Magnolia Dawn by Erica Spindler Page A

enjoyed women and one whom women enjoyed.
    Still, what he’d felt with Anna had been different from anything he’d ever known. It had been unexpected and cataclysmic; it had left him stunned.
    And behaving like an untried boy.
    Rush swore. He’d frightened her. He’d gone too fast, had ignored instinct and acted on passion. And she’d bolted. Rush flexed his fingers, the memory of the frantic way she’d pushed at his chest, of the terror in her eyes, eating at him.
    It had been as if she’d feared “No” wouldn’t have been enough to stop him, as if she’d feared he would have taken her against her will.
    He swore again. Had he been that aggressive, that out of control? Or was it just that she didn’t trust him?
    Why should she? He’d lied to her. He’d come to Ashland under false pretenses, on a mission that had nothing to do with her.
    And one he would complete, no matter the consequences.
    Even as a thread of guilt curled through him, he thought of his trips into town at night and on his days off, thought of the questions he’d asked about the Ames family, their history, their friends.
    Rush frowned. He’d found out almost nothing, and the few things that had looked like they might be leads had fizzled quickly. He was no closer to discovering the connection between himself and the music box than he’d been at the start.
    And at this moment, he didn’t give a damn about that. He wanted Annabelle in his arms.
    She moved across one of the front windows, a slim dark silhouette against the rectangle of light, and arousal kicked him in the gut. He remembered how her breasts had felt in his palms, remembered the sound she’d made as she arched against him, remembered the way she’d parted her lips and offered him her mouth.
    He should leave this alone. He should leave her alone.
    A breeze stirred, deliciously cool against his damp skin. It lifted his hair and rustled the leaves above. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The storm wouldn’t be denied.
    Rush closed the distance between him and Ashland’s front door. When he reached it, he pounded on the door and called her name, pounding again when she didn’t immediately answer. He tried the knob; the door swung effortlessly open.
    She stood just inside the foyer. She wore a sleeveless cotton blouse. Unbuttoned at the neck, it revealed the graceful column of her neck, the swell of one breast. She’d pinned her hair up with a large clip. Her skin, smooth and milky white, gleamed with a fine sheen of sweat. Tendrils of hair had escaped the clip and clung to her damp skin.
    Her eyes on his were dark with longing, her lips soft and slightly parted. Her chest rose and fell with her agitated breathing.
    She wanted him. Just as badly as he wanted her. But she was afraid. He saw her fear as clearly as her arousal, and he sucked in a deep, steadying breath.
    If he didn’t go slowly, she would bolt again. She might, anyway.
    He took a step toward her. “We need to talk.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk. Please leave.”
    â€œWhat happened this afternoon, Anna? What did I do that caused you to run?”
    She curved her arms around herself. “Go away.”
    â€œI can’t.”
    â€œOr won’t?”
    â€œSame thing.” He took another step. “What caused you to run like that? Were you afraid I would…force myself on you?”
    â€œNo…yes…” Anna shuddered. “It was a mistake. I didn’t want—”
    He caught her gaze, refusing to let it go. “But you did want, Annabelle. We both know it.”
    She shook her head. “No, I…”
    A shocking flash of light rent
the sky, followed by a crack of thunder. Blackness engulfed them.
    Rush struggled to get his bearings. He heard Anna’s quick intake of breath, heard Blue whine and scratch against a door somewhere upstairs.
    Without his