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She laughed. “You don’t have to drink it.”
“It’s fine,” he said, then took her hand and led her to the couch, coaxing her to sit at the far end.
Wrigley spun in a circle by the fire then nestled onto a blanket Mia had laid on the floor for him to sleep on.
Chet set his glass on the coffee table and lowered himself on the end of the sofa.
Mia frowned. “Why so far?”
He chuckled. “This sofa is so small I’m surprised it doesn’t snap in two under me. No two people who sit on it are far from each other.”
She struggled not to grin. “You know what I mean.”
He snagged her bare foot and swung it over to rest on his lap. He folded his hands over the smooth skin and kneaded the pads of his thumbs into her arches. “If you sit too close, I can’t do this.”
“Oh, God,” she said, closing her eyes. “First you cook me dinner. Then a fire with wine and a foot rub? What did I do to deserve all this?”
He took a second to study the slight curves of her face, the delicate slope of her slender neck, and appreciate just how damn beautiful she was. He’d fought his growing attraction to her for months now. Taking the time to observe what made her so alluring felt like a luxury he never thought he’d experience. “How are you doing?”
Her eyes fluttered open, and she lifted one side of her mouth. “Fine. I know this has been horrible for you—”
He halted the motion of his hands on her foot. “No. I don’t want to talk about my past or my feelings. I’ve done enough of that lately, and I want to hear about you. And don’t say you’re okay because we both know that’s bullshit.”
She furrowed her brow, causing thin wrinkles to ripple across her forehead. “You want me to unload on you? Are you feeling okay?”
He squeezed her foot then continued giving her a massage, but he couldn’t stop the pang of guilt at her astonishment that he actually wanted to hear about how she was handling a stressful situation. “I want to hear it all. Want you to know I’m here for you just like you’ve been there for me.”
“Okay.” She sucked in a deep breath then took a long sip of wine. “Honestly, it’s been easier to focus on you. When I stop and consider how I’m holding up, everything that’s happened comes crashing down on me and this sense of panic takes hold of my whole body.”
“I understand,” he said, switching his hands to her other foot. “I suffer from panic attacks. They’re no fun.”
“How’d you get over them?”
He gave a little self-deprecating laugh. “I didn’t. I hid. I refused to talk to anyone. I suffered in silence. All the things I shouldn’t have done. Ignoring your anxiety doesn’t make it go away.”
“I don’t think anything will make it go away until the killer is caught.” She shivered then stole another sip of wine before setting her drink back on the coffee table. “Then there’s this other part of me. The part that’s happy this whole mess brought us together—showed me who you really are and how much I care about you. Which, of course makes me feel guilty. I mean, what kind of a person finds joy when there’s so much chaos and turmoil surrounding them?” She shifted her lips to the side and tears hovered over her dark lashes.
“A lucky one.” Abandoning her foot, he took hold of her hands and pulled her forward, anchoring her in his arms. The feel of her brought parts of him to life he thought long dead. “Life moves on, and we can either find reasons to move with it or stand still in our grief. I’ve stood still for too long.”
“You don’t think I’m a bad person for somehow being happy right now?”
He hooked a piece of hair behind her ear then cradled her delicate jaw in his palm. “You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met.”
A wobbly smile lifted her lips. “You’re not mad at Brooke any more for hiring me?”
“Fortunately, I have strong women around me who know what I need before I do.”
She laughed, and the sound expanded his chest. He hadn’t had much laughter in his life, and he’d do whatever he could to hear it every damn day.
“And don’t you dare forget it,” she said, smoothing a hand over his cheek then pressing her lips to his.
The feel of her mouth on his made his heart race. He deepened the kiss, needing to explore her—taste her. She shifted to straddle him, and he brought his hands to meet at the small of her back. The heat of her body engulfed him, desire bursting hotter than the flames dancing in the hearth. His tongue parted her lips and the taste of wine and a hint of mint tickled his senses.
She pulled away, her face hot and her breaths coming in quick, ragged bursts. “You’re pretty amazing, Chet, and you’re right. I am lucky. Lucky to be here with you.”
He wanted to swing her into his arms and carry her to her room to finish what they’d started, but it was too soon. Too fast. Too much to handle on top of the spiral of new emotions making him soar. “Is it okay if we do it again?”
She grinned and leaned down, her mouth hovering just above his. “You can kiss me any time you want.”
