Ashley couldn’t wait. Having finally given herself permission to taste him, she lifted up on tiptoe and met his lips halfway.

The instant her mouth brushed his, her heart jumped in her chest and sent her pulse into an unsteady tempo. Not at all what had happened when she’d kissed her two dates last year.

Not even close.

This time, she wanted the kiss. Wanted to taste and nip and nibble. So she did, a little heady from the burst of awareness that shimmied down her body. Holy smokes! Her whole body was alive and in tuned to his, reveling in the way his heart now beat erratically under her palm.

She brushed his bottom lip with her tongue and sighed with pleasure. It was just like all those years ago, only better.

More.

A low growl emanated in his chest when she brushed his lip with her tongue a second time. He shoved his hands in her hair, tipped her head to his liking and took over the kiss. His tongue met hers, then swept inside as he kissed her slow and thorough, and stole the strength from her legs.

She clutched his shoulders and pressed close, rejoicing in the feel of his hard strength and how it made her feel feminine and soft. Their chemistry was over-the-top. She never expected a little brush of her lips would turn this hot. It was incredible and so strong, she practically vibrated with the need coursing through her body.

All too soon—or maybe just in time—they broke for air. He stared at her with heat smoldering in those incredible eyes she used to dream about in her youth. They weren’t so young anymore.

There were so many reasons she shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t be feeling this, and they raced through her brain almost as fast as the blood rushing through her ears. 

She was leaving in a few weeks. He wasn’t into relationships. Okay, that one was actually good. He was in the military.

That one was actually bad.

Still, she enjoyed his company, why shouldn’t she enjoy his kisses while she was there?

“You okay?” Still holding her head in his hands, he tipped her back to study her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let that get so out of hand.”

“It’s okay.” Heat flooded her cheeks. “I…it was kind of great.”

“Yeah?” A big smile spread across the lips she wanted to kiss again, but he set his forehead to hers instead. “I thought so, too.” Warm spurts of air hit her face as they worked to catch their breath.

Thankfully, he had some sense, because she could’ve been so easily persuaded to do something foolish. Something her mind wasn’t ready to do, even if her body was.

“Good thing you have a hold of me,” she said. “My legs are kind of numb.”

His soft chuckle vibrated into her, sending a thrill through her sensitized body. “Don’t worry, I’m not ready to let you go.”

Ashley got the impression Linc wasn’t just talking about right then. A different thrill rushed through her that time, but she was too fuzzy and warm to worry about naming it. She enjoyed reconnecting with him the past few days. It was like having an old friend back. One who got her and didn’t expect anything from her other than to be happy.

And she was, which kind of surprised her, but not as much as the fact she hadn’t felt an ounce a guilt. Not once.

That sent a few pinpricks to her heart but didn’t ruin her mood, just sort of reeled her in.

“What do you say I get you home?” he asked, drawing back.

She nodded. “Yeah. Need to get an early start in the morning if you’re going to pick out tile and more paint before getting to work.”

“Then let’s go.” He released her to shut off the TV and half the lights, then returned to set his hand at the small of her back and usher her toward the door. “Can’t have you falling asleep on the job tomorrow.”

“As if.” Smiling, she let him usher her out the door and into his truck, but it faded by the time they pulled into her driveway.

The heady fog and warm fuzzies no longer engulfed her. What if he expected her to invite him in? Her heart beat frantically in her chest as he walked her to her door. Half of her did want to invite him in, the other half wanted to run inside and lock the door.

“You’re thinking too loud.” He brushed his lips over hers then drew back. “See you in the morning.”

“Good night,” she said, stuck somewhere between relieved and disappointed as she stepped inside and locked the door…alone.

God, she was such a confused mess.

But warmed by the kindness and the whole lot of sense Linc seemed to store under his carefree, risk-taker persona.

As she climbed into bed a little while later, it wasn’t guilt or thoughts of Neil that crept into her mind as she drifted off. It was a gray-eyed cowboy and the reason behind his need to take risks.

***

Late in the evening, in the middle of the week, AJ sat back on the couch, his arm around his wife, enjoying the contentment of having the love of his life by his side as they watched an NCIS marathon on TV. Her soft laughter and the slight pressure of her hand on his leg filled him with an inner peace he wanted for his boys.

He’d been damn blessed when Ellen had agreed to take him on over forty years ago. It was his fervent wish that they had forty more. The sudden ringing of his cell on the coffee table had them both stiffening in their seats.

Usually when the phone rang at that hour of the night it wasn’t good. For a moment, his heart plummeted to his stomach while his mind immediately went to Mac, then Logan and Chloe. With the three of them out of the country, and times being turbulent at best, several unwanted scenarios played out in his head, until he reached for the phone and saw his friend’s name on the caller ID.

