Page 60

At his house.

While his daughter conveniently slept somewhere else.

Whatever happened beyond dinner was none of Rissa’s damn business—and if things went the way he was beginning to hope they might, he intended to keep it that way.

A cooler breeze moved across the porch, carrying the faint scent of grass and damp earth. The clouds that had covered most of the sky earlier had broken apart, allowing the early evening sun to spill through the gaps. With sunset still more than an hour away, streaks of gold and orange painted the clouds and stretched across the surrounding fields.

After knocking, he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, more to give them something to do than because of the chill.

The door opened before he could question for the tenth time why the hell he was nervous.

Amanda stood on the other side wearing jeans and a soft sweater that skimmed her figure. A purse dangled from one hand, and a jacket draped over the other. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, and whatever she'd done to her makeup was subtle enough that he mostly noticed her eyes and mouth.

Especially her mouth.

The memory of kissing her a few hours ago came rushing back, along with how long it had taken him to get himself under control afterward. His gaze traveled downward before he could stop it, taking in the way the sweater hugged her breasts and waist before the denim followed the curves of her hips and legs.

Fuck, she's hot.

His cock stirred behind his zipper. For a few seconds, every thought he'd had on the drive over about taking things slowly vanished.

Then she smiled at him, and somehow that made it worse.

“Hi.”

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Wonderful. Apparently, a woman answering the door who looked like that was all it took to wipe every coherent thought from his head.

She stepped onto the porch and pulled the door closed behind her.

“Hi,” he finally managed.

Amusement danced in her eyes as she studied him. “You okay, Sheriff?”

That snapped enough of his brain back online to save what dignity he had left. “Yeah. You just caught me off guard.”

“Did I?”

The hint of satisfaction in her voice told him she knew damn well what she'd done to him.

“You look incredible.”

Her expression softened. “Thank you.”

She shifted her jacket, and he reached for it before she could put it on herself. “Here. Let me help you with that.”

He held it open while she slid one arm, then the other, into the sleeves. As he drew it up over her shoulders, her perfume reached him, and standing that close brought the memory of her mouth against his right back to the surface.

His hands remained on the jacket for a second longer than necessary.

Amanda glanced back at him, and the look in her eyes made him wonder if she'd noticed.

Probably.

He pulled his hands away before he gave in to the urge to spin her around and kiss her right there on Edith's porch.