was fucking up. Ruthlessly, he quashed that. Fucking up would
have been sleeping with her. He had the sneaking suspicion that had he done
that, she'd haunt him for a very long time, if not forever.
Then Maddie, damn her, extended her hand for a handshake. A
handshake! "Good-bye, Luke. It was nice to meet you, and I do appreciate
your assistance. I hope you and your brother have a wonderful fishing
trip."
He stared at her hand, his heart pounding. He felt as if he stood
at the edge of a cliff and he wanted—God, he wanted— to take a flying leap off
into the madness.
Self-preservation won, to a point. He didn't leap, but he did
lean. He took the hand she proffered and tugged her into his arms, then
captured her mouth with his, telling her goodbye without words, words he felt
but couldn't form.
He sank his fingers into her hair and let the emotion flow. He
wanted her desperately, but he couldn't cross that line. If only he'd met her
somewhere else—a different time, a different place.
If only...
She moaned into his mouth and he growled low in his throat in
return. Finally, when he reached the point where he considered laying her back
upon the picnic table, he broke off the kiss with a curse.
He took a step back, clenched his fists at his sides, and stood
staring at her, breathing heavily. "Maddie, I don't... I wish... oh,
hell."
Her breaths weren't all that steady, either, and the glimmer in
her eyes told him she had wishes, too. But the woman proved stronger than he.
She managed to gain control, and this time, Maddie Kincaid was the instigator
of the kiss. A quick, up-on-her-tiptoes buss on the cheek. "I'll think of
you. Good thoughts. You didn't lie to me. You didn't use me. That's a first for
me, Luke Callahan. It's a gift. Something I can take into the future. Who
knows, maybe there's a knight out there for me, after all."
Son of a bitch.
CHAPTER 7
In a parking lot outside a nondescript office building in Tyler,
Texas, Maddie gazed with satisfaction at her minivan's empty cargo space, then
slammed the back door shut. "Well, that's it, I guess."
Sara-Beth Branson tucked her camera and notepad back into a canvas
tote bag while frowning at Maddie's van. "I hope that rotten vegetable
smell doesn't linger."
"I plan to stop at the first store I see to buy air
freshener. Think I'll drop my clothes back at the dry cleaners before I take
them home, too."
"You might as well throw away that mop head while you're at
it, I'm afraid. But I'll bet if you drive with the windows down, it'll be all
right by the time you hit Dallas."
Maddie nibbled her bottom lip, then said, "Man, I hope so.
That drive from Caddo Bayou almost killed me."
Sara-Beth studied her fingernails. "Or was it leaving Sin
that put those tears in your eyes?"
Ugh.
"I wasn't crying," Maddie defended. "Really. I
wasn't."
"Wistful" was a good word for her state of mind when she
pulled away from Caddo Bayou Marina, Mark Callahan saluting from the flybridge
of the Miss Behavin' II, his twin brother staring moodily from the edge
of the trees. Sin and Devil. Pure temptation.
"I wouldn't blame you if you did weep a bit. I certainly did
when Luke and I parted ways. I thought my life was going to end."
"How long were you together?" she asked, trying to rise
above the stab of envy she felt. Not that she truly wanted to hear about Luke
and Sara-Beth's romance. She simply couldn't resist...
"Nine wondrous months," Sara-Beth replied on a sigh.
"My freshman year in high school. I'm telling you, I was the envy of every
freshman girl. My father was fit to be tied. He used to get really bad gas
every time Luke came to pick me up for a date. Fathers." She rolled her
eyes. "I swear that Jeff will be just the same when our Kristen grows up.
You know how fathers are."
Actually, she didn't. Blade had made a stab at acting like a
traditional father during those sweet months their little family lived in
Kansas, but even giving it his best effort, he never quite pulled it
have been sleeping with her. He had the sneaking suspicion that had he done
that, she'd haunt him for a very long time, if not forever.
Then Maddie, damn her, extended her hand for a handshake. A
handshake! "Good-bye, Luke. It was nice to meet you, and I do appreciate
your assistance. I hope you and your brother have a wonderful fishing
trip."
He stared at her hand, his heart pounding. He felt as if he stood
at the edge of a cliff and he wanted—God, he wanted— to take a flying leap off
into the madness.
Self-preservation won, to a point. He didn't leap, but he did
lean. He took the hand she proffered and tugged her into his arms, then
captured her mouth with his, telling her goodbye without words, words he felt
but couldn't form.
He sank his fingers into her hair and let the emotion flow. He
wanted her desperately, but he couldn't cross that line. If only he'd met her
somewhere else—a different time, a different place.
If only...
She moaned into his mouth and he growled low in his throat in
return. Finally, when he reached the point where he considered laying her back
upon the picnic table, he broke off the kiss with a curse.
He took a step back, clenched his fists at his sides, and stood
staring at her, breathing heavily. "Maddie, I don't... I wish... oh,
hell."
Her breaths weren't all that steady, either, and the glimmer in
her eyes told him she had wishes, too. But the woman proved stronger than he.
She managed to gain control, and this time, Maddie Kincaid was the instigator
of the kiss. A quick, up-on-her-tiptoes buss on the cheek. "I'll think of
you. Good thoughts. You didn't lie to me. You didn't use me. That's a first for
me, Luke Callahan. It's a gift. Something I can take into the future. Who
knows, maybe there's a knight out there for me, after all."
Son of a bitch.
CHAPTER 7
In a parking lot outside a nondescript office building in Tyler,
Texas, Maddie gazed with satisfaction at her minivan's empty cargo space, then
slammed the back door shut. "Well, that's it, I guess."
Sara-Beth Branson tucked her camera and notepad back into a canvas
tote bag while frowning at Maddie's van. "I hope that rotten vegetable
smell doesn't linger."
"I plan to stop at the first store I see to buy air
freshener. Think I'll drop my clothes back at the dry cleaners before I take
them home, too."
"You might as well throw away that mop head while you're at
it, I'm afraid. But I'll bet if you drive with the windows down, it'll be all
right by the time you hit Dallas."
Maddie nibbled her bottom lip, then said, "Man, I hope so.
That drive from Caddo Bayou almost killed me."
Sara-Beth studied her fingernails. "Or was it leaving Sin
that put those tears in your eyes?"
Ugh.
"I wasn't crying," Maddie defended. "Really. I
wasn't."
"Wistful" was a good word for her state of mind when she
pulled away from Caddo Bayou Marina, Mark Callahan saluting from the flybridge
of the Miss Behavin' II, his twin brother staring moodily from the edge
of the trees. Sin and Devil. Pure temptation.
"I wouldn't blame you if you did weep a bit. I certainly did
when Luke and I parted ways. I thought my life was going to end."
"How long were you together?" she asked, trying to rise
above the stab of envy she felt. Not that she truly wanted to hear about Luke
and Sara-Beth's romance. She simply couldn't resist...
"Nine wondrous months," Sara-Beth replied on a sigh.
"My freshman year in high school. I'm telling you, I was the envy of every
freshman girl. My father was fit to be tied. He used to get really bad gas
every time Luke came to pick me up for a date. Fathers." She rolled her
eyes. "I swear that Jeff will be just the same when our Kristen grows up.
You know how fathers are."
Actually, she didn't. Blade had made a stab at acting like a
traditional father during those sweet months their little family lived in
Kansas, but even giving it his best effort, he never quite pulled it
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