Then his mind jumped to Linc, hoping this call was about Ashley, and not his son getting hurt.

“Hey, AJ. You’re never going to guess what I just saw.” Hick’s excited voice gushed in the phone. “They kissed.”

Hell, yeah.

“Hang on, Hick, while I put you on speaker so you can repeat that to Ellen.” He smiled at his wife and her anxious gaze filled with relief. “Go ahead.”

“They kissed.” Their friend’s voice filled the room.

Ellen clasped her hands together and leaned toward the phone. “They did?”

“Yeah,” Hick replied. “I was out checking the buildings, like I do every night, when movement by the kitchen window inside the main house caught my eye. I knew Logan and Chloe weren’t home, so when I saw two figures, it startled me at first. Until I realized it was my niece in a lip lock with your son.”

“That’s wonderful.” Ellen grinned, pure joy radiating from her pretty face.

He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in tight. “Great news, Hick.”

It looked like Plan A was working just fine. All these two needed was to be in each other’s presence to let nature take its course.

“Hopefully, the poor girl won’t get spooked,” his wife said, bringing his mind back to earth with a sudden jolt. “I’m sure that was a big step for her.”

Hick’s exhale rustled through the phone. “I know. Guess time will tell.”

AJ nodded again. “Well, Logan will be back next week. I’ll ask him and Chloe to keep their eyes open and ears peeled.”

“And in the meantime, I’ll do the same,” his friend stated. “The end of February is fast approaching. I hope…well, I hope she doesn’t leave.”

“Me, too, Hick.” Ellen sighed. “She always seemed so happy at Amity when she used to visit you in the summers.”

“She was, I know she was, but kids grow up and do their own thing. All we can do is stand back and hope they’ll be happy.”

“Amen to that, my friend,” he agreed before they ended the call.

Releasing their children into the world, watching them learn and grow, succeed and fail, love and hurt, without interfering was one of the hardest parts of being a parent.

And although he felt some guilt at overstepping those boundaries with Logan, and now Linc, AJ wasn’t sorry. One son was off enjoying his honeymoon, and the other had his arms full of a sweet woman.

Now he just hoped things progressed favorably on their own so he didn’t have to step in and nudge again.

***

Linc fell into a comfortable routine, working on the sporting goods business from home, either in the early morning, or very late at night. He wanted as much time as possible with Ashley. That made him busy, but it also left him available to work on her schedule.

Still, he wasn’t sure when it happened, because things sort of subtly shifted where Ashley was concerned. It’d been over a week since she’d shocked the shit out of him with the killer kiss and rocked his world, knocking it clear off its axis. In a good way. Her lips had tested and tasted with a sweet innocence that nearly brought him to his knees, then grew bolder, hotter, hungrier, as she practically crawled up his body. Those gorgeous curves of hers were pressed close, filling him with a need so fierce he was harder than the granite counter that had pressed into his back.

She no longer had shadows behind her eyes, or hesitancy in her touch. They’d adopted a fun, friendly working relationship…with benefits. They remodeled. Teased. Flirted. Kissed. It was great to see her come alive more and more each day.

Like now. He stopped painting the bathroom wall and cocked his head to listen. She was humming a Lady Antebellum tune while painting the trim in one of the spare bedrooms. Her tone was light and carefree, something he hadn’t heard at all a few weeks ago.

Was he the reason?

Maybe. He was just glad she was starting to enjoy life again. And she was. He could tell.

She smiled more. Laughed often, and kissed a lot. But Linc was careful to never push for more. He let her call the shots. Set the pace. He just hoped to God she called the “Please, Linc, don’t stop” shot soon, or he was going to fucking burst.

“Hey, Linc. Can you come here a minute?”

“Sure.” He set his roller on the tray before he strode down the hall and into the room. “What do you need?”

“This.” She lifted her paint brush, then the wench dabbed his nose.

“Why you little…” He reached for her, but she sidestepped him and took off laughing. “You’re going to pay for that, Ash.”

“You have to catch me first,” she called over her shoulder as she shot from the room.

Oh—game on.

Linc was on her heels in an instant, lunging for the laughing woman, grasping her upper arms and yanking her back against him. “Gotcha.”

“Don’t think so.” She twisted away from him and rushed into the bathroom, but he got inside before she could shut the door. Her face was flushed and eyes were alight with mischief…and heaven help him, a little heat.

He chuckled and stepped closer. “What are you going to do now?”

“This,” she said, then swung the loaded brush at his face again.

Muttering a curse, he ducked and caught her wrist. “Hell, no, you don’t.” He wrestled the brush from her grip and dropped it on the tray. “Not this time.”

She tugged and struggled as she laughed.

So he grasped her other wrist then lifted them both above her head as he pinned her against an unpainted wall. An electric charge zinged between them, filling the air with a crackling heat.

“My turn.”