Before she could answer, Joel joined them, handing a beer to Colton. He didn’t want the damn beer, but could hardly tell Joel what he really wanted, so he took a swig and lowered it to his side, tapping it impatiently against his leg.
Without warning, the lights went out. Hearing Kendra’s indrawn breath and feeling her press against his side, her fingers grasping for his, he tensed before the off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday” registered. A blazing cake appeared in the kitchen doorway, carried by Britt and Noah.
Kendra stepped away from him and Colton was forced to temper his impatience over the next hour. After that, he began to wonder if she was avoiding him? That first beer went down faster than he’d intended, followed by a couple more. The moment he realized what he was doing, he quit.
By ten, Colton also quit wondering—Kendra was avoiding him. He tried to catch her gaze more than once, but each time she conveniently turned to someone else and ignored him. Finally, he gave up, said goodnight, and made his way back to the guest house.
But, as he lay on his tiny bed staring at the ceiling more than an hour later with his hands clasped behind his head, sleep eluded him.
A soft knock, followed by the uninvited opening of the door brought his head up. He peered across the room, lit only by the light of an almost full moon. His heart started a steady thump.
Kendra closed the door behind her. Her hand appeared unsteady, but he couldn’t be sure in the dim light. Reluctance was evident in her body language, yet there she stood in his bedroom.
“Sorry if I woke you,” she said softly.
“You didn’t.” He pushed up, leaning back against the headboard as she approached.
“Good.” She bit her bottom lip before taking a deep breath. “Colton—”
“Are you—”
They broke off at the same time and he couldn’t help a smile. She smiled, too, then urged him to go first. Instead, he reached for the light on the nightstand. Not seeing her face clearly was really frustrating.
She grabbed his arm. “No—don’t.”
His muscles tensed under her fingers. He sat back, and she let her hand fall onto her thigh. She took a sudden interest in her nails, leaving him at even more of a loss. She’d come to him. Twice she looked like she was ready to speak, but twice she didn’t.
“You look tired,” he said.
She lifted a shoulder. “Same as always, I don’t sleep well.”
“What do you dream about?” he asked abruptly.
Her gaze lifted to his. “Same as anyone, I guess.”
He leaned forward, shaking his head from side to side. Her breath hitched when he laid a hand on her knee. His chest tightened. “What keeps you up at night, Kendra? Is it Robert? Is he the reason for your nightmares?”
Her eyes widened with dismay. “You’ve heard me.”
He nodded.
Realization dawned in her moonlit eyes. “I wasn’t dreaming that night, was I?”
“No.”
He expected her to be upset that he’d invaded her privacy without her permission, but all she said was, “It’s not Robert.”
“Is it the cop?” he asked, his voice low and tight.
She nodded. He started to slide his hand up to cover hers, worried for a moment about stirring up bad memories of her past, then decided to risk it. He wouldn’t push her any further than that. At his touch, her gaze lifted and locked with his.
Indefinable emotion shifted in her brown, fathomless depths the longer they held eye contact. She turned her hand over, laced her fingers with his, and tugged him closer. His heart lodged in his throat when she pressed her lips to his. God, what was happening?
She opened her mouth under his, inviting him in. He held onto his control by a thread; only the thought of her past violent experience kept him from giving in to the passion raging through his blood. He wanted her so bad it scared him. Her soft sound of frustration nearly undid him and he pulled back before the thin thread snapped.
Confusion in her gaze gave way for shame. Damn. In trying to protect her, he saw he’d hurt her. His fingers tightened on her shoulders. “It’s not that I don’t want to…”
His strained voice brought her head up quick, her gaze searching. “Then what’s the problem?”