Every Breath You Take (Second Opportunities 4)

your tongue,” Kate tried to joke.

Some of the tension went out of his face at her joke. don’t really believe in that garbage, do you?”

The disappointment Kate felt earlier was turning to hurt, because now she realized he was pleased with their situation today and even purposely causing it to some extent. Struggling to keep her tone neutral, she said, “Oh, so at this point it no longer matters what I believe.”

it does.”

right, I do not believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. But I know magic when I feel it, and I felt it last night. I’m willing to agree that you weren’t the cause of it, but—”

He cut her off with a mocking challenge: suppose you’re going to try to convince me you have ‘magic’ with your lawyer-boyfriend?”

Kate sobered. of all, I’m not trying to convince you of anything. Second, if the answer to your question was yes, I wouldn’t have been with you last night and I wouldn’t be here now. Third, and most important of all, do not mention him again,” she warned implacably. have no right to discuss him, and neither do I.”

It was this first-time defense of the boyfriend that warned Mitchell he had now run out of rope with her and he was standing precariously close to the edge of a dangerous precipice. She had too much pride and self-respect to settle for what little he was willing to offer. She wanted magic, and without it, she was staying faithful to her boyfriend. In fact, her mind was already made up to stay with him.

matters,” she continued in a sweet, apologetic voice as she unknowingly shoved him clear off the precipice, that you refuse to believe in magic, and I refuse not to believe in it. And therein lies the gap we can’t bridge. Not in this room or anywhere else.”

Mitchell felt himself plunging through thin air, sent over the edge by a beautiful young redhead with the face of an angel and the stubborn pride of an Irish rebel. Even so, he made a manful attempt to gain a foothold and stop his fall by suggesting, don’t we go to bed and see what happens there?”

She shook her head and smiled that Madonna smile of hers. ? So I could try to make you feel magic while you try to prove there is none? One person can’t make that kind of magic. It takes two. It’s inevitable that you’d succeed and I’d end up being disappointed. If I’m going to be disappointed,” she admitted with gentle candor, don’t want it to happen with you. I don’t know why, but that’s very important to me.” She turned away and stepped through the balcony doorway, looking out at the water. ’s go sightseeing now and try to get to know each other a little bit before I pick up Max and take him back to Anguilla with me. I’ll wait out here if you’d like to change clothes.”

Mitchell experienced the full force of his renewed free fall, complete with sensations of his stomach twisting into knots and wind howling in his ears. Drawing a long, steadying breath, he gazed at the slender back of the woman he’d allowed to do this to him. His balance returned, he felt the floor beneath his feet. On the balcony was an exquisite Irish girl who touched his heart, overheated his blood, and made him laugh. She was passionate and sweet, honest and intelligent, proud and unpredictable. She sang in a choir, smiled like an angel, and adopted ugly, stray dogs with fleas. She was a fairy tale. And he was . . .

Completely enchanted.

Walking up behind her, he slid his arms around her and drew her back against his chest. ’s get complicated, Kate,” he said with a smile in his voice.

you for the offer,” she said politely, it’s better to leave things just as they are.”

Ignoring that, Mitchell pressed his lips to the top of her head and whispered, your incantations and get out your amulets, lovely witch. Weave your magic spell.”

stop this, or we won’t end up being friends, after all,” she warned.

’re already friends,” he murmured, trailing his mouth to her ear. ’re about to become lovers.”

She shivered at the touch of his breath on her ear, but refused to relent. told you, I don’t want to.”

, you do, and so do I,” he said, and kissed her temple. your arms around me and wrap us up in magic. I can’t do it without you.”

, for heaven’s sake!” she burst out. do you think you’re—”

Mitchell switched from tender persuasion to assertive action and clamped his hand over her mouth before she could finish. ,” he warned in a low, implacable voice, the next hour, the only sounds I want to hear from you are moans of delight and the words ‘yes,’ ‘more,’ and ‘please.’ ”

He lifted his hand a fraction of an inch, and she said, it!”

words,” Mitchell said, and twisted her around. at me, Kate.”

Green eyes, wary and annoyed, glared at him from beneath graceful russet brows drawn into a dark, warning frown.

Mitchell heeded her expression and carefully softened his tone. am trying to concede. The truth is that I felt all the same things you did last night, and youknow I did.”

Looking into his cobalt eyes, listening to the slightly husky timbre of his baritone voice, Kate sensed he was telling her the truth as well as allowing her a glimpse beneath another of his ,” and she felt a sharp tug on her heart. His next explanation was equally revealing:

discouraging things I said to you a few minutes ago were mostly the result of my halfhearted desire to protect you from me—” He stopped, cocked his head to the side, and after a moment’s thought, he admitted with amused irony, , it may have been the reverse.”

Trying desperately not to laugh, Kate bit down on her lip and swiftly shifted her gaze to his shoulder, but looking away didn’t help. She was so hopelessly drawn to him in every way that there was no refuge. Marveling at her own helplessness, she shook her head a little. Mitchell evidently mistook that shake of her head as an indication she was about to reject what he’d said, and he gave her a stern warning: ” ‘No’ is not on the list I gave you of acceptable words.”

Caught between mirth and tenderness, Kate succumbed to defeat. Smiling into his eyes, she laid her palms on his chest and softly sighed a word that was not on his list. . . .”

She saw pleasure flicker in his eyes when she said his name that way. may add that word to your list.”

Leaning up on her toes, eyes shining with laughter, voice shaky with awakening desire, Kate twined her arms around his neck. ,” she whispered, her lips almost touching his.

excellent choice,” Mitchell decreed, and brushed his lips back and forth over hers in a light, teasing kiss.