dinner that the babies were almost out of both diapers and formula. Sheâd seemed surprised when he said heâd go instead.
Of course heâd volunteered for the job. They were his kids. But heâd made Hadley write down exactly what he needed to buy, because the only formula heâd had exposure to was the one for making homemade explosives. List in his pocket, heâd swung into his truck, intending to grab the baby items and be back in jiffy.
But as he pulled into the lot at Royalâs one-and-only grocery store, Grace had just exited through the automatic sliding doors. Well, well, well. There was no way he was passing up this opportunity. He still had a boatload of questions for the girl heâd once given his heart to, only to have it handed back, shredded worse than Black Angus at a slaughterhouse.
Kyle waited until she was almost to her car, and then gingerly climbed from his truck to corner her between her Toyota and the Dooley in the next spot.
âLovely night, isnât it, Ms. Haines?â
She jumped and spun around, bobbling her plastic sack full of her grocery store purchases. âYou scared me.â
âGuilty conscience maybe,â he offered silkily. No time like the present to give her a chance to own up to the crimes sheâd committed so long ago. He might even forgive her if she just said she was sorry.
âNo, more like Iâm a woman in a dark parking lot and I hear a man speaking to me unexpectedly.â
It was a perfectly legitimate thing to say except the streetlight spilled over her face, illuminating her scowl and negating her point about a dark parking lot. She was that bent up about him saying hey outside of a well-lit grocery store?
He raised a brow. âThis is Royal. The most danger youâd find in the parking lot of the HEB is a runaway shopping cart.â
âYouâve been gone a long time, Kyle. Things have changed.â
Yeah, more than heâd have liked. Graceâs voice had deepened. It was far sexier than heâd recalled, and heâd thought about her a lot. Her curves were lusher, as if sheâd gained a few pounds in all the right places, and he had an unexpected urge to pull her against him so he could explore every last change, hands on.
Okay, the way he constantly wanted her? That was still the same. Heâd always been crazy over her. Sheâd been an exercise in patience, making him wait until theyâd been dating a year and sheâd turned eighteen before sheâd sleep with him the first time. And that had been so mind-blowing, heâd immediately started working on the second encounter, then the third. And so on.
The fact that heâd fallen in love with her along the way was the craziest thing. He didnât make it a habit to let people in. Sheâd been an exception, one he hadnât been able to help.
âYou havenât changed,â he said without thinking. âYouâre still the prettiest girl in the whole town.â
Now why had he gone and said something like that? Just because it was true didnât mean he should run off at the mouth. Last thing he needed was to give her the slightest opening. Sheâd slide right under his skin again, just as sheâd done the first time, as if his barriers against people who might hurt him didnât exist.
âFlattery?â She rolled her eyes. âThat was a lame line. Plus, I already told you Iâd handle your case impartially. Thereâs no point in trying to butter me up.â
Oh, so she thought she was immune to his charm, did she? He grinned and shifted his weight off his bad leg, cocking his right hip out casually as if heâd meant to strike that stance all along. âI wouldnât dream of it. That was the God-honest truth. Iâve been around the world, and I know a thing or two about attractive women. No law against telling one so.â
âWell, I donât like it. Are you really