It Happened One Night

“Josh, what are you doing?” she asked, wishing her tone had been a bit more demanding.

“I’m trying to remind you that besides being a great mom, you’re a beautiful, desirable woman.” He brushed her mouth with his. “You want to know what I think?”

“Probably not,” she said, wondering why she couldn’t be more assertive. All he had to do was take her into his arms and she seemed to lose every ounce of common sense she’d ever possessed.

He rested his forehead against hers. “I think you need to hear that on a regular basis.” Kissing his way down her cheek, she could feel his smile against her skin. “I know you’d rather not think about it, but I know firsthand just how passionate and desirable you are.”

A shiver of awareness streaked up her spine and for the first time in years, she was keenly aware of how long it had been since she’d felt anything even close to passion and desire. “You’re right,” she said, meaning it. “I’d rather not think about that night.”

“But it’s something neither of us will ever forget, honey.” He kissed his way down the side of her neck. “I know every time I look at you, it’s just about all I’m able to think about,” he admitted as he nibbled at the rapidly beating pulse at the base of her throat. “We might have made love by mistake, but I can’t say I’m sorry about it.”

“I?I…thought you…were Mark,” she said defensively.

“And I thought you were Lori.” He cupped her cheeks with his hands and lifted her gaze to meet his. “But that doesn’t negate the fact that something happened between us that night that was nothing short of amazing.”

As she stared into his remarkable blue eyes, Kiley knew what he said was true. She had never felt anything even close to the connection, the intimacy she had experienced with Josh. It was as if their souls had touched.

“You felt it, too,” he stated. It wasn’t a question, and she knew by the look on his handsome face that it would be futile to deny it.

Instead of waiting for her response, he lowered his head. The moment their lips met, Kiley felt as if stars burst behind her closed eyes and it seemed that time came to a halt. The awareness she felt whenever she was around him became a magnetic pull that she found impossible to resist, and she couldn’t have kept herself from melting against him if her life depended on it.

When he traced her lips with his tongue, she automatically parted them on a soft sigh, inviting him to deepen the caress. As he tenderly stroked her inner recesses, Kiley marveled at how exciting and arousing it was each time he kissed her. Josh Gordon was an expert, and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he could seduce a marble statue with nothing more than his talented mouth.

Sliding his hand from her back along her side, when he cupped her breast and teased the puckered tip with the pad of his thumb, Kiley thought she would be swamped by the seemingly endless waves of heat sweeping over her. The sensations were so exquisite, she felt branded by his gentle touch.

“Kiley…honey, there’s something…going on between us,” he said, sounding as out of breath as she felt. “It started that night in your sister’s apartment…and it’s just as strong now, if not stronger, than it was then.” He gave her a kiss so tender it brought tears to her eyes. “All I’m asking is that you acknowledge that.”

She couldn’t deny that there was something drawing them together much like a bee was drawn to a field of wildflowers. But she wasn’t altogether sure she was ready to admit it either.

“We do seem to share an awareness of sorts,” she said, choosing her words carefully. She tried to be honest without revealing the full impact of his effect on her.

To her surprise, instead of arguing with her to try to get her to admit that it was more than a mild attraction between them, Josh kissed her soundly, then, releasing her, stood up. “That’s all I needed to hear.” He took her hand in his and, pulling her to her feet, handed her the box he had set aside earlier. “Could you do me a favor and decorate the mantel, while I take care of hanging a few lights around the front door?”

Relieved and much more comfortable with his shift of focus, she nodded. “After I finish, I’ll start dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said, giving her a lingering kiss that caused her toes to curl into the plush carpet.

As she watched him turn and stroll down the hall toward the front door, she sighed. How could life become so complicated in such a short span of time?