Page 69 of Merry Mended Hearts

His breath coaxed my skin as he edged ever nearer. And then his lips touched mine with exquisite agony. His mouth was just a brushstroke, as gentle as a wave upon the sand. The pressure was light enough to tease but present enough to make me want more.

I didn’t want to rush this. I didn’t want to take too much too soon. So I let him lead, resting my hands on his chest as his hands cradled my face, and he allowed his lips to introduce themselves.

They pressed once, twice, three times in gentle motion. And the third time, they lingered. The intensity changed, then. Boone gathered me to his chest, pulling me onto his lap where I’d wanted to go all along.

I wove my fingers into his hair, allowing him to deepen the kiss, to explore and take as much as he wanted. He pushed me so I was the one sitting nearest to the table, pressed into the couch as he parted my mouth with his.

His hand settled on my stomach, his fingers tracing my ribs. His kiss was hungry. Ravenous. And mine kept right up. I wanted this kiss to envelop me. I wanted to do nothing but this for as long as we could.

But we were alone here, and considering all that snow outside, we might be alone for a good long while. Even though I craved it, I couldn’t let either of us get too carried away.

This time, I took the lead. I placed my hands on his face, sitting up and savoring the taste of his lips, slowing the tempo.

He angled his head, familiarizing his mouth with mine. My entire body lit up with his every touch, illuminating my awareness and luring me in like a hypnotic song.

His lips were velvet. His hands were harnesses. I felt myself wanting to cave, to burrow in this exact place and stay for a while. But we couldn’t let things go too far.

I couldn’t let things go too far.

Gradually, the kiss slowed. I let my mouth linger, relishing the feel of his against mine, intaking his breath, feeling his pulse rattle before drawing away. His eyes smoldered. His lips were swollen, and his mouth smirked in an inquisitive kind of way like he wasn’t done exploring me yet.

Heaven help me.

“Wow,” I said with a breath, sitting back, needing the space between us.

“What?”

“You…”

“Me, what?”

He nipped another kiss. I gripped his shoulders and pressed my forehead against his.

“I’ve never been kissed like that before. It was…” Boone was going to overtake me if I wasn’t careful.

This was dangerous.

“You’re incredible,” he said, stealing another kiss.

I ground my fingers into his shoulder and pushed him back. How could I say what I needed to?

“Tonight has been magical. Like something from a story, and I want to make sure we don’t take things to a place we’ll regret.”

“We won’t,” he said, pressing another kiss to my mouth. “I promise.”

Each time, each kiss was more decadent than the last. It grew to the point where I was ever more certain I could thoroughly enjoy kissing this man for the rest of my life.

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” he said against my mouth.

“No?”

“No.” Whisper-soft, his lips skimmed the surface of mine before dipping in a little bit deeper. “You came out of nowhere, and I haven’t been the same since.”

I decided to be honest. “Me, neither. You’ve been on my mind since the moment we met.”

He cradled my face. “I find that hard to believe, unless you’re referring to my treatment of you. I wasn’t the nicest guy on the planet. I can see why you couldn’t stop thinking of the nasty sleigh driver.”

“I didn’t say you were always nice. In fact, I was ready to make you a villain in my book.”

---