A strangled, choking sound escaped her throat before she set furious eyes on him.
His smile widened. “Hit a little too close to home, did I?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She moved to the sink and brushed the hair from the blades of the equipment, her back to him.
He rose from the chair and followed her around the island. “So which is it, Katie? Are you scared or a liar?”
She threw down a rag from her hand and spun to face him. His proximity must have thrown her off because she took a few steps back and her eyes flew to other parts of the room before finally settling on him. “I never lied to you.”
AJ tapped her on the nose. “That’s where you’re wrong. You said you never had a crush on me. If that were true, then it wouldn’t bother you to give me a quick peck. Or we can revisit that you’re scared—”
“I’m not scared of you, AJ.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “No, probably not. But there are other reasons to be scared.”
Kate continued glaring at him as she took another step away from him. “I’m not kissing you, AJ. That’s a ridiculous request.” She turned to leave.
Shoving his hands in his back pockets, he offered her a lazy smile. “I knew you were scared.”
Her hands tightened into balls and she spun around. In three steps she was in front of him. Placing both her hands on his cheeks, she pressed a firm yet soft kiss to his lips. Heat seared through his body. He never imagined a chaste kiss could be so electrifying.
Her warmth left him and he opened his eyes. She was gone.
AJ ran a hand through his freshly cut hair. Stupid. Why had he egged her on? He couldn’t be in his right mind. He’d just made the biggest mistake of his life. Only yesterday she had wanted nothing to do with him, and he didn’t want her running his ranch. His messing around had just complicated everything. How was he supposed to know her touch would affect him that way?
He rubbed his eyes with his palms. It was obvious she didn’t get the same reaction to their kiss that he had. Otherwise, she would have stuck around.
“You okay, cuz?”
AJ jumped and whirled around to face Dakota.
She lifted a brow and tossed him his shirt from the counter. “It’s good to know you’re in shape, but I’d rather not have to stare at that when I’m getting a snack.”
Shrugging into his shirt, he buttoned only the bottom few and folded his arms. “Done with the calves so soon?”
Dakota nodded. “Yep. Now I get to spend the next couple of days over at Hickory Hollow. Brady needed some help with an event this weekend.” She opened the fridge and pulled out a glass pitcher filled with a light golden liquid. Lifting her chin toward the cupboard beside him, she asked, “Can you get me a cup?”
AJ retrieved two glasses and brought them around to her.
She motioned to his hair and smirked. “Much better.”
He raked his fingers through the shorter length, the memory of Kate’s gentle touch causing his heart rate to speed up. “Kate does a good job.”
After she filled the glasses, she returned the pitcher to the fridge and leaned against the counter. “So, do you have a plan for this challenge thing? Or are you gonna wing it?”
The liquid in the glass spun as he twirled his wrist. “I think I have a good one. But I can’t implement it by this weekend. I’ll have to present Mom and Dad with a plan and explain why it’s a good idea for the ranch.”
The corner of her mouth quirked up. “You’ve never had a hard time convincing people to do things.”
He froze. Was she hinting at what just happened between himself and Kate? Placing his glass on the counter, he stared at Dakota. “Did she say something?” His chest tightened. If Kate was mad about how he egged her on, he could get in a lot of trouble. It wasn’t like he’d forced himself on her; quite the opposite, really. But maybe he’d just pushed her too far.
Dakota’s face scrunched up. “Huh? Did who say something?” Her jaw dropped. “No.” She put her glass on the counter and strode toward him. “Please tell me you didn’t do something to Kate.”
AJ looked away, heat trickling up his neck and flushing his face.
“Arthur! What did you do?”
Rubbing the back of his neck,