When Harriet Came Home by Coleen Kwan Page A

giggling together, and decided to be honest with him. “Yeah, I guess. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t feel a teensy bit left out, but—” She expelled a small sigh.
    “But what?”
    Harriet shrugged. “I was never into clothes and makeup like they are. I never understood their obsession. Besides, I knew I’d never look half as good as Cindy.”
    He stared into the depths of his mug, a slight frown on his brow. “That’s not true, you know.”
    She chewed on her lip. Somehow their conversation had veered into deeply personal territory. She wouldn’t normally talk about her sister and mother so candidly, but something about Adam had unlocked her tongue.
    “It’s the truth. Oh, I know Cindy’s a bit too loud for some tastes, but you’ve got to admit underneath all that bling she’s stunning.”
    He swirled the contents of his mug, his frown deepening. “Yeah, but so are you.”
    She heard his words, but they didn’t sink in at first. When they did, heat raced across her cheeks, licking her skin to a fiery colour.
    “Oh, please.” She waved her hand. “You’re embarrassing me.”
    He compressed his lips, and his eyes grew even more intense. “You shouldn’t be so self-deprecating.”
    Adam thinks I’m beautiful. The incredible notion flashed through her scrambled brain. Past boyfriends had told her that before, but their views counted for nothing compared to Adam’s. He was more to her now than just an old high school crush, and his opinion of her mattered in a very real and sobering way. Her ears blazed, her tongue grew dry and thick, and her mind was a blank. She drew in a deep breath. Say something!
    “Self-deprecating? Ha-ha.” She laughed nervously. “Now you’ll think I’m fishing for compliments…”
    Her voice trailed off as she winced at her inane comment. She couldn’t wrench her gaze from his. She felt as if she were drowning in the hazy depths of his eyes. Mellow afternoon sunshine slanted across his face, picking up the fine creases in the corners of his eyes, gilding the curve of his mouth, the angles of his nose. He leaned closer, and she caught a heady whiff of his body. He was so close she could see the irises of his eyes widening to black pools. A tiny pulse ticked in his left temple. He traced a finger across her cheek, and her pulse leaped too.
    “You don’t need to fish for compliments,” he murmured.
    A trail of pleasure ignited across her cheek where he touched her. His fingers drifted to the tendrils of hair around her forehead.
    “Such shiny hair.” He twined her hair through his fingers, gently slipping it around his digits. “Like a chestnut.”
    The air between them felt sweet and rich with the fragrance of ripening fruit and rocketing pheromones—not just hers but his, as well. She wasn’t just imagining this. Her pulse hammering, she found herself swaying closer, irresistibly drawn toward him. All she could think about was Adam—his drugging voice, his twirling fingers, his warm mouth. Reality faded away. She was in a dream, a romantic, rose-scented dream where Adam told her she was beautiful. The dream lifted her up and carried her away, unfolding just like her teenage fantasies, and the vision could climax in only one way—in one exquisite kiss.
    The edges of reality frayed away as everything began to spin out of control. Adam closed his hand around her nape. His eyes were heavy and dark. The warmth of his palm made her senses reel. She lifted her head toward him, parting her lips, her mouth and tongue already tingling with anticipated pleasure.

Chapter Six
    A high-pitched screech split the afternoon stillness. They jerked apart as if hit by lightning. Adam yanked his hands away from her, fingers snagging in her hair, dismay flashing across his face. Harriet’s fantasy disappeared in a puff of smoke as cold reality doused her. She rubbed her eyes. Had she come within an inch of flinging herself at Adam? Her breath caught at the back of her throat at