Read Online An Impostor in Town (Colorado Series) by Denise Moncrief - Free Book Online Page B

couldn’t help but remember Jeff’s offense. He had mocked her and cheapened Brian’s thoughtful gift, but Brian’s tender gesture seemed to restore the luster. It had become her most prized possession.
    The way he gazed at her made her nerves sizzle. She put her hand to her chest to facilitate her fractured breathing. It didn’t help. She had stayed in a state of nervous expectation from the moment he asked her to go with him. A strong desire welled within her. She wanted him to kiss her.
    A tendril of hair blew across her face. He pushed it behind her ear. The longing in his eyes stilled her heart. She wanted to turn away from his penetrating gaze, but she couldn’t. It was as if he was searching for something in the depths of her soul. Time seemed to stand still for one intensely real moment. His fingers found the back of her neck and he pulled her to him. The kiss was soft and sweet and oh so delicious. The taste of his lips lingered on hers after they parted.
    The last bit of denial crumbled. She was in love with the man.
    “I’m sorry,” he muttered almost as soon as he let go of her. His words shattered the happy, giddy whirlpool turning in her stomach. His apology dropped in a million pieces at their feet.
    “You’re sorry?” she repeated under her breath. That was so incredibly unbelievable. Why would he be sorry? Anger burned her insides. Its fire scorched her tongue. Her bitterness spewed from her mouth. “You’re sorry? Why? Because I’m not someone else?” Jealousy had found its voice, shrill and unnatural. Her reaction embarrassed her even more. She had never meant to reveal her jealousy of Chris Smith.
    She ran toward the house, stumbling on a root in her haste to get away from her humiliation. At the open doorway, she searched the large living room for someone, anyone to take her home. Liz and her husband were pulling their overcoats on. “Hey, Liz, are you guys leaving? Would you mind taking me home?”
    Brian rushed into the room and headed straight for her. When he got near, she slid out of his jacket and slung it at him. Liz appeared dumbfounded and uncertain, and then glanced from her to Brian.
    She headed toward the door, not waiting for an answer. “Wait a minute.” Brian grabbed her elbow. “If you want to go home, I’ll take you home.”
    “I don’t…that wouldn’t…oh, fine.”
    ****
    The trip began in stony silence. As she contemplated the long ride home, her head ached. She stared out the window. The air outside was so cold her breath made patches of condensation on the glass.
    They were within a few miles of Durango when Brian finally spoke. “Why are you angry with me?”
    “Because,” she sputtered. “Because…” Her emotions jumbled in her mind. Besides, wasn’t it obvious?
    “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
    “Offend me? What do you think offended me?”
    “Obviously, you found my kiss offensive.”
    Oh, he was so far from the truth! “It wasn’t offensive until you apologized for it. Apologizing for it implied there was something to be offended about.” She slid the tight seatbelt away from the raw spot where it hit her neck. The stupid things never fit right.
    “You know, I shouldn’t have apologized. I did because I thought I ought to, not because I was really sorry.” His anger slammed into her. Why was he mad? “I’m not sorry I kissed you. I thought you wanted me to. I didn’t mean to be offensive.” She couldn’t believe he was saying what he was saying.
    “You know, if you’d just left it alone, we could have assumed it was just the moonlight and laughed about it later. Now it’s turned into some big deal.” Now she couldn’t believe she was saying what she was saying. The ridiculousness of her statements hit her hard, and she almost laughed aloud. Hysteria knocked on the door of her sanity.
    “ You turned it into a big deal.”
    That did it—hysteria over now, ego in charge. Huge drops welled in her eyes. The argument was more