sparingly. Had she enjoyed the evening? Would he join her for another cookout? Mostly they rode silently in the hush of evening for the quarter of an hour it took to reach the large white garage directly behind Angela’s apartment. But to Angela, it seemed her heart had been racing for far longer than fifteen minutes.
When the ignition was switched off, Adam got out of the van, walking around the rear of the vehicle toward the passenger side to open her door—as she knew he would. Angela’s teeth sank into her lower lip at the sound of his footsteps against the concrete and the lowering of the garage door which shut them off from the rest of the world. What if he didn’t feelas attracted to her as she did to him? What if she moved first…reaching for him when his heart was not reaching for hers? Then her door came open. She turned to step out but found Adam leaning in, his hands catching her around the waist as she eased off the seat and into his arms. And for the first time since they left the cookout, she looked directly into his face and discovered the very tenderness she had feared she wouldn’t find, waiting there in his eyes.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you all day,” Adam admitted in words that fell gently across her lips. His hands cupped her face, drawing her to him, and his mouth met hers, moving against its softness. She returned his kiss with equal longing. Never in her life had she felt so alive, so wanted. Now. Here. Amid paint cans and bicycles in a cold, dark garage.
But much too soon he let her go.
“I was afraid you didn’t feel what I was feeling.” The admission rushed from her when she had caught her breath enough to speak. “I didn’t know, I couldn’t tell—”
“You’re driving me crazy, and you don’t even know it, do you?” He gave a hint of a smile as he studied the beautiful blue eyes that had so easily captivated him.
“What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything.”
“You don’t need to ‘do’ anything, Angela. Just be near me,” he explained quietly. “That’s becoming difficult enough to deal with.”
“Hmm,” she responded at the significance of hiswords and the feel of his hands resting on her shoulders, stopping her from slipping too far away. “I probably should warn you—you have exactly the same effect on me.”
“Good,” he remarked, and now it was a confident smile that curved the mouth Angela knew was still warm from her kiss. “That’s the way I want it to be. Now, let’s go inside your apartment before your neighbors begin wondering why we haven’t come out of this garage yet.” Adam released her, but not without taking hold of the soft hand he’d already grown accustomed to holding. He grazed her knuckles with a kiss. “C’mon,” he said, “let’s go.”
They walked through the small backyard at a leisurely pace, still holding hands. The autumn air smelled wonderfully fragrant with the scent of apples and wood-burning stoves, and the unraked leaves crunching beneath Angela’s boots had never sounded quite as remarkable as they did this night
They entered the back door to the kitchen, and Angela reached for the light over the sink, although she disliked relinquishing the privacy of the moment A few more minutes in his arms in the dark would have been welcomed…Instead she flipped the switch on, and Adam reached for her jacket, helping her out of it before placing it with his own on the hooks by the door.
Angela’s first order of business when she returned home from anywhere was to slip off her shoes. Tonight, her boots were no exception. They came off easily and she set them in the corner. Then she adjustedher soft socks and moved to a spot in front of the oak cabinets.
“Sit here with me,” she said as she sat down on the carpeted kitchen floor and leaned back against the smooth cabinet doors. She raised a hand to him. “For a while?”
“You like to sit on the kitchen floor,” he stated quietly, trying to find
When the ignition was switched off, Adam got out of the van, walking around the rear of the vehicle toward the passenger side to open her door—as she knew he would. Angela’s teeth sank into her lower lip at the sound of his footsteps against the concrete and the lowering of the garage door which shut them off from the rest of the world. What if he didn’t feelas attracted to her as she did to him? What if she moved first…reaching for him when his heart was not reaching for hers? Then her door came open. She turned to step out but found Adam leaning in, his hands catching her around the waist as she eased off the seat and into his arms. And for the first time since they left the cookout, she looked directly into his face and discovered the very tenderness she had feared she wouldn’t find, waiting there in his eyes.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you all day,” Adam admitted in words that fell gently across her lips. His hands cupped her face, drawing her to him, and his mouth met hers, moving against its softness. She returned his kiss with equal longing. Never in her life had she felt so alive, so wanted. Now. Here. Amid paint cans and bicycles in a cold, dark garage.
But much too soon he let her go.
“I was afraid you didn’t feel what I was feeling.” The admission rushed from her when she had caught her breath enough to speak. “I didn’t know, I couldn’t tell—”
“You’re driving me crazy, and you don’t even know it, do you?” He gave a hint of a smile as he studied the beautiful blue eyes that had so easily captivated him.
“What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything.”
“You don’t need to ‘do’ anything, Angela. Just be near me,” he explained quietly. “That’s becoming difficult enough to deal with.”
“Hmm,” she responded at the significance of hiswords and the feel of his hands resting on her shoulders, stopping her from slipping too far away. “I probably should warn you—you have exactly the same effect on me.”
“Good,” he remarked, and now it was a confident smile that curved the mouth Angela knew was still warm from her kiss. “That’s the way I want it to be. Now, let’s go inside your apartment before your neighbors begin wondering why we haven’t come out of this garage yet.” Adam released her, but not without taking hold of the soft hand he’d already grown accustomed to holding. He grazed her knuckles with a kiss. “C’mon,” he said, “let’s go.”
They walked through the small backyard at a leisurely pace, still holding hands. The autumn air smelled wonderfully fragrant with the scent of apples and wood-burning stoves, and the unraked leaves crunching beneath Angela’s boots had never sounded quite as remarkable as they did this night
They entered the back door to the kitchen, and Angela reached for the light over the sink, although she disliked relinquishing the privacy of the moment A few more minutes in his arms in the dark would have been welcomed…Instead she flipped the switch on, and Adam reached for her jacket, helping her out of it before placing it with his own on the hooks by the door.
Angela’s first order of business when she returned home from anywhere was to slip off her shoes. Tonight, her boots were no exception. They came off easily and she set them in the corner. Then she adjustedher soft socks and moved to a spot in front of the oak cabinets.
“Sit here with me,” she said as she sat down on the carpeted kitchen floor and leaned back against the smooth cabinet doors. She raised a hand to him. “For a while?”
“You like to sit on the kitchen floor,” he stated quietly, trying to find
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