Divided Interests (Southern Bride 3)

For the briefest of moments, I wanted him to kiss me. Then I snapped out of it and took a step back. Away from the heat of his body and the longing to feel his touch.

“I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of this, Lucas.”

He nodded. Sadness crept into his eyes and I knew I needed to be honest with him as well. “I never stopped loving you either.”

A spark of hope flashed across his face.

“But I don’t think we just tumble back into a relationship. I mean, every ounce of my body is begging me to let you touch me, to feel your lips against mine, to feel you between my legs again.”

A low growl came from the back his throat and ignited a heat in my belly.

“And that’s why we can’t. We need to figure out some other things first, and the only way we can do that is with our heads clear. Sex is only going to complicate things.”

“Or it could actually take some of the stress away, help clear our minds,” he said with a wink.

Laughing, I shook my head. “I won’t deny I ache for you, but we need to go slow. The intensity of our feelings could just be because we’ve been thrown together, and we are alone in this house. We’ve both had some major changes in our lives, and more to come. I’m looking at opening a new business, we’re co-owners in this house, you work in Austin. What is our future going to look like? What is the future of this house? The ownership of it and the secrets it clearly holds?”

Lucas rubbed his neck, something he had always done when frustrated or thinking deeply.

“I’m not going to sell it. I’m not going to try and convince you to let me buy your half.”

A lump formed in my throat. “Why did you change your mind?”

“I was motivated by the wrong emotions that first day. A part of me thinks Granddad knew I would be, and in his weird way to keep me from making another mistake, he made you part owner. He knew you’d never let this house go.”

I smiled. “He was a wise man.”

Lucas chuckled. “Yes, he was. I knew that same day I wouldn’t sell it.”

“So you’ve been, what? Torturing me?”

He shrugged. “It’s been kind of fun seeing that fire in your eyes when you said you’d never leave.”

I sighed, not wanting to admit it had been a little fun to go back and forth with him.

“So, what do we do from here?” he asked.

I walked back over to him and took his hand in mine. His eyes searched my face, and I slowly exhaled. “We get to know each other again by being friends.”

“So, I probably shouldn’t kiss you?”

My teeth dug into my lip, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “I don’t think one little kiss would hurt. A friendly kiss. Like a peck.”

“A peck?” he asked, moving closer to me.

I nodded. “Mmm-hmm. A peck.” My voice was a whisper on the breeze while my eyes locked on his mouth.

He leaned down, inches from my lips. “I can do a peck.”

“Okay,” I softly said, reaching up on my toes to bridge the distance between our mouths.

The moment we made the connection, I was lost.

Lucas placed his hand on my lower back and drew me close while my hands moved up his body and wrapped around the back of his neck.

The kiss was soft and slow. Gentle. As if we were learning one another’s kiss all over again. I moaned, then he moaned and deepened it, pulling me into him. His tongue moved in such an exploratory way that it nearly had my legs going out from under me. I wanted more. Needed more, but knew we’d already gone too far. Yet, neither of us stopped.

When his fingers pushed into my hair, I bit at his lip, causing him to growl again, this time in warning.

Lucas slowed the kiss, drew back and leaned his forehead against mine. Our chests rose and fell, each of us breathing like we had just run a marathon. And in a way, we had. Years of an emotional journey, not of miles but of moments, packed into our embrace, into that kiss.

“That…was some peck,” he said as I smiled.

“We may have to define slow.”

“I think so,” he replied, giving me a soft peck on the forehead. “Maybe we should finish cleaning the living room, then explore the attic. I think I found the key.”

Jumping back in surprise, I looked at him. “I thought you had the key! William gave it to you.”

He shook his head. “Not that key. This morning when I went up to the attic, the upper door was locked. Your weird little cat helped me stumble upon a key earlier. I think it’s the key to the attic. At least, I sure as hell hope it is.”