He sneaked a peek at her face. Her tone was outraged, but her features were less rigid. Clasping his hands between his knees, he stared down at them for a moment or two, trying to find the right words. One chance. That was all he had. She was already halfway to hating him. If he blew this...
“I didn’t believe you made up the threats, but I did harbor some doubts for a while. And I have no excuse to offer you for that.”
She remained silent for a moment or two. “I felt sure you’d tell me it’s your job to consider all possibilities.”
“Would it make you feel better if I did?”
“I don’t think anything could make this better.” He heard the quiver in her voice and something deep inside his chest snapped like a twig. “You made me feel worthless, Spencer. You went ahead and believed the worst based on what you were told about my sister’s volatility. That was information I freely gave you. I was at least owed a question or two about who I am.”
“I got it wrong. I’m sorry.”
For a long time, they observed the dogs’ antics without talking. When the heat got too much for the canines, they drank noisily from the water bowls and flopped down in a shady corner.
“That guy, the one who broke in here with the knife, said you wanted to move in to stop me from making up any more stories.” Katrina’s voice was soft, her face half-hidden by the curtain of her hair. “Is that true?”
“I wanted to protect you.” He closed the distance between them, taking her hands in his. “And be near you.”
There was a sheen of tears in her eyes as she raised them to his face. “When you kissed me, it felt real.”
“It was real.” The realest thing he’d felt in a long time.
“Kiss me again.”
He leaned back slightly, studying her face. “You’re still hurting. And I’m the person who hurt you.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to kiss me again?” Her lower lip trembled.
“I want to kiss you more than I want my next breath. I’m just saying that this might not be good timing.”
“I don’t care.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Make me forget all of this.”
Her lips were sinfully, temptingly close. He clutched the remnants of his sanity while he could. “We have enough going on. Let’s not complicate things with regrets.”
“I agree. We shouldn’t have regrets.”
Her lips lightly brushed his and rational thought became a thing of the past. It was just a kiss. A reassurance that his feelings for her hadn’t been colored by foolish doubts...
He crushed her against him, his lips hard and demanding as his tongue parted her lips and swept inside, caressing and probing. Katrina wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her grip, pressing her body closer as she used her own tongue to explore Spencer’s mouth in return.
Instantly, he tangled a hand in her hair, turning her head to the angle he wanted, deepening the kiss to bittersweet intensity. The fire in his body increased and became concentrated at a specific, exhilarating point. They were heading toward the point of no return and Katrina seemed happy to drive them over the edge.
Breaking that kiss was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Resting his forehead against hers, he drew in a breath. “Some thinking time would be good about now.”
She gave a shaky laugh. “Who knew restraint could be so sexy?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not the hottest image in my mind right now. But I don’t think we should rush into anything.”
“You’re right.” She cast a look into the darkened corners of the yard. “It’s just... I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”
He groaned. “Is that what this is about? You want me to be your teddy bear?”
She laughed. “No. But I could use some company. If that wouldn’t be too hard?”
He got to his feet and reached out a hand to help her up. “If I share a bed with you, it would definitely get hard, Katrina.” He waggled his eyebrows in a mock lewd expression. “But I’ll risk it so you can get a good night’s sleep.”
* * *
Katrina knew she was playing with fire. She wasn’t a virgin, but she was sexually inexperienced, having had only a few meaningful encounters. She’d seen at close range the damage that recklessness could do, and she’d always kept it safe in relationships. Yet here she was, wanting to throw caution to the wind and act on impulse. For the first time in her life, she understood a little of Eliza’s untamed nature.