The trace should fade in a couple of days. As long as she stayed home and no one other than Dee saw her, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

I laughed drily, almost bitterly. Not going to be a problem? Dee was never going to let me hear the end of it.

Heading back down the trail, I forced my gaze to stay forward instead of on what I carried, focused on the scenery. Trees—lots of trees and maple-shaped leaves, pine needles, a few shrubs…birds hopping from limb to limb, shaking out their feathers. A squirrel shimmied up the trunk of a tree.

I glanced down.

Thick lashes fanned paler-than-normal cheeks. I kind of thought she looked like Snow White. Good God, that sounded lame. Snow White? But her lips were parted perfectly, and they were rosy even without makeup.

Thunder cracked and the scent of rain rolled in. Checking to make sure she was still out like a little kitten, I picked up the pace and flew down the trail. Even as fast as I moved, the storm was unpredictable, and the skies opened up, drenching us. And still, she slept.

She reminded me of Dawson. An atomic bomb wouldn’t have woken my brother.

After reaching the porch steps, I slowed down and shook my head, sending droplets of rain flying in every direction. I stopped at the door and frowned. Had she locked it before she left? Dammit, I couldn’t remember. If so, she probably had a key in her pocket, but that would mean going into her pocket and getting it. How else would I explain how I unlocked her door?

My gaze dipped and ran over her legs. Legs unbelievably long for someone so short…and those shorts were short. Tiny pockets, too.

Yeah, I was not going after that key.

Well past time to deposit her little butt on the swing and get the hell out of here.

Sighing, I went over to the swing and started to put her down, but she snuggled closer. I froze, wondering if she was awake. A quick check told me she wasn’t. Again, I went to lay her down, but I stopped this time. What would she think if she woke up here alone?

Why did I care?

“Dammit,” I muttered.

Searching the porch frantically as if it held the answers, I finally rolled my eyes and sat, placing her beside me. It made sense that I would stay. I had to know if she had seen me shoot a lightning bolt out of my hand, I reasoned. I kept my arm around her, because knowing my luck, she’d slip out of the swing and crack her head open. Then Dee would kill me.

I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. Why had I come over here today? Was it really just boredom? If that was the case, I could’ve watched the episodes of Ghost Investigators I had DVRed. I hadn’t really considered what I was doing until I was knocking on her door and it was too late to think about it.

I was an idiot.

Kat murmured something and wiggled closer, pressing her cheek against my chest. She was molded to the entire right side of my body: thigh to thigh. Her hand curled below my hip and I started counting backward from a hundred. When I got to seventy, I found myself staring at her lips.

I really needed to stop staring at her lips.

Her brow wrinkled, lids flickering as if she was having a bad dream. Some ridiculous part of me responded to that—to the minute distress pinching her features, tensing her body. My thumb started to move along her lower back, tracing idle circles. Seconds passed, and she settled right down, her breathing deep and steady.

How long would she sleep? Part of me wasn’t bothered by the prospect of sitting here for hours. There was something calming about holding her, but it was also the exact opposite, because every inch of my body was aware of how she fit to my side, of where her hand was, the rise and fall of her chest.

This was peaceful and torturous.

Some time later, after what felt like forever and yet not enough time at all, Kat stirred awake. It was a slow process that began with her muscles tensing, relaxing, and then tensing again when she realized what…who she was lying on.

My hand stilled, but I didn’t move it away. Wasn’t like she was going to fall on her face now, but I…I just didn’t, and I wasn’t at all okay with that. I clenched my jaw.

Kat lifted her head. “What…what happened?”

Oh, you know, shot a pure bolt of energy at a bear and you wilted like a delicate flower at my feet. Then I carried you back like a true gentleman and sat here for God knows how long and just stared at you.

Yep, so not going there.

I pulled my arm free. “You passed out.”

“I did?” She scooted back, brushing a mass of hair out of her face. It was then that I realized her hair had come undone at some point. My gaze dropped briefly. As expected, her hair was long and thick, falling over her shoulders.

“I guess the bear scared you,” I told her. “I had to carry you back.”

“All the way?” She looked disappointed, which made me curious. “What…what happened to the bear?”

“The storm scared it. Lightning, I think. Are you feeling okay?”

Lightning lit the porch, startling her. “The bear was scared of a storm?”

“I guess so.”

“We got lucky, then.” She glanced down, brows knitting, and when those lashes lifted, I had to force myself to keep breathing normally. There was a quality to those gray eyes—a glimmer that sucked me right in. “It rains here like it does in Florida.”

I nudged her knee with mine. “I think you may be stuck with me for a few more minutes.” Really, that was a stupid excuse for not leaving. I needed something better—no, what I needed was to leave. Get up and leave. But then she spoke again.

“I’m sure I look like a drowned cat.”

I’d almost prefer the drowned cat. “You look fine. The wet look works for you.”

She scowled. “Now I know you’re lying.”

I was a lot of things, but until recently, a liar wasn’t one of them. And apparently, I was as unpredictable as the weather, so much so that I had no idea what I was doing until I shifted and wrapped my fingers around her chin, tilting her head toward me.

“I wouldn’t lie about what I thought,” I said, and that was the truth.

Kat blinked slowly, and my gaze dropped to her lips again. I really, really needed to stop looking at her lips. Muscles tightened at the thought of tasting them. She’d probably clock me in the face and then lay into me with that razor-sharp tongue of hers. Which made me want to grin.

I leaned forward. “I think I understand now.”

“Understand what?” she whispered.

My unwilling fascination with her—I got it. She didn’t put up with any of my crap. I was surrounded by people who looked to me to have all the answers, to protect them, to never show fear. And so I put on a big front and swaggered around like nothing frightened me. It was exhausting sometimes. But Kat, she saw right through all my bluster and kept me honest. And I liked that…a lot.

A pink flush stained her cheeks. I chased that color with my thumb. “I like to watch you blush.”

She sucked in a tiny breath, and it undid me. Pressing my forehead against hers, I pushed it to the limit. This was insanity, but she smelled of peaches and her skin was soft and her lips looked even softer.

I was caught up in a web there really was no escaping. A web of Kat… One I damn guarantee she had no idea she weaved. A naive beauty, and I’d seen a lot in my eighteen years to know that was a rarity. Something to be cherished.

Lightning struck again, and Kat didn’t jump at the thunder this time. She was focused in a way that pleased me, pulled at my control, and teased me with what I could never have. Shouldn’t even want, but I wanted… God, did I ever want. And if we continued where we were heading, it would get messy. I already knew what happened when Luxen and humans mixed. I had too much responsibility to be fooling around with her. Too much going on…

But I still wanted.