Chapter 16
The words were hard to get out. But Dustin had needed to say them. He’d known from the moment their lips had touched that he had to stop, but he hadn’t.
The problem was that he’d started thinking about kissing her even before she’d gotten out of the hammock.
Their time together that afternoon doing a few of their favorite activities had brought back all the memories of when they’d been younger, when they’d spent countless hours together every day and simply enjoyed being together.
They were good memories, but ones that he’d put behind him.
When he’d left for the Army, he’d been so busy with his basic training that he’d been able to push her from his mind.
Then, during Ranger school, the intensity and difficulty of those months had taken all his energy and focus.
By the time he’d been deployed, the keen longing for her had finally faded.
Of course, he’d had moments over the years where he’d thought about her, about their kiss, about her offer to date him and what a future with her might look like. But as the months turned into years, he’d accepted that she was a part of his past and that’s where she needed to stay.
So why was he here at the ranch with her now? And why had the kiss they’d just shared seemed so much more than just pretend?
She leaned into the crook of the sofa and stretched out her legs, showcasing every inch of her beautiful body.
It had been hard enough to keep from admiring her all afternoon, and now it was even harder with the memory of that body pressed against him when they’d been kissing. He could almost feel the imprint of her figure, and his pulse sprang forward with a burning heat that seared him deep in his gut.
He blew out another exasperated breath.
What he actually needed to do was resign from this case. He’d already crossed the line in holding her the previous night in Aspen. Today, how many more professional boundaries had he crossed? Probably too many to count.
The trouble was, he still didn’t want any other man to be assigned to Silver.
He wanted to be the one to protect her. If he left, he’d be worried about her and wondering if his replacement was doing everything right.
In fact, he wouldn’t be able to rest at all until he knew her stalker had been caught.
He had to stay. That led him to his previous conclusion. “We can’t kiss again.” This time he tried to make his voice more serious, even ominous.
She hadn’t answered him the first time he’d said it, and he was afraid she’d ignore him a second time. Thankfully, she nodded. “I understand completely, Dustin. You’re afraid we’re taking our pretending to be honeymooners too far.”
Actually, that wasn’t what he was afraid of. No, he was afraid of himself and his reaction to her. If he kissed her again, he might not be able to stop and walk away from her. And after cultivating so much self-control over the years, he didn’t want to lose it.
But how could he admit that?
“I’m sorry,” she said as she stretched, her top sliding up at her midriff and showing off a tanned, toned, and exquisite band of stomach.
She’d untucked his shirt and touched his stomach. He hadn’t been prepared for her boldness in that moment. He’d actually nearly come undone the second her fingers had skimmed him. Even now, just thinking about her touch sent a slice of heat through him once more, this time more forcefully.
“I got a little carried away,” she continued. “It was just so hard not to rile up our neighbors.”
“Let’s not rile them up again.”
“I’ll be more careful next time.”
“There can’t be a next time.” His thoughts returned to the moment her lips had meshed with his.
He hadn’t wanted to respond to her, hadn’t wanted to get caught up in the kiss, had intended to pull back and walk away.
But the power of her kiss had been too hard to resist, and explosions had gone off inside him, like hidden IEDs detonating.
He’d lost himself in the fire, scorched with desire for her, for her kiss, for them. If he was honest with himself, that desire was still pulsing through him with a power that was making it difficult for him to concentrate.
But he had to concentrate. Her life was in danger and might depend on how alert and focused he was. He had to remember that.
She sat back up and patted the spot next to her. “Let’s forget about what happened out there. It didn’t mean anything anyway. Right?”
He narrowed his gaze on her, studying her expression. Did it really mean so little to her? Could she kiss him like that and forget about it?
He wouldn’t be able to forget about it. Even if the kiss had only been pretend for her, it still meant something to him.
It had affected him deeply and passionately in the moment, and it would probably linger with him for a long time because something about her had always affected him deeply and passionately.
