Chaos & the Geek (Grace Grayson Security #1) - Elizabeth Stevens Page 0,21

was partially distracted as they came to a rest on the tattoo on his pec. It was a sword surrounded by stars and…maybe like rays of light?

“Our unit…got them together when our first commander died,” Kit said, his voice heavy.

My eyes flicked up for a moment, then got a stark reminder of why we don’t look at him full on and they dropped again. They fell on his right rib and I felt myself smile.

“How fitting,” I muttered.

“What?” he asked.

I couldn’t have stopped my fingers trailing over the Latin words if I’d wanted to. “‘By the grace of chaos’,” I translated softly and this time, when I looked up, his eyes were soft and I felt like he was answering my unbidden smile.

Warmth rose up in my chest as we just stood looking at each other. My heart beat a little faster and a whole slew of unlikely futures rushed through my mind unbidden. God, he was attractive and that slightly cocky hint of humour in the corner of his lips did other things to my insides that I both loved and hated.

Something swirled around us, warm and expectant. It was tense, but a delicious kind of tense. He licked his lip and, for the space of another heartbeat, the ridiculous idea hit me that he might kiss me. I was pretty sure I’d risk Patrick’s wrath for one taste. History be damned, I’d die happy for one single taste.

I felt my lips part slightly. Kit’s eyes dropped to them for a split-second. I inhaled sharply…

Then it was like I could suddenly only just feel the heat of his skin under my fingertips and I consciously realised I was touching him. Actually freaking touching Kit Grayson. Not just a slight accidental brushing of skin, but like full on touching. And no one was putting a stop to it. Someone had to put a stop to it before I did something stupid.

I pulled my hand back slowly.

“Sorry,” I said quickly as I turned to deal with the milk in the hopes he wouldn’t see if that heat in my cheeks had sent them pink.

“Don’t be.” He seemed to clear his throat. When he spoke again, it felt like he was trying to change the subject. “I assumed Hawk had shown you.”

Happy not to dwell, I shook my head as I pulled off my glasses to wipe them clean enough for now.

“I thought you caught up at Christmas?” he asked.

I nodded, then couldn’t help looking back at him with a slight smile. “How often do you think I see Pat naked?”

Surprised flitted across his features as he gave me a crooked smile, but his eyes had this look like the action was foreign to him now. “I’m hardly naked.”

“True.” I nodded, sort of very much wishing he was. “But no. I haven’t seen Pat without his shirt on probably since before you left. Alas, our schedules just haven’t lined up.”

He snorted. “You don’t go home a lot.”

I went home plenty. I just managed to only go home when Patrick wasn’t likely to feel the need to remove clothing. Even when I hung out at his, he always wore at least a singlet.

“Neither do you,” I reminded him.

There was a pause, but for once I didn’t feel awkward. Well not completely awkward. Only what seemed like a reasonable level of awkwardness after you’ve just thrown milk all over yourself.

“You know, I think this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had,” he mused.

I looked back at him again and saw him leaning against the bench with that cocky smirk. A zing of something shot through me and I had trouble keeping my own smirk off my face.

“I think you’re right,” I replied, going back to my milk problem.

Suddenly, there was a string of angry sounding…maybe Spanish – dead languages, I’m your girl, live ones…not so much – and a masculine yelp. I spun quickly, slipped on a patch of milk and my legs went out from under me with a yelp of my own.

The tiny little woman standing in the opening to the kitchen smacked Kit again and snapped at him, to which he replied in perfect…whatever it was. God, I have to get better at this stuff…

“Okay, okay,” Kit said, waving his hands at her. He stepped towards me and held his hands out.

Under the glare of the angry woman, I didn’t hesitate to take them and let him help me up. Oh, more touching. My heart fluttered, but the presence of a