Gatlinburg Getaway (Destination: Desire) by Crystal Jordan

she’d noted on the drive up, this was clearly a well-known spot. Damn it. “We covered Anne. After her is Nora. She’s a nurse and the sweetest of us girls. She’s the caretaker and peacemaker of the family, though she’ll tell it like it is when she needs to. She’s a lot nicer about it that I could ever be, but she’s no doormat. She got married four months ago, and my mother is currently nagging her to death on making grandbabies.”
    “Nice. That’s exactly what every newlywed couple likes to hear, ‘Who cares if you just got married—time to start contributing to our overpopulation issue.’ I mean, I like kids, but I’d take a minute to settle into marriage before I had some.” He raised his eyes heavenward. After rummaging through the box, he came up with containers of corn bread and what had to be the collard greens. They looked as nasty as spinach to her, but if it got her another kiss, she’d take a bite.
    One bite. Hey, a girl had to have some standards.
    She went for the cornbread first, and a second piece of chicken. He opted for cornbread, then forked up some of the greens and gave her a devilish look before he ate it himself. Better him than her.
    “Hazel’s next.” The wind blew her hair in her face, and she shoved it back. “She’s the quiet, scholarly one. She’s finishing up a postdoc in marine biology and deciding what she wants to do with her life when it comes time to get a real job.”
    “You’re the youngest.” That seemed to surprise him, though she couldn’t imagine why.
    “Yep.” She finished her cornbread and drumstick. Both were delicious. She might have to send a thank you note to his aunt. The food warranted the courtesy. “They’ve always called me the ambitious one.”
    He snorted. “Because your sisters seem like such slackers.”
    “We put the fun in dysfunctional.” She saluted him with her demolished chicken leg and then tossed it into a trash bag he held out.
    He chuckled. “Still, getting a successful business off the ground is tough.”
    “Yes, it is.” No argument there. It had been years of grueling work that might never have paid off. Thankfully, it had. She and her partners were some of the lucky ones. There were plenty of new tech firms that crashed and burned.
    “Congrats.”
    “Thank you.” She licked her lips. “I like my congratulations in the form of kisses.”
    That he shuddered and wild desperation flashed in his gaze made her feel sexy and incredibly powerful. There was an intoxicating mix of emotion that no woman would complain about experiencing. Over and over again.
    Just as she was sure he’d lean in for another kiss, a gust of wind slapped her with a faceful of pollen. A squeaky scream was cut off when she started coughing. The pollen was everywhere. It was up her nose, in her mouth, under her contacts. Her eyes burned. They fucking burned like hellfire.
    “Oh my G—” That was as far as she got. A huge sneeze racked her body. Tears began pouring from her eyes and running down her cheeks.
    “Shit.”
    Through the blur her vision had become, she saw Dalton dive for the box of supplies and come up with a bottle of water and a handful of napkins. He shoved the napkins into her hand and curved his arm around her. “Bend forward and tilt your head to one side.”
    She did as he bid and he slowly poured water into each eye, flushing out both the pollen and her contacts. Her chest jerked as she tried to hold in sneezes while he worked, but as soon as he finished, she jerked away from him. “Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”
    Her eyes ached and would barely open, and the snot was never-ending. Every time she blew her nose, she sneezed again. And again.
    And there went her sexy, powerful feelings. Swollen-faced snot beasts were not sexy.
    “Come on, let’s get you back to town.” He pushed her purse into her hands.
    She heard him quickly packing up their picnic, and then he led her to the Jeep and eased her gently into the passenger seat.