A Million Kisses or More (10 page)

“The living room….” He couldn’t even finish the sentence, sick at the idea that she was home while the house was being robbed.

Color burnished her cheeks as she said, “I moved everything away from the walls so I could paint tomorrow.”

Relief greater than he should have felt flooded him but his blood was still thrumming hotly through his veins. His fingers curled into his palms and he realized he was still clutching his Taser and the pillow, reminding him why he was there in the first place. Holding the pillow up, grateful that the lust was turning into righteous anger, he asked, “What if I had been a thief, or worse? You planned on defending yourself with this?”

Her lips parted and it was all he could do not to grab her and kiss her. It was chilly in the room and her nipples were pebbled beneath the thin fabric of her top and if he concentrated hard enough, he could almost make out their color. The shirt rode up and that little flash of her belly button piercing caught his attention and he wanted to touch it with his tongue. God, he was going to go to Hell for lusting after her. Focusing on his anger, he ignored the way his body was reacting to being so close to her. “Ana? The front door wasn’t even locked.”

“I’m sorry?” she said uncertainly, her eyes moving over him like a lover’s caress. Despite the fact that he was wearing his polyester uniform and heavy parka, he had the feeling she was picturing what was beneath and she liked what she imagined. Remembered. She had seen him in his boxers.

He tried to tamp down the surge of pride that her look gave him but it was hard. “Ana, I’m serious. You can’t put your life at risk.”

Her lips curved up into a winsome smile as she finally looked up and met his eyes. “Harrison, we’re in the middle of nowhere. The only intruder in this house is you and to be perfectly honest, I kind of don’t mind that you’re here. But
why
are you here?”

“Overactive imagination,” he muttered, putting the pillow down and sliding the Taser back into his belt. Realizing they were standing in her bedroom with a conveniently located bed, he stammered, “Um, maybe we should take this downstairs. And you might want to put on a robe or something. You’re very distracting this way.”

Her dazzling smile nearly undid all of his already-shaky resolve and he wasn’t too proud to admit that he turned around and fled. Having spent some time in the Petersen’s house, he knew his way around so he made his way to the kitchen. It didn’t hurt that it was basically a mirror layout of his house. Deciding he needed some coffee to ease his nerves, he set up the coffee maker, grimacing when he saw that his hands were shaking. Damn, she was going to be the death of him.

As the first drops started to drip, she strolled into the kitchen, the yellow robe hiding her silky nightwear. Trying to keep from looking at her, he busied himself getting mugs down and setting them on the table. Her soft laughter made him turn around and ask, “What?”

“I don’t think coffee is the best idea for me,” she smiled, though she didn’t tell him to put the second mug away. “Since I don’t actually have to be awake.”

“Would you like something else?” he asked, realizing too late that it wasn’t his house and he shouldn’t be acting like it was. But it was either focus on making coffee or lose even more of his mind. Trying to brazen it out, he went over to the fridge and opened it up. Leaning in, fighting every instinct that demanded he claim her, he said, “You have milk and orange juice.”

“I don’t mind having some coffee with you,” she murmured from directly behind him, making him jump. Spinning around, he found her standing right in front of him. If she were to take a deep breath, her nipples would brush his chest. Was it wrong he prayed for her to take a deep breath? As she leaned past him, he caught a whiff of her strawberries and sunshine scent and he nearly groaned out loud. She pulled out the milk and smiled up at him, still standing too close, and added, “But I do want a little milk in mine.”

“Uh huh,” he managed, trying to remember why he couldn’t kiss her, touch her, have her. Fuck, she was eighteen. Eighteen. He was such a perv and yet he couldn’t drag himself away from her. Clearing his throat, he tried to make his body as small as possible as he slinked back to the counter with the coffee pot. He heard her pulling even more things out of the fridge and curiosity warred with self-preservation. When he dared to look over his shoulder, he saw her sweetly rounded ass sticking out while the rest of her body was hidden in the fridge. “What are you doing?”

