head. All’s fair in love and war.
The only wrong idea would be to walk away.
He took a long steadying breath, and decided he didn’t want to walk away. Not this time. Not ever again.
****
She tilted her head to stare into those same stormy eyes that haunted last night’s dreams…and totally lost her train of thought. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember what she’d been saying. Her mind flickered through random thoughts, but couldn’t grasp onto any one thing, except the memory of yesterday’s kiss.
She desperately wanted to kiss him again. Wondered what it would feel like. Scorching like yesterday’s surprise encounter? She licked her lips, contemplating his mouth. Why was it a bad idea to go next door for a drink with this guy?
On the phone earlier, Kathy seemed to think it sounded like an awesome idea, but reason lurked on the edge of her consciousness, reminding her all the reasons she should say no. He’s not here for long. He’s going to leave. And Tony. Remember your promise to Tony .
Emma’s pulse raced from his proximity. Before she could make up her mind how to answer his question, he gently brushed his lips against her mouth. Awareness shot through every nerve ending, head to toe. She sucked in a ragged breath before he claimed her again more fully, deepening the kiss and pulling her tight against his hardened body. Any thought of resistance melted away, her body awakening to overwhelming sensations radiating throughout. Need flamed like white-hot lightning as she pressed against his hard planes, her palms smoothing up the back of his denim shirt, winding through his mop of brown curls.
Finally, he slowed the kiss and nipped at her lower lip. A small smile quirked his lips. “Sorry, I’m a scientist. I’ve been wondering all day.”
“About what?”
“Whether our kiss yesterday was an anomaly.”
“Am I an experiment?”
“In a way.”
“And?”
“Too small a sample set to make conclusions. But definitely worth further investigation.” His husky voice made her tremble in his arms. He pulled her closer, warm hands planted firmly near her waist while his lips explored the sensitive skin below her ear. Heat seared through the thin fabric of the broomstick skirt, the same way his kisses seared through her rational thoughts. At the moment, all she wanted was more.
More kisses. More heat. More Chase.
Her eyelids fluttered shut as she pushed that idea to the back of her mind and tried to regain control of her traitorous body, even as her fingers twisted in his damp hair. He smelled of soap and sunshine, a far cry from how most guys came home from a day on the ocean. A stray image of Chase soaping up in the shower flitted through her head and she bit back a groan. So not helping .
She took a deep breath and moved her neck away from his teasing tongue, finding her voice. “I’m not sure I want to help NOAA with experiments.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement. “This particular scientific study is definitely not government-funded. More of a personal investigation.”
“Even so.” She extracted herself from his embrace and took a shaky step back. “Hershey still needs to go home and eat dinner.”
Hearing his name paired with talk of food, the dog jumped up and whined, suddenly anxious to leave the shop. Chase laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’d think he knew you were talking about feeding him.”
“Of course he knows his own name! He’s pretty smart despite being a Labrador.” Emma took the opportunity to step further away both physically and mentally. She babbled on about the dog while looking for the leash and her purse, pushing small items around on the countertop and locking the cash register, looking anywhere but at Chase. Doing anything except acknowledge what happened between them. What just happened? Oh, right. He kissed me silly. And I kissed him right back! What’s gotten into me?
She cleared her throat, focusing on the dog
The only wrong idea would be to walk away.
He took a long steadying breath, and decided he didn’t want to walk away. Not this time. Not ever again.
****
She tilted her head to stare into those same stormy eyes that haunted last night’s dreams…and totally lost her train of thought. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember what she’d been saying. Her mind flickered through random thoughts, but couldn’t grasp onto any one thing, except the memory of yesterday’s kiss.
She desperately wanted to kiss him again. Wondered what it would feel like. Scorching like yesterday’s surprise encounter? She licked her lips, contemplating his mouth. Why was it a bad idea to go next door for a drink with this guy?
On the phone earlier, Kathy seemed to think it sounded like an awesome idea, but reason lurked on the edge of her consciousness, reminding her all the reasons she should say no. He’s not here for long. He’s going to leave. And Tony. Remember your promise to Tony .
Emma’s pulse raced from his proximity. Before she could make up her mind how to answer his question, he gently brushed his lips against her mouth. Awareness shot through every nerve ending, head to toe. She sucked in a ragged breath before he claimed her again more fully, deepening the kiss and pulling her tight against his hardened body. Any thought of resistance melted away, her body awakening to overwhelming sensations radiating throughout. Need flamed like white-hot lightning as she pressed against his hard planes, her palms smoothing up the back of his denim shirt, winding through his mop of brown curls.
Finally, he slowed the kiss and nipped at her lower lip. A small smile quirked his lips. “Sorry, I’m a scientist. I’ve been wondering all day.”
“About what?”
“Whether our kiss yesterday was an anomaly.”
“Am I an experiment?”
“In a way.”
“And?”
“Too small a sample set to make conclusions. But definitely worth further investigation.” His husky voice made her tremble in his arms. He pulled her closer, warm hands planted firmly near her waist while his lips explored the sensitive skin below her ear. Heat seared through the thin fabric of the broomstick skirt, the same way his kisses seared through her rational thoughts. At the moment, all she wanted was more.
More kisses. More heat. More Chase.
Her eyelids fluttered shut as she pushed that idea to the back of her mind and tried to regain control of her traitorous body, even as her fingers twisted in his damp hair. He smelled of soap and sunshine, a far cry from how most guys came home from a day on the ocean. A stray image of Chase soaping up in the shower flitted through her head and she bit back a groan. So not helping .
She took a deep breath and moved her neck away from his teasing tongue, finding her voice. “I’m not sure I want to help NOAA with experiments.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement. “This particular scientific study is definitely not government-funded. More of a personal investigation.”
“Even so.” She extracted herself from his embrace and took a shaky step back. “Hershey still needs to go home and eat dinner.”
Hearing his name paired with talk of food, the dog jumped up and whined, suddenly anxious to leave the shop. Chase laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’d think he knew you were talking about feeding him.”
“Of course he knows his own name! He’s pretty smart despite being a Labrador.” Emma took the opportunity to step further away both physically and mentally. She babbled on about the dog while looking for the leash and her purse, pushing small items around on the countertop and locking the cash register, looking anywhere but at Chase. Doing anything except acknowledge what happened between them. What just happened? Oh, right. He kissed me silly. And I kissed him right back! What’s gotten into me?
She cleared her throat, focusing on the dog
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