Moonlight Kiss

Reid stepped into the tub and then held out his hand to assist her. “Careful, it can get slippery.”

Addison took his hand. “Ahh, you were right—this feels heavenly,” Addison said after she sat down in the bubbling water. She eased onto the bench seat and leaned back. “Oh yeah, this is the ticket. I feel as if my bones are turning to Jell-O.”

“You can thank me later.”

Addison laughed. “Oh, I plan on it,” she said with a smile that held all sorts of promises. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the edge of the tub. Moonlight caressed her face and shoulders and the delicate column of her throat. The gurgling water played peekaboo with her breasts, giving him tantalizing glimpses. Her mouth looked pink and wet from the spray of the water and her cheeks were flushed from the heat. She’d piled her hair up in a sloppy bun but loose, dark tendrils clung to her neck. Reid watched her, drinking in the sight but allowing her to relax, when he wanted to scoot over there and slide his naked body against hers.

The feelings he tried so hard to suppress seemed to grow deeper by the minute, expanding and reaching into places he didn’t know existed. He’d been semiserious a couple of times, like he told her, but what he left out was that no one brought out the feelings of protectiveness, possessiveness, and flat-out desire. He’d never had a woman occupy his thoughts the way Addison did or make his heart race just from looking at her.

Addison opened her eyes and their gazes held, locked. His heart thudded when, without speaking, she closed the gap between them and straddled his lap. Her skin felt like wet silk sliding against him. She came up on her knees and held on to his shoulders, offering her breasts. Reid cupped them in his hands licking, sucking, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples until her breath came in short gasps. He felt her thighs tremble and she sank into the water, wrapped her arms around his neck and fell into a long, hot kiss.

Reid wanted to thrust upward and take her right there, but he didn’t have protection and so he held back. She kissed his neck while moving erotically against him, letting her breasts slide against his chest, and then slid her fingers in his wet hair, kissing him once more. Reid caressed her back, cupped her ass, letting his hands explore her wet, warm body.

The jets suddenly went silent, leaving only the light sound of water lapping with their movements. Moonlight spilled over them and the music of the night lingered on the gentle breeze.

“Let’s take this inside,” Reid said in her ear.

“Yes . . . please.”

“Ah, sexy and polite too. What more could I ask for?” Reid teased, and she laughed. But, truly, what more could I ask for? He felt his guard slipping away. Where she had come from and who she had been engaged to no longer seemed to matter. “Uh, unfortunately, I forgot towels. Do you want me to run inside and get you one?

“No, I’ll brave it,” she said, “but we’ll get the floor wet.”

“A small price to pay,” Reid said and then scooped her up.

“I can walk!”

“I like having your naked body in my arms.”

“Just hold on tight, huh?”

“And never let go.” He hadn’t meant to say that part out loud. Instead of giving her time to think about it he hurried into the cabin, dripping wet and laughing all the way. After grabbing two big, fluffy towels out of the linen cabinet he handed her one. “I brought your bag in here in case you needed anything,” he said. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He cleared his throat and said, “You’re welcome to spend the night.”

“Do you want me to?”

“Absolutely.”

She smiled.

“Good, I’m going to turn off the hot tub and lock up. Do you want anything?”

“You.”

God . . . he thought but leaned over and gave her a kiss. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

Addison nodded, and he saw a flash of something in those big brown eyes that looked like hope. Over and above anything else he didn’t want to be another man who disappointed or hurt her. The increasing intensity of his feelings for Addison caught him by surprise. He was a guy who liked to think things through, study, analyze, so it left him feeling a bit vulnerable and exposed. But with it came an odd sense of freedom. After so many years of holding back from taking even a little risk in both his professional and personal life he was really ready to listen to Sara’s advice and take a leap of faith.

When Reid returned Addison was curled up beneath the covers, sound asleep. He gazed down at her and smiled. She looked angelic, lying there with one hand tucked under her chin. Her bare shoulders reminded him that she was naked and his blood stirred. But he wouldn’t wake her. She needed the rest.

But tomorrow? Now, that would be a different story.

After brushing his teeth he slid beneath the sheet and pulled her close. She stirred, mumbled something, and then sighed. While making love to her again would have been awesome, Reid acknowledged that having her sleeping in his arms was a close second.

21 Flower Power

WHEN THE BELL OVER THE DOOR DINGED MAGGIE looked up from the model home plan she’d been studying.

“Look what I’ve got for you!” said Gabby Goodwin, the cute little owner of Flower Power. She had to lean her head to the side to see beyond the big bouquet of colorful spring flowers.

Maggie took off her reading glasses and stood up. With a hand to her chest she asked, “For me?”

Gabby wiggled her eyebrows. “Yes, indeed. Someone sure does like you.” She put the vase down on the desk and smiled. “Care to elaborate?” She tucked a golden curl behind her ear and waited.

Maggie took the small envelope from the tall plastic tong and then opened it. “Looking forward to dinner and dancing in the moonlight tonight. Richard,” she read silently. “Oh, just a client,” Maggie said, but felt a warm glow slide across her cheeks.

“Sure, he is,” Gabby drew out the comment with a smile. “Dinner and dancing in the moonlight? That sounds incredibly romantic if you ask me.”

“How did you . . . Oh right. You wrote this down for him when he called it in.” Maggie tried to make light of it.

“Is he hot? “

Maggie felt her blush deepen. “Yes . . .” Her voice turned into a small squeak.

“Sweet! This is when I love delivering flowers. Men . . .” Gabby rolled her eyes. “They think the best time to send a lovely bouquet of flowers is when they’ve messed up. Wrong.” Gabby wagged her fingers.

Maggie laughed.

“Yeah, I’ve had flowers handed back to me— No, make that thrust back at me. One woman walked over and tossed them out the back door! Right in front of me! I wanted to tell her to just give them to someone else . . . a neighbor or something, but you don’t want to mess with that kind of crazy.”

“So, you’re saying that the time to send flowers is for no reason at all.”

“Absolutely.” Gabby nodded slowly. “I mean, it’s great to do that too, you know, on Valentine’s Day or your anniversary. Even then they should put some thought into it. Just a simple thing like a favorite color or a special note. Guys just don’t get that women are pretty easy to please.”

“Sounds like you’re talking from experience.”

Gabby scrunched up her cute little nose. “I’m the poster child for dating douche bags. Oh well . . .” She smiled and pointed to the arrangement. “But this guy sure has got it going on. Flowers for no reason? Dancing in the moonlight? Damn, girl . . .”

Maggie laughed again. “Oh, Gabby, someone’s missing the boat by not snatching you up. Someday your prince will come.”