Kris groaned when her alarm rang shrilly in her bedroom, and she fumbled to turn it off. The sun wasn’t up yet, but summer in Kentucky did not make great running conditions. She never missed a run. As Dennis snored in the other bedroom, she tiptoed to the bathroom and changed into her running shorts, tank, and tennis shoes. The air was muggy when she stepped out onto the rickety front porch, but if she waited for the sun to come up, it’d be even worse, and after work, she had a date.

A date. The idea of spending more time with Edmund pumped her up for her run, and she took off down the gravel road that led into town. About a hundred yards down sat the house she and Dennis grew up in with their grandmother. The lights were on, but she knew Grams wasn’t home. She worked the early shift at the inn and was probably figuring out ways to harass her only occupant. Kris plodded on until she reached the blacktop road. She ran all the way to the outer reaches of town where the road curved up into the mountains before she stopped to stretch her legs and take a breather. Light crested along the ridgeline, and she smiled at the sight of it until her cell chirped. She pulled it from the strap attached to her arm.

“Grams?” she asked out of breath. “What’s wrong?”

“Where the hell are you?” she yelled.

“On my morning run, why?” she asked, heart leaping into her throat.

“That damn man’s on the roof! He’s just standing up on the roof and I keep yelling and it’s like he’s gone deaf, and I swear, if he jumps—”

“Who’s on the roof?” she asked trying to catch up. “Edmund?”

“Yes!” Grams screamed, and Kris hung up and took off back towards town. He definitely didn’t seem like the type of guy to jump off a roof, but if Grams was screaming about it, it was only a matter of time before she called the cops or the paramedics.

By the time she reached the inn, she was out of breath and hunched over from cramps in her sides. Grams rushed out the front door, pointing frantically up to the roof.

“There, he’s right there!”

“I see him,” she said, gasping for air. “Why… didn’t you just walk… up there?”

“It’s four flights of stairs,” she explained it away. “Go talk to him.”

“Why me?”

“Just do it! I don’t want a dead man splattered all over the sidewalk!”

Groaning, Kris leaned her head back and yelled up to Edmund. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing, you moron?”

He leaned closer to the edge and waved down at her. “Come up here!”

“Why the hell should I do that?” she yelled back, wondering if he was a crazy person after all.

“Just come up here and I’ll tell you!” He disappeared, and Kris had no choice but to go inside and run up the stairs to the roof. The door was propped open, and when she stepped out onto it, the sun was just breaking over the ridgeline in a bright array of golds and reds. “Gorgeous, isn’t it?”

Kris stared from the sunrise to Edmund and back again. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Shaking his head, he reached out and took her hand. The shock that ran up her arm affected him, too, and they paused, staring down at their clasped hands. “No,” he said slowly. “I… uh, I always watch the sunrise. What are you doing out so early?”

“I run in the mornings,” she explained and let him drag her to the middle of the roof to watch the sun rise. The hues painted the sky, and the wispy clouds hanging overhead. Darker ones patrolled the western sky, and she smiled. She always did like the rain. “Yeah, it’s beautiful, but next time you decide to climb to the roof, tell Grams before you give her a heart attack. Apparently she yelled up at you a few times and you flat out ignored her.”

He cringed. “I do tend to get engrossed in the moment. And who’s Grams?”

“The old woman downstairs thinking you were about to leap off the roof,” she informed him. “She’s clutching her chest, ready to keel over.”

He grimaced and leaned over the ledge again, Kris mirroring him. “Sorry, Grams!”

“Damn right you’re sorry!” she yelled and marched inside.

“Why do you call her Grams?” he asked as they laughed lightly.

“That’s who she is. She’s my grandmother,” she told him as she stretched her legs out on the roof ledge. “I haven’t sprinted like that in a long time. I think I pulled something.”

“Want me to help stretch you out?” he asked with a wink.

Kris opened her mouth to say yes, but swallowed the words. She rather enjoyed their flirting, but she was sweaty and gross and the last thing she wanted was him touching her in any way that might lead to something more. Grams being in the same building wasn’t ideal, either. “I must politely decline… this time.”

“Then I look forward to next time,” he said as the morning breeze ruffled his hair.

“Well, if you’re not going to kill yourself, then I have to get back home and get to work,” she said. “Cars don’t fix themselves.”

“We still on for tonight?” he asked as she reached the door.

With one hand on the door, she nodded. “Enjoy your sunrise, Ed.”

