porch.”
“I don’t doubt you did—right after someone slapped your face. Tell me who, Maddy. I promise I won’t kill the bastard; I just want to have a little talk with him. Or,” he said when she said nothing, “at least give me your word that this guy isn’t the bastard.”
“He isn’t.”
He suddenly opened his arms, but when she started to turn, Trace took hold of her shoulder to stop her. “Okay then, prove it to me.”
She blinked at him. “Prove what?”
“That he’s your boyfriend.” He gave her a nudge. “Go on, prove it.”
“How?” she growled, fully aware that William could hear every damn last word of their crazy conversation.
“By kissing him.”
Maddy narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what he was up to. “What in hell would that prove?”
Trace crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed his weight back on his hips. “Well for starters, it would prove you’re not afraid of him, which would go a long way in convincing me that it’s not his handprint on your face. And second, it would go an even longer way in convincing him that I’m not your boyfriend.”
Dammit all to hell and back! If she knew anything about Trace, it was that once he went off on a tangent, nothing short of a nuclear explosion could make him change course. “I am so going to make you pay for this,” she hissed, pivoting around and marching up to William. “I feel even a hint of your tongue, Killkenny, I will bite it off. You got that?”
“Yes, ma’am,” William said, his eyes sparkling like sapphires in the sunlight. He held his arms out from his sides. “Give me your best shot, lass.”
She so wanted to punch him in the stomach, if for no other reason than to wipe that grin off his face. Honest to God, all men were trouble, every damn last one of them. Maddy clapped her hands on William’s clean-shaven cheeks and yanked his head down; and with her lips pursed as tight as a clam hanging over a pot of boiling water, she pressed her mouth against his—all while trying her damnedest not to notice how really nice he smelled.
Or how really good he tasted.
Or how badly she wanted to stick her tongue in his mouth.
She tried stepping away the moment she felt his arms start to wrap around her, but she wasn’t fast enough. William canted her head into the crook of his arm and kissed her so soundly that a herd of bumblebees started buzzing around in her belly. Only before she could even think about poking him in the ribs he suddenly set her away, but then had to grab hold of her shoulders when her knees started to buckle.
“No wonder you’re still single after six years,” Trace said with a chuckle from right behind her. “That wasn’t a kiss, Peeps, that was an assault. Good thing at least one of you knows what you’re doing.” He extended his hand to William. “Trace Huntsman, Maddy’s cousin.”
“William Killkenny, Maddy’s boyfriend ,” William said, tucking her against his side to return Trace’s handshake.
It was as she was trying to figure out just how much trouble that kiss was going to cause her that Maddy suddenly noticed something more than a handshake was happening. Apparently in some secret code only men knew, they reached some sort of unspoken agreement as their eyes locked and they both nodded ever so slightly.
Wonderful. Now there would be no dealing with either one of them.
Only semiconfident that her knees wouldn’t buckle again—seeing how that herd of bumblebees was still buzzing inside her—Maddy glanced toward the nursing home so neither of them would see her licking her lips. But she stopped in mid-lick when she spotted several sets of eyes staring out the window.
She immediately reared back. “Omigod,” she muttered, covering her face with her hands. “We have an audience .” She glared up at William when he chuckled, then turned her glare on Trace when he snickered. “This is not funny! It’s bad enough they’re after me to ask out every single
“I don’t doubt you did—right after someone slapped your face. Tell me who, Maddy. I promise I won’t kill the bastard; I just want to have a little talk with him. Or,” he said when she said nothing, “at least give me your word that this guy isn’t the bastard.”
“He isn’t.”
He suddenly opened his arms, but when she started to turn, Trace took hold of her shoulder to stop her. “Okay then, prove it to me.”
She blinked at him. “Prove what?”
“That he’s your boyfriend.” He gave her a nudge. “Go on, prove it.”
“How?” she growled, fully aware that William could hear every damn last word of their crazy conversation.
“By kissing him.”
Maddy narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what he was up to. “What in hell would that prove?”
Trace crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed his weight back on his hips. “Well for starters, it would prove you’re not afraid of him, which would go a long way in convincing me that it’s not his handprint on your face. And second, it would go an even longer way in convincing him that I’m not your boyfriend.”
Dammit all to hell and back! If she knew anything about Trace, it was that once he went off on a tangent, nothing short of a nuclear explosion could make him change course. “I am so going to make you pay for this,” she hissed, pivoting around and marching up to William. “I feel even a hint of your tongue, Killkenny, I will bite it off. You got that?”
“Yes, ma’am,” William said, his eyes sparkling like sapphires in the sunlight. He held his arms out from his sides. “Give me your best shot, lass.”
She so wanted to punch him in the stomach, if for no other reason than to wipe that grin off his face. Honest to God, all men were trouble, every damn last one of them. Maddy clapped her hands on William’s clean-shaven cheeks and yanked his head down; and with her lips pursed as tight as a clam hanging over a pot of boiling water, she pressed her mouth against his—all while trying her damnedest not to notice how really nice he smelled.
Or how really good he tasted.
Or how badly she wanted to stick her tongue in his mouth.
She tried stepping away the moment she felt his arms start to wrap around her, but she wasn’t fast enough. William canted her head into the crook of his arm and kissed her so soundly that a herd of bumblebees started buzzing around in her belly. Only before she could even think about poking him in the ribs he suddenly set her away, but then had to grab hold of her shoulders when her knees started to buckle.
“No wonder you’re still single after six years,” Trace said with a chuckle from right behind her. “That wasn’t a kiss, Peeps, that was an assault. Good thing at least one of you knows what you’re doing.” He extended his hand to William. “Trace Huntsman, Maddy’s cousin.”
“William Killkenny, Maddy’s boyfriend ,” William said, tucking her against his side to return Trace’s handshake.
It was as she was trying to figure out just how much trouble that kiss was going to cause her that Maddy suddenly noticed something more than a handshake was happening. Apparently in some secret code only men knew, they reached some sort of unspoken agreement as their eyes locked and they both nodded ever so slightly.
Wonderful. Now there would be no dealing with either one of them.
Only semiconfident that her knees wouldn’t buckle again—seeing how that herd of bumblebees was still buzzing inside her—Maddy glanced toward the nursing home so neither of them would see her licking her lips. But she stopped in mid-lick when she spotted several sets of eyes staring out the window.
She immediately reared back. “Omigod,” she muttered, covering her face with her hands. “We have an audience .” She glared up at William when he chuckled, then turned her glare on Trace when he snickered. “This is not funny! It’s bad enough they’re after me to ask out every single
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