Waiting for You by Heather Huffman

lean against her bedroom doorway. Amusement danced in his eyes. Karise wanted to face-palm. How had she not noticed his nearness?
    “You.” Per usual, she found herself blurting out more than she intended to share.
    “I’m not sure if I should ask why you would be nibbling on me or why you won’t,” he admitted.
    “Neither. You’re supposed to pretend you didn’t hear a thing.”
    He moved closer. “Maybe the nibbling intrigues me, though.”
    “They’re holding dinner for us. Nibble on that.”
    “I’d rather nibble on you.”
    Karise bit her upper lip, unsure what to say to that. She was pretty sure that in about two seconds, she’d be nothing more than a puddle on the floor. She put a hand up. “You should probably stay there.”
    “It’s funny, but whenever I’m around you, I find myself doing a lot of things I shouldn’t do.”
    “Me, too.” Her words seemed to be all the permission he needed to close the gap between them, pinning her in between the wall and his solid form.
    His lips were a breath away from hers when she placed her hand on his chest to hold him at bay. “No nibbling. We’re getting the sketchbook and going to dinner.”
    “If you insist.” He spoke the words so close Karise could feel shivers all the way to her toes. She wanted just one teensy-weensy taste. He stepped back to allow her to pass.
    “I do.” She brushed a kiss against the corner of his mouth, darting past him before he could turn it into more.
     

C HAPTER F IVE
    KARISE HAD BEEN fairly proud of herself for walking out of that room. By the time she got all the way through dinner without sticking her foot in her mouth once, she was ecstatic. Aidan’s suggestion for getting the sketchpad had actually been genius because it gave Karise a really good idea what Kate was looking for. Armed with that knowledge, she’d sat up well into the night working on designs so she’d have something to kick off her first official discussion with Kate and Gavin. Now, as she struggled to operate the coffee maker in the harsh light of day, she somewhat regretted the decision to draw half the night away.
    There was a knock at the door. She let out a frustrated growl, setting the coffee filter basket down on the counter with a little more force than intended. Grounds skittered across the granite, only serving to add to her frustration. She fought with the belt to her robe on the walk over to the door and had only begun to tie it as she swung the door open.
    Aidan was the last person she expected to see on her front porch. Oddly enough, he looked just as startled as she. Karise battled between being irritated at his presence and appreciative of how his well-worn jeans and black T-shirt fit his form, hinting at the muscles beneath.
    “Hey.” She tried to keep her greeting cordial, realizing her mental skirmish wasn’t entirely his fault.
    Aidan swallowed and then held a cup of coffee out to her. “I come bearing a gift.”
    “How did you know?” Relief washed over Karise.
    “I stayed in the guest house for a while after my divorce. Their coffee pot sucks.”
    “It’s straight from the pits of hell.”
    Aidan chuckled, nodding his agreement.
    “Do you want to come in?” Karise asked.
    “Yeah, thanks.” He moved past her, his proximity doing crazy things to her stomach.
    “What brings you by so early?” Karise hoped the question didn’t sound rude. She was genuinely curious.
    “I’m taking Jonathan for the day so Kate can get everything ready for the party.” He sank onto the couch, obviously comfortable in the little cottage.
    Karise was taken aback by his answer. It was the last thing she would have expected. “You don’t seem the babysitting type.”
    “Well, to be honest, Zoe will do most of the work. Jonathan adores her, and to her it’s just like having a really lifelike baby doll. I’ll just make sure there aren’t any major injuries.”
    “Zoe?”
    Aidan coughed uncomfortably before explaining, his words