Lane’s breath hitched and the desire to wrap her in his arms and kiss her was almost more than he could bear.

“I know that when I got the call that you were in trouble today, my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest and I couldn’t get to you and Noah fast enough. That if”—his voice cracked—“if anything happened to either of you . . . my life would never be the same.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Lane moved in closer, placing her palms on his chest, sending a current of emotion rushing through his body.

Charlie leaned his forehead on hers and closed his eyes against the temptation warring inside him. Lord, don’t let me mess this up. Opening his eyes, he found hers looking up at him expectantly. Every nerve was on fire. Taking her face in his hands, he lifted her chin, letting his thumb brush her cheek. Lane’s lips parted and his heart thudded with each shallow breath he took until his lips met hers.

The kiss started soft. Lane’s fingers curled into his shirt as he slid one hand to the nape of her neck. Lane’s body melted into his and Charlie tucked her close, allowing the kiss to drown out the world around them.

It was over too quickly. Lane eased back but stayed in his arms, resting her cheek against his chest. “The rain stopped.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Charlie said, kissing the top of her head. “The fact that you did means I need to work on some things.”

Lane glanced up—a sparkle was in her green eyes he hadn’t seen before. “Practice makes perfect, right?”

Grinning, Charlie kissed her forehead and then let his lips move over her delicate features until they found her lips. This time he kissed her longer, allowing passion to guide the moment.

“Almost perfect,” she said breathlessly once they parted.

Charlie tickled her, enjoying the sound of her laughter blending with the crickets serenading them as fog lifted off the grass and cast the property in an ethereal beauty.

“What is this place?”

“A secret hideout my Pops built for me when I was a little girl.” Her slender fingers intertwined with his. “When I needed some time alone—to think or get away from the spotlight—I’d come here. It’s where I felt safe.”

The echo of a cell phone cut through the air. Charlie groaned. “Well, that killed the moment, didn’t it?”

Lane stretched up on her toes and planted a kiss on his lips. “Promise we can make more moments?”

For the rest of my life. Charlie kept the thought to himself and simply returned the kiss before answering the phone.

“This is Lynch.” Charlie let his tone reflect his annoyance at the interruption.

“Whoa—did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Sorry, Frost. No. What’s going on?”