Page 27 of A Soldier's Return

All those reasons he needed to put a stop to this now, before things skyrocketed out of control, raced through his brain, and he tried to find the strength to heed the warnings. He couldn’t do it. She felt too damn right in his arms, as perfect and lovely as a spring morning on Cannon Beach.

She was the one who finally pulled away, easing her mouth slowly from his, her breathing ragged and her eyes dazed and aroused.

A mischievous wind seemed to slide around them, warm and rose scented, though that didn’t make sense since it was too early for roses in the Brambleberry House gardens by about a month.

Eli lowered his arms from around her, the magnitude of what had just happened hitting him like a huge Japanese glass fishing ball dropped from the highest branches of the big pine tree on the edge of the garden.

He had just kissed Melissa Blake Fielding—and not a simple kiss, either, but a hot, passionate, openmouthed kiss that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but what it was. A clear declaration that he wanted her.

“That was...not supposed to happen.” Her voice sounded breathless, thready, sexy as hell.

“Agreed.” He ran a hand through his hair, not sure how to respond.

“I’m not completely sure whatdidhappen,” she admitted. “I meant to just kiss you on the cheek and then somehow...things sort of exploded.”

He had wanted them to explode. Something about the emotional turmoil of the morning had lowered all his defenses, allowing heat and aching hunger to filter through.

“We have both just been through something intense. Sometimes when that happens, when adrenaline spikes and then crashes, people can react in strange ways.”

“That must be it.” She didn’t look particularly convinced and he couldn’t blame her. He had been through plenty of intense things in the military and had never used that as an excuse to tangle tongues with anybody else.

“It was extremely inappropriate of me to kiss you,” he said, his voice stiff.

“Was it?” She blinked, clearly at a loss to understand what he meant.

He sighed and took a step farther away, though he knew the opposite side of the beach wouldn’t be far enough to make him want her less.

“Technically, I’m your boss. You work for me. In some corners, this might be considered workplace harassment.”

She stiffened. “We are not in the workplace right now. And for the record, you did not harass me. I kissed you first.”

“A kiss on the cheek. And then I turned it into something else.”

“I wanted you to,” she admitted. “I kissed you right back. Did you miss that part?”

He frowned. “It still shouldn’t have happened.”

“Maybe not, but nobody harassed anybody. And technically, I work for your father, not you. You’re just the substitute doctor.”

He gave a half laugh, not sure whether to be relieved or offended. “You’re right. I’m leaving again as soon as my dad is on his feet.”

Her features froze for a moment, then she gave a tight smile. “End of story, then. It happened, we can’t change it, so let’s just move on from here.”

He sighed, not knowing what else to say. “Right. Well, I apologize for any inappropriateness on my part and promise it won’t happen again.”

Again, she offered that tight smile. “Great. Now I really do need to get going. You might not be justified in firing me because of the way I kiss, but you could if I’m an hour late to work.”

“This morning’s events more than excuse your tardiness.”

“I’ll let you try to get that one past Carmen and Tiffany,” she said. “I’ll see you at work.”

He waited until she and her neighbor’s dog moved out of sight before he gripped Max’s leash and hurried toward his father’s house, wishing he had time for a quick jump in the cold Pacific before he headed into the office.

Chapter Six

Though she wanted to find a nearby bench in the beautiful gardens at Brambleberry House and just collapse into a brainless, quivering heap, Melissa forced herself to keep walking toward the house, afraid Eli somehow might be watching.

The kiss they had just shared had shaken her to her core. The heat of it, the intensity behind it, the emotions stirring around inside her. Who would have guessed that Eli could kiss a woman until she couldn’t think straight?

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