A Most Shocking Revelation by Kristi Gold Page A

that?”
    â€œLet me show you.” His voice had a provocative quality, as if he would gladly serve as her guide in any endeavor, both the nice and the naughty.
    He lifted her arm and brought the ax back down, splintering the limb in two with only one attempt.
    â€œI don’t think I’m cut out for this,” she said, her tone laced with frustration. She didn’t like to fail at anything.
    He pressed closer to her and Valerie froze. “Have you noticed you always seem to be behind me?” she said in a breathless voice.
    â€œYeah, but I know how to remedy that.” He slid his hand up her arm to her shoulder and then brought his lips to her ear. “Put down the ax and turn around.”
    All the wisdom in the world couldn’t stop her from answering his low, compelling command. All the reasons why she shouldn’t seemed to float away on the crisp breeze. She lowered the ax to the top of the pile—in slow motion it seemed—and turned into his arms.
    â€œWhat now?” she asked, although she saw the answer in his dark eyes.
    â€œI’m going to do what I’ve wanted to do to you since the first day I saw you.”
    Without even a moment’s hesitation he framed her face in his palm and lowered his mouth to hers. Just a kiss, she told herself. Just an uncomplicated kiss—and there was nothing uncomplicated about it. He leisurely parted her lips with his tongue before slipping it inside. He kept it soft, kept it unhurried, kept her pulse fluttering. His palms drifted to her hips, and hers managed to find their way beneath the flannel to the T-shirt.
    When he went deeper, explored more fully, Valerie recognized this kiss was an epic occurrence. An experience to be savored. A mind-ripping kiss…that she had to halt now.
    Valerie pulled back and brought her hands to his chest, intending to push him back. Instead her palms encountered the corded muscle, the rapid beat of his heart, and she couldn’t find the will to take them away.
    She’d try a meager protest, about all she could handle at the moment. “We shouldn’t be doing this, Gavin.”
    He surveyed her face before kissing her forehead. “Why not?”
    â€œWhat will the neighbors think?” And that was quite possibly the lamest thing she’d said in her twenty-seven years.
    â€œFirst, I only have one real neighbor, and his house is two pastures over.” He kissed her cheek. “Second, he’s a good friend—Logan Voss—and he wouldn’t care.” He kissed her other cheek.
    â€œThird, even if he did care, that wouldn’t matter to me. What just happened between us does matter to me. A hell of a lot.” He laid his lips on hers again, kissed her until she felt as if the frozen ground could open up and consume her and she wouldn’t really care.
    Reality returned, forcing her out of his arms. “It’s just not a good idea, us getting involved beyond friendship. I might not be here much longer.”
    He looked sorely disappointed. “Did you find a new place today?”
    â€œNo, not a thing. But I didn’t mean at your house, I meant in Royal. I might move on soon.”
    He slipped his hands in his pockets. “You’re the free-spirit sort, huh?”
    No, she wasn’t. She never really had been, although a few minutes before, she’d felt more liberated than she had in a long time. Maybe even a lifetime. “I’m not sure I fit in here.”
    â€œWhat if I want you to stay a while, both in Royal and in my house?”
    Oh, how tempting that would be. “I don’t know—”
    â€œOnly until after the holidays. Then you can decide.” He reached out and stroked her cheek, once chilled from the night air setting in, now warm from his kiss.
    She hugged her arms close to her middle. “We should see about dinner now. Hopefully your oven isn’t on fire.”
    He checked his watch. “It