Page 41 of An Enchanted Spring

His eyes met hers, and she saw it—raw hunger. As he raised his hand, so slowly, she parted her lips, hoping for a second taste of Aidan MacWilliam.

The sound of something rustling above her head forced her to look up.

Aidan brought a bag of coffee down to the counter and trapped her between his arms.

She couldn’t move. She didn’twantto move.

They stood like that for a long moment before he shook his head a little, as if questioning his sanity, before he placed his hand on her jaw, tugged it open, and melded his firm lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered closed, and suddenly she was enveloped in his arms, his hand stroking her neck. He cradled her head and flicked his tongue to hers. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought them up to his neck, pushing the towel from him. He kissed her gently, carefully, as though she would break.

She sighed softly and leaned into him, and he growled into her mouth. Aidan kept one hand in her hair, his fingers gentle, and pressed his other hand into the small of her back,bringing her body flush with his. He deepened the kiss, devouring her in the best of ways. Emma felt cherished, branded, and hot all over.

She pressed into him harder, and he slid his hand up her spine, sending chills throughout her overheated body. She ran her fingers through his hair, surprised at its softness. He drew her attention away from wandering thoughts, when, without breaking the kiss, he grasped her waist and lifted her onto the counter. He angled her head and the kiss took on a life of its own, searing her.

She lost all coherent thought.

His hands were on her back, her shoulders, her hair, her legs. She dragged her hands up his abs, feeling the ridges of muscles and flesh; she wanted to tear his shirt off and kiss him everywhere, all at once.

“Ahem.”

Dimly, she registered that someone was standing on the other side of the island, and she tried to disengage from Aidan.

“Kitchen’s closed,” Aidan said, his voice rough. He rested his forehead against Emma’s.

“Let me know when it’s open, all right? I need some coffee before I start working,” Colin replied, the grin in his voice unmistakable. A few seconds later, a door opened and closed.

They looked at each other for a moment, breathing hard, and didn’t say anything. Aidan flicked his gaze to her lips, and kissed her hard and deep before pulling away. “I won’t apologize for that.”

More confused than ever, she glared at him. “I don’t know whether to slap you or…or…”

His green gaze locked on her for another moment, and he let out a sudden chuckle. “Christ, Emma, what you reduce me to. Kissing you in my cousin’s kitchen.”

“That felt more like ravishing,” she snapped before she could stop herself. She slid off the counter.

He brought his body against hers once more, and she cursed herself for freezing in place. He leaned down, his mouth on her ear, and ran his tongue along it. “If you thought a mere kiss was a ravishment, then you’ve never been properly ravished,” he whispered. He wagged his eyebrows at her, and she pushed away from him. He chuckled.

“I hate it when I miss a good joke,” Reilly said, walking in. He was dressed similarly to Aidan, in shorts and a tee, holding a towel and a water bottle. His jaw hardened when he saw the two of them together. “You look like you’re ready for our exercise this morning, MacWilliam. And your lady friend looks like she may be in need of a guardian.”

“Give it a rest, O’Malley.”

“I’m a Protector,” Reilly said, as though that were some sort of explanation.

Emma wrinkled her brow. “What do you protect?” she asked.

“All sorts of things,” he replied. “Lasses, mostly.”

She arched a brow at him. “That’s archaic.”

“More like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, lass.” He threw a nod toward Aidan, who gave her a quick grimace and headed out the back door.

“Is it safe to enter?” Colin asked, poking his head in the kitchen. He gave her a dazzling smile and noticed the bag behind her. “Ah. I see you found the coffee.”

She threw up her hands and stomped toward the stairs, leaving Colin scratching his chin, a smile on his face, in the kitchen.

Chapter 8

Aidan ran along the street, barely breaking a sweat. Reilly kept pace easily and, perhaps more importantly, silently. Aidan did not want to discuss the events of his morning, and certainly not with Reilly.

They made their way through the streets of Boston’s Back Bay, and Aidan couldn’t help but notice the signs of spring. The trees showed their green, and some residents already filled their flower boxes with colorful tulips, daffodils, and peonies. It was pleasantly cool.

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