Harlequin Special Edition: May 2022 Box Set 1 of 2 by Synithia Williams

Author:Synithia Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Even the thought of doing all-day inventories every day for the rest of his life couldn’t calm Quinn’s body right now. He was still hard and ready, hotly pressed against Julie’s body. But...this was Julie. She was looking for husband material. And that most definitely was not him. He lifted his head and stared down into her golden eyes, her pupils dilating so much they were like shining mirrors. He recognized the fire he saw there, but he also knew that nothing good could come from it. Not with her.

“It sure didn’t feel like a bad idea, but you’re right. It was...” He was going to say a mistake, but the words refused to come. And rightly so. Calling that rock-star kiss anything close to a mistake would be a grave injustice. “It was wonderful.” Her eyes softened in relief and he thanked himself for catching the other words in time. He brushed her cheek with his fingers. “That was one stellar kiss. Breathtaking. Perfect.”

Julie scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Okay, okay. You don’t have to lay it on that thick.”

His fingers gripped her chin, and her eyes went wide when his voice hardened. “Don’t do that. Don’t do the deprecating thing you do where you act like you can’t possibly deserve to be as terrific as you are.” He kissed her again. He couldn’t help himself.

This time it was slower. Softer. Her lips parted and he accepted the invitation, but with more restraint. More appreciation of where he was and who he was with. Their breathing was in sync. His hand slid down to rest on her chest. Their heartbeats were in sync as well. He hadn’t felt anything like this since...

He stepped back abruptly, leaving Julie teetering from losing his support, blinking in surprise. He took her arm, but resisted pulling her any closer.

“You really are something, but I can’t... I haven’t... Not since—”

“Oh, God, Quinn. Was that your first kiss since you lost your wife?” She covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry...”

“Don’t be sorry. Please.” He waited until she lowered her hands enough to look at him. Her cheeks were flaming. “I don’t regret it, and I sure don’t want you to regret it. But I need to figure out what this means. To my marriage.” He gave a mirthless laugh. This confession was going to make him sound crazy. “I know my wife is dead, but I still haven’t wrapped my head around not being married, if that makes any sense—”

“That makes perfect sense to me.” Julie smiled softly, and he could see that mantle of practical efficiency settling back over her shoulders. “Let’s just, maybe not forget, but...set aside this morning as an interesting detour.”

“Okay.” He knew those kisses would be impossible to forget. “We could call it...practicing. You know, making sure you’re ready to date.” His face felt hot at the thought of her kissing anyone else. “A little role play. You, uh, did very well.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Are you saying we were working on developing muscle memory?”

He chuckled.

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