Page 39 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

“That’s amazing.” He was amazing. “Your work is . . . breathtaking.”

He shrugged and ducked his head. Was he getting shy? He turned his back to me, but before he hid his face, I swore I saw a blush. He was shy. My god, that was sexy.

Not wanting to embarrass him, I scanned for other pieces in the shop. When my eyes landed on one by a stack of dowels, my jaw dropped. I had no place to store it, but I needed it for my new house. “Tell me that one isn’t sold yet.”

“Sorry. I’ve got a guy picking it up in a couple days. I’m just waiting for the epoxy to cure and then I’ll seal it. But it turned out nice.”

“Nice?” I mocked. “It’s stunning.”

He’d taken what looked like a swath from a huge tree and mounted it onto three legs to serve as an end table. The top was full of cracks and breaks from how the tree had grown. Kaine had filled them all with some kind of blue plastic, making them look like streams of water running through the honey-colored wood.

This man was so much more than he let people see. He came across so rough and cold, but in this shop, I saw an entirely new side to Kaine Reynolds. He was full of hidden passion and bursting with creativity. He’d poured his heart into these pieces.

Kaine inspected part of the table, testing the blue epoxy. He was wearing jeans today, and as he bent down, they hugged his thighs and ass. It was the first time I’d seen him in something other than Carhartts. He was delicious.

We’d been so close to kissing in his kitchen. If I hadn’t suggested the shop tour, we would have ended up having sex in his bedroom.

I wasn’t ready for that.

I wasn’t ready to share his bed.

Over the last few days, I’d thought constantly about Kaine—more than I should have for a casual, no-strings, strictly physical relationship. So I’d decided to put up some boundaries.

There would be no sleepovers. Cuddling would be kept to a minimum. And I didn’t want to get used to having sex in each other’s beds.

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nbsp; The camper bed was the only exception. Because it was a temporary home, not my real bed, it didn’t count. Though the couch would have been the safest bet, Kaine was just too big to make that cramped space comfortable for either of us to do some exploration.

If we kept sex to casual places, I’d be able to maintain some emotional distance. The camper was safe. Even this shop could work.

Along with the location boundaries, I was also setting some limits on the amount of time we spent together. I was forcing myself to stay away from Kaine for at least three days between hookups. Three days.

I’d barely made it.

When I’d gotten home from Logan and Thea’s place early this afternoon, I’d decided to take the rest of the afternoon off and make a magic cake.

Because I was homesick.

My family was busy in New York. I’d been busy too, but when I’d lived there, they’d only been a train ride away. I’d taken their closeness for granted. Leaving the city after my divorce had been the right decision. I didn’t regret coming to Montana. Still, I missed my family.

So in an effort to cheer myself up, I’d decided to make the chocolate cake my aunt had taught me how to make in high school.

I wasn’t sure if it was the high butter and sugar content or the dark chocolate I bought for the frosting. But it had never once failed to lift my spirits. I’d deemed it magic after it had soothed my broken heart when I’d gotten dumped by my high school boyfriend two days before junior prom.

Magic cake had helped me through the hardest nights of my divorce when Adam’s pleas to reconcile had worn my emotions raw.

I’d made the cake in the camper’s tiny oven, then frosted it once it had cooled. I’d debated eating it all myself, but then I’d realized my three-day limit was over. My feet had just carried me over to Kaine’s, cake plate in hand.

When he’d answered the door shrouded in the grief he wore like a gray mist, I’d known visiting was the right decision. Magic cake to the rescue.

After more calories than was healthy, the anger and sadness on his face was gone. I’d even earned myself a smile.

Kaine was still lost in his end table, so I took the quiet minute to study the benches and shelves I’d only just glanced at before.

There were hooks and drawers for everything. The larger machines all had their place. The shop was right up my alley, organized and structured to the point of near compulsion.

“I think the way you keep your shop organized is . . . sexy.”