almost nothing but his face looking down into mine. I couldn’t stop my body from responding to the proximity. My heart thumped, my mouth went dry. A warm tingle ran down through me.
“No, I’m not,” I repeated, shaking my head.
He didn’t say anything else. He put his hand to my cheek again, steadying my head so that I couldn’t contradict him by shaking it anymore.
This time when his face descended closer to mine I didn’t stop it. I parted my lips to deny him again, but before I could he fitted his mouth against mine.
The first thing I felt was the prickle of his stubble against my skin. Then electricity filled and suffused me, from my scalp to my toes.
I remembered thinking, He really is a good kisser . His mouth was warm on mine. His lips gentle yet insistent. My eyes drooped closed before I could stop them, and my calves tensed, trying to lift me higher so that he might kiss me more easily.
His other hand, the one that didn’t cup my cheek, slid down my waist, coming to rest on the swell of my hip. He squeezed, then pulled me against him.
My insides turned to warm jelly. I could feel the power in him. He was like a magnet I couldn’t resist, drawing me inexorably towards him.
Then he stopped. And I didn’t want him to stop. He pulled back a bit, his face still filling my vision, his hands still on my cheek and my hip, his eyes fixed on mine. I could still feel the prickle of his stubble. I could feel my heartbeat in my lips.
I licked my lips. I wanted to look away from him, but I couldn’t. It was that magnetism.
“See?” he said, stroking the soft and delicate skin below my eye gently with the ball of his thumb.
My instinctual desires flared up again, and I could see. I could see myself letting go of my resistance, pushing him down onto that couch back there, the two of us tearing at each other’s clothes until there was nothing between our naked bodies.
I parted my lips to reply, but couldn’t find the words. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to say. Whether I wanted to tell him to kiss me again or to take his hands off me.
Ward’s eyes followed the movements of my lips, his jaw working. He swallowed heavily and I knew he wanted to kiss me again. His eyes moved to my hair, taking in the way it waved, the way the ends curled a little.
Then he pushed his fingers into my hair, threading them through my locks. He squeezed just enough to make me gasp, to make me throb inside.
“I’m going to kiss you again,” he said, his voice throaty and low. His fingers squeezed a little tighter in my hair, his other hand pulling me a little harder against his body.
He pursed his lips, wetting them. And then he came in for the kill. My heart palpitated again, leaving me hot and trembling all over.
My cell started chiming in my pocket. He tried ignoring it, but the sudden sound broke whatever charm or spell he had cast on me. I put my hands between our bodies and pushed.
His fingers slipped from my hair and he stumbled back a step before catching his balance.
I tugged my blouse straight, and then I turned away from him and pulled my cell out. I frowned at the phone then thumbed the answer button across the screen.
“Mary? What’s up?” I said.
“Oh, Quinn, I’m so happy I caught you. I wanted to catch you before you got home tonight but I haven’t seen you come in. Look, I’m really sorry, and this is such short notice, but can you watch the kids again tonight? I’m so sorry, but I really need to take this shift and it’s so last minute...”
I started cooling on the inside, the fog around my mind lifting. The fantasies of our two bodies pressed together on the couch receded. It felt good, like a return to normal. This was a problem I could solve, unlike the problem Vaughn Ward.
That problem twisted and changed every time I thought I had a handle on it.
“It’s okay, Mary. I’m over in Back Bay right now, but I’ll start home right away. I’ll be as fast as I can. And it’s not a
“No, I’m not,” I repeated, shaking my head.
He didn’t say anything else. He put his hand to my cheek again, steadying my head so that I couldn’t contradict him by shaking it anymore.
This time when his face descended closer to mine I didn’t stop it. I parted my lips to deny him again, but before I could he fitted his mouth against mine.
The first thing I felt was the prickle of his stubble against my skin. Then electricity filled and suffused me, from my scalp to my toes.
I remembered thinking, He really is a good kisser . His mouth was warm on mine. His lips gentle yet insistent. My eyes drooped closed before I could stop them, and my calves tensed, trying to lift me higher so that he might kiss me more easily.
His other hand, the one that didn’t cup my cheek, slid down my waist, coming to rest on the swell of my hip. He squeezed, then pulled me against him.
My insides turned to warm jelly. I could feel the power in him. He was like a magnet I couldn’t resist, drawing me inexorably towards him.
Then he stopped. And I didn’t want him to stop. He pulled back a bit, his face still filling my vision, his hands still on my cheek and my hip, his eyes fixed on mine. I could still feel the prickle of his stubble. I could feel my heartbeat in my lips.
I licked my lips. I wanted to look away from him, but I couldn’t. It was that magnetism.
“See?” he said, stroking the soft and delicate skin below my eye gently with the ball of his thumb.
My instinctual desires flared up again, and I could see. I could see myself letting go of my resistance, pushing him down onto that couch back there, the two of us tearing at each other’s clothes until there was nothing between our naked bodies.
I parted my lips to reply, but couldn’t find the words. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to say. Whether I wanted to tell him to kiss me again or to take his hands off me.
Ward’s eyes followed the movements of my lips, his jaw working. He swallowed heavily and I knew he wanted to kiss me again. His eyes moved to my hair, taking in the way it waved, the way the ends curled a little.
Then he pushed his fingers into my hair, threading them through my locks. He squeezed just enough to make me gasp, to make me throb inside.
“I’m going to kiss you again,” he said, his voice throaty and low. His fingers squeezed a little tighter in my hair, his other hand pulling me a little harder against his body.
He pursed his lips, wetting them. And then he came in for the kill. My heart palpitated again, leaving me hot and trembling all over.
My cell started chiming in my pocket. He tried ignoring it, but the sudden sound broke whatever charm or spell he had cast on me. I put my hands between our bodies and pushed.
His fingers slipped from my hair and he stumbled back a step before catching his balance.
I tugged my blouse straight, and then I turned away from him and pulled my cell out. I frowned at the phone then thumbed the answer button across the screen.
“Mary? What’s up?” I said.
“Oh, Quinn, I’m so happy I caught you. I wanted to catch you before you got home tonight but I haven’t seen you come in. Look, I’m really sorry, and this is such short notice, but can you watch the kids again tonight? I’m so sorry, but I really need to take this shift and it’s so last minute...”
I started cooling on the inside, the fog around my mind lifting. The fantasies of our two bodies pressed together on the couch receded. It felt good, like a return to normal. This was a problem I could solve, unlike the problem Vaughn Ward.
That problem twisted and changed every time I thought I had a handle on it.
“It’s okay, Mary. I’m over in Back Bay right now, but I’ll start home right away. I’ll be as fast as I can. And it’s not a
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