His face scrunched, and the dimples she was coming to love stood out on his cheeks. She ran down the flights of stairs and passed Grams at the front desk, telling her quickly to stop overreacting and that everything was fine. Before the old woman could get going on one of her rants, Kris ran out the door and home in time to see Dennis stroll into the tiny kitchen.

“How was the run?” he asked and handed her a cup of coffee.

“Interesting. Grams thought our new guest was going to leap to his death.” She sighed.

“New guest?”

“Yeah, the guy whose car I towed yesterday. He’s staying at the inn for a while.”

“And he tried to kill himself?” Dennis asked, his thick brows knitting together.

Kris hopped up to sit on the counter and kicked off her tennis shoes. They thudded to the floor, and she swung her legs back and forth, breathing in her coffee. “No, he was watching the sunrise,” she responded. “He just wanted to watch the sun come up over the mountains.”

Dennis sniggered behind his mug. “What man gets up to watch the sunrise?”

“Someone with a romantic bone in his body,” she suggested.

Dennis set his mug down and crossed his beefy arms over his chest. “Romantic?” He studied his sister closely and leered at her as he pursed his lips. “You like him.”

“What? No, I don’t,” she insisted but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face.

“Do I need to have a chat with this fellow?”

“Don’t you dare scare him off,” she warned. “And we’re not doing anything together.”

“Damn straight you’re not,” he agreed, and she jumped off the counter, taking her coffee to her room. “Are you mad at me now?”

Kris reached her room and leaned back to yell down the hall, “I will be if you terrorize him!”

“I won’t do anything as long as he behaves himself.”

“You know I can handle myself, right?” she shot back.

“And you’re still my little sister,” he retorted. “Deal with it.”

Kris groaned and slammed her bedroom door shut. Now he wanted to be there for her and play the part of overprotective big brother, not that it mattered. They weren’t even going on an official date tonight. Just casual drinks at the local hangout and maybe some darts. That was it.

You’re a shitty liar, she thought to herself as she picked out clothes to take with her to the garage. She pulled out a short denim skirt she hadn’t worn yet and her brown cowboy boots to go with it. Her fingers ran over shirts on their hangers as she debated which top to wear. The bar was always hot during the summer months, so she picked out an orange halter-top with cups so she wouldn’t have to wear a bra. She tossed the outfit on the bed and recalled her dreams throughout the night, feeling hands on her body, caressing her curves as his eyes had done in the garage last night. Wanton desire pooled low in her belly, and she shivered despite the warmth in the house. They didn’t have AC yet, couldn’t afford it.

They’d start with drinks and see where the night took them. With any luck, she’d get to feel those hands on her and his kissable lips crushed against hers.

“Cold shower,” she muttered hotly. “Definitely cold shower.”

Her eyes drifted over the outfit before she smirked with delight for what was to come and got ready for a long day in the garage.

* * *

After the episode on the roof, Edmund didn’t feel safe hanging around the inn all day with Grams sitting in the back office, so he slipped out when she wasn’t watching the doorway and wandered around town. He heard whirs and loud music coming from the garage, but pestering Kris while she worked was probably not a good idea. He smiled at everyone he passed, not minding the looks so much today or the whispers behind hands. He even stopped an elderly couple and asked if the town had a bookstore anywhere nearby.

“The drugstore, son,” the old man said, pointing down the way. “Small selection but decent.”

“Thanks,” Edmund said and started to walk away, but the man patted his arm to stop him.

“What are your intentions with the dear Kristen Rivers?” he asked sternly, standing taller as he asked it. His wife smacked his arm, but Edmund wasn’t put off by the question.

“She’s just the mechanic fixing my car,” he lied and hoped the old man bought it, but by the way his eyes narrowed and he smacked his cane on the sidewalk, he wasn’t buying a word of it. “Maybe we’re having drinks tonight.”

“Uh-huh, drinks,” the man repeated, and his wife sighed.

“Don’t mind him, dear,” she said. “He’s just old and senile.”

“Who are you calling old and senile, woman?” he asked sharply, but the woman waved for Edmund to go as the older couple argued back and forth loudly.

He laughed the whole way to the drugstore. “Morning, sir,” a balding man behind the counter said. “Can I help you find something?”

“Yes, books please.”

The man pointed towards the back of the store, and Edmund thanked him as he walked down the aisles of magazines and coloring books before he found the few shelves of novels. The selection was definitely small, but Edmund only needed a few to keep himself occupied during the long hours of the day. He picked up two mysteries that intrigued him and stacked a few romances on top, hoping the man behind the counter wouldn’t judge him too harshly. Usually, he bought them on his tablet, but he’d left that at home. He set the books on the counter, and the man cracked a smile but said nothing about his choices.

