Page 38 of A Brambleberry Summer

She could want, with a searing intensity that left her breathless.

She wanted to drag him to the dewy grass and kiss him for hours. And more. She wanted more with him.

And then what?

Cold, hard reality seemed to push through the dreamy haze that surrounded her.

After this kiss, then what? Try as she might, she couldn’t envision a scenario where she and Wyatt could have anything but a few wild kisses. Where they could live happily ever after.

He was a police detective and she was...herself. A product of what had happened to her and the choices that had led her here to this moment.

They could never be together, so what was the point in setting herself up for more pain?

She drew in a breath, willing her hunger to subside. When she thought she had herself under control enough that she could think straight again, she slid her mouth away, cooled by the night air that swirled around them. After another inhalation, she made herself take a slight step back.

She couldn’t see him clearly, but she could tell he had been as caught up in the kiss as she was.

He gazed down at her, his eyes slightly unfocused and his hair messy from her fingers. He looked so delicious, she had a hard time not stepping straight back into his arms.

She had to say something, but all the words seemed tangled up inside her like fishing line discarded on the beach, a jumble of Spanish and English that made no sense, even to her.

She finally swallowed hard and forced a smile.

“That was a surprise.”

He continued to look down at her, his face so close she could see each distinct long eyelash and the fine network of lines etched into the corners of his eyes.

He released a long breath. “Yes. It was.”

“I thought you meant a little good-night kiss like a friend would give a friend.”

“That was substantially more, wasn’t it?”

She could feel the imprint of his mouth on hers, could still taste him on her tongue—the wine and mint, the strawberries and cream from the dessert his sister had made. She shivered a little, wishing she could lean in for another kiss.

“Indeed.” She hated this awkwardness between them, especially after the closeness they had shared on the walk from his sister’s house. She shook her head.

“I’m sorry if I turned the kiss into more than you wanted.”

“You didn’t. That is the problem. I want, though I know I should not.”

He gave a slightly raw-sounding laugh, as if startled by her honesty. “Same. I want. And I know I should not. What are we going to do about that?”

Rosa spent a delicious moment imagining what she would like to do. She wanted to drag him up two flights of stairs to her cozy bedroom under the eaves and spend the entire night exploring all his muscles and hard edges.

That was impossible, for a hundred reasons. The biggest one was right now at the house they had come from.

“I don’t know what you will do, but I will go inside, take a soak in the tub and try to focus on something else.”

A muscle worked along his jawline as if he was trying to keep himself from responding. He finally nodded. “I suppose that’s for the best.”

Rosa managed a smile, trying to pretend she wasn’t fighting with everything inside her to keep from doing what she longed to do—tug him back into her arms and kiss him again until they both forgot all the shoulds and should nots.

“Good night to you, Wyatt. I enjoyed the evening...and the kiss.”

“Rosa...” he began, but she didn’t wait to hear what he said. She hurried up the steps, unlocked the front door with hands that trembled and rushed up to her apartment.

As she took the stairs quickly, she thought she felt an odd cold spot on the stairs and had the strangest feeling that the house or its inhabitants were disappointed in her.

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