"Um, thanks. That's nice of you. But she died over a decade ago. Cancer."
Crap. Well, I'd kept digging, hadn't I?
Now I really wanted to wind myself around his hard as steel frame and settle in for a long snuggle and comfort him. Again, not my typical reaction around a guy. Didn’t matter though because something told me Kane London didn’t do snuggles. Or at least of the PG kind. Maybe not even PG-13. And now I was thinking about rated-R snuggling. Wow, that new hormone patch was performingwaaaybeyond all my expectations.
Shaking off the naughty thoughts invading my brain, as nonchalantly as I could, I lowered my hand and put the container on the counter. I scrambled for a topic, any topic, because he wasn’t leaving. Just stood there being all sexy and broody.
When I dared to look back at him the intensity of his gaze signaled he was fully capable of hard, wet kisses and seeking fingers guaranteed to bring a woman to the very edge of heaven in under point five seconds and...jeez,snap out of it Chassie.
Whatever this, this…instant, unexplained connection between us was, it couldn’t go anywhere. Not if he wanted to continue his friendship with my brother and I wanted to discover who was harassing me, not to mention my sanity. Which I was currently questioning.
I needed to focus on keeping things light between us. No touching. Absolutely. None. "Cancer sucks," I blurted. Well, so much for light. But I could do empathy with the best of 'em.
Softening my tone, I continued. "Our mother and her mom both had cervical cancer. I'm sorry you and your brothers had to watch your mom battle it too. It's never easy, no matter how old we are." I instinctively placed my hand on his upper arm. His bare, toned, ‘er deltoid, maybe? The muscle twitched beneath my fingers. And heat instantly infused me.
Suddenly, there wasn’t a square inch of my body that was spared. Heat like I’d never experienced was everywhere. And this was so not a hot flash. What began as comfort morphed into need, settling into the juncture at the top of my thighs. A strumming-like vibration followed just as Kane's eyes flared wide, his pupils blown.
And when his gaze dropped to my lips? Heaven help me. Because before I could think about the implications of my next action, I licked them.
His groan filled the room. The low tone reverberated off the bare walls.
Then his gaze dropped lower.
My nipples puckered.
He mumbled a curse.
I swallowed a moan.
And oh, lordy. He knew.
He knew I wanted him. After barely two damn hours.
And now he knew. I knew.
And the inevitable dance began.
In an unfinished cabin in the woods.
With a storm brewing outside.
Inside us both, apparently.
And flashing like a beacon between us was one simple fact that added up to a whole lot of possibilities.
Just. One Bed.
Plus, one hot former Ranger, ex-Hollywood stuntman, now personal bodyguard.
Plus, me. One hot and bothered almost forty-year-old wearing an estrogen patch and primed for action.
Then Finn’s smug face flashed before my eyes. My stupid older brother and his stupid rules.
And it all meant that the next move was mine.
Forget my stalker. What had I gotten myself into?
FIVE
