Page 26 of A Midlife Vanishing Trick

Her eyes were definitely teary. He could see the pain flickering in them. His heart throbbing in his ribcage, he reached across the table, taking her hand in his. She flinched but didn’t try to release herself from his grasp.

“I’m here now,” he told her. “And I’m not going anywhere. I’m not disappearing again. And I’m certainly not dying, no matter what Johan tries to do.” He tried for a smile that he was sure looked like a grimace.

With her free hand, she wiped her eyes. “When you were ... when you were on Frost Mountain ... did you meet anyone else?”

She wouldn’t meet his gaze. It took Stanley a moment to realize what she was asking.

“Oh ...” He couldn’t resist a chuckle. “Allison, of course not. Never. I told you, I never stopped loving you. You were all I could think about.”

To his relief, she smiled a little at that. “So were you.”

She reached up then to touch the locket resting below her collarbone. Stanley’s hand rose to do the same, feeling his heart swell in his chest.

“Your scars,” she said, “how did you get them?”

Stanley glanced down his left forearm. “I got this scar fighting off a polar bear. The one on the other arm ... that was just before I got to Kirnham. Someone tried to kill me and steal the few supplies I had on me. He lost his arm that day. Most of these other scars are from attacks or accidents.”

She stared at him with awe on her face. “Can I touch them?” she suddenly asked.

Before he could answer, she got to his feet and started toward him. Stanley rose, too, without really thinking. For a second, they stood facing each other, their breathing the only sound that filled the kitchen. Then he felt her fingers brush his arm.

“I’m sorry,” he thought he heard her say, “for everything you went through. Four years on that mountain ... it must have been hell.”

“It was.” His voice came out barely above a whisper. His heart was thudding harder in his chest as he followed the path her fingers were tracing along his skin as she caressed his scars. Her other hand came to rest on his chest, and his breathing nearly faltered.

There it was again. That electric spark. He could feel his body awakening, responding to her touch. Allison drew closer, her gaze darting between his eyes and lips. If he leaned a little closer, his lips and hers would be joined. The thought sent his heart racing with anticipation.

“Allison?” he breathed.

“Yes?”

“Are you sure about this?”

She was silent for a moment. “About what?”

He licked his lips. “Should you be standing so close to me right now? You know what happened the last time.”

“I don’t care,” came her reply, and she curled her fingers against his chest.

That was all it took. The next thing he knew, his lips were on hers, and the rest of the world seemed to fall away as he kissed her.

Chapter Nine

“It’s Our Home”

A few seconds before Stanley kissed her, it occurred to Allison that the kitchen wasn’t exactly the ideal location for what was certain to follow. There was no bed, and she wasn’t sure the old table would support their weight. Not to mention that a cowhand could walk in on them at any moment.

Then his lips touched hers, and suddenly, it didn’t matter where they were or who might see or hear them. Her entire world seemed to dissolve into that kiss, and all she could think of was Stanley.

His lips were as soft and fiery as always, enticing her with their delicious warmth, and she was little more than a moth to the flame he promised her. Desire surged through her, raw and desperate, and she felt her awaken, ignited by his sensual mouth. Her heart pounded in her ears, her breathing growing more ragged by the second, and the air around them seemed to rise dangerously.

She let her arms roam, her hands resting on his broad shoulders and traveling south, caressing the length of his own arms. A shiver raced through her body as she traced the path crisscrossing veins on his biceps and forearms with her thumbs, doing the absolute best she could to keep from ripping off his trousers and parting her legs so he could fill her.

Her desire raging through her body, she sighed into the kiss as his strong hands did some roaming of their own. He ran his fingers up her thighs, slightly tugging on her gown. For a moment, his hands settled at her waist, holding her firmly as he claimed her mouth with his eager tongue, and then he lifted them to her breasts, drawing lazy circles around her nipples with his fingers.

“Oh, my—” was all she could get out before Stanley muffled her words with his mouth.

It was he who spoke next. He broke the kiss suddenly. She watched him with bated breath, wondering if the desire she saw in his eyes wasn’t a perfect reflection of her own.

---