boat. I’ll make a reservation for the car.”
Laura was filled with relief. She hadn’t even had to ask him. “You know you don’t have to come.”
“Yes, I do.”
Her heart began to do that odd pitter-patter thing that often happened in his presence. When it first started happening, she’d chalked it up to pregnancy. Now she knew it had nothing to do with pregnancy and everything to do with him.
He put down the spoon he’d been using to stir the pot and wiped his hands on the towel he’d tossed over his shoulder. When he was satisfied that his hands were clean, he used them to frame her face, compelling her to look up at him. “I know I have absolutely no right to say this, but I don’t want you to see him by yourself.”
“You have every right to say anything you want to me.” In an attempt at levity, she added, “I’d say you earned it after scraping me off the bathroom floor every morning for weeks.”
“Which was entirely my pleasure.”
“You’re easy to please.”
“You make it easy.”
He stared into her eyes for a long, breathless moment as a hectic band of color slashed his cheeks, letting her know she wasn’t the only one tormented by the attraction zinging between them.
When he looked at her in that particular way, Laura’s mind went blank, taking with it all the reasons this was a bad idea. She reached up to link her fingers on the back of his neck, drawing him down to her.
“Laura…”
As she pressed her lips to his, she realized this was the first time she’d ever reached out and taken what she wanted from a man. And oh, how she wanted this man.
The kiss was chaste and sweet and even hotter than it had been earlier, which was saying something. When he would’ve pulled back from her, she tightened her hold on him. Their eyes met and held. He looked as undone as she felt, which was strangely comforting. Tipping his head ever so slightly, he kissed her again. This time, he slid an arm around her waist and drew her tight against him.
Laura melted as his nearness set off a riot of reactions that registered in all the most important places.
He brushed at her bottom lip with his tongue, coaxing his way into her mouth.
The moment their tongues connected, Laura forgot who she was, where she was and why this could lead to disaster if he suddenly decided he wanted to be somewhere else. She couldn’t get enough, no matter how tightly she held him or how enthusiastically she met the thrusts of his tongue with her own answering strokes.
A growl rumbled through him that threw gas on her already out-of-control fire.
Her fingers burrowed into his hair and held on tight. In the far recesses of her mind where sanity lived, she wondered if she might be hurting him. Even farther off in the distance, she thought she heard someone call her name. Because investigating would mean stepping away from the most incendiary kiss of her life, Laura ignored it.
“Um, oh, sorry,” the voice said, closer now.
Laura tore her lips free and turned to find her friend Stephanie standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Her face was bright red with embarrassment.
Owen kept his arms firmly around Laura and buried his face in the curve of her neck. His lips and breath sent a delightful array of shivers skirting over her sensitized skin.
“I brought the, um, book I told you about,” Stephanie said as she put the book on the counter, “but I can see you’re busy, so I’ll be going now.” She backed away from the doorway, flashed Laura a big grin along with a thumbs-up and was gone.
“That was embarrassing,” Laura said.
As if she hadn’t spoken, Owen raised his head, gazed into her eyes and kissed her again, softer this time but with no less urgency. Reaching behind him, he killed the flames under the pots.
Laura waited breathlessly to see what he would do next.
With his hands on her hips, he lifted her onto the counter, stepped between her legs and pulled her in tight against him.
Laura was filled with relief. She hadn’t even had to ask him. “You know you don’t have to come.”
“Yes, I do.”
Her heart began to do that odd pitter-patter thing that often happened in his presence. When it first started happening, she’d chalked it up to pregnancy. Now she knew it had nothing to do with pregnancy and everything to do with him.
He put down the spoon he’d been using to stir the pot and wiped his hands on the towel he’d tossed over his shoulder. When he was satisfied that his hands were clean, he used them to frame her face, compelling her to look up at him. “I know I have absolutely no right to say this, but I don’t want you to see him by yourself.”
“You have every right to say anything you want to me.” In an attempt at levity, she added, “I’d say you earned it after scraping me off the bathroom floor every morning for weeks.”
“Which was entirely my pleasure.”
“You’re easy to please.”
“You make it easy.”
He stared into her eyes for a long, breathless moment as a hectic band of color slashed his cheeks, letting her know she wasn’t the only one tormented by the attraction zinging between them.
When he looked at her in that particular way, Laura’s mind went blank, taking with it all the reasons this was a bad idea. She reached up to link her fingers on the back of his neck, drawing him down to her.
“Laura…”
As she pressed her lips to his, she realized this was the first time she’d ever reached out and taken what she wanted from a man. And oh, how she wanted this man.
The kiss was chaste and sweet and even hotter than it had been earlier, which was saying something. When he would’ve pulled back from her, she tightened her hold on him. Their eyes met and held. He looked as undone as she felt, which was strangely comforting. Tipping his head ever so slightly, he kissed her again. This time, he slid an arm around her waist and drew her tight against him.
Laura melted as his nearness set off a riot of reactions that registered in all the most important places.
He brushed at her bottom lip with his tongue, coaxing his way into her mouth.
The moment their tongues connected, Laura forgot who she was, where she was and why this could lead to disaster if he suddenly decided he wanted to be somewhere else. She couldn’t get enough, no matter how tightly she held him or how enthusiastically she met the thrusts of his tongue with her own answering strokes.
A growl rumbled through him that threw gas on her already out-of-control fire.
Her fingers burrowed into his hair and held on tight. In the far recesses of her mind where sanity lived, she wondered if she might be hurting him. Even farther off in the distance, she thought she heard someone call her name. Because investigating would mean stepping away from the most incendiary kiss of her life, Laura ignored it.
“Um, oh, sorry,” the voice said, closer now.
Laura tore her lips free and turned to find her friend Stephanie standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Her face was bright red with embarrassment.
Owen kept his arms firmly around Laura and buried his face in the curve of her neck. His lips and breath sent a delightful array of shivers skirting over her sensitized skin.
“I brought the, um, book I told you about,” Stephanie said as she put the book on the counter, “but I can see you’re busy, so I’ll be going now.” She backed away from the doorway, flashed Laura a big grin along with a thumbs-up and was gone.
“That was embarrassing,” Laura said.
As if she hadn’t spoken, Owen raised his head, gazed into her eyes and kissed her again, softer this time but with no less urgency. Reaching behind him, he killed the flames under the pots.
Laura waited breathlessly to see what he would do next.
With his hands on her hips, he lifted her onto the counter, stepped between her legs and pulled her in tight against him.
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