his in a timid kiss.
Wes was so surprised, he didn’t react. Her lips lingered for a few moments on his, then she pulled away, cuddling back beneath his arm as if there was no more to say.
He lay wide awake as her breathing returned to normal. She was, without a doubt, the strangest creature he’d ever met. Here she was, all soft and feminine beside him, wearing nothing but her underwear that didn’t cover all it should, to his way of thinking, and she was sleeping like she was safe. Maybe she was. He’d never taken a thing from a woman that she didn’t willingly give. But at the rate his heart was pounding, his honor might kill him before dawn.
Moving his hand to her waist once more, he slid his fingers to her back and pulled her gently against him. She melted into his side. Her head moved from his arm to his chest so that now he could feel her slow intake of breath against his throat.
‘‘Allie,’’ he whispered against her hair, ‘‘I thought I might kiss you good-bye.’’
With sleepy eyes, she raised her head.
THIRTEEN
ALLIE WAS STILL HALF ASLEEP WHEN SHE FELT WES’Swarm mouth move over hers. His lips seemed hesitant, unlike the man, who was always so sure of himself. There was something warm and caring in his action. His hesitancy made him human and somehow declared her an equal.
She circled her arms around his neck as he pulled her atop his chest with a mighty hug.
Slowly, one sense at a time, she came awake. The smells of the barn blended with the warm protective aroma of Wes so close. The wind rattled boards on the roof, and the horses shifted in their stalls. Wes whispered her name so low she wasn’t sure she hadn’t read his thoughts. Widening shafts of pinwheel light reflected off the walls from the lamp below, while she rode the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. The kiss continued, a part of her, a part of him, a part of the night.
She’d seen people embrace and kiss, but she never dreamed it would be such a pleasant sensation. His arms encircled her with a sense of homecoming, making her feel treasured. He’d always been protective and kind, even when grumpy, but she would never have guessed he wanted to give her such a gift.
He rolled to his side, moving her with him. ‘‘Don’t let me kiss you because you’re afraid,’’ he whispered.‘‘And you don’t have to for any other reason besides you want to. Nothing will change between us. Just say ‘no’ and I’ll stop if you don’t want this between us. I just thought since you kissed me, I’d kiss you back.’’
He brushed her hair with his hand as he spoke, telling her he didn’t want even a kiss out of fear or gratitude. He wanted it to be something they gave one another, not something he took.
Allie understood him better than he thought. She also had been alone and wondered what it would be like to have someone by her side. Someone she wasn’t afraid would hurt her. Someone who could share the warmth of a blanket and a touch.
‘‘But if you’ve no objections, kissing you did feel grand,’’ he whispered.
She leaned against him, brushed her lips over his mouth once more, and felt him groan as he finished the kiss she started.
His hand moved through her hair to her shoulders with an awkwardness of need. If he were in pain from her kiss, he wasn’t stopping the action. He moaned again as she opened her mouth.
Allie felt a warmth spread all the way to her toes, just as it had when she’d drank his coffee. Only this taste was sweet. His kiss made her feel like she was floating, with only the light brush of his hands keeping her from rising to the roof.
She’d never dreamed such a hard, scarred man would touch her so lightly, so warmly. Her skin warmed beneath his care as he moved his hands over her shoulders and along her arms. The lace strap of her undergarments followed his fingers to her arm. When he moved his hands back to her throat, he returned the thin strap to its place.
The simple action touched her deeply. She sensed a respect in his touch. He was not handling her, or feeling her, he was caressing her with the tips of his fingers. She relaxed, enjoying the feelings washing over her.
He pulled away, watching her in the dim light. ‘‘Are you all right?’’ he asked, a hint of worry in his low voice.
‘‘Again,’’ she answered, wanting to feel the warmth pass through her body.
He gently cupped her face in his hand. She liked the way his fingers, rough from work, brushed her skin so lightly.
Stretching, she rolled onto her back with her arms at her sides. Waiting. If this was to be their last night together, she would feel his lips again and remember.
But he didn’t kiss her again. He let his thumb leave her cheek and pass lightly back and forth across her slightly swollen lips.
‘‘You taste so good,’’ he whispered without drawing nearer. ‘‘The fullness of your mouth…’’ He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. The movement of his thumb told her of his pleasure.
Arching her head back, she parted her lips in invitation. It seemed madness for him to wait, but the waiting made her want the kiss more.
His thumb passed over her open mouth as he moved closer, pressing the length of his body against her side. When he glanced down, her gaze followed. The pressure of his chest resting against her ribs had increased the swell of her breast. Lace strained across her soft flesh.
When she looked back up, she felt the heat of his gaze and saw that his brown eyes were almost black.
She didn’t move as he raised his hand and slipped two fingers beneath the thin strap of her undergarment. The fingers pulled the material slightly as he lifted the strap over her shoulder to hang at her arm.
She glanced down again, noticing the material had slipped a little so that now the cotton barely covered her breasts. Expecting him to push the material further, she waited. She felt his warm breath against her throat as he watched the rise and fall of lace with each of her rapid intakes of air.
Closing her eyes, she fought down the fear and the embarrassment of him looking at her so closely. Something deep inside her told her he’d stop if she asked. He’d roll away and never touch her or look at her again. But if she asked him to stop, she’d never feel the warmth of his kiss again. And she wanted that heat once more before they parted.
‘‘Put it back,’’ she whispered near his ear in a gentle demand.
Wes studied her with one eyebrow raised. ‘‘What?’’ he said as if he heard, but couldn’t believe her words.
‘‘Put it back,’’ she repeated. If she were to live without fear of this man, it must start now. She had to set the limits.
In slow motion he used the same two fingers to return the strap to its place. He dragged his hand free of the strap, letting his fingertips trail along the lace. ‘‘Are you still waiting for me to kiss you again? Or have you changed your mind?’’
‘‘Again,’’ she answered with a sudden shiver as his fingers moved across the lace at the top of one breast and dipped slightly beneath the material in the valley.
He might allow her to set the limits of their closeness, but he made it plain he planned to test the boundary.
When she didn’t protest, he trailed lightly back up to the lace and moved across the exposed flesh of the breast closest to him. His touch caressed once more, cherished.
‘‘Again,’’ she whispered as his body leaned over her. ‘‘Kiss me again.’’
He didn’t lower his mouth to hers, but slid his hand behind her neck and raised her head to meet his kiss with a sudden urgency.
He’d made her ask twice. It was time to give her fully what she wanted.
Her body jerked with the sudden contact of his mouth on her lips, but she didn’t pull away. His mouth covered hers, and she felt the warmth begin to spread through her once more. As he kissed her, the warmth turned to fire, pulsing through her like heated blood. His mouth was tender and demanding, fulfilling the promise she’d hoped for. She was lost in the sensations flooding her as he made the kiss far more than she’d expected. He was tasting her,