Regardless of how he felt, he had to put the kiss behind him and not let it influence him, especially if he hoped to survive the next few days with her in the cabin.
“Fine.” He tried to ease the tension in his shoulders. “Since we’re pretending, let’s pretend the kiss never happened.”
She tossed him a sly smile. “I wouldn’t object to a little bit more innocent kissing.”
The tension came rolling back through him in waves. She was teasing him, almost as if she knew the power her kisses had over him. “I wouldn’t call that kiss innocent.”
“What would you call it?” Her voice dropped a note. Was it sultry?
He had the strange need to stalk over to her, pull her up, and crush his mouth to hers. He swallowed hard, then narrowed his eyes on her, forcing himself to stay in control. “We’re not kissing again, innocently or otherwise.”
She let her gaze drift down him, her eyes radiating appreciation. “So, if not kissing, what do you propose we do to convince people we’re married?”
“We won’t need to do anything because we’ll be in here the rest of the time.”
Her expression fell. “We can do a few more ranch activities, can’t we?”
“We’ll see.” So far, there had been no suspicious sightings since Silver had called Beryl and Franklin earlier in the day. That hadn’t surprised him, since Silver had been so sure neither one would try to harm her. It had also confirmed what Dustin had felt in his gut.
She was due to call more suspects later in the evening—Linda, one of the therapists, as well as Nolan and Tobias, her ranch hands.
After that, he didn’t know how long they would have before the stalker and accomplice descended on the ranch.
But Isaac had finished installing cameras and would keep a tight watch on the ranch.
Besides that, the ranch had its own security cameras and an officer on duty.
At the beep of his security app, he glanced down at his phone to find that one of the Cliffside servers was delivering the meal he’d ordered.
Dustin met the guy at the door, then brought the food in and set it out on the table—fillet mignon, fresh grilled asparagus, baby potatoes in a cream sauce, ricotta breadsticks, and more.
Although he’d expected a little more awkwardness while he and Silver ate, he should have known Silver would smooth everything over and be full of sunshine. She always knew what to talk about and was interesting, but she didn’t dominate the conversation and instead wanted him to talk too.
Afterward, she convinced him to play cards—War—for old time’s sake.
She taught him a couple other card games, then they relaxed in the hot tub and stargazed and talked about the ranch with its long history.
He finally admitted to her that his dad had pancreatic cancer and shared about the past year and the hardships.
She empathized with him and opened up more about her grief over her dad.
He kept the lights low for safety purposes—and so that he didn’t catch glimpses of her in her swimsuit, which would have wreaked havoc with his self-control since it was already on shaky ground.
Finally, when she started yawning, they went in, changed into comfortable clothing, and then he indulged her by watching one of her favorite rom-coms. She fell asleep halfway through the movie, but since she was curled up against his side, he didn’t want to disturb her.
At least, that’s what he told himself, although a part of him knew deep inside that he just wanted the chance to sit beside her for as long as possible.
He had so little time left with her before the assignment was over and he moved on to another EPA job.
Since Isaac was keeping watch throughout the night on the security cameras he’d installed, Dustin allowed himself to sleep a little while sitting up next to her.
At some point in the night, he awoke to find her head resting against his arm.
At another point, he awoke to discover that she’d lain down and her head was in his lap.
In the early-morning hours, he stirred again and realized he’d reclined too, and that they were curled up together. A part of his mind urged him to get up and put distance between them, scolding him that he was crossing the line with her again.
Another part of him felt as though he was right where he needed to be, that he was made to hold her and nothing else mattered. Over the hours of listening to her breathe and feeling the steady beat of her heart, an unfamiliar peace and contentment had settled over him.
As the daylight began to light the cabin, he shifted so he could watch her sleep.
Her long, dark lashes rested against her smooth, flawless skin.
Her cheeks, her nose, her chin—each of her features was so symmetrical and lean and feminine.
Her lips, even in sleep, held the hint of a smile because her dreams were probably void of all negativities and only contained happiness.
She was an amazing woman.