Not ready to go back to his room yet, he walked to the diner to hang out all day or until he got kicked out. Once he gave an order for waffles and coffee, he slipped the mystery book jacket onto the romance cover and settled in for a long morning of reading.

Fifty pages in, he realized reading romance was the worst thing he could’ve done. Instead of picturing two characters coming to life, he saw only himself and Kris as they struggled to find love in a time of war and backstabbing royals. His wanting grew worse when he reached the first erotic scene. Each descriptive verb sent his imagination spiraling off until he heard Kris moaning his name as the heroine did for the hero in the story. His jeans tight on his bulging erection, he tried to adjust himself without drawing too much attention and glanced up. Molly had spotted him from the doorway and waved enthusiastically. He set the book aside reluctantly.

“I was hoping you’d be here. Can I buy you lunch?” she asked and sat down before he offered.

With her around, the rest of the day would pass by quickly. Edmund welcomed her company, and they chatted the day away until she had to leave for her shift at the store.

“Oh, what time does the garage close?” he asked Molly as they exited the diner together.

“Kris’s garage? Round six,” she said. “Need to check on your car?”

“Yeah, something like that,” he said. “Thanks for the company again.”

Molly bobbed her head, but her smile faltered just a little. “You don’t have to keep entertaining me, you know.”

He smiled, confused. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

She sighed and patted his cheek with her hand. “I can be a bit overwhelming to some men, I know that, and from the way you keep darting glances at the garage, I don’t have a chance.” She stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Just watch out for her brother. He just got out of prison this year. Tell Kris I said hi!”

“Prison?” Edmund asked, but Molly bounded down the sidewalk before his mind had a chance to catch up with what had just happened. Was he that transparent in his desire for Kris? Molly taking it so well was a breath of fresh air. He’d witnessed many a tantrum thrown by women of his class because a man they desired did not desire them in return. He glanced at his watch and groaned. “Two hours to kill.”

A shower would waste some time, and he could always read more of his book. When six o’clock finally rolled around, Edmund’s hands shook with his growing desire for Kris. He left the inn for the bar. He stepped inside the bar to find several pool tables set up on the right, a long L-shaped bar to the left, and dart boards all along the back wall next to a small stage for karaoke. Everyone turned to stare at him, and he brandished his politest smile as he stalked to the bar and ordered a whiskey, neat.

“Ed!” a familiar voice called out, and he turned to see Kris waving wildly at him.

He grabbed his drink and managed to squeeze through the already crowded space to Kris near the dartboards. “Playing already? I thought I’d beat you here.”

“Eh, I closed the shop early,” she said, a light in her eyes. “Ready to play some darts?”

He set his drink down next to her beer and let his eyes rake over her body. The denim skirt clung to her ass, and if she bent over, it’d be the end of him. The halter was just as tight, clinging to her skin in all the right places, and he could tell from that one glance she wasn’t wearing a bra. His throat thick with desire, he could only nod as she held up several darts to him. Her hair hung down over her shoulders in waves of shimmering red and brown with no trace of grease or oil to be found. He hadn’t pictured Kris ever dressing like this, but he sure as hell was glad she did.

“What’s the winner get?” he managed to ask after she threw her first one, embedding in the wall. He sniffed innocently when she shot him a glare.

“I’m not sure. What do you want to play for?”

He drank his whiskey as an idea popped into his head. “Well, if I win, I get to kiss the prettiest girl in the bar,” he whispered roughly.

Her breathing increased, and she licked her lips. “And if I win?”

“If you win… I’ll give you a kiss and tell you the long story,” he offered.

“Fair enough,” she said and stepped aside so he could throw his first dart. “Son-of-a-bitch,” she muttered when it hit dead center. “Cheater.”

“How can I possibly cheat at darts?” he asked, amused.

“You’re too charming,” she proclaimed as she lined up her next shot. He choked on his whiskey when it went wide again, and she nearly nailed a larger man in the hand.

“Kris, what did I tell you?” the man growled as he yanked the dart out of the wall and walked it over to her. “Have your friend here teach you to throw that thing before you put my eyeball out.”

“Sorry, Willy,” she mumbled through her laughter as he glanced heavenwards.

