Page 42 of A Fearless Heart
“Are you afraid to?”
“A little.”
“No time like the present to conquer that fear.”
She leaned in to cover his mouth with hers. For a moment, that’s all it was—he wasn’t going to help her here.
But she remembered what he did, and she mimicked it, brushing her lips against his, and finally running the tip of her tongue along his lips.
He gripped her waist with a little more force than she was expecting and she gasped.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “You caught me by surprise.”
“You told me to kiss you!”
“I know. But then you did it so well. Do it again.”
Cady did, pressing her mouth against his, exquisitely aware of his size and sheer presence, and also that she would be in dire straits if anyone caught her doing this. But one more kiss wouldn’t hurt, would it? Especially since it might well be the last she’d ever get.
She didn’t know how long it had been when he murmured, “All right, that’s enough.”
Cady moaned, unhappy with the command. She kissed him once more, hungry for something she couldn’t name. It seemed impossible that any part of Gabe was soft. But his lips and tongue felt like velvet against her own, and all she wanted was more of it.
“Enough,” he said, his voice almost a growl. He held her back from him, as if she were the dangerous one. “Christ, Cady. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
Troublecould mean a lot of different things, all of them bad. She sighed, knowing he was correct.
“I’m sorry. Was I any good?”
Unexpectedly, he gave a low laugh. “You have an excellent natural talent.”
“Oh, thank you. I don’t know if your talent is natural or the result of practice, but it’s prodigious.”
“You flatter me.” He ran the back of his hand along her jaw, a very gentle touch that nevertheless set Cady’s nerves into a dance. “But we shouldn’t stay here.”
“No, I suppose not,” she agreed, the disappointment coming out in her tone.
“I’ll go first and open the door for you.”
“No! I mean, I don’t want to be left behind. Let’s walk together?”
Gabe answered that by slipping one arm around her waist and leading her toward the razor-thin crack of light where the door didn’t quite fit the frame.
Cady liked the feel of his broad hand on her back, the firm pressure that reminded her she wasn’t alone in the darkness. How many men would take the time to do that for her, to allay her fears by showing her that she could endure them? Especially since he got nothing out of the bargain. Well, he got her kisses.
She hoped they were fair payment, considering how little she knew about kissing.
When they reached the door, Gabe put one arm out and pushed it open.
Sunlight poured over Cady, and she stepped out into a world of tender gold-green leaves and wildflowers growing at the edges of the scene. The sky arched above her, impossibly blue and infinitely distant, allowing her to inhale and breathe as deeply as she wanted. It was like being reborn.
Smiling, Cady turned back to speak to Gabe, but he wasn’t standing by her. Cady retraced her steps to the doorway of the icehouse. For some reason, Gabe hadn’t followed her out. He stood there, framed by the blackness of the interior. His expression was strangely lost.
“Gabe?” she asked.
His eyes found hers and they simply stood there a moment. Cady felt his attention like a physical thing, a rope binding them both together. Was it the kiss that had done it? Bound them somehow? Or was it something deeper than that, a chemical interaction ignited whenever they got close? All Cady knew was that she felt a special connection to him, as if she could share his senses. And that he was troubled.
“Gabe? What’s wrong?”
