Read Online Christmas Diamonds by Devon Vaughn Archer - Free Book Online Page B

wanted to spend more time with her.
    He licked his lips. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
    Paula could feel Chase’s warm breath on her cheeks. She longed to feel his lips on hers.
    Seemingly reading her thoughts, Chase tilted his head ever so slightly and gave Paula a soft, succulent kiss. It was more than enough for Paula to follow his lead. She stood on tiptoes and brought their lips together again, kissing him generously. She took in the woodsy scent of his cologne, which made him all the more appealing.
    Chase put his arms around Paula’s waist. She closed her eyes and saw stars. The kiss had left her breathless. Though Paula had never been too comfortable with public displays of affection, she felt she would kiss Chase McCord anywhere.
    Paula drew back from Chase, feeling the sting of his lips on hers. “That was nice, but I think we’d better leave it there for now.”
    “All right.” Chase’s eyes twinkled with contentment. “And, yes, it was quite nice.”
    She suddenly felt warmed to the bone. “I’ll call you to set up a time for the work to begin on your master suite,” she said.

    “I look forward to hearing from you.” She unlocked the car with her remote and he opened the door for her. “Have a safe drive.”
    “I will,” she promised. “See you soon.”
    “Bye for now.”
    Paula thought. She appreciated his thoughtfulness in opening the door for her. It was not something she was used to with men, but she welcomed it nonetheless. In fact, Chase was more of an all-around man than she had encountered in some time, if ever. She smiled to herself. The kiss had left Paula reeling with desire. It was definitely something to build on.
     
    “He kissed me,” Paula told her grandmother that evening.
    Isabelle was sitting on a recliner. “Oh, really?”
    “Well, actually we kissed each other.” Paula couldn’t help but confide in the one person with whom she had always been able to share the best and worst of her relationships. Not that dinner and a kiss constituted a relationship, but it still ranked in the “best” category in both respects.
    “A good start,” Isabelle stated with a nice smile on her face. “If the young man is anything like you’ve described, then I’d say he could be a real find for you.”
    Paula hated to burst her bubble yet didn’t want to give Isa the wrong idea, either. “It’s still way too soon to know just how real of a find he is. Or if anything meaningful will come out of this.”
    Isabelle took her reading glasses off. “No reason to look at the glass as half-empty, child,” she insisted. “Maybe Chase won’t wind up as the man of your dreams. Only the good Lord knows for sure. But if it’s meant to happen, Chase could very well be the one who can put that sparkling diamond ring on your finger like the one I’ve got.”
    “Whoa…” Paula’s mouth opened even as she noted Isa admiring her ring. “No one’s talking about becoming engaged, much less getting married anytime soon.”
    Paula would love to walk down the aisle when the time wasright with a man who was just as willing. Whether Chase fell into that category was unclear at this point. Even if the man was totally past losing his wife, it didn’t mean he had any desire to go beyond dating a woman in the foreseeable future.
    Isabelle wrung her hands. “Nothing says one can’t dream. That’s what grandmothers do where it concerns their grandchildren. Besides, you’re both young, successful, single people with your whole lives ahead of you. Since you’re obviously attracted to each other, there’s no reason why it can’t potentially blossom into marriage. Maybe sooner than you might ever have imagined.”
    Paula laughed. “I think we still need to have our first official date before we elope.”
    “There will be no such thing,” Isabelle said seriously. “When the time comes, and you’re ready to say I do, it had better be a proper wedding. If I couldn’t walk my daughter down