She looked down at her lap, shaking her head. He didn’t understand.

“Hey.” He reached up and put two fingers under her chin to get her to look at him. His blue-eyed gaze was fierce. “I’ve never met anyone with a bigger heart than yours. If we were talking about me, then yeah, maybe. I don’t let a lot of people in, and I’ve gotten burned when I do. But you, you’re not like that. You take in friends and let them into your life with an openness that very few people have.” He lowered his hand from her face and pressed it against his chest, sitting back on his heels. “Look at how you’ve welcomed me back into your life, even after all the shit that happened between us. I didn’t deserve that from you, and yet you gave me that chance anyway. Your heart is big and beautiful and resilient. You’re the opposite of a barn owl. Your capacity to love is boundless, KC.”

She blinked, the words stealing her breath for a moment.

“So the vet didn’t flip your switch. So what?” he said with a shrug. “Chemistry is chemistry. It’s either there or it isn’t. Sometimes it’s with a person who makes sense.” His gaze drifted to her mouth before meeting her eyes again. “Sometimes it’s with the last person you need it to be with and inconvenient as hell.”

She wet her lips. “Ash.”

His throat worked as he swallowed, and his eyes didn’t leave her face. Her heartbeat picked up speed. The kettle switch flicked off, letting them know the water was ready, and they both startled.

As if snapped out of a spell, Ash shifted up from his crouched position, but Kincaid’s hand shot out, grabbing the hem of his T-shirt before he could walk away. He paused, giving her a wary look. “Kincaid…”

Her grip tightened. “I think I’m done trying to make things make sense tonight.”

A muscle in Ash’s jaw twitched, but he didn’t move away.

“I’m lonely, Ash.” The confession bubbled out, and she swallowed past the anxiety that welled in her at the admission. “I’m really lonely. In a way that my other friends can’t fix.”

“KC…” A plea.

“And you’re right. I’m tired of hooking up with guys who just see the surface, who don’t really know me. But I’m also scared to think about big things like relationships and love and the future. I thought I was ready to consider those things, but I’m not. Tonight proved that.” She took a deep breath. “I just want to feel close to someone, someone who knows me, someone who doesn’t expect anything serious but also isn’t going to treat me like I’m disposable.” She stood, her hand still holding his shirt. “Someone who I feel so much chemistry with that I’m burning up inside with it every time I’m near him.”

Ash inhaled a slow breath and closed his eyes like he was praying for strength.

But Kincaid didn’t want him to find it. Not tonight. “Ash, tell me you don’t want me.”