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“Is it? Well, I’ll have to thank them.” A confused look crossed Kane’s face, and he leaned forward. For a heart-stopping second, Iris thought he would kiss her, and warmth bloomed low in her stomach. “Can they hear me?” Kane whispered.
“Yes.” Iris giggled again. Who was she? She never giggled.
“Ah, well, thank you, Iris’s guides, for telling her to ride with me. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her. You’ve got someone special on your hands. That’s the truth of it.” Kane spoke into the air over his head, not catching Iris’s look of awe at his words. She’d composed herself by the time he looked back down, but the feeling of his words had imprinted on her heart. She studied him, curious now, and wondered…what-if?
Lara chattered in her ear, and Iris shook her head, tuning in to the spirit guide.
“He’s a good one, Iris. Keep him.”
Iris rolled her eyes and muted her.
“They say you’re welcome,” Iris said instead. She picked at a loose thread in the blanket and drained her wine.
“Shall we order pizza? I bet it will take a while to get here on a rainy night like tonight.” Kane pulled out his phone, and Iris took that moment to study him. He hadn’t asked about himself. Most people immediately wanted to know what their guides wanted them to know. But no, Kane had wanted to know how she handled things and then had thanked her guides for directing her to him. She realized he was working his way into her heart, and the thought made her decidedly uncomfortable. It was too soon, wasn’t it? To have a crush on someone? She had trust issues a mile long. There was no reason for her to look at another man this way.
“Do you want anything special?”
“Three cheese for me,” Iris said, laughing when Kane shook his head sadly.
“And here I thought I liked you, Iris.”
“There’s nothing wrong with simple,” Iris protested. “Sometimes my life feels too complicated.”
“Well, let’s un-complicate things for the night, shall we?” Kane placed their order and then reached for the remote, flicking the television on. After twenty minutes of trying to figure out how to find the guide, in which Iris needled him endlessly, he landed on Indiana Jones. “How about this? It’s that or a murder mystery.”
“Let’s do it,” Iris said, smiling when Kane brought the wine bottle to her glass and topped her off. “I could use some action.”
“Um…” Kane wiggled his eyebrows at her, though his eyes heated in his face. Iris laughed, but she caught on to his look, and the moment drew out. A knock sounded at the door, startling Iris, and she almost dropped her glass.
“Pizza!” Kane exclaimed.
The night flew by in a blur of laughter, pizza, and arguments over why Indiana Jones never listened to the smart women guiding him in his life. The hours drifted by and, for the first time, Iris didn’t think about work or anything else. She just existed in the moment, enjoying spirited discussion about nonsense topics and even a third glass of wine.
“Iris,” Kane whispered, his mouth near her face. Iris shifted and reached up, twining her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth to hers. Instantly, her body lit with need, and she dove her hands into his hair, sliding into the heat of his kiss. His lips tasted like wine, his mouth like sin, and liquid warmth slid through her body as she arched into him. Warren had never kissed like this. Kane’s lips on hers ignited her whole body, and she wanted…
Wait. Iris pulled back and blinked at Kane in confusion, clearing her fuzzy brain. They were still on the couch, and Kane’s eyes were heavy-lidded with need. He cleared his throat and eased gently back.
“You fell asleep…I was just waking you up to see if you wanted to take the guest bedroom…” Kane said, his voice a touch raspy.
Iris’s body thrummed with need, and her chest rose steadily as she tried to control her breathing. She’d fallen asleep. Of course. And when Kane had woken her up, she’d automatically pulled him in for a kiss. Despite her tough demeanor, Iris loved to cuddle, so it wasn’t uncommon for her to sleepily snuggle up to her partner. Now, realizing what had happened, embarrassment thrummed through her.
“Oh gosh, Kane, I’m sorry. I didn’t even…” Iris shook her head, clearing the cobwebs.
“No, it’s okay…it’s fine. I know you weren’t taking advantage of me,” Kane said, a mocking note in his tone, cutting some of the tension with humor.
“Hard to do that when I’m dead asleep.” Iris narrowed her eyes and sat up further on the couch. “Um, yeah. So. Well, you’re a great kisser, by the way.”
“Thanks.” Kane mockingly patted himself on the back. He hadn’t moved back. Instead, they sat, both positioned on the precipice of something more, unsure of what to do.
“I…we probably shouldn’t…” Iris began.
“Agreed. We’re not…” Kane eased back immediately.
“Yeah, too soon. Breakups and all that…” Iris jumped in.
“Damaged goods. Trust issues,” Kane agreed.
“So…” Iris looked at Kane. He was adorably rumpled in the way of someone just rolling from bed, and she wanted to run her hands through his hair once more. God, she wanted to jump him. Just crawl right on top of him, straddle him, and kiss him until she couldn’t think straight. It was such an unusual impulse for her that Iris was certain it must be the wine at play.
