Page 84 of Riverbend Gap (Riverbend 1)

Katie nudged him. “Go get it.”

“It’s pretty well flooded now, I think.” He gave a little pout.

Katie’s heart softened. “Aw... I’ll share mine.”

But when he turned back to her, all thoughts of ice cream fled. Instead there was only the two of them, sequestered behind the curtain of rain. His wet lashes were clumped together, making them impossibly dark. In the shadow of the overhang, his eyes were darker too. Not a hint of gold floated in that molten brown pool.

His breath whispered against her forehead. When had he moved in front of her? When had he gotten so close? She couldn’t have looked away if the mayor’s house went floating by. The air crackled around them. She couldn’t remember how to breathe.

He leaned closer—or maybe it was her. But suddenly they were only a breath apart. Their gazes held, his smoldering. The long, delicious moment hung between them, a prelude to something that promised to be so much more.

He set a hand on the wall beside her. His other hand settled in the curve of her waist. He was giving her time to change her mind. But there was no stopping this. She wanted his mouth on hers more than she wanted her next heartbeat.

He leaned forward, his lips brushing hers, soft and slow. Controlled. Reverent. A breathless pause. Then, mercifully, he tilted his head and came back for seconds. And thirds. Katie responded in kind, her insides melting.

***

Cooper had only meant to brush Kate’s lips once or twice. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. He cupped the gentle curve of her neck and deepened the kiss. It was impossible to stop. Like taking only one bite of an impossibly delectable dish. She felt like a dream in his arms and tasted of heaven.

He’d failed to take her response, and what it would do to him, into account. It stoked the flame inside him. Her mouth was still sweet and cool from the ice cream. He savored her, suddenly desperate to hold on to her, on to the moment.

Her fingers threaded through the hair at his nape, and a shiver passed over him. He touched under her jaw and felt her racing pulse beneath his palm. She was a drug, and he’d been born addicted. How had he ever lasted this long without having her in his arms?

A crack of thunder snapped him back to the present.

He was kissing Kate in broad daylight. He fought the pull of reality, drew out the kiss another moment. Then two. Because, man...

A moment later, with the discipline of a saint, he slowly drew back. Their ragged breaths mingled in the space between them. She gave him that sleepy-eyed look, making him want to kiss her all over again.

But a blink later the desire in her eyes shifted to something else. Reality was settling in—for both of them.

Nothing had changed. She was still his brother’s girl.

Cooper reluctantly let go of her and put a few more inches between them—just to be safe. There was no going back after a kiss like that. He should say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize for a kiss that had felt so right.

Instead he said what loyalty demanded of him. “We can’t do this, Katelyn.” His whisper sounded harsh even to his own ears.

“I know.”

He hated the defeat on her face. The furrow splitting her brows. The guilt shimmering in her eyes. Hated that he’d put those there.

They needed to cool off. “I’ll take you back to the clinic.”

“I’ll walk. You take my car.”

“It’s raining.” But even as he said it, he realized the rain had stopped as suddenly as it had started. In the silence raindrops fell from the overhang.

Katie looked down at her melting cone. The ice cream was dripping onto her hand. She stared at it as if unsure what to do with it.

He took the cone and tossed it in a nearby trash can, then handed her the wad of napkins he’d tucked into his pocket. “Let me drive you.”

“It’s okay. I need to... think.”

He’d put her in a terrible position. He did regret that. He’d thought he had the self-control to resist her. He’d been so wrong. “I’m sorry.”

She tossed the dirty napkins in the trash and gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Let’s just... I should go now.”

“What about your keys?”