“You really do suck at this,” Edmund mused as he threw his second and it hit inside the second inner ring. “Want some help?” He tried to ask with a straight face, but when hers scrunched in annoyance, he couldn’t keep the laughter in.

An hour later, four drinks in each of them and at least ten rounds of darts, Kris cackled like a madwoman, leaning against Edmund as he showed her the proper way to hold the dart. His fingers curled around hers, and he was acutely aware of her curves pressed against his body. He rested his hand on her other hip to hold her steady, and they both sighed quietly at the touch. She turned her body just enough, and he barely maintained enough control not to grind his hips against her ass cradled perfectly against him.

“Like this?” she asked on a breath as she prepared to throw the dart.

“Just like that,” he agreed stiffly and let go of her hand. She let the dart fly, and it hit above the board. “You’re cursed. I’m calling it.”

She huffed and rested her hands on the table. “Alright, that’s it. I’m admitting defeat.”

“You sure you want to do that?”

Kris drained the rest of her beer and stepped closer, their breaths mingling together. “Damn sure.”

He swallowed hard and shot back the rest of his whiskey. He debated if he should kiss her here or somewhere else. Kris grabbed his shirtfront and dragged his mouth down to hers. Stunned, he simply let his lips rest against her supple ones until her tongue darted out and licked his bottom lip. With a groan, his hands found her hips and he returned the favor, slipping his tongue into the depths of her warm mouth and kissing her hotly. She caressed his neck with her hands and stood on her toes as the kiss continued, Edmund unable to pull away for fear he would never experience those soft, warm lips again.

“Damn, Kris, let the man breathe!” a man shouted, and Edmund immediately pulled back.

“Oh, shut up, Charlie!” she hollered back, her lips swollen from their kiss.

“Just saying, you don’t want to drown the man before you… you know,” he teased and gyrated his hips near the bar.

Edmund’s hands tightened on Kris, ready to step in, but she laughed and picked up a dart. Everyone in the vicinity ducked or dove to the side, and Charlie yelped, falling flat to the floor as she threatened to throw it at him.

“That’s what I thought.” Kris laughed and dropped the dart to pick up Edmund’s hand. She dragged him to the door, and Charlie let out a catcall as they passed before the muggy night air hit them. “Wow, this has been quite the night.”

“That guy a friend of yours?” Edmund asked, realizing as they walked that she still held his hand.

“Yeah, we dated a while back, but we’re better friends. He works with me at the garage.”

“So I don’t have to worry about a jealous ex coming at me?” He paused when Kris grimaced. “Charlie’s the jealous type?”

“No, but you have to understand, this is a very, very small town and… Well, there’s not a lot of options, so you kind of date everyone at one point or another.”

He blew out a breath. “How many exes do you have?”

She chewed her tongue in the way that drove him wild and counted off on her fingers until she ran out. “Enough. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Great, so if I randomly get decked in the face, I’ll have you to thank for it,” he teased and draped his arm over her shoulders. When she leaned into his side, he grinned at the warmth spreading over his body, and it wasn’t from the weather. “At least I don’t have to worry about any crazy women getting jealous, like Molly.”

Kris stopped so suddenly she stumbled. “Molly! Oh God, she’s going to kill me if she hears about that kiss.”

Edmund chuckled and tugged her along. “Nah, you’re safe.”

“And you know this how?”

“She told me after our lunch,” he said. “Apparently, it’s very clear I only want to be involved with one woman in this town.”

Kris relaxed against his side as she laughed quietly. “Welcome to Green Valley, where everyone knows your business before you know it. God, I’m sorry. You’re going to be talked about for a long while.”

“You’re worth it,” he whispered in her ear and kissed the top of her head. The walk around town ended when they reached the inn. “Want to come inside for a bit?” he suggested.

“As much as I’d love to, I have some parts coming in an early delivery tomorrow morning. Rain check?”

His heart sank, thinking she was letting him down easy, but she reached an arm around his neck and kissed him again, their lips gliding in an easy dance as their tongues mingled together. When they both struggled to breathe, she stepped back and wiped a hand over her mouth, smiling coyly at him.

“Rain check,” he repeated roughly. “Dinner tomorrow night, then?”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” she said, and with a wave, she walked down the sidewalk.

Edmund watched her go until she turned a corner and he scratched the back of his neck. “Shit,” he whispered as he finally walked to his room and fell onto the bed once inside. “That woman is going to drive me insane.”

And I’ve never been more alright with that, he thought as he settled in for a night of dreaming about those pink lips.