“I thought you might be hungry,” she explained, stepping back with a pile of food in her arms. “I figured I’d make you something to eat.”

The unexpected thoughtfulness touched his pounding heart and made him feel even more lecherous. Unable to speak, he poured two cups of coffee and set one down on the table while blowing on the scalding coffee to help cool it off faster. Crossing his arms over his chest, awkwardly balancing his cup in one hand so it didn’t spill over his uniform, he asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

She gave him that smile and shook her head no. “But you might want to take off your jacket. I have the temperature set at 78.”

“It seemed much colder than that in your bedroom,” he said absently, putting his cup down before taking off his jacket. Once again, her eyes swept over his body, only this time there was no bulky coat in the way and he could feel her appreciation as a physical thing. He should have kept the blasted thing on because his unruly body was responding. Hell, his cock had been half hard from the moment he met her.

“Probably because my window won’t close all the way,” she said, shrugging it off as if it were no big deal when he knew for a fact that she wasn’t used to the cold weather. “When I opened it to yell at you, it got jammed on something and I can’t get it shut again.”

“I’ll have a look at it before I leave,” he offered before he remembered he had no desire to be in her bedroom. Actually, he had too much desire to be there, therefore it was a very bad idea. But he couldn’t let her freeze to death so he’d suck it up and close her damn window.

“Thank you,” she beamed, gifting him with that smile that made him feel ten feet tall.

“Eighteen,” he muttered under his breath, grabbing his cup and swallowing too much. It burned and it felt as if his mouth was on fire. He tried to act nonchalant when what he really wanted was a glass of ice water.

“Jesus, are you okay?” she asked, coming to his side and pulling the cup out of his hands. Obviously, he had failed miserably at pretending to be all right. Dumping the hot coffee down the drain, she refilled his cup with cool water. She pushed it back into his hand and then encouraged him to drink, not realizing that her breasts were pressed against his chest making his brain forget why his tongue was burning up.

“I should go,” he rasped, losing himself in her eyes as she stared up at him with genuine concern.

“You haven’t eaten anything yet,” she said, her voice soft and a little husky. Her tongue darted out and smoothed across her lower lip and his cock twitched. A quiet gasp slipped out of her mouth, letting him know that she was no longer unaware of his condition. But the little minx didn’t step back and let him keep a smidgen of his sanity. Instead, she remained where she was, neither moving away nor coming closer.

Her scent was filling his nostrils and making it impossible to think. Trying to hold his breath wasn’t working either because he could still smell her. “I really need to leave before I do something we’ll both regret.”

Pressing her hand over his racing heart, she lowered her lashes and murmured, “Will you stay if I promise to stay on my side of the room?” At his hesitation, she looked up at him through those lush lashes and added, “You need to eat.”

He swallowed audibly, every muscle in his body tight, prepared to either seize her or flee. He was a grown man, he could handle this. Besides, he was hungry and if he was being honest with himself, he wanted to spend some more time with Ana, despite the fact that she was too young for him. She made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t felt in a very long time, perhaps forever. Clearing his throat and forcing his lips up into some semblance of a smile, he nodded and prayed his voice came out normal and not strangled. “I’ll stay.”

Again, she pushed up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his in a kiss that was over too soon and then she was gone, back to the other side of the table. One of these days, he was going to be fast enough and he was going to capture her before she could get away. When that day came, he could only hope he was strong enough to keep his lips to himself. Still slightly stunned, he could only watch as she sat down and looked up at him with those wide eyes, “What would you like on your sandwich?”

“Whatever you have,” he managed, unable to think about food when his body hungered for something far more carnal and far sweeter. Stumbling over to the table, he managed to sit down, shifting to ease the constriction against his erection.

“So, Jolie’s at your parents’ house?” she asked, making conversation, her eyes twinkling with laughter.

“Yes,” he said, relieved that she wasn’t pushing him anymore, even if that wasn’t her intention when she stood so close. Talking about his daughter was the perfect way to get his mind off other things, things his mind should never be on. “Because of my schedule, she spends a lot of time there. She loves it and my parents love having her there so it works out well for everyone.”

