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“Oh.” Stupid of her to be worried. To be panicked. Of course Shane had a good head on his shoulders. He didn’t even want to spy on a man he hated and thought was going to hurt his mother.

“Do you think he was being bullied at that camp? Or maybe at school?”

Cora’s entire body went cold. A dead, awful cold she’d experienced so many times in her life. Usually at the hands of Stephen, when he used that subtly furious tone of voice, and she’d known . . . she’d always known . . .

“What do you mean?” she whispered.

“I told him violence wasn’t a good answer most of the time, and he asked why not. What else could you do. So, I just wondered if maybe someone was bothering him.”

Cora blinked back the unexpected tears. Yes, her son was being bothered, bullied, and all by his own father.

“I’m sorry. I’m upsetting you.” Shane stepped closer, reached out, and touched her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

She looked up at him, at his warm, concerned brown eyes. Regret and just goodness shining in them. “How did you answer?” she managed to ask.

“I told him what my father told me when I was a kid. Actions have consequences, positive and negative, and it’s always best to work toward a positive consequence, because violence leaves a mark no matter what.”

She could only stare for a few minutes. At this beautiful man with the perfect words.Violence leaves a mark no matter what. Yes. It did. Stephen had only physically hurt Micah once, but she knew the violence Stephen had used onherhad left a mark on Micah. One she couldn’t fix or erase.

She swallowed at the lump in her throat.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Shane would never hurt people just to exert control. Shane would never manipulate or undermine. He wouldn’t tell her she was weak or stupid or that it was all her fault.

Violence leaves a mark no matter what.

She was tired of the mark it had left on her. She’d never get rid of it, but for a moment, just a few moments, she wanted to forget. So, she moved up onto her toes and pressed her mouth to the corner of his.

* * *

Perhaps another man would have been strong enough to allow that kiss to be a friendly brush of lips. But there was so much more than friendly pulsing through him when Cora’s lips touched the corner of his.

Because his mind blanked, there was nothing to do but slide the hand on her shoulder over and onto her back, pulling her closer to him, adjusting their mouths so they really touched, so his head bent to meet hers, so he could kiss her like he’d been trying not to dream of doing for days.

She melted into him, easy and pliant, but the oddest thing was he felt a little like he’d melted too. Into her, into the kiss. He wanted his hands in her hair, his skin on her bare skin, and yet some part of him was content with this kiss in fresh air as the sun fell around them.

Her arms slid around his neck, drawing him closer, as if his arms banded around her weren’t bringing them close enough. He forgot about pretty much everything. All the concerns and confusions and worries of the day melted into pleasure, into Cora.

He was content to learn the taste of her—sweet and bright—with a light brush of tongues. He wanted to exist here where the softness of her skin, of her body pressed to his uncompromising one felt like a new kind of heaven he’d never experienced.

There was a well of want inside of him that no amount of pressure or closeness could seem to fill. It only seemed to go deeper and deeper, like the kiss itself.

Where does wanting ever lead?

It was a thought he wished he could ignore, but there was too much going on right now to remind him of all he’d lost over a simple thing likewant. So, he eased away, though his body protested, though Cora’s body moved with him, leaning into him, and he was a man who would always hold a leaning woman up.

Especially her.

Her eyes fluttered open. Her lips curved into a smile he wanted to kiss until smiling was the only thing either of them ever did.

But that was a fantasy, and this was real life.

She sighed dreamily though, eventually putting her weight on her own feet instead of against his body. “Well, I knew it would be good. I’m not sure I knew it would be that good.” Her hands slid off his shoulders, and he had to all but force himself to release her.

He realized his hat had fallen off somewhere in the interaction. Using that as an excuse to collect himself, he bent down and picked it up, hitting it over his knee to knock off the dirt.That good.Yeah, that was for sure.

But he had to controlthatgood. Keep it at a manageable level. Not let want overtake reason. That being said, it didn’t mean it couldn’t happen again....