Page 33 of The Disputed Legacy

Lowering his head slowly, he sighed and dropped his gaze from my eyes to my lips. With that burning look of need, he groaned lightly, as if he were tormenting himself to be patient.

Touching his lips to my cheek, nearly pressing them on my mouth, he kissed me.

Once.

I closed my eyes and relished how close he’d come to kissing my lips that stayed parted and eager to meet his.

Then as he stayed close, he leaned further until he could whisper in my ear.

“Good night, Willow.”

Oh, God.

Hearing his smoky tone this close sent shivers over me. I curled my fingers on the sleeve of his suit jacket, where I’d clutched him in surprise as he swooped in to hug me.

Swallowing hard, I fought the red-hot desire that claimed me with his mouth so near my ear, his warm breaths tickling me.

“Good—” I cleared my throat, unable to speak yet. “Good night?”

He stepped back, ramming his hands into his pockets. “Yeah.” With a naughty and wistful once-over, he made me feel every bit of his lusty and appreciative look. “Good night.”

I huffed, caught between protesting and asking for arealkiss instead of that teasing touch and shaking off how distracted he made me feel.

“Right.” I nodded, ignoring how aroused I was from just that almost kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Good night. Oscar? Did you get a book?”

He hadn’t, but with my call out to him, he shut the little box’s door and turned. “Nothing good in there.”

Yeah, well with the way I’m feeling now, nothinggoodis gonna happen here, either.

I furrowed my brow at Saul as he smiled smugly, backing up in the opposite direction.

All I wanted was to be bad with him. Very bad, like I’d never dared to with a man before.

“Night, Saul!” Oscar replied to Saul’s farewells. “Will we see you again soon?”

Saul looked directly at me as he responded. “I can’t wait to see you again.”

Oh, shit.I hated how much I wished that could really be true.

Not as strangers walking together.

Not as friends.

But as much, much more.

14

SAUL

“You’re such a tease!”

I chuckled at Katerina’s exclamation as she propped Olivia up and gave her a bottle. Seated across from her, on another loveseat in the lounge, I tried to shuffle a wriggling Isabella on my lap as she tried to grab for her bigger bottle. It was one of two things. I’d let her grab the bottle out of my hand and risk letting her stack of toys fall from my lap or I'd tolerate her fussing until I set the toys aside.

“I’m not teasing her.”

My sister-in-law laughed. “You’ve been showing her that bottle for several minutes now.”

“Ow!” I winced at Isa’s little fingers grabbing hold of my hair as I juggled her and the bottle and leaned over to set the toys on the table.