Page 50 of Moonshine and Magnolias
She pulled open the door to the small room and locked it behind her, then leaned against it. Her breath came in short bursts. She’d seen what happened when women changed themselves to please a man. Brandi was a perfect example, losing herself in what her boyfriend wanted and what she could do to make him happy. They gave up their own goals, becoming a shell of what they could have been.
She turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on her face as her heart rate slowed. She was supposed to be beyond this. Brandi was the one who changed her mind on a whim because someone tall, dark, and handsome beckoned to her. Wendy was the practical one.
She stared at herself in the mirror. Same brown hair. Same green eyes. Same mouth, same nose, same same same. And as much as she just tried not to be the same, it wouldn’t work. There was no use pretending.
A knock sounded on the bathroom door followed by a masculine growl. “Wendy.”
She looked around the room. There was no escape other than a small window above the toilet. She could boost herself up and be free.
Only then she’d be running because of a guy. Not much of an improvement.
“Wendy.” The voice was more insistent now.
“What?”
“Open the damn door.”
She took a deep breath, then gave her reflection a smile until she looked normal. She’d open the door, breeze past him like it had been nothing, gather herthings, then head home and start planning a wedding.
Only the first part of her plan went right.
As soon as she opened the door, Rob slipped into the bathroom with her and closed it again. He stood with his back and his hands against the exit, his fingers splayed out.
“What are you doing in here?” Wendy asked.
“I don’t think anyone will bother us.” He locked the door.
“You bothered me.”
“True.” He didn’t approach her, but the room shrunk when he focused his heady gaze on her. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Her heartbeat increased. “You’re…what? Why?”
He moved toward her in a slow, predatory pace, arms hanging loosely by his side. “Unless you tell me not to, or to go away.”
“In here?” She backed up, her breath catching in her throat. He wasn’t supposed to do this. He should be running far, far away from her. He fuddled her brain.
“There’s no one else I’d rather kiss in a bathroom.”
The wall behind her stopped her movement. Soon Rob was in front of her. Instead of feeling trapped, her body arched toward him. His head dipped down to hers and his hair brushed against her forehead. “Last chance.”
His breath fanned her face and her nipples tingled with anticipation and she knew she wouldn’t stop him. Even then he moved so agonizingly slow.
She closed her eyes, letting the heat from his body seep into her. She rose on her toes, almost without knowing it. His lips swept over hers, then his hands slid up her neck to her jaw as he deepened the kiss.
It. Was. Perfect. She might also have moaned a little.
He pulled back, caressed her lower lip with his thumb, then went in again, until he released her. His eyes stayed trained on hers and his breath came in pants. Her hand crawled up his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart against her palm. Its fast beat matched her own.
He didn’t move as she absorbed the knowledge that she’d been stagnant for so long. It wouldn’t be changing for a man. It would be changing for herself.
“Okay.” She ran her hands over his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his body underneath his shirt. “You made your point. And a darn good one, too. But I should probably get back out there before Jordan comes back and takes out a missing person’s report.”
He took her hand, not yet ready to let her go. “I’ll see you in the library tonight.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Alone.”
Chapter 10
When Rob finally met up with his brother at the O’Hara County Historical Society, he had to suffer through Hal’s tirade about shirking responsibilities. Keeping quiet about the irony was harder than Rob thought.
