Page 54 of Fire and Rain
Yeah. He really ought to have gone back to the barracks. “Sorry.”
She turned toward the kitchen. “There’s tea steeping on the table.”
Sean wasn’t sure he needed to be any warmer, but he didn’t say that. “Thanks.”
He followed her to the kitchen, aware of everything about her. The way her hair moved side to side while she walked. The swing of her hips. The silky curves of her calves. The hint of perfume that followed her.
She set two mugs on the table, a smile on lips that he could still taste. “I promise not to spill it on you this time.”
How could she be so damned calm when his entire world had just turned upside down? Maybe he needed to work on his kissing game.
Not tonight, buddy, and not with Eden.
She poured the tea, her gaze moving over his body before she looked into his eyes. “The last thing I expected to happen tonight was for you to show up on my doorstep. Why did you come? And why did you stand there in the rain?”
How could he answer without digging the hole deeper?
“After tonight, I needed to understand what’s going on. I wanted to sort this out before it goes any further. As for why I stood in the rain… Hell. I didn’t trust myself to be close to you.”
* * *
Eden sawin Sean’s eyes that he meant what he’d just said, his words giving her belly flutters. “That sounds serious. What did you think you’d do?”
He leaned against the counter, arms crossed over his bare chest in a way that made all of his delicious muscles shift, his gaze meeting hers. “I was afraid I’d kiss you, and I was right.”
His honesty melted her heart. “I’m glad you did.”
“It shouldn’t have happened.”
But she couldn’t have this conversation, not with him standing there looking like Adonis of the Skimpy Towel. She couldn’t keep her gaze off him—or ignore how he made her feel. “Let me get you a blanket.”
“I’m warm enough. You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do. There’s no way I can sit here and talk with you if you’re half naked.”
“Ah.” His lips curved slightly, as if he were trying not to smile.
She walked down the hallway to the closet and grabbed a throw. When she returned, she found him standing near the table, his gazed fixed on something, his brow furrowed with concern.
Her rings.
“Thanks.” He took the blanket, wrapped it around his shoulders. “You took off your rings. Isn’t it too soon for this—for any of this?”
She sat across from him, sipped her tea, tried to put her emotions into words. “In the first weeks after Justin’s death, I swore I’d never take them off. I couldn’t imagine having feelings for another man. Then you happened.”
“I didn’thappen. We’ve known each other for almost four years.”
“We’ve known each other as Justin’s wife and Justin’s best friend. But now he’s gone, and I’ve come to see you in a different way.”
She told him how much every one of a hundred small kindnesses he’d shown her had mattered, each building on the last. His support at the memorial service. His help with the paperwork. His willingness to listen when she spoke about Justin. His interest in Alutiiq culture. His willingness to go with her to Crab Fest. His kindness to Maverick.
“It was a gradual thing, but it didn’t really hit me until Crab Fest. I felt confused, upset. I was afraid I was betraying Justin, so I talked to my grandmother about it.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You talked with your grandmother about me?”
Eden nodded. “She invited me to go foraging for docks, but she really wanted to talk with me about Mila. Afterwards, I told her I had feelings for you, and that I thought you felt the same way. I felt so torn, and I knew she would listen.”
“What did she say?”
