Page 77 of Set It Right
Heat crawled up my neck.
Zara didn’t even flinch. She smiled sweetly at Silas. “Because I asked nicely.”
Silas considered that. “Can I have some please?”
Laughter broke out around the table. Caleb ruffled Silas’s hair, and Hannah rolled her eyes at her son.
Grabbing the serving dish, I shoved it toward him. “Get your own, you little animal.”
When I looked back at Zara, she was smiling at her plate, cheeks pink.
Our knees were still touching.
And despite all the eyes on us, neither of us moved away.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Zara
IwalkedintoCormac’soffice without knocking, and he didn’t seem to be surprised to see me. Fingers stilling on his keyboard, he leaned back in his chair, a smile pulling at his lips.
“Hey, you,” he crooned.
“Hey, Maccie.” I kicked the door shut behind me. “I have five minutes before I have to meet a group for a hike.”
“And you’re spending it with me?”
“Yep.” I wound around his desk, and he took my hands, tugging me down onto his lap, exactly where I’d hoped to be. I sat sideways on his long legs, tucking myself against his chest. He held me close, one arm around my back, the other draped over my thighs.
“Glad you came to visit.” He spread his fingers wide, dipping beneath the bottom of my shorts.
“I wanted to ask if you’d like to go to the hot spring with me after work. I meant to ask last night, but things were crazy, and your family was—”
“Watching us like we were on the verge of eloping?”
I laughed. “Yes. That about sums it up.”
Last night was my first time experiencing all the Kellys in one place, and it had been glorious. The babies, the big kids, the siblings and spouses, and Elena and Lock all together made it feel like home. It should have been chaos, but it wasn’t, even with Silas spilling his drink, Abigail getting overtired and crying, Lock and Caleb disagreeing about some ranch matter, and all eyes on Cormac and me. It made me homesick for something I’d never had.
“The hot spring, huh?” He let his head fall back against his chair.
“Yeah. I haven’t been there this summer, and after the week I’ve had, I could really use it. I thought maybe you would want to come with me.”
“Sure I would. Are you sore?”
“I’m okay. It’s just been a really physical few days.”
His palm slid down to my knee then back up in a slow drag. “We’ll get you sorted. Pick you up at your place when I’m done here?”
I nodded, leaning in. “I have two more minutes before I really have to go.”
The hand on my back moved up to my nape, gripping me there. “Can I kiss you for a while?”
“For two minutes.”
His nose touched mine. “Not long enough, but it’ll have to do.”
Then his mouth covered mine in a sweet collide and we made every second of the next two minutes count.
