Moonlight Kiss

last lick. He took her giggle as a yes.

“I said down!” Another command came from across the yard.

Addison looked over Little John’s massive shoulder and spotted Reid standing next to the metal barn across from the house. He had a tool of some kind in his hand and he was holy cow . . . shirtless. His jeans had a rip across each knee and a hole in one thigh, but it was his chest that captured her undivided attention.

Little John gave Addison’s chin a sly, quick lick before pushing away from her shoulders. Although the threat of being eaten alive no longer applied, when she brushed a lock of hair from her face she wasn’t surprised to notice a tremble in her fingers. She was used to dogs, but little yappy things, not big brutes . . . even though Little John turned out to be a lovable brute.

Reid quickly closed the distance from across the yard and gave Little John a shake of his head. “You know better.” When he shook his finger at Little John, the big dog hung his head. “I’m sorry. He’s harmless, but I hope he didn’t scare you.”

“No,” Addison scoffed. “I didn’t see my life flash before my eyes or anything else like that.”

Reid chuckled and seemed to relax a little bit. When he reached up and shoved damp hair off his forehead the movement caused a delicious ripple of muscle. A slight sheen of sweat made his tanned skin glisten. Just the right amount of tawny chest hair narrowed into an enticing line that disappeared beneath his jeans. With no belt, the worn denim hung low on his waist, and in spite of how irritated Addison felt toward him she couldn’t help but notice how sexy he looked without a shirt.

“Sorry. I’m a dirty mess.” He tilted his head toward the barn. “I was fixing the quad.”

“The quad?”

“Four-wheeler. I was told to take you out to the old barn but it wouldn’t start.”

“Wait. . . . What? You? Where’s Sara?”

“With Mom. They went out to the barn after church to start taking notes. I had orders to take you to them when you arrived.”

“Oh . . . uh . . . thanks, but I’ll walk.”

“It’s two miles.”

“I’ll drive.”

“You’d have to go through the narrow path in the woods. It’s not drivable in a car.”

“How did Sara get there?”

“On a quad with my mother.”

Addison’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“And Mom was driving. We’re outdoorsy people, in case you didn’t notice.”

Oh, she noticed everything about him.

“Look, I tried to tell them that you wouldn’t want to ride with me but they weren’t having it.”

“Isn’t there someone else?”

Reid shrugged, causing his pecs to do a delicious little dance. “Dad and Braden just left for a Cougars game. Sorry about your luck, but I’m all you’ve got.”

“Why would Sara not wait for me?”

Reid took a step closer, crowding her space, making her want to touch him. No! She would not touch him.

“You really want to know?”

“Yes.”

He hesitated. “Matchmaking.”

“What?” Addison said so loud that Little John gave her a curious look. “Like, between me and you?” She pointed to herself and then to Reid, just to make sure she heard him right.

“Sara was singing your praises at breakfast, and my mother kept giving me the look.”

“The look?”

“The I-want-grandchildren look.”

Addison fisted her hands on her hips. “Did you let your mother know that I . . . um . . . ?” How could she put it delicately?

“Despise me? Yes.”

“And?”

When Reid took another step closer it was all Addison could do not to put distance between them, but she didn’t want him to know the effect he was having on her, standing there all tanned skin and honed muscles, and so she stood her ground. “She said that your anger was a shield of armor to guard you against getting hurt again. She said that deep down you want to kiss me.”

“How could she know that? Wait. I mean, she’s sure got it all wrong.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “I might have added that last part.”

Addison inhaled sharply, trying to clear the unwanted attraction to him out of her head. Reid’s unexpected charm after what had transpired between them hacked away at her anger, but she reminded herself that overlooking bad behavior landed her in the middle of regret over and over. She also reminded herself that she was taking a much-needed break from men, period. But she did need to get out there to take a look at the barn.

“You’re not afraid, are you?”

“Of what?” Her chin came up and she gave him a challenging look. Of letting down her guard? Hell, yeah.

“Of—”

“You?” She thought about poking him in the chest, something she’d never done before until being around him. She also never interrupted and rarely raised her voice. She had certainly never grabbed a guy by the shirt and planted a kiss on him. Addison suddenly thought about Mia’s explanation that when it’s the real deal everything is just . . . more intense. No! Hardheaded, judgmental Reid Greenfield was not the one! “I’m not afraid of being around you. Oh, and about that . . . that grabbing and kissing you thing? That was a lapse of judgment, a moment of total insanity that will not be repeated. Ever.”

“Um, I was merely trying to ask if you’re afraid of riding through the woods on the back of the quad, city girl.”

“Oh.” She felt heat creep into her cheeks and then bristled. “Of course not,” she answered, wishing she were wearing something more rugged and less preppy. “Country boy.”

“Just making sure.”

“Hey, I’ve been skydiving. Bungee jumped off of a bridge. Scuba diving.” She paused, trying to think of something impressive. “Oh, and . . . swam with dolphins.”

“Just dolphins and not sharks?”

Okay, she knew that Reid was having fun with this. “Let’s just say I think I can handle riding on a four- wheeler.” Addison wondered why she needed to prove her bravery to him, anyway.

He raised his eyebrows. “Okay, then,” he said casually, but there was a sudden gleam in his eye that had her swallowing hard.

Addison just might have drawn a line in the sand; judging by his grin, she guessed he’d just used reverse psychology on her. Damn . . . the truth of the matter was that she wasn’t really a very brave person when it came to things like this. Riding on a roller coaster was bad enough and those things she’d boasted about doing had scared her to death. But, really, how scary could riding through the woods on a four-wheeler be? “Let’s get going.” So she was going to have to put her arms around his bare torso. So what?

“I’m going to borrow one of Braden’s shirts. I got grease on mine. I’ll be back in a minute.”

She watched him walk into the house and then sighed. “Oh, thank God . . .” Addison sat down on the top of the front steps to wait for him. Little John followed and lay down next to her. She looked down at the big, friendly mutt and patted his head. “Well, Little John. What did I just get myself into?”

A little while later Reid appeared wearing a clean white T-shirt. “Sorry I took a few minutes. I decided that I needed to do you a favor and take a really quick shower.”

Addison had the sudden image of naked Reid with sudsy water sluicing over his skin.

“Are you ready?”