Touched by Lightning [Dreams of You] (Romantic Suspense) by Tina Wainscott Page A

into her soul, she was sure of it. She swallowed hard. He leaned forward, very slowly, and captured her mouth with his. They lingered for two seconds, then he kissed her again. His mouth caught her lower lip in a tender grasp, and he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth, and he took her invitation without hesitating. His breath hitched, and his hand slipped up to caress her jaw as they kissed. She was lost as their tongues danced together.
    At last he ended the kiss and framed her face with his hands. “You are beautiful.” Then he kissed her again. There were places in her body tingling with heat, places she’d forgotten about. She felt dizzy, and this time it was she who moved away.
    “Let’s go for a walk,” she said, hearing her breathlessness and hoping he did not.
    She expected him to coax her to stay, but he stood and offered her his hand. She took it, reaching up with her scarred hand and for the first time, didn’t worry about it.
    He held onto her hand even when she gained her balance, and they strode toward the mist beyond. She found herself smiling at the normality of walking with a man on the beach. For a while, she could pretend her life wasn’t in danger, that she didn’t fully trust the man beside her, and that she lived in a van.
    Adrian seemed deep in thought, looking out over the waves while the wind whipped at his hair. Her own thoughts were a jumble of doubts, hopes, passion. Her lips still tingled, and she caught her fingers grazing them, remembering their kiss.
    “How long have you lived on the streets?”
    His voice, soft and low, rocked her out of her thoughts.
    She wrapped her arms around herself. “Two years.” After the trial, which was a year after the explosion.
    “Have you ever thought of going back? To society, I mean.”
    She shook her head vehemently. “Not now. Maybe later.”
    “How much later?”
    “You can’t save me, Adrian. I mean, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
    He smiled, though there wasn’t denial on his face or in his voice. “Why not?”
    “You just can’t.” It surprised her that she wanted to tell him why he couldn’t help her. Would it scare him away? Or did he already know? “What about you?”
    “I plan to spend as little time here as possible. Sharing a room with forty other men isn’t my idea of the good life. I’ve had roommates before, but they smelled a lot better.”
    “Women?” she asked, wishing instantly to take the word back.
    He shook his head. “No, I’ve never lived with a woman.”
    Despite her agitation at her forwardness, she found herself smiling. It was foolish, really. Soon he would be gone, and she’d be long out of his mind. She thought of the last time she’d looked in a mirror. Her eyes seemed dull, no makeup on her skin, ragged nails. She couldn’t imagine anyone even thinking about kissing her. But he had…
    “What about you?”
    She jerked out of her thoughts, finding her fingers combing through her windblown hair. “Me?”
    “Ever lived with a guy? Or been married?”
    “Engaged. A couple of years ago.”
    “And what happened? Cold feet?”
    It was an innocent question, but she shivered anyway. “No. Well, yes, in a way. He wanted to get married, and I wasn’t ready. We—you don’t want to hear all this.”
    “Sure, I do.”
    “Well, we argued a lot about it, because we’d only known each other for a few months. I didn’t want to be pressured, so I gave him his ring back.” Then her life exploded.
    “He’s not the reason you live on the streets, is he?”
    “No.”
    Adrian had started walking again, and she matched his pace.
    “Are you hiding from someone?” he asked.
    She blinked, trying not to give away her reaction. “Why do you ask that?”
    He shrugged. “I’m guessing. I think something terrible and frightening happened to you, and you’re hiding on the streets. Am I close?”
    She didn’t want to meet his eyes, but they drew her gaze and held it.