“Now that the excitement has
passed, I just realized how tired I am.” She flashed him a shy
smile. “Thanks for a lovely day. It’s exactly what I needed.”
“I enjoyed it, too.”
He wanted to say something else,
keep her there for a few more minutes. Wanted the right to kiss her,
hold her close. But no matter how much both of them had enjoyed their
time together, today hadn’t been a date, and he sure as hell wasn’t
her boyfriend.
He nodded, backed away. “Good
night.”
He came to an abrupt stop when she
whispered, “Brennan?”
“Yes?”
“Would it be too out of line if I
asked you to kiss me again?”
Hell yeah, it’d be out of line.
And totally unprofessional and inappropriate if he complied. So then
why was he walking toward her, standing in front of her?
She was easy to read. He saw the
anxiety, but more than that, he saw the hope, the need. “I don’t
want to frighten you again.”
“You didn’t frighten me…”
Her smile was uncertain, almost shy. “You made me really
nervous…and—”
“And?”
“You made me feel something I
haven’t felt in a very long time. Wasn’t sure I ever would
again.”
“Like what?”
A pretty, pink flush washed over her
face. “You made me want.”
She left him breathless with her
sweetness, her honesty and courage. Even though every masculine
instinct told him to take her, hold her, devour that sweetness,
Brennan held himself still. Everything, including the smallest of
gestures, must be up to her. She’d had too much taken from her
already. Damned if he would demand something she wasn’t ready to
give.
He could, however, give her this.
“I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone more than I want to kiss you.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? Skylar
told me you dated a Miss America contestant and a Miss World in the
same week.”
He liked that she could tease him,
that she felt comfortable with him.
When he did nothing, she bit her lip
slightly, tilted her head. “So, you going to do it or not?”
“No, you are.”
Anxiety again, but it was almost
immediately replaced by excitement, curiosity. Stretching up on her
toes, she leaned into him, put her mouth on his, and then instantly
raised her head, looking somewhat disappointed.
“That the kind of kiss you
wanted?” Brennan asked.
Darn him. He knew it wasn’t, but
he also wouldn’t take anything she wasn’t ready to give. After
yesterday’s near fiasco, she couldn’t blame him for his caution.
Kacie wanted to growl her
frustration. She’d never asked a guy to kiss her before, never had
to. And now, she wanted this man’s kiss more than anything, and he
expected her to do it on her own?
“Okay…let’s try it again.”
She put her hands on his shoulders, her mouth on his and pressed a
firm kiss onto his unsmiling lips. That was better but still not what
she wanted.
Taking a breath, she wrapped her
arms around him, pressed her body against his, and put her mouth back
on his. Still nothing.
She spoke against his mouth. “You
know it takes two to tango.”
She was so close she felt the smile
curve his mouth against hers.
“You’re doing good…keep
going.”
She might’ve given up if it wasn’t
for the fact that she was pressed against his chest and could feel
the rapid beat of his heart. He might be playing it safe, but he
wasn’t unaffected.
Feeling empowered, Kacie put her
mouth against his again, moved softly, caressing. He responded, but
too slowly, too careful. She wasn’t about to give up, though. She
pressed deeper into him and licked his lips, then took a nibble at
his sensuous lower lip. A deep growl started in his chest. Progress,
at last.
Continuing the assault, she nibbled,
sucked, and also added the occasional tongue caress. That lasted for
several seconds until, with a deeper growl, Brennan took over. His
mouth opened, and he drew her into a soul-devouring, heart-stopping
melding of his mouth to hers.
Kacie halted all efforts to control
the kiss as she let Brennan sweep her away into the most delicious
moment of her entire life.
Minutes later, he raised his head
and said softly, “Good night, Kacie.”
Every part of her body throbbed with
need, and though she knew she’d never wanted anyone the way she
wanted Brennan Sinclair, she also knew she wasn’t ready to take
this any further.
Pulling away from him, she said
softly, “Good night,” and made her exit before she could change
her mind.
She felt his eyes on her as she
walked up the stairway. If she turned and went back down, she knew
she could have more of those delicious kisses, plus other things. She
didn’t have the courage to try, though…at least not yet.
Feeling as though she was dancing on
air, Kacie prepared for bed. Her usual ritual of face washing and
teeth brushing were done automatically as she relived those moments
in Brennan’s arms. How wonderful he had tasted, and while she’d
felt safe and cared for, she’d never experienced such off-the-edge
excitement. It was like freefalling from an airplane but knowing that
you would land safely and securely.
She pulled on a favorite pair of
pajamas, short shorts, and a tank top, pulled back the covers, and
settled down to sleep. By habit, she’d left the light on in the
bathroom, but she was almost sure that very soon it would no longer
be a necessity. Even though someone out there possibly wanted to ruin
her, she actually felt safer than she’d ever felt in her life. How
incredible was that?
Sliding her hand under her pillow to
position it more comfortably, she paused when her fingers touched
something odd. Puzzled, Kacie sat up and picked up her pillow. She
squinted in the dim light. Flat, shiny, and square, it appeared to be
a photograph of some kind.
Flipping the light switch at the top
of her bed, she looked down again. A moan escaped her, and then she
couldn’t breathe. Breath rasped from her lungs in loud, ugly gasps.
A dim part of her mind told her she was hyperventilating, but she
couldn’t stop, couldn’t think.
Oh God, how had—
Practically falling out of bed,
Kacie stumbled to the door, opened it and was at Brennan’s door in
a second. She barely managed to wait until she entered his room
before she sobbed his name.
