or to make it go away. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to.
After turning on the coffee maker, he wandered back outside to make sure no trees had been felled by the storm.
Spence arrived just as Parker returned from making sure the path up the mountain hadn’t been blocked. As far as he could tell, it had looked clear.
“I’m worried about the river,” Spence said after they exchanged greetings. “I’m supposed to take a small tour group out fishing. But after that storm, I’m concerned.”
“I hear you. You might end up river-rafting instead,” Parker quipped, only half joking.
“Exactly.” Spence checked his wrist. “I’m going to drive down there. Want to go with me and check it out?”
“I wish I could, but my group will be here in fifteen minutes,” Parker answered.
Spence responded with a wave and strode off to his truck.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. As always, Parker enjoyed the hell out of the four-wheeling expedition. He’d always liked mud and, after all the rain, there was plenty of that to go around.
Lots of laughs, cheers, especially when they had to tow one of the four-wheelers out of the mud. Sunburned, mud-splattered and happy, the group finally returned to RTA headquarters where Parker turned them over to Genna. She raised a brow at their appearance, but didn’t comment.
Instead of taking himself off for a shower, Parker stood near the door and watched Genna interact with the customers. Her friendly smile clearly charmed them. Several of the guys flirted with her, which caused a muscle to twitch in Parker’s jaw.
As they finished checking out, one by one they left. Several high-fived Parker on the way out. One guy gave him a fist bump and a few just waved.
Finally, they were all gone, leaving Parker alone with Genna.
“You should see yourself,” she said, still smiling. “Every single one of your group looks like they took a mud bath.”
“We kind of did,” he admitted, grinning back at her. “It was a blast.”
He could have stood there for eternity and allowed himself to get lost in Genna’s gaze.
Instead, the door opened behind him and Spence walked in. The instant he caught sight of Parker, he burst out laughing. “Damn, I wish I’d had that trip instead of mine. Though with the river as high as it is, I might get a little bit wet.”
“Do you think it’s safe?” Parker asked.
“As far as I can tell, yes. We’ll turn back if we encounter anything concerning.”
Spence’s group started straggling in and Genna busied herself with checking them in.
Hetty Amos, their pilot and guide, arrived, laughed at Parker, and signed on to the other computer.
Parker asked her quietly if she would be around awhile since Spence would be taking his group out and Parker wanted to run home, shower and change.
“Sure,” she replied. “I know the rule. No females are to be alone. I got you. Go get yourself cleaned up. I’ll be here for the next couple of hours.”
Relieved, he thanked her, waved at Genna, and headed out.
Once home, he shed his muddy clothes and jumped into the shower. An image flashed into his mind of Genna, naked in the shower with him, water sluicing off her perfect, glistening body. Forcefully, he shoved the thought, and the instant bolt of heat it brought, away.
After drying off, he dressed in clean clothes and wandered into the kitchen in search of something to eat.
He made a sandwich and ate it alone at the kitchen table.
While he did, he realized his house felt…
empty. In the brief time Genna had been there, her vibrant presence had filled the space with something he hadn’t even realized had been missing.
He really had it bad. Grimacing at his own foolishness, he finished his meal, washing it down with a big glass of water. When had he become so lame, sitting around mooning over a woman who alternated between wanting no part of him and pulling him down for a kiss?
That kiss. Heat had instantly consumed him, taking him right back to the night they’d spent together.
They’d feasted on each other, laughed and made love and slept before making love again.
Parker had never lacked feminine attention, but what he and Genna had shared had been on an entirely new level.
Then last night, alone in his bed after she’d kissed him, achingly aware of her asleep in the room down the hall, he’d burned with wanting her.
Now he couldn’t stop thinking of things he wanted to do to her, with her. Most of them carnal.
But some of them, surprisingly, were not. He dreamt of sharing things with her. A sunrise at the top of the mountain, a quiet moment in a double kayak out in the middle of a serene lake. Dinner and drinks, holding her close as they swayed to the music of the band.
In short, he wanted more. In fact, he realized all of it sounded an awful lot like a relationship. Something he’d avoided like the plague the last several years.
He had his reasons, most of them centered around how badly he’d been hurt when he fell for Genna the last time. Also, he told himself that he liked his freedom far too much to give any of it up for another person. Now, he had begun to understand that maybe he simply hadn’t met the right one.
Shaking his head, he pushed such foolish thoughts away. Genna had made it crystal-clear that she had no desire to pursue any kind of romantic anything with him. Except, then why had she kissed him?