Grinning, Maverick couldn’t help but puff his chest. “You figured me out quickly, Hannah. I commend you for that.” He leaned closer, still holding her hand. “Does that mean you’ll go along with the story I plan on telling my grandfather?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Indeed, but I must know what you’re going to tell him first.”
He chuckled and released her hand, rolling away from her. “If anyone asks – especially people you don’t know very well – we have been corresponding through letters for a few months.”
Hannah folded her arms, but her fingers tapped against her arm. “People are going to ask about when we first started writing. Who introduced us?”
His mind quickly searched for an explanation. “I could say I saw you on stage with your performing group.”
Her smile disappeared. “I’d rather them not know about that time in my life. As I’d mentioned, it ruined my reputation.”
“Fine, then we can say that you are friends with my cousin from Colorado, and she connected us.”
Hannah’s pretty eyes widened. “What’s your cousin’s name?”
“Beth.”
“Does your grandfather know about Beth?”
Maverick chuckled. “He does.”
“Then I believe,” she sat straighter, “we have an agreement.”
“Splendid.” He reached for her hand again, and she willingly gave it to him in a hearty shake. But, feeling a little mischievous, he gently tugged on her arm, and she came forward. Surprise registered on her expression, making her eyes sparkle.
“You know, Hannah, I think our marriage will actually work out.”
She tilted her head as her gaze narrowed. “You sound skeptical.”
As he studied her lovely features, the temptation grew to take her in his arms to see if they were compatible in other ways. While growing up, he was known as the woman-charmer. All of his childhood friends knew it, and even his family. Out of him and his brothers, he was the one that turned the girls’ head, which made him the brother the other two had a hard time trusting. But once he and his brothers started working for their grandfather, Maverick had been so busy with the logging camps that he hadn’t found much time to meet women – or steal them from his brothers. Perhaps the mail-order bride idea had been a good one, after all.
“Well,” he said slowly, trying to phrase his words correctly, “I think we are well-suited as we both know how to communicate with one another. However, there is another aspect that I wonder about.”
“What is that?”
The innocence on her face made him want to smile. He didn’t doubt that a few men had kissed her, yet, for some reason, her expression made him wonder if she was new at the flirting game. The competitiveness inside him grew, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her so passionately that it would remove the memory of those other men.
“Did you kiss your beaus?”
She snapped upright, and her eyes widened again. He found it odd that she wasn’t blushing. In fact, it almost appeared that her face had lost some color.
“I... I... I’m not sure what that has to do with our conversation.”
The poor woman looked perplexed, and he wanted to chuckle over her momentary loss for words. He was sure her mind quit working for a moment. Why wouldn’t she think kissing had anything to do with marriage?
“Actually, Hannah, kissing has a lot to do with marriage.”
Her face flamed, but she still appeared frightened. He couldn’t let her feel this way about him. He was generally a nice guy, especially toward women.
Keeping her hand in his, he stroked the soft skin at her wrists. Her breathing had turned ragged, and her gaze dropped to his mouth. His heartbeat quickened. He must be doing something right, and he hoped that any minute he’d have her in his arms and testing the waters of her resistance.
“I suppose,” she said with a ragged breath, “that since we will be getting married soon, that it’s all right to share a kiss.”
He grinned wider. “Trust me, Hannah, it’s perfectly fine. I assure you it’s normal to kiss each other before the wedding.”
Slowly, he sat up and scooted closer to her. Her eyes were still round with hesitation, and he didn’t want to scare her in any way. If she told him to stop, he would.
Her breathing became labored, but she sat stiffly and allowed him to move closer. He caressed her cheek before cupping her cheek. Her skin was cool to the touch, but that only made him want to kiss her and warm up her body that much more.
Maverick leaned closer, studying her expression. Her heart-shaped lips tempted him more than he was prepared for, and more than anything, he wanted to hear her sigh of pleasure as he moved his lips across hers.
“It’s all right,” he said huskily. “You can relax. Don’t be afraid.”
Her throat jumped with what must have been a hard swallow. “I’m not afraid,” she whispered.
“Then relax... and enjoy.”
The moment he touched his lips to hers, she gave a quick intake of breath. It wasn’t quite the pleasurable sigh he’d hoped for, but he’d make certain that would come soon. But when her hands clasped the front of his shirt, he took this as a good sign. At least she hadn’t pushed him away yet.
Keeping his hand holding her face against his, he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. Gently, he slid his palm down her back, persuading her closer with a little pressure. It seemed to work because she leaned against him.
Maverick took special care to kiss her tenderly. At first, he left small kisses along her lips – first on the top lip, and then on the bottom. He wanted to deepen the kiss, but until she relaxed, he didn’t want to do anything that might upset her.
Gradually, the stiffness in her body began to disappear. His heartbeat picked up rhythm, knowing things were only going to get better from this point. He anticipated the excitement he’d
