One Southern Summer by Heidi McCahan
Author:Heidi McCahan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-04-10T19:52:07+00:00
* * *
The unmistakable flash of a camera jolted him back to reality.
She gasped and clutched his arm. âWho is that?â
He turned and hurried toward the entrance. Outside, a person wearing shorts and a hooded sweatshirt cut across the yard. âHey! What do you think youâre doing?â
The guy broke into a jog. His hood slipped back, revealing a mop of unruly dark curls. His skin was pale between the hem of his shorts and black socks and sneakers. He ran toward a gray older model compact car idling in the street.
Cole contemplated going after him, but tackling some dude in the street and smashing his camera wasnât a wise move. Instead, he turned back to Avery. She stood beside the blueprints spread across the table, her arms wrapped around her torso.
âHe ran off,â Cole said. âMaybe it was one of your loyal fans? Or a nosy neighbor trying to see what weâre building?â
âThat wasnât an amateur. Nobodyâs neighbor has a camera with a lens like that.â Her gaze ricocheted around the framed-in space as if she was looking for a place to hide.
âAvery.â He moved toward her, his arms aching to pull her close. âRelax. Weâre not doing anything wrong.â
âWeâre here alone. It doesnât look good.â
Really? He stopped short. Anger flashed hot in his gut. After all sheâd been through, keeping up appearances was still a priority. âYouâre divorced. Weâre looking at plans and eating chicken sandwiches and french fries. Hardly a scintillating Saturday night.â
The shallow dip of her frown made him wince.
Drat. Heâd messed that up. Clearly his words had landed all wrong. So much for being logical and pragmatic.
He didnât care who was taking pictures of them. As far as he was concerned, they werenât doing anything wrong. No contracts were being violated. But her pain was still very raw and maybe heâd been too bold. There wasnât any way he could stop the following and the speculating and the covert picture taking. So why get worked up about it? But he could tell from the panicked expression on her face and the slump of her slender shoulders that she was mortified.
Or maybe the fact that heâd almost kissed her had sent her into panic mode. When heâd tugged on that curl and she leaned into his touch everything in him wanted to claim her. To kiss her and finally taste those plump full lips for the first time. Want and desire simmered in a dangerous internal cocktail, and he fought for control. If only that guy outside had been thirty seconds slower.
He worked his jaw in a tight circle. At least the intrusion had kept him from doing something heâd never be able to undo. Because deep down inside he knew there would be no turning back. Heâd dreamed of kissing her for years. To be honest, he was still longing to kiss her now. Instead he had to find a way to be what she needed him to be. Self-controlled. Her problem solver.
âI should go.â Her hands trembled as she packed up her uneaten food.
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African American | Contemporary |
Divorce | Domestic Life |
Friendship | Mothers & Children |
Single Women | Sisters |
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