Starting Over at the Crafty Bee Barn (The Glenbriar Series Book 7) by Margaret Amatt

Author:Margaret Amatt [Amatt, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Leannan Press
Published: 2024-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Lilah

Lilah stood frozen, her hands clapped to her face as Aidan emerged from the pond, water cascading down his drenched clothes. This was a Mr Darcy moment if ever there was one.

‘Oh my god. Are you ok?’

Aidan untucked his shirt, then shook his hands. ‘That was a bit of a shock. Karma bit me on the backside, huh.’

‘Or shoved you in. Karma, I mean. I didn’t.’

Aidan looked at her, his eyebrow slowly rising. He took a step towards her and the left corner of his mouth twitched slightly. ‘Oh yeah?’

‘Seriously. I didn’t. I tried to stop you from falling.’

‘Did you?’ The twinkle in his eye told her he was kidding.

‘Sure. If I’d pushed you, I wouldn’t still be standing here. I can run fast when I have to.’

‘Not fast enough this time.’ He moved quickly and scooped her off her feet. She let out a squeal, but for some reason she wasn’t afraid. His hold on her wasn’t rough or threatening.

‘Fancy getting wet yourself?’ A smile now filled his face.

‘No. Put me down.’ She faked an attempt to get free but really, she didn’t want him to put her down. No way would he really throw her in. She knew he wouldn’t. His low laugh rumbled close to her ear and she could hardly breathe, painfully aware of his arms around her, and water from his saturated shirt slowly seeping through her own top. But he didn’t move. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

Their gazes locked, and her heart stopped. She dropped her focus to his lips for a second, briefly imagining leaning closer and touching hers against them. Every atom in her body was charged with the desire to have him.

‘Not fancy it?’ he said. And her eyes snapped back to his. Had he noticed her looking? Did he imagine she was going to kiss him? Jesus almighty, she fancied it all right, but no way did she dare. No freaking way.

‘Fancy what?’

‘Going for a swim?’ He slowly spun her around, pretending to toss her into the water, but at the last moment, he gently placed her back down, their bodies mere inches apart.

Lilah stood rooted to the spot. ‘I can’t swim. Well, I’ve never tried, but I expect I’d have sunk straight to the bottom.’

‘It’s not that deep.’ He raised his hand and gently tapped her cheek with his fingertip. ‘I can tell you from experience.’

Giggles bubbled up from Lilah’s chest and into her throat, then they burst out and Aidan laughed too. ‘Oh god. Are you frozen now?’ she said.

‘Na, this is nothing. Let’s get home and get dry.’

The cool evening air sent goosebumps racing over Lilah’s bare arms. Her top was damp where it had been pressed against Aidan’s wet shirt and was not helping her body temperature. She wasn’t built from the same stuff as him. Something had changed, subtly maybe, but enough to expand a little balloon of hope in her chest. Maybe he liked her a teeny bit more than a lodger he felt sorry for.

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