She laughed softly, pouring some chocolate chips into the dough. Stopped and looked into the bowl before pouring more. I smiled and swiped one of the chocolate chips from the pile. “Even if I was alone and only had Harmonica, or another animal, for the rest of my life, it’d be way better than being with him. But my family told me tonight that I made a mistake leaving him and I’ll never find another attractive man interested in me again.”
“They’re idiots,” I said. I didn’t want to offend her by insulting her family, but what in the hell couldn’t they see when they saw Caroline? I shook my head. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. Any man would be lucky to be with you.”
Caroline turned on the oven and prepared a baking sheet. She stayed silent for a moment. Her cheeks were flushed, and she kept scrunching her nose like she was holding off tears. “Did you check into Kevin?”
I gritted my teeth. I’d started checking into him the first time she’d come into the office, when she’d told me she had an active restraining order. She’d been sure it wouldn’t be him, but often it’s someone the person knows. I wasn’t sure if she knew about his new life or not, but I was afraid to tell her. Worried about how she’d feel and that the news would hurt her.
“I did,” I hedged.
“And?” she asked, placing the last cookie on the baking sheet and giving me her full attention.
“I don’t think he’s the one stalking you. I haven’t ruled him out, but I can confidently say I don’t think it’s him. For one, he doesn’t live in Austin anymore.”
“What?” Caroline asked. Her eyes grew rounder, and her brows arched. So she definitely didn’t keep tabs on him.
“He’s in Houston. He’s married and has a kid on the way. Your restraining order was for four years and will expire in about a year. If this truly isn’t him and he hasn’t attempted to contact you, it won’t be renewed.”
Caroline nodded, licking her lips, and stared at the island counter. She traced one of the veins in the marble with her finger and whispered to herself, “Married? With a kid?” Then she started laughing.
Laughter was not the response I had expected. It wasn’t filled with happiness or humor. It was laughter in disbelief. “I’ve had two serious relationships in my life. Both of those men told me they didn’t want children, and I was going to sacrifice that dream for both of them. But they just didn’t want children with me. Kevin’s new wife is probably beautiful,” she muttered quietly and placed the cookies inside the oven, setting the timer.
I stalked around the counter and framed her face between my hands. Her deep, rich brown eyes looked back and forth between mine as I drank in every single one of her features with my gaze. Her cheeks were pink and her pouty lips were parted. Dark lashes framed her eyes. There were so many hues of brown and golden tones in her irises. My breath hitched from staring at her face. I hated that she’d ever felt anything less than completely desirable, but I was damn thankful those fools had let her go. They’d thrown away something rare and precious for something common. “Stop that. Whatever negative thoughts are racing through your mind about yourself. Stop. Just fucking stop. You’re beautiful. Goddammit. You’re so much more than beautiful, I don’t have the fucking words to describe it.”
I closed my eyes for a second, shaking my head, searching my mind for a way to describe the way I saw her and the way it felt to look at her. How she trapped me with a single look and I’d never be tired of watching her. “Most people hate the rain and pray for the sun to come, but have you ever noticed what it looks like when the sun has already broken through the clouds but rain is still coming down?” I didn’t wait for her answer, but tightened my grip on her, threading my fingers through her satin-like hair, and stared into her eyes fiercely. “It’s fucking beautiful. The rain is brighter and shines under the sun’s rays. Each drop glimmers. It rarely happens, but when it does, it’s a showstopper. Stops me in my damn tracks every time. That’s you for me.”
A crease appeared in her forehead. “I don’t know if I ever noticed that,” she whispered.
“I do.”
“You notice me,” she said.
I nodded and watched her gaze flit across my face and drop to my lips for a second before she stood on her toes and pressed her mouth firmly against mine. Before I could even form a thought, one of my hands left her face, curving around the back of her neck, and held her tightly to me as my lips brushed across the seam of her lips, begging her to open them for me.
I groaned when she did and our tongues met, clashing against one another. She whimpered and my mind finally returned. I broke our kiss and leaned my forehead against hers.
“You’ll never know how badly I wanted that,” I whispered. “But it can’t happen now.”
I want to be a good man for her and not take advantage when she’s upset. I don’t want her doing this because I give her attention or thinking I could ever be the same as the men in her past. “Not tonight, sweetness. You had a bad day and you’re my client…and…”
I was running out of excuses as I stared at her and her lips. Fuck. I wanted to kiss her again. Once wasn’t enough, and we hadn’t kissed nearly long enough.
“I want you to kiss me, Kiernan. It’s not because of a bad day or anything you’ve said. I’ve wanted to kiss you since you showed up in my training class and I saw you
