Too Close to Resist by Nicole Helm

of her paintings, but he didn’t really see it.
    He saw Grace.
    He’d kissed her. Really kissed her. That had to rank pretty high in the list of mistakes he’d made in his life.
    He could try to convince himself she’d goaded him into it, and in a way, she had. But she hadn’t kissed him first and she hadn’t forced his hand. He’d simply kissed her. Of his own accord.
    He forced himself to move out of her room, away from the smell of paint and sunshine. In his office, he tried to focus on his computer, but he thought about the kiss.
    The kind of kiss one didn’t just forget. The kind of kiss that kept a man up at night wondering what was next.
    “Nothing is next. Nothing.”
    “Who are you talking to?”
    Kyle jumped what felt like a foot. “Uh, just...thinking aloud.” He cleared his throat, swiveled away from Jacob so he could avoid eye contact.
    “Where’s Grace?”
    “She, uh, went downstairs. I think. I mean, I assume.”
    “You smooth things over with her?”
    Kyle swallowed. “Um. Yes.” He kept staring at his computer and could only hope Jacob wasn’t reading him like a pathetic open book.
    “Maybe we can postpone the trip?”
    Yes. That was exactly what they should do. Postpone it until Grace was no longer a houseguest and there was no possibility that he’d be alone in a house with her.
    Coward. To postpone the trip would be to risk the job. If they wanted to expand, risking wasn’t an option. “No. No, you should go. I’m sure Grace will be fine. We’ll keep an eye on her.” Which she’d hate to hear him say, but he couldn’t help it.
    He did want her to be safe. Him. Alone. Regardless of his relationship to Jacob. He cared about Grace. Damn it.
    Jacob sighed loudly. “Yeah. All right. Thanks for taking care of things, man.”
    Kyle nodded, hoping Jacob never had any idea just how he had taken care of things. Or the things he was imagining taking care of.
    In one breath he’d promised to take care of her, and in the next he’d thought of what she might feel like underneath him.
    He’d kissed her. Touched her. Had tasted her and felt her. Soft. Light. He’d allowed himself a taste of something he could never, ever have.
    That kiss was Pandora’s box, only instead of unleashing evil, it unleashed good. An irresistible goodness that someone like him could not be allowed to have. He’d ruin it. Or ruin himself believing he could have it.
    Possibly worse, by kissing her, he’d given her a piece of himself, and it couldn’t be taken back. She knew. She saw his weakness, her, and she would push because she was Grace. And it had the potential to unravel everything. She had the potential to unravel him.
    Not good. Not good at all.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    “Y OU COULD GO stay with Mom and Dad. It’s not too late.”
    Kyle fervently wished Grace would go along with Jacob’s last-ditch suggestion, but the grimace on her face dashed that hope.
    “The last day I was at my house, I woke up and Mom was sitting at the end of my bed. I know they love me and I know they care, but I also know I, and more important they, need this breathing room.” Grace gave Jacob a little shove to the door. “Go. I’ll take my chances with Kyle.”
    Kyle tried not to outwardly react, but his mouth turned into a frown anyway. He had no interest in taking his chances with Grace. He didn’t trust himself here anymore, and distance was the only surefire way to keep from thinking about her.
    About that kiss. About the way she tasted, felt. The smell of her shampoo, the flutter of her breath against his mouth, her tongue on his. Kyle scrubbed a hand over his face.
    Get a grip.
    Jacob cleared his throat, and it was only then Kyle realized Grace and Jacob were staring at him expectantly. Since he’d obviously missed a beat in the conversation while he was busy taking a trip to Crazyville, he managed his best bland smile. “Sorry, I was thinking about an email I have to send to the window company. What did I