Love Inspired October 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by Patricia Johns

Author:Patricia Johns
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Hannah’s heart raced as Luke’s lips pressed hers, quick and hard. She pulled back to look at him, half scared, half wanting to memorize this moment.

His arms, warm around her, made her feel more secure and grounded than she could ever remember.

He touched her cheek. “This okay?”

It was a genuine question. He was asking for her consent. For the briefest moment, she flashed back to the time when she hadn’t been asked, and her muscles tensed.

Deliberately, she relaxed them and focused on Luke: his strong arms, his gentle touch, the concern in his eyes. “More than okay,” she whispered.

“Then close your eyes.” It was half request, half order.

The last thing she saw was his intent, warm gaze. Then she closed her eyes and her other senses blossomed to life: the firm, absolutely confident pressure of his lips; the scent of him, some masculine, foresty soap; the sound of her own indrawn breath.

She’d never been kissed like this. Never been held like this, and the comfort of it melted something that had been frozen inside her since she’d been a young teenager.

It wasn’t something he was doing to her; she was a full participant. When she pulled back a little, afraid she was showing too much enthusiasm, he stroked her hair and she felt him smile against her mouth and knew it was good, that she wanted to be nowhere else but right here, doing this exact thing, and she was pretty sure he felt the same way.

Minutes later, a sound intruded. From outside, a harsh, repetitive scraping.

She pulled back. “What’s that?”

“Plows are here,” he said. “They’re scraping and salting the roads.” He listened. “Could be a power truck out there, too.”

So they weren’t stuck. They didn’t have to stay here, in the darkness, kissing.

She reached up and ran a finger over his bristly cheek. She breathed in the scent of him.

They didn’t have to stay here, but she didn’t want to leave. She leaned against him, wrapped her arms around that strong, muscular chest.

After a minute, he took gentle hold of her wrists and moved her hands away from him. “We should get ready to go.”

She couldn’t help the small, resistant sound she made. She didn’t want this to end.

When she opened her eyes, he was looking at her, his expression serious. What did that mean? That he wasn’t as into it as she’d been?

He pulled her close against his chest and kissed the top of her head, and she felt again that delicious security, but another doubt rushed in behind it: had she led him on? As she’d been accused of doing that awful time before?

There was a quiet snap, and the lights flashed on.

And here she was, practically sitting in Luke’s lap. Obviously enjoying his embrace. Which, whether it meant that she was a tease who led men on, or whether it had been a pity kiss, or whether he wanted it to be the start of something more, the upshot was the same: she shouldn’t have let it happen.

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