Page 93 of The Bronze Garza

As his lips lowers closer and closer toward mine, his eyes darken, desire sparking like embers within them. Then they droop close, right before his lips meet mine.

And I can no longer hear my heartbeat. Or anything for that matter. It’s as if time has paused. All I’m aware of is him. His lips, firm and gentle against mine.

I part them to welcome him in.

He takes the invitation. Entering. Familiarizing. Settling.

It’s quiet, and tranquil, and beautiful.

Then, the boat is rocked. Hard. A storm crashes in. And suddenly his hands are cupping my face and mine are fisting his shirt. He kisses me like he’ll never get another chance, and I kiss him like it’s all a dream and any moment now I’ll wake up.

God. God. God. It’s better than I could haveeverimagined. I don’t want this to stop. I want to glue myself to him. I tip up on my toes, trying to get deeper, closer.

A distant ringing punches through the moment.

We don’t stop, but we slow down. Bit by bit, the storm recedes, and we lull back to tranquil and beautiful again.

The ringing continues.

Slowly, he breaks the kiss, and my lips quiver in protest.

“Gotta go get that.”

I pout. “Boo.”

He drags his thumb across my pout. “I’m gonna be gone for most of today. Think you can keep out of trouble ‘til I get back?”

“I can’t make any promises,” I answer. “I’ve a reputation to live up to.”

This gets me a half-smile, and I feel like I’ve just won the lottery. “You were right, you know.”

“I know. I’m always right.” I wink. “But because I havesomany rights in my ‘Book Of I Told You Sos’, you’ll have to remind me which particular thing I was right about this time. Just for records’ sake.”

He bites one corner of his lip as his heated eyes molests mine. “That I missed you when you weren’t here.”

Butterflies go nuts in my belly.He missed me? “Of course you did. I’m a ray of freaking sunshine.”

Another half-smile. Two in one day. Damn, I’mwinning.

He moves a step back and I almost scowl at the cold air that wafts through the space between us.

His office phone is still ringing in the background.

“Later,” he tells me, before leaving me bereft in the kitchen.

Such a loaded word.

Later, as insee you later? Or later as in,we’ll be picking up where we left off?

Pushing the word and all its possibilities out of my head, I suck in a deep breath, release it steadily, then fetch my laptop from the living room and head out back.

Jo is out adjusting the spray head on the hose.

“Hey, Jo!” When she jerks around, I say, “Miss me?”

Jo’s face splits into a grin. “Nah. Had a feeling you’d be back.”

“Are you trying to say I’m predictable?” I ask with a mock scowl, hand on hip and all.