Page 42 of Smoke Screen
“Will this get you in trouble?”
He shrugged. “Probably. This isn’t about business. What the hell kind of coward would that make me if I sit here while you face reporters? I’m a lot of things. A coward isn’t one of them.” He unleashed the Charlie Charm smile. “Besides, my mother would skin me if I let you do this alone. I’m more afraid of her than the Thompsons.”
A gurgle of laughter burst free, and Maddy took a second to enjoy it. To savor it. To be thankful for those few seconds, thanks to Phin, Mr. Protective, who’d somehow dropped into her life at the exact time she needed extra support.
That had to be a sign, didn’t it? That maybe he was … Nope. She wouldn’t do this, wouldn’t get ahead of herself, analyzing all the reasons why Phin might be the one.
Not when people might think of her as a criminal.
Good Girl Maddy.
A thief.
The back of her neck throbbed, and she closed her eyes. God, the humiliation.
“Hey.” Phin said, tapping her leg and bringing her attention back to him. “You’re fine. You’ve got this. The feds will do their thing, realize you had nothing to do with it, and clear you. It’s a process. A painful one, but a process.”
Battling her thoughts, she bobbed her head. They’d clear her.
When he said it, she believed it. He had that way about him. Direct and convincing.
“Thank you, Phin. You have no idea.”
He lifted his hand, brought it to rest on the side of her head and warmth spread, wrapping around her like a blanket on a cold day.
Later, she’d tell herself it was the human contact she craved. Not an insanely hot guy who’d done nothing but try to protect her.
Not that.
When she didn’t move, he eased his hand down. A move so gentle, something in her chest pinged.
Strong, gentle hands.
On her.
She tilted her head, leaning into the gesture, meeting his gaze and holding it for a few seconds while the air conditioner must have conked out because—holy cow—all that slow, controlled heat from his hand turned to an absolute furnace blast.
What if she …
What?
Leaned in just a wee bit farther? Put herself out there and risked making a move and kissing Phin?
She pictured it, the two of them inching closer and … and …
Oh, yes. She could do this.
Brave Maddy.
She craned forward, testing, and he moved closer, his gaze locked on hers.
At least until he sat back, lifting his hand like all that heat had scorched him.
“Phew,” he shook his head. “What the fuck amIdoing? I apologize. I shouldn’t have done that. Totally inappropriate.”
“Says who?”
“Um, me?”
