barrier he’d tried to put between them, all he could think about now was how he could break it down even more. “Whatever’s happening, people are dying from it, Kendall.”
She was statue-still, her attention locked on their hands as well. “I’ve noticed.”
“If you keep digging, odds are you’ll end up that way too.”
“I’m in danger, whether I look into this or not.” After a long moment she removed her hand from his by pulling the sugar dispenser over. “At this point, the only thing I know how to do is look for answers. The danger of doing so is irrelevant.”
“How altruistic of you.”
“Realistic, smart-ass, not altruistic.” She slanted him a glance as she doctored her coffee. “The bottom line is that there’s something deadly out there, and it’s decided I’m next on its hit list. Don’t ask me what,” she added, putting up a hand as if she wanted to ward off an avalanche of questions. “All I know is that I don’t have the tools to fight what it is. The only thing I can do is try to arm myself with knowledge. That probably won’t make any difference in the end, but if I just sit on my thumbs and let my fear consume me, I feel like I’ll never be able to get over that. In my job—no. In my life , I can’t allow myself to be that helpless or weak.”
“Weak? Kendall.” Admiration bloomed in his chest so fiercely he worried he was somehow glowing with it. “Lady, you need a dictionary. That’s the last word I would use to describe you. Now, stubborn—that’s a good word for you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Impulsive. Inquisitive. Nosy. Pushy. I could go on.”
“By all means, you’re on such a roll.”
“Intelligent. Courageous. Undaunted. Beautiful.” Again his hand came to capture hers, and this time, by God, he meant to do it. Just as he meant to lure her gaze back to his, so he could enjoy its delicate weight clinging to him. “Distracting. Unforgettable. So sexy I couldn’t sleep last night for thinking of you.”
He heard her breath hitch to a halt. Amazing, how he had managed to live twenty-nine years without knowing how sexy that sound could be.
“I...”
Zeke brought her hand to his lips, at last surrendering to the need to taste her. His senses swam with her scent of lilies, until all he wanted to do was drown in it. “Yes?”
“You’re hitting on me.” The words seemed to tumble out on their own. “You’re seriously hitting on me.”
“Is that a problem?”
“I just didn’t see it coming.”
He smiled. “Excellent. Stealth-hitting always gets the best results.”
“But...” She shook her head, clearly not as dazzled as he’d hoped. “You’re the most bewildering man, Zeke. After you left yesterday, I had the impression you didn’t even like me. Or at the very least, you thought I was unbalanced.”
“I know, and I should be whipped off my feet for that.” Genuinely horrified, Zeke slid out of his seat and settled on her side of the booth, all the while keeping a firm hold on the treasure that was her hand. Her eyes widened in an awareness that enchanted him when his thigh pressed against hers, and their shared body heat sizzled along his nerves like a branding iron fresh from the coals. He fought to stifle a groan of delight even as the delicious heaviness of arousal pooled hard and fast in his lower region. “I hope you can forgive me.”
“No worries.” She jumped when he curled an arm around her shoulders, and that skittish twitch of awareness was enough to send his pulse rocketing into low-earth orbit. “Really. No problem.”
“Just to be on the safe side, I think I should try my best to obliterate that impression once and for all.” As a shiver of excitement touched his spine, Zeke lowered his mouth to hers.
Chapter Six
Kendall’s gear-stripped brain couldn’t come up with an adequate answer, but she soon discovered no verbal response was necessary. Body language was what was important now, and Zeke seemed to be
She was statue-still, her attention locked on their hands as well. “I’ve noticed.”
“If you keep digging, odds are you’ll end up that way too.”
“I’m in danger, whether I look into this or not.” After a long moment she removed her hand from his by pulling the sugar dispenser over. “At this point, the only thing I know how to do is look for answers. The danger of doing so is irrelevant.”
“How altruistic of you.”
“Realistic, smart-ass, not altruistic.” She slanted him a glance as she doctored her coffee. “The bottom line is that there’s something deadly out there, and it’s decided I’m next on its hit list. Don’t ask me what,” she added, putting up a hand as if she wanted to ward off an avalanche of questions. “All I know is that I don’t have the tools to fight what it is. The only thing I can do is try to arm myself with knowledge. That probably won’t make any difference in the end, but if I just sit on my thumbs and let my fear consume me, I feel like I’ll never be able to get over that. In my job—no. In my life , I can’t allow myself to be that helpless or weak.”
“Weak? Kendall.” Admiration bloomed in his chest so fiercely he worried he was somehow glowing with it. “Lady, you need a dictionary. That’s the last word I would use to describe you. Now, stubborn—that’s a good word for you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Impulsive. Inquisitive. Nosy. Pushy. I could go on.”
“By all means, you’re on such a roll.”
“Intelligent. Courageous. Undaunted. Beautiful.” Again his hand came to capture hers, and this time, by God, he meant to do it. Just as he meant to lure her gaze back to his, so he could enjoy its delicate weight clinging to him. “Distracting. Unforgettable. So sexy I couldn’t sleep last night for thinking of you.”
He heard her breath hitch to a halt. Amazing, how he had managed to live twenty-nine years without knowing how sexy that sound could be.
“I...”
Zeke brought her hand to his lips, at last surrendering to the need to taste her. His senses swam with her scent of lilies, until all he wanted to do was drown in it. “Yes?”
“You’re hitting on me.” The words seemed to tumble out on their own. “You’re seriously hitting on me.”
“Is that a problem?”
“I just didn’t see it coming.”
He smiled. “Excellent. Stealth-hitting always gets the best results.”
“But...” She shook her head, clearly not as dazzled as he’d hoped. “You’re the most bewildering man, Zeke. After you left yesterday, I had the impression you didn’t even like me. Or at the very least, you thought I was unbalanced.”
“I know, and I should be whipped off my feet for that.” Genuinely horrified, Zeke slid out of his seat and settled on her side of the booth, all the while keeping a firm hold on the treasure that was her hand. Her eyes widened in an awareness that enchanted him when his thigh pressed against hers, and their shared body heat sizzled along his nerves like a branding iron fresh from the coals. He fought to stifle a groan of delight even as the delicious heaviness of arousal pooled hard and fast in his lower region. “I hope you can forgive me.”
“No worries.” She jumped when he curled an arm around her shoulders, and that skittish twitch of awareness was enough to send his pulse rocketing into low-earth orbit. “Really. No problem.”
“Just to be on the safe side, I think I should try my best to obliterate that impression once and for all.” As a shiver of excitement touched his spine, Zeke lowered his mouth to hers.
Chapter Six
Kendall’s gear-stripped brain couldn’t come up with an adequate answer, but she soon discovered no verbal response was necessary. Body language was what was important now, and Zeke seemed to be
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