“Do your siblings still live at home?” she asked, sliding over a perfectly made sandwich as well as her full cup of coffee.

“Tanner is married and lives in town. Ellie is a freshman at the U of M and lives in the dorms,” he said, wondering if she was asking because she was interested in his younger brother who was close to her in age. The thought should make him happy but it kind of pissed him off. But then he realized he was being an idiot – again – and he pushed the traitorous thoughts way, way down. Taking a bite of his sandwich, wondering if it was prudent to make life altering decisions on the basis of how well a sandwich was made, he took a moment before he said, “But Dan sill lives at home. He goes to the local tech college.”

“Nice,” she said, obviously not interested in talking about his brother, which appeased the green eyed beast in his belly. Fidgeting in her seat, stealing glances at him, she was struggling to keep silent but it was apparently too difficult. After a moment, she spoke. “Dan said you moved back up here after your divorce. What happened?”

He smiled because she didn’t continue on with the usual mindless and inconsequential small talk; she went right in for the kill. “Well, my senior year of high school, my girlfriend got pregnant so I joined the military. We got married, the marriage didn’t work out, we got divorced. When I got out of the military, I moved back up here because my family was here and I wanted that for my daughter.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot you’re leaving out,” she said, pulling her foot onto the chair and wrapping her arms around her knee. The simple gesture made her look so damn young and he felt another twinge in his conscience. Just a few more minutes and then he’d leave her alone.

“I’m sure I am, too,” he grinned. “However, it’s late and I’m not going to give you my entire life story, especially since it’s so much longer than yours.”

A slight smile played at her lips but she simply nodded, “Fair enough. But I do want to hear the details someday.”

“Someday,” he agreed, finishing up the food. “Maybe.”

Her adorable nose crinkled as she thought about his words. “When is Jolie’s birthday?”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Ana,” he grinned. He knew he should be mad at her for prying but she was so adorable in trying not to ask that he couldn’t help but smile. “And, yes, Jolie is a prom baby.”

She tilted her head to the side and he found himself mirroring the position. Her tongue swept over her lower lip and he almost lost track of the conversation until she asked, “Was it your first time?”

“Yes,” he deadpanned, enjoying the way her lips parted in surprise. Smirking wryly, he shook his head, “We were together for a long time before that. So, no, it wasn’t our first time.”

She snorted, “I bet.”

Grinning at her, he leaned closer as he said, “It was our first time in a hotel, though.”

Her brows drew together as she asked, “Who was dumb enough to get a room for you?”

A snort of laughter escaped before he answered, “Her parents.”

Sitting here, talking like this, it was easy to forget just how very young she was. There was something about her that just drew him in and he was hesitant to let it go, even though he knew it was the right thing to do. As long as he never forgot who he was while in her presence, he’d be able to keep his hands and lustful thoughts to himself. Later, when he was alone, he’d write out his fantasies and maybe he’d get her out of his system by living vicariously through Justice.

“And what did her parents think of you spending prom in a hotel?” she asked, bringing him back to the present.

He shrugged his shoulders and fought the blush he could feel rising up his neck, “They got us two rooms and they trusted me to stay in my room. Which I did.”

She grinned at him as she waggled her eyebrows, “But your girlfriend didn’t stay in hers.”

“Nope.”

She leaned closer and he swore he could smell her strawberry scent even though there was still a table between them. “I don’t think I’d have been able to stay away either.”

Pride infused his entire body at her words, knowing they were being foolish and he was a fool for staying. “You really shouldn’t say such things to me. You don’t know what kind of man I am.”

“An honorable one, I imagine,” she replied simply.

“I’d like to think so,” he returned, troubled that she would think that of him when he was lusting after her like she was the answer to all of his wickedest prayers.

As if sensing his unease, she asked, “So you grew up here?”

“Yep,” he answered, taking a mental breath of relief that she hadn’t continued telling him what kind of man she thought he was. “I’ve lived here all of my life except for the years I was in the military.”