Page 70 of The Banned Books Club
“I can’t thank you enough for your inherent honesty and...and goodness. I admire it—admireyou—and hate that it’s costing you so much.” She meant to give him another hug, a brief one, and leave. She’d come at a bad time, caught him in an emotional moment that should’ve remained private. But what started out as a hug quickly turned into a heated kiss.
They pulled away, seemingly at the same time, both of them breathless. “Sorry about that,” Gia said as he said the same thing, almost in unison.
Gia would’ve laughed, but there was nothing funny about that kiss. She could still feel the heat of it all the way down to her toes.
What’d just happened? She’d never had a thing for Cormac Hart. And yet...she was beginning to see him in a far different light. “That was incredible,” she said on a long breath. “Possibly the best kiss I’ve ever had.”
His eyebrows slid up. “You’re not mad at me?”
“I’m not even sure you’re the one who instigated it. Are you?” It’d felt spontaneous, as if they’d each made a move at exactly the same moment.
“To be honest, I don’t know, either,” he said. “I just assumed it must’ve been me because I’ve wanted to do it for so long. And I couldn’t imagineyou... Well, I was absolutely convinced I’d be the last man on earth who—”
She didn’t wait for him to finish. Stepping closer, she rose up and pressed her lips to his once again.
His arms went around her, and one hand came up to support her back as she parted her lips for his tongue, simply giving herself over to him and what she was feeling. Since she’d come home, there’d been so much angst and upset—not to mention futile but Herculean efforts to outdistance the past. That was probably true for him, as well. But this was pleasurable in the most exciting way.
All she could feel, smell and taste was Cormac, and in this moment, that seemed to be all she needed.
19
Cormac had never dreamed he’d make love to Gia. He’d spent years blaming her for something she didn’t do and was shocked she didn’t hate him for the past, regardless of how he’d behaved in the present. But she seemed relieved just to know he finally believed her.
The thrill he felt touching her and being touched by her created such a stark contrast to everything else that’d happened since she returned to Wakefield that he could only close his eyes and enjoy the moment as he ran his hand up her bare leg.
She was even more stunning without her clothes. Tall, slender and firm in that tomboyish way of hers, with long limbs, she had the softest, smoothest skin he’d ever felt. Her breasts weren’t particularly large, only the size of his cupped hand, but he thought they were perfect. And her smile was mesmerizing.
“What are you doing?” she asked when he stopped and simply stared down at her.
He lifted his gaze from her wide, sexy mouth to her thickly lashed eyes. “Admiring you.”
This was a big step to take so suddenly. Living in a small town, it was especially imperative not to create romantic expectations he couldn’t fulfill—not unless he wanted the women of Wakefield to hate him—so he’d been cautious his whole life. There were things he should probably be saying before getting this intimate, things he always said. But he didn’t want to ruin the moment. What was happening seemed special, almost fragile, and he planned to treat it as such. There was no way he wanted to do anything that might break the spell that’d propelled them upstairs, dropping their clothes behind them as they went. She understood this wasn’t a commitment. She wasn’t even going to be in town for long. This was merely an escape, a welcome release for two beleaguered souls who desperately needed a time-out.
Besides, she’d already told him she had trouble falling in love, and that created an understanding of sorts. He knew the situation going in, and so did she. He didn’t need to worry that he was setting her up for future disappointment.
If anything, he was settinghimselfup for future disappointment. He was afraid that after today, he’d never be able to look at her again without wanting her.
“This is crazy, right?” she said, showing the first hint of uncertainty.
“It’s crazy,” he agreed. “Crazygood, in my opinion. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anyone quite so much. But if you’re asking me to stop—”
“No,” she broke in. “I just... I hope we don’t regret it later.”
“I have condoms, if that gives you any reassurance,” he said. “Or is it something else? Have you changed your mind about that guy you were dating in Idaho or—”
“No, none of that. Sex can make things complicated. That’s all. But it’s too late now.” After pushing him onto his back, she kissed his mouth, his jawline, his neck and his chest.
“Oh, God,” he said as her mouth continued to move lower and finally closed around him. “I don’t think you’d better do that. Not yet.”
She knocked his hands away when he tried to draw her up but lifted her head so she could talk. “What if I like seeing what it does to you?”
He laughed. “You can do whatever you want. But first, let me do what I can do for you, or it’ll end far too soon.”
Rolling her beneath him, he nuzzled her neck, then kissed her deeply while teasing her with the promise of penetration without actually pressing inside her.
“Are you ever going to do it?” she asked, growing impatient.
He grinned at her. “You bet I am. Just...not quite yet.”
