Page 157 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“Is that right?”

“Yep.” Maybe she was playing with fire, but she wanted to get to know Corbin and was tired of putting up so many barriers. She didn’t want to spend her life alone. She was tired of feeding the wrong wolf. There was that darn analogy again, but it had hit home. “Care to join me?” Her heart picked up a beat as she waited for his reaction.

A brilliant smile broke across his lips, causing her to lose her train of thought for a second. “I thought you’d never ask.” He got up and sat beside her.

Her heart hammered against her ribcage and she wondered if he could hear it.Sheesh!With him this close, it was hard toconcentrate. His scent was clean and masculine with a hint of mint.

He reached for the paper. “Okay, what you got?”

She sat up straight, her back resting against the headboard as she started from the beginning. After the first round of the chorus, he joined in. His baritone voice was full and rich. They harmonized automatically, him taking over the melody while she played around with the harmonies. Like Wallace said, Corbin was good. The entire time they sang, all she could think about was that these lyrics offered a clear window into her heart, letting him know that she was having some strong feelings for him. Maybe it was good that they were singing. She could express herself better through music than dialogue. When the song ended, she put down the guitar and turned to face him. “What do you think?”

His eyes were riveted to hers and in them she saw desire swirled with a tenderness that sang to her heart. In this moment, her fears were soothed in a manner she’d not thought possible. “I love it,” Corbin uttered. Her breath caught when he touched her cheek. His finger trailed along her lips, lightly tracing their outline. A tender ache grew in her throat as she leaned closer. This time, it was her lips that touched his first, moving softly and cautiously until he deepened the kiss, pulling her into his arms.

The need for him was intoxicating, sending scrumptious quivers tingling down her spine as she buried her hands in his messy hair that her fingers had been longing to touch. His lips were hard, demanding, but she met him measure for measure, reveling in the way her spirit soared to the sky. Kissing Corbin was more thrilling than a thousand concerts all rolled into one.

Finally, he pulled back. His magnetic eyes burning with intensity as he searched her face. “Please tell me that wasn’t pretend.”

She laughed lightly, resting her palms on his chest, taking note of his rock-hard muscles. “No.”

He touched her wig. “Can I take this off? So I can feel your real hair?”

Delicious shivers danced through her. “Absolutely.”

They both laughed as he attempted to remove the wig, but the combs were embedded deep in her hair. She let out a tiny yelp at the pain of her hair being pulled.

“Sorry. I better let you do it.”

She took off the wig and hair net, then ran her fingers through her hair, which she was sure was an absolute mess.

“Let me do that.” His hands went up the back of her neck, into her hair. “Much better,” he murmured, his lips taking hers once more.

When the kiss was over, he rested his forehead against hers. His hands went to her arms as he rubbed them up and down. “You’re incredible.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

He pulled back, searching her face. She could tell he wanted to say something. “What?” she asked.

Concern trickled into his eyes. She swallowed, her fears returning with a vengeance. “What is it?”

“I want to tell you something, but I don’t want you to freak out.”

“Okay.”Geez.He’d not even told her the bad news yet, and she was already freaking out.

“I’m falling hard for you.”

It took a second for her mind to process what he’d said. A warm glow settled over her.

He tightened his hold. “Don’t retreat. Please.”

She was giddier than a bubbly teenager, unable to hold back the laugh in her throat. “That was your bad news?”

He looked puzzled. “I never said the news was bad. Just that I wanted to tell you something and didn’t want you to freak out.”

She cupped his face. “Why? Because I’ve been feeding the wrong wolf for so long?”

His eyes rounded as he laughed. “You have been talking to Pops.”

“A little. You know, he’s a smart guy, you should pay more attention to his advice.”

---