Page 20 of Colton On Guard

Putting his attention back where it belonged—on the discovery of yet another likely victim of the Fiancée Killer, he took a deep, shaky breath. That woman, whoever she was, had been someone’s daughter, sister, friend. To have her life snuffed out in such a horrible way was gut-wrenching.

“I hate that another woman lost her life at that serial killer’s hands,” Genna said, her voice somber. “I sure hope they figure out who he is and soon.”

“Me, too. I think everyone does,” he replied.

Taking another sip of her coffee, she looked up at him. “We’d better head for the office,” she said. “I need to get the place opened up and ready for the first group. It’s going to be a busy Saturday.”

He glanced at his watch, saw she was right, and turned to walk back inside. “I can go whenever. How long do you need?”

“I’m ready now.”

Surprised, he nodded. “Let me grab my keys and we’ll go.”

She followed him into the kitchen, setting her mug down next to his in the sink. The simple act made his heart squeeze.Ridiculous, he chided himself, snatching his truck keys off the counter.

“Let’s go.”

As they drove toward headquarters with the sun shining, it was hard to believe the road had ever been under water. Everything—the trees, the grass, even the pavement—glistened.

Next to him in the passenger seat, Genna fidgeted.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked her.

“Yes,” she replied. “No. Not really. Listen, we need to talk about what happened last night.”

“No, we don’t. Don’t worry. Everything is all right.”

She sighed loudly. “But it’s not. You were kind enough to let me stay in your home. You fed me, too. And while I deeply, deeply appreciate that, I’m afraid I might have given you the wrong impression when I—”

“Nope,” he interrupted. “No wrong impressions were made. You were asleep. You acted without thinking. If anything, I took advantage of you by kissing you back.”

“Oh, please.” He could almost hear her rolling her eyes. “Would you at least let me finish? I owe you an apol—”

“No.” He stopped the truck, glad no one else was out and about on this road so early. “Don’t you dare apologize to me. At least let me hang on to what shreds of dignity I have left.”

Eyes huge, she stared at him. “I don’t get it. I’m confused. What do you mean?”

As their gazes locked, again that pull of attraction passed between them. At least for him. He found it difficult to believe this could be one-sided.

“I wanted that kiss as much as you did,” he elaborated. “Probably even more. If you’d have invited me into your bed, I would have gone without hesitation. To put it mildly.”

Heaven help him, his blunt words not only made her swallow hard, but he swore he saw a flare of desire in her green eyes. She swayed toward him, making him realize she wasn’t as immune to their connection as she pretended to be.

Now was not the time. For both their sakes, he knew he had to be strong. Turning to face the road, he shifted into Drive and continued on. Genna sat silent beside him.

They reached headquarters without incident. Everything appeared to have returned to normal and, aside from standing water in some of the ditches, he couldn’t tell that there had been any flooding.

As soon as he parked, Genna had the passenger door open and was out. He followed at a more leisurely pace while she used her key to unlock the front door. Once inside, she turned on all the lights and booted up both front-counter computers before going into the back.

“Would you mind getting the coffee started?” she called out, her voice professional as she continued on her way to her office. “I need to check the schedule, but I’m pretty sure we have a tour group arriving in under an hour.”

“We do,” he answered. “It’s my group.”

“Hiking?” She turned and grinned at him.

“Not this time. Four-wheeling. Demand is high this time of the year to head up the mountain and see the fall foliage.”

“Got it.” And she disappeared into her office, leaving him staring after her. This wanting, this craving, made him restless. Uncomfortable in his skin. He didn’t have any idea how to cure it or to make it go away. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to.