Page 43 of Unpacking Secrets
Before I could react, he reached out and stroked his knuckles along the side of my throat. My mouth dropped open, but then my phone vibrated on the countertop between us, shattering our connection. We both glanced down out of reflex, and Henry let out an amused snort when he read the text from Sarah.
Off to Amsterdam tomorrow. Any new run-ins with that dickhead from the inn?
I slapped one palm over the phone and the other over my eyes. Henry grinned at my pained expression when I peeked between my fingers. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned one hip against the counter.
“So I take it you haven’t told your friend how I swooped in to rescue you yet? You wound me, Juliet.”
“No, I have not. I didn’t want her to worry and end up rushing out here or something. I’m sorry, I won’t let her keep thinking you’re an asshole, I promise. Not for much longer, anyway.”
His smile had my stomach flip-flopping madly, then he nodded, tapping a finger against his chin as a glimmer of mischief crept into his expression.
“I’ve never played the villain before, but if you’re into roleplay, I suppose it could be fun,” he replied, offering a teasing smile that made my breath stutter for a moment.
I groaned as I dumped a container of noodles onto my plate. “Fess up, Walker. Do you intentionally say things like that just to make me blush? It goes with the pasty complexion, all right? I can’t help it and it is definitelynotamusing. It’s physiological.”
He reached over and brushed his thumb over the hot splotch of color along one cheekbone, causing my eyes to widen even more. When my lips parted in surprise, his gaze landed on my mouth and, for one breathless moment, I thought he was going to lean in and kiss me.
“Yes, I do it on purpose. I admit it freely,” he said softly. “You’re gorgeous anyway, but damned if blushing doesn’t make you ten times more tempting. I wouldn’t call you pasty, though. Just fair, like fresh cream.”
“Henry,” I began, but his fingers dropped and he shook his head with a rueful smile.
“I’m not pushing for anything you’re not interested in, Juliet. If you want to just be friends or work colleagues or polite strangers, I’ll abide by whatever boundaries you set. If you don’t want me touching you, you only need to say the word and it won’t happen again.”
His hazel eyes glinted gold when they dropped briefly to my lips once more, but everything about his bearing in that moment indicated utter sincerity. I stared at him until he spoke again.
“Whatever’s between us, this spark, it feels right. I’m sorry if I crossed a line.”
“No, you didn’t cross anything.”
A relieved breath whispered past his lips and he nodded. “Good.”
“Spark seems like a good word for it. I was thinking chemistry. It’s not—I’m not opposed to you touching me,” I said, cheeks heating further even as I held his gaze. “I just want to be sure I’m not misinterpreting it.”
One corner of his mouth curved upward. “Believe me, you’re not.”
I held up a hand and added, “But before anything else happens, I also want to know that thissparkisn’t going to screw things up between us, in terms of the inn. Maybe this is me being overly cautious, or maybe it’s feeling off-kilter being new in town, I don’t know. I don’t want anything to turn weird.”
Henry reached out to cup my chin in his hand. “You’re talking to the guy whose ex-wife is still one of his best friends,” he reminded me with a grin.
That statement was absurdly comforting as I considered it. I had no intention of ever actually working at the inn, and I’d already been through the strain of avoiding the place because of him. The realization that maybe this, the two of us, might be possible brought a smile to my face. Henry lifted a brow in question.
“Okay,” I said simply.
“Okay,” Henry repeated, running his thumb lightly along my jaw.
His focus dropped to my lips again. I tensed, wondering again if he would kiss me. Instead, he let his hand fall—though he didn’t look away from my mouth for several seconds—and he stepped back.
“We’ve got plenty of time, Red, and your noodles are getting cold.”
We ate side-by-side at the counter. Henry asked about Sarah and Andre, teased me for keeping secrets from my best friend, and miraculously took my mind off the thought of kissing him.
At least, my mindwasoff of it until he casually reached over to tuck a stray curl behind my ear. Then my lungs forgot how to function.
“You were saying?” he prompted, clearly enjoying the effect his touch had on me.
“You, sir, are a tease,” I threw back. When I narrowed my eyes at him, he only grinned at the accusation.
“A tease, huh? Does that mean you want me to kiss you, Juliet? I’d be more than happy to oblige.”
