Page 45 of Demon Loved
Shades of blue and green, just like they’d discussed a few days earlier. The London blue topaz had the faintest greenish undertone, making it an interesting but also perfect companion to the center variscite. Angela did a lot of that, pairing stones that at first you might not have imagined together but then couldn’t see any other way.
“I love it,” Bree said. “And I’d put it on right now, but it’s probably safer in the box.”
“It didn’t come with a chain anyway,” Bill responded, now practical. “You wouldn’t have had anything to hang it on.”
Well, that was true. She probably had a cord stashed somewhere in her backpack because she always carried stuff like that around just in case, but better to wait until she could put it on a real chain, or maybe one of the thin leather cords with silver clasps she tended to prefer for hanging her pendants.
She carefully closed the box and then secured it in one of the inner pockets of her purse, zipping it tight so there was no chance of her present going anywhere. Then she turned back to him.
“Thank you, Bill. That was…super thoughtful.”
While she was messing with her backpack, he must have taken off his sunglasses, because now his eyes met hers, intensely green, reflecting the hues of the leaves overhead.
“I’m always thinking of you,” he said simply.
Did he lean in first, or was she the one who moved closer to him? She couldn’t say for sure. All she knew was that in the next moment, their lips were touching. His arms went around her, stronger than she’d expected despite the muscles his T-shirt revealed.
Time seemed to stop, or at the very least, the world went on around them while Bree thought she and Bill must have been suspended somewhere outside it, in a perfect moment when nothing mattered except the sensation of his mouth against hers, a certain sweetness to his taste that might have been from the water they’d drunk a while earlier.
Or maybe that was just him.
The kiss went on and on, her entire body thrilling at the embrace, all honey and gold, but at last, he let go. His gaze met hers, worried.
“Should I have done that? I thought — ”
She needed to let him know that yes, it was exactly what he should have done, so she pulled him close again and kissed him, kissed him hard, hoping that he could sense the passion in her touch, the need…the belief that this was the perfect thing for both of them.
It seemed she got through, because when they pulled apart again, that delicious mouth of his had lifted at the corners.
“I see you’re all right with this.”
“More than all right,” she said frankly. “If I’m going to be perfectly honest about it, I’ve been thinking about kissing you for the past couple of days. But I wasn’t sure if that was what you wanted, not when….”
The words trailed off. She had the feeling that if she uttered them out loud, then she’d make that part of their situation far too real.
Not when you’ll have to go back to L.A. at some point.
His hand found hers, and he squeezed it gently.
“We don’t have to talk about that right now,” he said. “I’ll be here through the end of the week, and then — ”
“And then what?” she broke in. Maybe that was rude of her, but she needed to have some idea of where she stood.
“And then we’ll decide what to do next.” He paused there, his eyes locking on her face as if he hoped the mere intensity of his gaze would be enough to show her that he didn’t plan on going anywhere.
It wasn’t a promise to stay here forever. Then again, it also wasn’t a statement that he planned to get on the next plane headed for L.A.
Bree wasn’t going to push things.
Not when she knew she’d found the only man in the world for her.
She also gave his fingers a squeeze, then let go and pushed herself to her feet. During their kiss, she’d pulled them from the water, so they were damp but not dripping wet and probably ready for her to put her socks and hiking boots back on.
“Okay,” she said clearly. “Now, let’s go finish our hike.”
14
He’d done it, even though all of his instincts had been screaming at him not to succumb, not to lean over and press his mouth against Brianna McAllister’s sweet, full lips.
