kitchen wiping down counters, Wyatt grabbed her hand and pulled her in to nestle against his broad chest.
“Kiss me so I know it wasn’t a dream,” he whispered against her hair.
She raised her head and met his lips with her own.
Immediately the kiss turned fiery. His hands tightened around her back trying to pull her even closer. She tried her best to melt her body into his. Her hand rested on his chest and she could feel his heart beating fast and strong under her fingers. She kissed him hard and passionately. His tongue begged for entrance and she opened her mouth wider to allow him to explore.
Just when she thought, she would literally burst into flames he tried to pull away. She held on tighter to his body and he sighed against her lips and then pulled his body a few inches away from her. She felt cold and abandoned and tried to move closer to him. He held her at arms length and rested his forehead against hers. Both were breathing hard.
Finally, when he was able to speak in an almost normal voice, he said, “Oh Lacey, believe me I want you more than you know. But this is special; I want to make sure we don’t rush. We both deserve that.”
He was right. As she tried to control her ragged breathing, she tore her body from his and put as much distance between them as the room would allow.
She appreciated his ability to get control because she did not think she would have been able to stop herself from going much much further in her exploration of him.
“I’m going to make us some coffee and we can sit in the library and talk. How does that sound?” she asked shakily.
He looked at her with that penetrating blue gaze. She knew he too would rather they had gone where they were headed.
He nodded and pulled his phone out and began checking messages while she prepared a tray with coffee and napkins along with a plate of homemade cookies that Tricia had brought with her from the Elkville Café.
As they entered the library, they consciously tried not to touch each other. She set the tray on the table in front of the comfortable couch. They both sat, maybe a little too close, but they had control now, right?
Anxious to finally have this conversation, Lacey said, “Tell me about your wife.”
He seemed relieved that although the subject was not easy it was less volatile then their attraction to each other.
He told her with sadness in his face and voice about his “sweet” Annie. They had finally had the beach wedding she had always dreamed about. Then less than six months afterwards she had been stricken with breast cancer. She was young and her chances were good. The doctors said she had a ninety percent chance of being cured. She did everything they recommended, chemo, radiation, even surgery. She fought a good battle but four months later, she was gone. He held his emotions in check, the effort making his face tight with strain. He told her that even the day before she died she was talking about having children with him. They would never have that chance; he came home from work and found her already gone.
Lacey held his hand tightly a s sympathetic tears filled her luminous green eyes.
He looked at her and said very quietly, “I made up my mind that I would never love again, but I met you and I can’t help it. I think I’m falling for you Lacey.”
H e started to tug at the gold band still on his left hand.
She grabbed his hands and said “No, don’t. Not yet. I want to honor your Annie too.”
He was speechless. Instead of feeling jealous about his feelings of loss, she felt that it only proved how much love he was capable of feeling.
They held each other tightly in comfort, not passion.
She rose quietly and led him upstairs to the remaining guest room. They kissed chastely in the doorway and then she climbed the last flight of stairs to her own third floor domain.
Chapter 19
Lacey slept deeply and dreamlessly. She had thought she would have trouble drifting off knowing that Wyatt
“Kiss me so I know it wasn’t a dream,” he whispered against her hair.
She raised her head and met his lips with her own.
Immediately the kiss turned fiery. His hands tightened around her back trying to pull her even closer. She tried her best to melt her body into his. Her hand rested on his chest and she could feel his heart beating fast and strong under her fingers. She kissed him hard and passionately. His tongue begged for entrance and she opened her mouth wider to allow him to explore.
Just when she thought, she would literally burst into flames he tried to pull away. She held on tighter to his body and he sighed against her lips and then pulled his body a few inches away from her. She felt cold and abandoned and tried to move closer to him. He held her at arms length and rested his forehead against hers. Both were breathing hard.
Finally, when he was able to speak in an almost normal voice, he said, “Oh Lacey, believe me I want you more than you know. But this is special; I want to make sure we don’t rush. We both deserve that.”
He was right. As she tried to control her ragged breathing, she tore her body from his and put as much distance between them as the room would allow.
She appreciated his ability to get control because she did not think she would have been able to stop herself from going much much further in her exploration of him.
“I’m going to make us some coffee and we can sit in the library and talk. How does that sound?” she asked shakily.
He looked at her with that penetrating blue gaze. She knew he too would rather they had gone where they were headed.
He nodded and pulled his phone out and began checking messages while she prepared a tray with coffee and napkins along with a plate of homemade cookies that Tricia had brought with her from the Elkville Café.
As they entered the library, they consciously tried not to touch each other. She set the tray on the table in front of the comfortable couch. They both sat, maybe a little too close, but they had control now, right?
Anxious to finally have this conversation, Lacey said, “Tell me about your wife.”
He seemed relieved that although the subject was not easy it was less volatile then their attraction to each other.
He told her with sadness in his face and voice about his “sweet” Annie. They had finally had the beach wedding she had always dreamed about. Then less than six months afterwards she had been stricken with breast cancer. She was young and her chances were good. The doctors said she had a ninety percent chance of being cured. She did everything they recommended, chemo, radiation, even surgery. She fought a good battle but four months later, she was gone. He held his emotions in check, the effort making his face tight with strain. He told her that even the day before she died she was talking about having children with him. They would never have that chance; he came home from work and found her already gone.
Lacey held his hand tightly a s sympathetic tears filled her luminous green eyes.
He looked at her and said very quietly, “I made up my mind that I would never love again, but I met you and I can’t help it. I think I’m falling for you Lacey.”
H e started to tug at the gold band still on his left hand.
She grabbed his hands and said “No, don’t. Not yet. I want to honor your Annie too.”
He was speechless. Instead of feeling jealous about his feelings of loss, she felt that it only proved how much love he was capable of feeling.
They held each other tightly in comfort, not passion.
She rose quietly and led him upstairs to the remaining guest room. They kissed chastely in the doorway and then she climbed the last flight of stairs to her own third floor domain.
Chapter 19
Lacey slept deeply and dreamlessly. She had thought she would have trouble drifting off knowing that Wyatt
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