room while pretending to watch TV on a Saturday night. It passed for a date in a place like Royal, where teenagers could either get in trouble sneaking around the football stadium with filched beer or hang out under the watchful eye of the folks. Usually Kyle and Grace had opted for the latter, at least until her parents went to bed. Then they got down to some serious making out.
Heâd never been as affected by a woman as heâd been by this one. Even just a kiss could knock him for a loop. The memories of how good it had been washed through him, blasting away some of the darkness that had taken over inside. Sheâd always been so eager. So pliant under his mouth.
All at once, he wondered if she still tasted the same, like innocence laced with a warm breeze.
âGrace,â he murmured. Somehow his arm had snaked across the back of the rocker, closing the small gap between them.
Graceâs brown eyes peeked out underneath her lashes as she watched him for a moment. Maybe she was wondering the same. If that spark would still be there after all this time.
âHow long will it be until Liam and Hadley are back with the girls?â she asked, her voice low.
âLater. Donât worry. We wonât miss them.â
âI, uh...wasnât worried.â
She licked her lips, drawing his attention to her mouth, and suddenly that was all he could see. All he could think about. Her lips had filled out, along with the rest of her face. Sheâd grown into a woman while heâd been away, with some interesting new experiences shining in her eyes.
All at once, he wanted to know what they were.
âIâve been wondering,â he said. âWhy did you become a social worker? I seem to recall you wanted to be a schoolteacher way back.â
That was not what heâd meant to ask. But she lit up at the question. And the sunset? Not even a blip in his consciousness. Her face had all the warmth a man would ever need.
âI did. Want to,â she clarified. âThatâs what I majored in. But I went to do my student teaching and something just didnât work right. The students werenât the problem. Oh, they were a bit unruly but they were fourth graders. You gotta expect some ants in the pants. It was me. There was no...click. You know what I mean?â
âYeah.â He nodded immediately. Like when he hit his stride in BUD/S training on the second day and knew heâd found his place in the world. âThen what happened?â
âI volunteered some places for a while. Tried to get my feet under me, looking for that click. Then my mom calls me and says a friend of hers needs a receptionist because the girl in the job is going out on maternity leave. Would I do her a huge favor for three months?â
As she talked, she waved her hands, dipping and shaping the air, and he found himself smiling along with her as she recounted the story. Smiling and calculating exactly what it would take to get one of those hands on his body somewhere. He wasnât pickyânot yet.
âTurns out Sheila, my momâs friend, runs an adoption agency. Sheâs been a huge mentor to me and really helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life. See, I love children, but I donât like teaching them. I do like helping them, though. I ended up staying at the agency for four years in various roles while I got my masterâs degree at night.â
âYou have a masterâs degree?â That revelation managed to get his attention off her mouth for a brief second. Not that he was shockedâsheâd always been a great student. It was just one more layer to this woman that he didnât know nearly well enough.
âYep.â She nodded slowly. âThe county requires it.â
âThatâs great.â
âWhat about you? I know you went into the military but thatâs about it. You went into the navy, Liam said.â
âI did.â He