have kissed you.”
Emma felt a flare of temper. “I think I had something to do with that kiss.” She was amazed at the note of challenge that had crept into her voice as if of its own accord. Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the darkness of their alcove, and she saw him open his mouth as if to deny her words, then shut it abruptly. “As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember asking you to kiss me. I’m the one who should apologize. I took advantage of your broken heart.”
Blake made a strangled noise that sounded suspiciously like someone choking back laughter. “My broken heart?”
“Yes,” she said. “It was wrong of me. Just because I’ve got myself in a bind over a man doesn’t mean I should take advantage of the next one who comes along.”
“And just because I’m mad as hell at one woman—not brokenhearted over her, mind you—doesn’t mean I should take advantage of the next woman who crosses my path.”
He had leaned closer. Only a little, an inch or two, but it was too much for Emma. She’d been trying to forget that explosive kiss among the leaves for the last six hours. Now his nearness brought it back in vivid detail, and her insides tingled with longing and desire just as they had when it happened. Perhaps even more strongly than before. She panicked and started to rise. “Then no apologies are necessary from either of us. No harm done, right?” His hand closed over her wrist, and he tugged her gently down beside him again.
“Emma, we have to talk. This isn’t just about Heather’s infidelity—”
“Heather?”
“Heather Markham. The woman I was living with.”
Emma’s breath tightened in her chest. Heather. That Blake’s faithless lover had the same name as the woman Daryl had been with that night was only a coincidence, wasn’t it? Women with the name of Heather were thick as fallen leaves on the ground these days.
She tried to relax. Another coincidence. That was all. But his mention of Daryl’s name coupled with his ex-lover’s had started a chain reaction in her mind.
“There’s something between us, Emma. Something that doesn’t seem to want to go away.”
Something like love at first sight?
But that was what she’d experienced with Daryl, wasn’t it?
She was so confused she couldn’t think straight. She felt as if she’d drunk an entire bottle of wine instead of a cup of hot chocolate. Being near Blake Weston addled her brain and inflamed her body.
Her skin burned where he touched her. Her body vibrated to every sound he made. She wanted to throw herself against his chest, steady her ragged breathing with the strong, solid beat of his heart. She wanted to pour out her problems and, heaven help her, let him solve them for her. She wanted Daryl Tubb to drop off the face of the earth, never to darken her pathway again.
“Emma,” he said, running his palm over her hair, cupping her cheek. She wanted to turn her face into his hand and snuggle close, like a kitten. “Admit it. There is something, isn’t there?”
“Yes. But I don’t know what it is. And since I’m in the middle of one messed-up relationship, I sure as hell don’t want to start another one.”
He didn’t pull back as she almost hoped he would. He was still close enough that if she lifted herself just a little, their lips would touch. And heaven and earth would trade places again, if only for a moment. “Fair enough. I’ll wait. I don’t have unanswered questions about what happened between me and Heather. It’s over. It had been over a long time before she walked naked into my living room to meet another man.”
“I...I don’t know what I feel now.” She wasn’t ready to make the almost unbelievable connection between Heather and Daryl, to wonder at the amused Fate that had brought her and Blake to Twin Oaks the same week. She wasn’t ready to start tugging on all the ends of her unraveling relationship and follow the strings to their implausible, but seemingly more
Emma felt a flare of temper. “I think I had something to do with that kiss.” She was amazed at the note of challenge that had crept into her voice as if of its own accord. Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the darkness of their alcove, and she saw him open his mouth as if to deny her words, then shut it abruptly. “As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember asking you to kiss me. I’m the one who should apologize. I took advantage of your broken heart.”
Blake made a strangled noise that sounded suspiciously like someone choking back laughter. “My broken heart?”
“Yes,” she said. “It was wrong of me. Just because I’ve got myself in a bind over a man doesn’t mean I should take advantage of the next one who comes along.”
“And just because I’m mad as hell at one woman—not brokenhearted over her, mind you—doesn’t mean I should take advantage of the next woman who crosses my path.”
He had leaned closer. Only a little, an inch or two, but it was too much for Emma. She’d been trying to forget that explosive kiss among the leaves for the last six hours. Now his nearness brought it back in vivid detail, and her insides tingled with longing and desire just as they had when it happened. Perhaps even more strongly than before. She panicked and started to rise. “Then no apologies are necessary from either of us. No harm done, right?” His hand closed over her wrist, and he tugged her gently down beside him again.
“Emma, we have to talk. This isn’t just about Heather’s infidelity—”
“Heather?”
“Heather Markham. The woman I was living with.”
Emma’s breath tightened in her chest. Heather. That Blake’s faithless lover had the same name as the woman Daryl had been with that night was only a coincidence, wasn’t it? Women with the name of Heather were thick as fallen leaves on the ground these days.
She tried to relax. Another coincidence. That was all. But his mention of Daryl’s name coupled with his ex-lover’s had started a chain reaction in her mind.
“There’s something between us, Emma. Something that doesn’t seem to want to go away.”
Something like love at first sight?
But that was what she’d experienced with Daryl, wasn’t it?
She was so confused she couldn’t think straight. She felt as if she’d drunk an entire bottle of wine instead of a cup of hot chocolate. Being near Blake Weston addled her brain and inflamed her body.
Her skin burned where he touched her. Her body vibrated to every sound he made. She wanted to throw herself against his chest, steady her ragged breathing with the strong, solid beat of his heart. She wanted to pour out her problems and, heaven help her, let him solve them for her. She wanted Daryl Tubb to drop off the face of the earth, never to darken her pathway again.
“Emma,” he said, running his palm over her hair, cupping her cheek. She wanted to turn her face into his hand and snuggle close, like a kitten. “Admit it. There is something, isn’t there?”
“Yes. But I don’t know what it is. And since I’m in the middle of one messed-up relationship, I sure as hell don’t want to start another one.”
He didn’t pull back as she almost hoped he would. He was still close enough that if she lifted herself just a little, their lips would touch. And heaven and earth would trade places again, if only for a moment. “Fair enough. I’ll wait. I don’t have unanswered questions about what happened between me and Heather. It’s over. It had been over a long time before she walked naked into my living room to meet another man.”
“I...I don’t know what I feel now.” She wasn’t ready to make the almost unbelievable connection between Heather and Daryl, to wonder at the amused Fate that had brought her and Blake to Twin Oaks the same week. She wasn’t ready to start tugging on all the ends of her unraveling relationship and follow the strings to their implausible, but seemingly more
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