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He cupped her cheek. “Yeah, I do. I can’t in good conscience stay in a place that causes you pain. And I may not be wild about aliens, but I like this town.”Because it’s important to you. And to Gus.“So if you need to do more stories on Souvenir Planet to help your newspaper, I’m in.”

She gaped for a moment, then clutched his jacket and kissed him breathless.

She’d almost forgotten how soft Xander’s lips were.

No, that was a lie. She’d thought about his mouth every frickin’ day since that first barely there kiss at Gus’s memorial service. No matter how hard she tried to ignore that persistent tickle of desire, Xander was always on her mind—and now he was in her arms, warm and solid. His lips parted on a gasp, and whatever was left of her good sense went AWOL because how could she possibly resist deepening this delicious kiss?

His tongue teased her lips apart and stroked into her as if savoring her taste. The tight, warm circle of his arms sealed out the wind and rain and horrible memories—

A seagull’s scream overhead snapped her back to reality. And reality sucked to the utmost degree of suckage. Because no matter how much she ached for Xander, she needed to pump the brakes right now.

Gently, she planted her palms on his chest and pushed him away.

He searched her face, his rich brown eyes espresso-dark with desire. “Hannah, what is happening here? Do you want me, or am I just fooling myself?”

Despite the ache of disappointment, a giggle escaped her lips. “You are direct, aren’t you?”

“Answer the question, please.”

“Okay.” She blew out a breath and prayed for clarity. “Here’s what I know. That back there—” She pointed toward the fugly apartment block. “That knocked me off balance, and I don’t make the best decisions in that state.”

His nostrils flared. “I see.” He released her, hands spread wide, as if demonstrating he was unarmed.

She grabbed his sleeve and towed him back in. “No, you don’t.” Giving into temptation, she ran her fingertips over the silky-rough stubble covering his jaw. “I’m very attracted to you, Xander. Distractingly so, but our timing is awful. I mean, you’re probably not staying in Trappers Cove, and I’m trying hard not to leave, and we’re both dealing with work crises, and—”

He halted her rambling with another kiss, gentler this time, less hurried, cradling her head and humming his pleasure into her open mouth. When he finally pulled back, his dark eyes glittered.

“You don’t need to explain, Hannah.” He chuckled and hugged her against his broad chest. His breath fanned her temple, soft against her leaping pulse. “I’m not usually a woo-woo kind of guy, but maybe this was supposed to happen. Holding you feels right.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then feathered kisses down her cheek, over her jaw, behind her ear.

Her knees turned to water.

His voice rumbled, deep and velvety. “You said I should open my mind about aliens and such. Well, why not open our minds to what this could be? Because I’ve been so work-obsessed for so long, I can’t remember ever wanting a woman as much as I want you right now.”

She let her head loll back, inviting more hypnotic kisses. With each brush of his lips, her core throbbed.

“Xander.” She gripped his arms—partially to enjoy his firm biceps, but also to halt this before she spontaneously combusted on Main Street.

“Yes, beauty?” His fingers teased open her scarf, and he trailed kisses along her collarbone.

“Hold on.”

His laughter vibrated her bones. “I am.”

“I mean stop.” She gave him a gentle shove, and he immediately backed away, but his hungry gaze pinned her where she stood.

“Look.” She dabbed her glowing face. “This is moving very fast.”

His gaze drifted to her lips. “You want slow? I can do slow.”

I’ll bet you can.She imagined languid kisses trailing over her bare skin, between her breasts, down her trembling belly until he reached—

“Shit.” She slapped a hand to her forehead and spun away, pacing beneath the leaky awning. There had to be a way around this obstacle, but right now, she just couldn’t see it.

How could fate be so cruel?

He fell into step beside her, his feet splashing in puddles on the sidewalk. Why did he have to be so damn adorable?

She pivoted to face him. “Xander, I can’t date you. It’s unethical.”