Happily Never After by Bess George Page A

His eyes glowed with an inner fire as he stared down into her upturned face, his mouth a scant few inches from her own.
    The rise and fall of his chest brushed hers with every breath. His sheer magnetism made her mouth dry as a desert, and she licked her parched lips. Her heartbeat quickened as she recognized the desire in his eyes.
    Lust slammed through her, strong and all-consuming. It scared the heck out of her. Embarrassment crept up her neck at how caught up she’d been in the night. How much she wanted that kiss . But this was wrong. He was wrong for her. Every instinct within warned that he was too bold and full of life ever to fit in her world.
    “Bode,” she stammered. “I need to go. Please take me back.”
    After a deep breath, he placed his forehead against hers. “We could take this slow, see where it takes us.”
    All she could manage was a silent shake of her head.
    He reached out, lacing their fingers together. She followed him back to the passenger side. Once she got in, he didn’t move away from the open door. One of his big hands brushed her hair back. “Are you okay?”
    How could such gentle hands be a part of this big man? He was the embodiment of a gutsy cop, the type of person who would always run toward danger instead of away. A man much like her father had once been before he became consumed with dominating her mother. She needed to squash this physical attraction.
    “That was—”
    He gave her a wolfish grin. “Almost combustible. How about we try it again. And again.”
    The impulse, to roll her eyes, could not be denied. Okay, gone was the sensitive, sweet man, who absorbed her every word with genuine interest.
    Laugh lines crinkled at the corner of his mouth when he grinned at her. “Sure you don’t want to change your mind about going back?”
    The temptation to finish what they’d almost started overwhelmed her. For the first time in her life, her hormones wanted a say in the decision. And they were saying, yes, yes, yes .
    His arched brow irritated her and good sense returned. “I’m sure, Prince Charming not-so-much.”
    Laughter rang out as he shut her door. Her flushed cheeks in the side mirror mocked her. This was what she wanted.
    Right?
    Bode drove back to town while casting quick peeks at Kelsey’s profile. She appeared pale in the dim light from the dash and held her hands clasped together in her lap.
    He didn’t understand what had occurred tonight. At the start of the evening, he was determined to keep things casual and friendly. He’d planned a simple, welcome-to-the-neighborhood kind of dinner.
    Then, as the night wore on he enjoyed her sense of humor so much, he forgot why she was off limits. Jokes and laughter flowed so natural between them, it slipped his mind to maintain a cool distance.
    They had approached the first street lights in the city when a vibration on his hip made him sigh. He plucked his cell phone from the clip. The number listed on the caller ID made him sigh a second time.
    “Taggert.” He listened to the conversation and grunted his agreement. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” After hanging up, he looked over at her. “I’m sorry. I need to drop you off and go to work.”
    Her upper body slumped as if in relief. There was no reason for her actions to aggravate him, but they did. He was attracted to her beauty. What surprised him was how much he liked her. Once her walls came down, she was funny and easy to talk with.
    “Okay.”
    His stomach dropped at the flat tone of her voice. At the hotel, she opened her door and jumped down to the ground without waiting for him. He hurried to catch up so he could stop her.
    “Kelsey, wait.” Her eyes glistened with tears, and the angst staring back, shook him to the core. “Don’t be afraid of me. I would never hurt you.”
    Her nose scrunched up as if she wanted to cry. The strong compulsion to wrap her in his arms brought him back to reality. What was he doing here with a woman so