Page 55 of A Spell for Midwinter's Heart
“She caught me by surprise! I wanted to let her down gently. And I guess that I…”
He hesitated, and Rowan’s chest tightened. “You what?”
Gavin released a held breath. “I wanted to be sure of something.”
Rowan moved away from him, crossing her arms. “Yes, I can see how it seemed sensible. Beautiful woman throwing herself at you, and Daddy’ll approve.”
Frustration flashed over his face. “Look, the point is: Iamsure. I don’t want to be with Hayleigh.”
“Really?” Her voice came out quiet.
“Really,” he said, and his eyes locked onto hers. “We met up today, and I cleared the air.”
Sweet relief crested through Rowan, leaving her heady. Gavin reached out to take her hand back, and she gazed at it for a moment before her resistance gave way. With a shift, they were close again, and she turned her hand palm up so their fingers entwined.
“That can’t have gone well,” she said, voice soft.
He grimaced. “It wasn’t easy. I tried to be as nice as possible, but…” He stared into the middle distance. “It’s going to be awkward next week.” He idly stroked her palm with one thumb, exploring its creases.
It reminded her of all the other moments she’d watched histhumbs in action, trying not to think of all the places on her body she wanted them to travel.
Clearing her throat, she tried to force herself back on topic. “There’s not a chance it…compromised the deal, did it?”
He chuckled. “We could only be so lucky. No, she doesn’t have that power. Her bosses want this, and it’s on her and the other reps to deliver. Besides, I think she wants the deal more than she wants me.”
Rowan made a face and said, “Well, then she clearly has awful taste.”
Her breath caught in her chest as she realized what she’d just said. But she didn’t have long to worry about it, because he quirked an eyebrow with a pleased “Oh?” And then shifted closer.
“You said…you wanted to be sure,” she ventured. “A kiss told you all that?”
“Yes. Let’s be clear, though. I didn’t kiss her.”
She turned up her nose. “I thought we went over this already?”
His fingers had drifted under the cuff of her sweater and reached the soft skin of her wrist, tripping over exposed veins. The touch left her aware of every bundle of nerve endings and passage of blood as they lit up, primed for sensation.
“I was holding back.” His voice was low, his words purposeful. “That isn’t how I kiss when I mean it.”
It was an opening, an invitation, and even though rational thought attempted to act like a guardrail preventing further passage, the irrational roared right on ahead—a loud, panting beast.
She desperately needed to know: Howdidhe kiss when he meant it?
“Oh?” she asked, wetting her bottom lip with a flick of the tongue. “What’s the difference?”
He closed the remaining space between them in answer, sliding his fingers up her face and then over the ridges of her ears and finally letting them tangle in her hair as he pressed his lips to hers.She wrapped her arms around his neck, drinking in the heat of him, and his free arm encircled her chest.
Lips and hands roamed, breathing came in gasps, hips ached to climb, all with a hunger that came from parts unknown, accompanied by a ferocity Rowan couldn’t have predicted. She sucked on that full lower lip that she’d spent so much time studying, her tongue exploring the dimple she’d longed to touch. His hand came to rest against her lower back, pressing so hard she almost ended up in his lap.
She wouldn’t have minded if she had. In that moment, she was open for anything, ready to dissolve into the tremors of pleasure overtaking every nerve.
When they finally paused, her breathing was heavy, and their foreheads remained pressed together. He finished with a few gentle kisses.
“I see,” she said—breathless, throbbing, undone.
With a crack, the door of every display case in the museum flew open, then shut themselves again with a slam.
“What just happened?” asked Gavin. As he startled, he pulled her closer, instinctively shielding.
