Page 19 of My Husband Problem

“Declan!” Astrid gasps, but instinctively, her arms wrap around my neck, and her legs hook around my hips.

Unfortunately, I can’t really enjoy that. I need to get her away from the wild animals that are trying to…I’m not sure what they’re trying to do, but getting away from them seems like the right call no matter what.

I turn and take several steps, but the otters follow, one abruptly running into the path in front of me and making me have to high step to keep from stepping on or kicking him.

I stumble to the side, my hands sliding under Astrid’s ass to keep from dropping her.

Her arms and legs tighten around me. “Declan, it’s?—”

I feel a clawed paw tugging at the back of my pants leg. No. It’s trying tograb me?

I look down. “Dammit. Giant rats. Get the hell out of the?—”

Suddenly, Astrid takes my face between her hands, turns my head, and covers my mouth with hers.

CHAPTER 6

ASTRID

We’ve never kissed before.

Not even at our wedding.

And this isn’t at all how I imagined it happening.

Yes, I’ve imagined it. I shouldn’t have. I had intendednotto kiss this man. Ever. But I’veimaginedit, wrapped in his shirt that I stole, in the dark, alone, when I’m having pain or working on my therapy and need to…fantasize. He’s my fantasy. I can’t help it.

And now I’m kissing him. Spontaneously. In the park. While he’s saving me from otters.

That’s so stupidly hot and unexpected, and I love it.

So, I’m kissing him.

His lips are firm and surprisingly soft, but I don’t take a full taste. Not like I want to. A part of me is desperate to know how this man tastes. How he kisses. What he would do if I opened my mouth and stroked my tongue along his lower lip. I feel a tightening in my lower body, even imagining a low growl or really any kind of reaction that would show he was affected.

But another part, possibly a self-preservation instinct, tells me I do not want that.

A true, deep, hot kiss from Declan O’Grady is not something I will probably ever get over.

And considering it can’t go anywhere, why even start?

Even this right now is a bad idea. I already want more.

I pull back.

He looks completely stunned, and I do take a moment to enjoy that.

I think stunning Declan O’Grady is a difficult thing to do. He’s perfect. He does everything right all the time. At least he thinks he does.

“You can’t disparage the otters,” I explain. “Not around here. They’re basically everyone’s pets. If anyone hears you, they’ll run you out of town…” I trail off.

His mouth—his very kissable mouth, which I now focus on because it’sright thereand my lips are still tingling from being pressed against it—curves up.

And damn. I’m in a lot of trouble.

“So youdon’twant me run out of town? Rethinking your plan to divorce me already?”

He’s right. I should have let him cuss and hate on the otters andreallyget the town riled up. Him not being good to me got them upset, but him not treating the otters right might have gotten him banned from the city. It would havedefinitelymade it onto the website.