Page 17 of Colton On Guard
“Sounds perfect,” she said, keeping her gaze averted. He found himself wondering if he should apologize for the quick hug, just in case. Good thing she didn’t know how close he’d come to kissing her.
“Genna,” he began. “I’m sorry if—”
“It’s all good,” she said, cutting him off. “Now, I’d better get busy doing my thing. I’ll holler if I need you.”
Dismissed, Parker did the only sensible thing. He retreated.
If it hadn’t still been raining outside, he’d have gone for a walk. Getting outside always eased his tension. Instead, since he was confined to the house, he took an early shower and changed into comfy clothes.
When he emerged, the smell of steak broiling made his mouth water.
In the kitchen, Genna had set the table and had just removed two foil-wrapped baked potatoes from the oven. “You’re just in time,” she said, smiling.
Somehow, this made him feel worse. “Genna, I never want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
His words wiped the smile from her face. “You’re overthinking things. Please, sit down and let’s have a nice meal. It’s been a spectacularly bad day. I’m really not in the mood to make it any worse.”
Damn, he liked her attitude. Quietly nodding, he asked her if there was anything he could do to help.
“Nope. Just sit and eat,” she replied.
“Yes, ma’am.” He sat.
She picked up their plates and carried them to the stove. When she returned and placed them on the table, they each had a perfectly cooked portion of steak, baked potato and asparagus.
“This looks way better than anything I could have made,” he admitted.
“Thank you.” She took a seat and gave him a mock stern look. “Dig in.”
Genna wasn’t sure if it was because of the handsome man sitting across from her, but the dinner they shared tasted better than anything she’d ever made.
Parker definitely appeared to like it. Making appreciative sounds as he ate, he cleaned his plate in record time. “That was amazing,” he said, sitting back in his chair and watching her eat.
Once she’d finished, he grabbed both plates and carried them to the sink. “I’ll wash up.”
“Thanks.” Suddenly exhausted, she didn’t move. Instead, she covertly admired his backside while he washed off their plates and everything she’d used to cook.
When he finally finished and turned around, he studied her. “Did you want to watch some TV?”
Though she really wanted to crawl into bed, it was still early. “Sure,” she said, rising and stretching. “I don’t care what we watch. You choose.”
They settled in the living room. She took the couch and he sank onto his recliner. Using the remote, he chose a crime drama. “I’ve watched a few episodes of this,” she said. “It’s pretty good.”
Appearing lost in thought, he nodded.
Relaxing slightly, she grabbed a throw blanket from the end of the couch and used it to cover up.
She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, Parker gently shook her. Confused, she sat up, blinking sleepily. The room had gone quiet, the television turned off.
“Did you want to sleep here?” he asked quietly, bending over her. “I wasn’t sure if you’d rather I left you alone, or woke you so you could move to the bed.”
Heaven help her. Maybe her defenses were in tatters due to her being only half awake. Without really thinking, she reached up, pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him.
Oh, what a kiss. It was everything she’d thought it would be, just as passionate and perfect as she remembered. Tongues tangled as they deepened it. Desire, which always seemed to be simmering inside her when he was around, blazed to life.
It would have been a simple thing to tug Parker to her, his full body on top of hers. Though fully clothed, shedding those would have been a simple thing.
Except she knew doing so would be a terrible mistake.