Page 18 of Colton On Guard
To his credit, Parker kept himself back. Only their mouths met, though he tangled one hand in her hair. If he wanted more, he made no move to take it. Instead, he continued to thoroughly kiss her, letting her make the next move. Which, despite how badly she wanted to, she couldn’t take.
Finally, they broke apart, both breathing hard.
Talk about awkward. She didn’t know where to look, what to do with her hands. Meanwhile, he waited, clearly giving her time and space to choose what she wanted to do next.
What she wanted had nothing to do with anything.
“I guess I ought to go to bed,” she managed to say. “Thank you for waking me.”
Instead of responding, he straightened and nodded. Moving stiffly away, he glanced back over his shoulder at her. “Please turn the lights out when you go.”
A moment later, she heard the sound of his bedroom door closing. The slight click made her wince.
Well, she’d certainly made a mess of things.
Feeling an uncomfortable combination of both arousal and embarrassment, she briefly considered spending the rest of the night on the sofa. But aware she’d likely regret that decision in the morning, she pushed herself up and made her way toward the guest room. She shut off the lights as she left.
After a quick detour to the guest bathroom to brush her teeth, she returned to her little room and closed her own door. Quickly changing into her pajamas, she slid between the cool sheets and gave a sigh of relief.
When she opened her eyes again, it was morning. The instant she woke, sitting up in Parker’s guest bed, she immediately realized she’d made a huge mistake.
She’d kissed him.
Moving on autopilot, she tried not to think. Today was another workday, and they’d be working side by side for large chunks of it. There couldn’t be any lingering awkwardness between them. She had to clear this up. Somehow.
While she showered in the guest bathroom, she tried to think of what to say. Should she apologize? Explain that she’d been barely awake and…what? Acted on the constant, simmering desire he aroused in her? No, that wouldn’t work. It sounded too much like an invitation to try again, or to take things even further.
She definitely didn’t want to lead him on. Because, plain and simple, they were coworkers. Nothing more. Nor could they ever be. She wasn’t willing to risk this blowing up in her face yet again. Especially since her livelihood would be affected.
After finishing, she shut off the water, toweled dry, and tried to clear her mind. She hadn’t been able to come up with much and decided she’d simply apologize and leave it at that. Decision made, she ignored the butterflies in her stomach, dried her hair and got dressed. As a general rule, she didn’t wear a lot of makeup, just mascara and lip gloss, which meant it didn’t take her long to get ready.
Sadly, Genna didn’t feel refreshed. She hadn’t had much success sleeping. The kiss and the break-in had weighed heavily on her mind, making her toss and turn all night long. Every time she’d managed to drift off to sleep, booms of thunder had yanked her back into awareness. The storm had continued into early morning, finally moving on right before dawn.
Because thinking about the break-in terrified her and dwelling on the kiss made her want to cry, she wished she couldget through the morning without thinking. At least until she got to work. Once at RTA, she could keep herself busy enough so she wouldn’t have to dwell on anything. Except, she did need to have the front door repaired and call an alarm company and make an appointment to have a system installed.
But first, she had to face Parker. He’d been kind enough to offer her a place to stay, and then she’d kissed him. What if he’d taken that to mean she wanted more than just a kiss?
And what if she did? Too much to consider, especially since she’d always been a fan of weighing all her options.
She’d kissed him. Damned if she hadn’t wanted to do a whole lot more.
Admitting that brought to mind visions of their night together. She relived every moment, wondering how it could be seared inside her brain. Their tangled bodies, the passionate kisses and the way he’d made her feel sexy, beautiful and whole again. Special. At least until he’d disappeared without a call or text.
In retrospect, that had turned out to be a good thing. She hadn’t wanted to go straight from her disastrous marriage into another relationship. She’d needed to learn how to live on her own and rebuild her self-respect, especially after being betrayed not only by her husband but by a woman she’d considered her best friend.
Genna never wanted to feel that level of pain again. Yet when she’d gone slinking back home to her parents to lick her wounds, and she’d been ghosted after she’d indulged in one amazingly carnal night with the sexiest man she’d ever met, it had hurt nearly as much. Maybe because she’d been vulnerable.
Even though Parker had belatedly, one year later, offered up an excuse, the rejection still stung. Likely more than it should have. Maybe she needed to finally let it go.
Giving her hair one final swipe of the brush, she stared at herself in the mirror. Then she took a deep breath and opened her bedroom door. The scent of coffee brewing drifted down the hallway, making her mouth water. When she made it to the kitchen, Parker was standing at the stove, his back to her, stirring something.
Dang, he looked good. Flushing, she remembered she owed him an apology. Not yet though. She needed to be fully awake for that. Needing fortification, she made a beeline for the coffeepot.
“Morning,” Parker said, turning to smile at her. “Mugs are in the cabinet to the left of the coffee maker. I have half-and-half in the fridge and sugar in the smallest of those canisters on the counter.”
“Thanks,” she replied, pretending that his smile hadn’t knocked the breath from her. “Any reports on storm damage?”
“Not yet.” He filled two bowls and carried them to the table. “Since we’re opening RTA, we can fill everyone else in once we get there.”