Page 25 of Island Rescuer

The way he said her name only drew her attention up to his mouth. A mouth she’d been wanting to kiss forever. She pushed up on her toes before she could overthink it. Touched her lips to his. A fleeting moment. Not a real kiss. “Thank you. For, um, pulling me out of the nightmare. And the reality, too.”

He was staring at her now, his gaze blazing. Or maybe that was just her embarrassment. She’d crossed a line. “I’ll go.”

But he didn’t release her. “Why?”

He meant the kiss, though it barely qualified. It would insult them both if she pretended otherwise. “Because.”

His palms stroked down to her elbows, back up to her shoulders. “Because, why?”

Between his touch and the rasp in his voice, her knees turned to jelly. Seriously, if he wasn’t holding her up, she feared she’d melt into a puddle of need. “Should I apologize?”

“You should answer me.”

Her fingers tingled, eager to touch him. “Because I’ve wanted to do that for years.”

His dark eyebrows shot up, then snapped into a frown as he studied her. He swore. “You mean that.”

The observation should’ve offended her, but she was too worn out for anything but blatant honesty. “Mm-hm.”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “Should I show you what I’ve wanted for years?”

Her entire body thrummed in anticipation. He wouldn’t be looking at her like that if he only wanted her to go away. Would he? “Please.” If she’d slipped into a dream, she didn’t want to wake up.

His mouth crashed into hers. Intense, incredible. And oh-so-real. His arms came around her, drawing her closer to him. Exactly where she wanted to be. Her entire body seemed to sigh and give, fitting to him perfectly, wholly committed to this new experience. She slid her hands up and over his tantalizing chest, gripping his strong shoulders. Hanging on for dear life, she never wanted this to end.

A sound rumbled through him, and her heart thundered. This was the connection and desire she’d been searching for. All these years, in all the wrong places, with men who were not Knox Moore.

It was quickly turning into the best night of her life, when he jerked away as if she’d scalded him. “Harper. We can’t.”

Her lips were tingling. She pressed her fingers to his chest. “Not a nightmare.”

He caught her hand, held it away from his gorgeous body. “No. But?—”

“Careful, Knox,” she warned. “If you don’t want me, fine. I’ll cope. But don’t youdarewreck the best kiss of my life with some nonsense about duty or timing.”

He stared at her so long tears swam into her eyes. She wouldn’t cry over him. Not again. Definitely not while he watched her fall apart.

“Thanks for the assist with the nightmare,” she said. “Good night, Knox.” She had no idea how, but she summoned the strength to walk back to her bed.

Alone.

ChapterSix

The best kissof her life?

The best kiss of her life.

How was that possible? He couldn’t get over it. The thought kept him up for what remained of the night, rolling through his brain on an endless loop. He had given Harper Ellington the best kiss of her life.

Honestly, he put the kiss into the same category. Off the charts.

Which caused another host of problems that plagued him through the night and into the next morning. His focus remained divided through three rounds of squats, burpees, sit-ups, and the shower that followed, despite the icy temperature of the water.

When he got downstairs, he found her at the kitchen island, working at her laptop, a thick slice of strudel on a plate nearby. Fresh coffee scented the air, confirming his theory that she was way too good for him.

He’d expected her to avoid him. Maybe he’d just been hopeful. Because for a split-second he saw himself walking straight to her and nuzzling that creamy column of her neck as if he had the privilege.

“Come on in,” Harper said. “I won’t bite.”

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