With This Kiss by Bella Riley

recognize the woman standing in front of him. Or her strength.
    “Okay,” he said, putting his hands up. “You’re right. I’ll be there.”
    Rebecca held herself perfectly still until he had left the inn. Only then did she let her breath go in a slow exhale, her shoulders dropping slightly from her previous battle-ready position.
    Sean half expected her to make an excuse about what had just happened. But he should have known better than that by now, shouldn’t he? Because Rebecca didn’t act like other people; she didn’t seem to know how to brush awkward under the rug like anyone else would have.
    “I’m really sorry about that, Sean,” she said softly. “I’m just glad no guests came in while he was here.”
    Twenty years ago, Sean had learned how quickly things could change in fifteen minutes. How his mother could go from being the person he loved and trusted most in the world to a virtual stranger. Since then, he’d been careful to keep himself far out of the path of any emotions that might put him back in those teenager’s shoes again.
    Since meeting Rebecca, however, pushing his feelings away like he always had been had been a surprisingly difficult task. But now that he knew she’d been dating a married man, a man with children, he was glad he hadn’t made the mistake of thinking she was a better person than she obviously was.
    Instead of accepting her apology for what had just happened, he said, “I’ve been reviewing the inn’s files. I have a few questions for you.”
    She raised her eyebrows at his abrupt change of subject and the hard tone of his voice. “Is that something they teach you in business school? To act like nothing happened when we all know it just did?”
    No one had ever been this upfront with him about theirpersonal life. Especially not an employee. He had no business caring about whom she dated.
    It shouldn’t matter, damn it, even though she should have never messed around with a married man.
    Wanting to make himself perfectly clear, once and for all, he said, “Your personal life is personal. And so is mine.”
    Her big, clear eyes went flat.
    “Why don’t you show me those files you were looking at. I’m sure I can clear any issues up for you. And then we can move forward with your training.”
    Any easiness that had been between them earlier completely disappeared and didn’t make a return over the next hours as they pored over spreadsheets and files.
    At four p.m. Rebecca looked up at the clock on the wall behind the desk and said, “I need to get going.”
    Sean hadn’t liked the look of Mark and certainly didn’t trust him. Rebecca going out into the cold to meet with him with no one around to make sure she was okay didn’t sit right with him. Not because she wasn’t strong enough to deal with the guy—behind her seemingly soft exterior was a core of steel—but because it would make him feel immeasurably better to stay close to her just in case the douche bag tried anything.
    Which was what had Sean a breath away from grabbing his coat and demanding to go with her to meet her ex.
    “I don’t think you should go meet him this afternoon, Rebecca.”
    Her eyes met his, clearly irritated by his intrusion into her life. A personal life that he’d told her just hours ago he wanted nothing to do with.
    “He’s not dangerous. I can take care of myself.”
    He knew she wanted to believe that, but didn’t she see how her kindness made people want to grab hold of her and never let go until they’d drained her dry? No wonder her mother wanted to come and drag her back home.
    He caught his thoughts too late. How could he still be thinking any of that after what he’d just learned? She’d been the other woman. She was responsible for a marriage breaking up. What if one of Mark’s kids had caught him with Rebecca?
    It would have scarred them for life.
    “If something happened to you, Stu would never forgive me.”
    “Ah. Yes. Stu.” Each word was flatter,