Page 37 of Hold Your Breath
His words sent a rush of warmth through her. As he escorted her toward the door, she told herself that the cozy feeling was because he was there to help. She loved her little cabin and was fiercely protective of her new ability to survive on her own, but there was something so reassuring about having another person—a capable person—with whom she could share the load. Over the winter, she’d had some panic-filled moments when her truck wouldn’t start or her generator stopped working. She’d survived, but it would’ve been nice to have had another pair of hands, especially a pair controlled by Callum’s practical, intelligent brain.
Lou immediately warned herself not to get used to that warm and safe feeling. The only brain and hands she could rely on were her own. There was no way she could let herself backslide and become that meek, helpless, and useless person she used to be.
“Where’d you go?” he asked, giving her shoulder a nudge.
“Hmm?” She blinked, realizing that they were almost to the library, where the trucks were parked. “Oh! Sorry. Just thinking about…stuff.” Stuff too personal to share,especiallywith Callum.
His mouth quirked. “Well, pay attention on the drive home.”
“Yes, sir.” She resisted giving him a salute, but she did stand at attention. She felt it was a fair compromise between well-earned respect and her need to mock him.
“Text me when you get there.”
“Will do.” She climbed into the driver’s seat and cranked the engine.
“Hang on.”
Lou waited as he did a full circle of the truck, inspecting all four tires. Although he didn’t seem to see anything amiss, he was still frowning when he returned to her open door.
“Why don’t—” he started, but she cut him off before he could ask her to go to the meeting for the umpteenth time.
“No.”
After a glare, which she ignored, he stepped back so she could close her door. She cranked down the window so she could hear him, even though she knew perfectly well what he was going to say.
“Be careful.”
It was like she was psychic. “I will. Promise. I’ll see you after the meeting.”
He just nodded, and she faced front, her hand reaching for the gearshift. Before she could shove the truck into drive, however, he said her name.
When she turned toward him, an inquiring smile forming, he suddenly reached forward, slid a hand around the back of her neck, tugged her close, and kissed her—a hard, breathless, short press of his lips against hers. Her smile dropped away in shock, and she stared at him, eyes wide, as he quickly backed away.
“See you later,” he said, turning and walking toward where his own truck was parked. She continued to stare well after he climbed in and started the engine.
“Callum,” she said softly, touching her lips.
She could feel the burn of his stubble, and her stomach tightened with sudden, unmistakable heat. “Callum, what the hell?!”
Chapter 7
She blamed the poor job she did hanging the shades on Callum’s kiss. It had taken up a great deal of her brainpower over the course of the evening, and that was why her window coverings were just a hair lopsided. Lou backed toward her bedroom door to get a better look at the finished product. If she squinted and tilted her head to the right, they didn’t lookthatbad. Besides, any installation or repair in which she didn’t need to resort to duct tape and her staple gun was considered a success.
After putting away her tools, she looked around the cabin. Before hanging the shades, she’d done a whirlwind job of cleaning, and her house looked considerably neater than it had when she’d left that morning. Hopefully, it was clean enough not to provoke Callum into some sort of OCD-triggered seizure.
She lit the candles scattered around the cabin. The multiple flickering flames filled the rooms with a warm yellow light. It was very…romantic. She hurried to blow them all out again, not wanting Callum to think she was trying to set a mood.
Shaking her head, she stepped away from the last extinguished candle and scowled. It was silly to waste electricity just because she didn’t want to give Callum the wrong impression. Orwasit the wrong impression? Her hand drifted to her lips for the thousandth time since Callum had kissed her, and she yanked it away in irritation.
Needing something to do, she grabbed a bucket from under the sink, stuck it under the tap, and turned on the hot water. While it was running, she squirted some dish soap into the stream and watched it bubble. She tossed in a scrub brush and a cloth and took everything to the front porch.
After she’d been scrubbing at the frozen honey for less than a minute, she heard the rumble of an engine. Looking over her shoulder, she saw headlights approaching. Although the logical part of her brain knew it was Callum, her stomach still jumped with nerves until she recognized his truck as it backed into the spot next to hers.
He was frowning as he climbed the porch steps. “What are you doing?”
“Scrubbing. The soap and water seems to be working. I was kind of worried I’d have to resort to Goo Gone.”
This explanation didn’t seem to appease him. “Where’s your coat? And boots?”
