A Kiss in the Dark

To his relief, she smiled. “That sounds great. But do you have anything nonalcoholic? I have to get up early tomorrow morning.”

“No problem. How about some lemonade?”

“Sounds good.”

He indicated she should precede him back down the stairs, and he could have sworn that was a look of longing and regret she flicked between him and the bed before she turned away. With an inward groan, Cole followed her.

In the kitchen, he watched her covertly as he mixed up a pitcher of lemonade and poured two glasses, taking a long swallow from his own. She was standing and looking at a display of framed photos on the nearby wall.

“Is this your father, here?” She indicated a photo of him standing next to an older man, dangling a pair of freshly caught trout from a fishing line.

“Yeah.”

She slanted him a sidelong look and a quick smile. “I can see where you get your good looks.”

Cole laughed softly. Oh, baby, flattery will get you everything. He came around the corner of the island to hand her a chilled glass of lemonade. “Thanks.”

She took the proffered glass and turned back to the collage of photos. She sipped at the drink, and as Cole watched, a bead of condensation slid slowly down the length of the glass, hung suspended for a brief instant, and then plopped wetly onto the fragile line of her collarbone. She made no move to wipe it away, but continued to study the photos. Mesmerized, Cole followed the droplet’s path down over the smooth plane of her upper chest until it slid slowly from sight beneath the edge of her sundress.

“Are these your siblings?”

Cole dragged his gaze upward. “Huh?”

“It looks like you come from a large family.”

Cole leaned over her shoulder to inspect the picture she was pointing to. Damn, she even smelled delicious. He tried not to inhale as he peered at the photograph. “Yeah, that’s me with my brothers and sisters, taken a few years ago.”

“There are so many of you!” She gave an amazed laugh. “That must have been fun, growing up in such a big family.”

“Fun? I don’t know if that’s the word I would’ve necessarily chosen. Interesting, maybe. Chaotic, definitely.”

He didn’t want to talk about himself or his upbringing. What would a woman like her know about the hardships of living in a small coal-mining town, with barely enough money to scrape by? Or that he and his six siblings had pretty much raised themselves while their mother worked double shifts at a hospital nearly an hour from Black Stone Gap? Nope. Definitely not stimulating conversation. And not nearly as exciting as standing directly behind her.

He couldn’t help himself. He bent his head fractionally and allowed himself to breathe deeply. There was the clean fragrance of her hair and the subtle scent of a light perfume. Beneath that was the delicate fragrance that was hers alone. The combination was intoxicating.

She turned her head and he heard her suck her breath in sharply, as if she was suddenly aware of just how close he was. He knew he should back off, but was momentarily transfixed by the small pulse that beat frantically along the side of her neck. Just that tiny disturbance beneath her smooth skin completely distracted him. Made him ditch every good intention he had of maintaining a respectable distance.

She turned slowly, and his eyes skimmed over her face. God, she was pretty. Gray-green eyes, clear skin combined with a faint dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and a pair of lips so pink and lush he ached to caress them with his own. This time, he knew he wouldn’t resist.