Page 42 of A Lady's Heart
“No guilt,” he reminded her. “You are an amazing woman, and whatever happens in the future, I know you’re smart enough to make the right decisions.”
He tweaked her nose, and she nipped playfully at his fingers. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”
His mind turned to another issue. “By the way, you missed naming one of your friends.”
She blinked hard before smiling. “So I did.”
Justin accepted the kiss she gave him in apology. And the next. And the one after that—well, that one he enjoyed as he took to his feet and carried her blindly down the hall to the bedroom.
He settled them on the bed, cuddling for a while as she murmured happy words around more kisses. Clothes fell away until they were skin on skin. Their touches started soft and teasing before passion flared, and they came together in a bright burst of sensation that made his heart pump and his hopes rise.
This was exactly what he wanted for her. For them. But he wasn’t going to push her to make any long-term decisions yet, even though he knew exactly what he wanted.
Her—forever.
A couple mornings later Mandy was standing at the sink beside him, drying the dishes as he finished hand-washing them after breakfast.
“I thought we could go tobogganing today,” Mandy suggested. “And then the theater society is showing some golden oldies. You want to go?”
Justin hesitated. “Is it on your list?”
She shook her head.
He thought about it for moment “Aww, what the heck. Not everything has to come off the list.”
It was about the longest vacation Justin had taken since high school when he and his friend had begun their climb to the top in the business world, not to mention the bear’s political structure. Afternoon naps, late-night dinners, long conversations as they walked everywhere around Chicken.
It really was about the best thing he could imagine, and watching Mandy blossom before his eyes made it even better.
She didn’t venture out without him—they were still being cautious, but when they went, she led and he followed, pausing whenever she wanted to chat with the people they had gotten to know in the community.
It was too perfect to last.
His phone rang, and Caden’s growly voice greeted him the instant he saidhello.
“Cole is back, and you’re not going to believe this.”
“Did he catch them?”
“One of them. Get down here. It’ll be easier to explain once you see it.”
Caden hung up the phone, leaving Justin wondering.
Mandy wrapped herself around him from the back and pressed a kiss to his biceps. “Who was that?”
“Cole is back.”
She stiffened. “And?”
She had the right to know, and it wasn’t protecting her to not share the information. “He caught one.”
Mandy pulled herself in front of him, eyes going wide before her expression changed into one of sheer determination. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
What was he waiting for? He didn’t want this to end.
Justin pulled himself together before he admitted that and forced her hand.
“What if it’s a setup?” he asked instead, voicing his other concerns. “What if there are more of them out there? What if they’re just trying to get you in the same room as one of them for some reason before they do…something?”
