beard and cupped his jaw. âBut Iâm going to kiss you.â
She detected a hint of a smile beneath his beard. âJust so weâre clear, what is the wrong way?â
She rose up on her tiptoes and pulled her other hand free from his hold. âThis kiss isnât an incentive to do a little detective work.â
âYouâre not trying to bribe me with kisses?â
She ran her fingers through his hair. âIâd start lower if that was my plan. And the um, evidenceââÂshe stole a quick glance at his lower halfâÂâbeneath my head last night suggests that youâd agree.â
His left hand brushed her chin, tilting it back until her gaze met his. âNo, Iâd start with your lips. But, honey, I know I make a better bodyguard than a boyfriend for youâÂâ
âI donât need a boyfriend right now. I just needâÂâ
Crash!
Her body tensed and her fingers dug into Dominic as she swallowed the word âyou.â Fear dominated her senses, stripping away the desire as if her need to kiss the man holding her close was nothing more than a Band-ÂAid waiting to be ripped off. She heard footsteps, but she couldnât see who had burst in.
Because her âbodyguardâ had taken control.
Dominic pulled her close as he guided their bodies back, away from the desk, and through the partially open door leading to the bathroom. âYouâre all right,â he murmured. âYouâre safe.â
She nodded, trying to digest the words. At some point, sheâd released her hold on his jaw and pulled her hand free from his hair. Her fingers now clung to his biceps. She needed his strength now, not his kisses.
But I still want that kiss.
She heard voicesâÂpluralâÂin the barâs back room. There were two Âpeople out there having what sounded like a very private discussion.
âCaroline.â She formed the name with her lips, barely daring to whisper and give away her hiding place.
Dominic nodded. And the second person spoke again.
Josh Summers. The barâs resident baker.
She pulled free from Dominicâs hold. One step backward and she felt the sink. She leaned against the vanityâs edge. If she hadnât let the fear take over, they would be out there kissing right now. Caroline and Josh would have taken one look at the Âcouple making out by the desk and retreated to someplace more private.
But if she didnât live with fear hovering around her and waiting to strike, if she could snap her fingers and return to her old self, then Dominic wouldnât be here. And if he had returned under different circumstances, she would be looking for a future he couldnât provide.
Dammit, why did Caroline have to choose this moment, when Lily was on the verge of giving in to a feeling that had nothing to do with fear? Why now, when Lily had been ready and willing to steal a kiss from Dominic, did the dishwasher have to burst in and shatter the moment and leave her hiding in the Big Buckâs bathroom with the man she wanted to kiss?
Â
Chapter Nine
âS OUNDS LIKE SOMEONE else decided to tackle the bodyguard-Âversus-Âboyfriend question,â Dominic murmured more to himself than the frozen, wide-Âeyed woman behind him. His training had kicked in when he heard the door swing open and heâd turned his focus to erasing Lilyâs rising fear. Now, he moved to the other side of the door, which stood ajar.
But he sure as shit was out of practice, because heâd landed them in a windowless bathroom. And the threat? Noahâs pie-Âthrowing friend and Josh Summers, a guy heâd run into a time or two in Forever or around the neighboring town, Independence Falls.
âWhy do you bring pies?â Caroline asked, her voice direct and clear.
Was âpieâ a code word? Judging from Carolineâs guarded expression, and the way Josh followed her into the
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