Читать книгу To Have And To Hold - Myrna Mackenzie, Cathy Gillen Thacker - Страница 12

Callie moved her arm. Away from his touch. Away from temptation. Away from the realization that she liked how his hand felt against her skin.

I need you …

There was something startlingly intimate about the way he spoke the words. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had said that to her. Maybe never. Craig hadn’t needed her. And Noah Preston didn’t need her, either … not really. He just wanted her to teach his daughter to ride a horse.

“I can’t.”

He smiled. “Yes, you can.”

God, he was relentless. Callie lifted her chin. “I said I can’t.”

“She’ll be on her best behavior,” he said.

Callie expelled a heavy breath. “Even if she is, I’m not—”

“Is your unwillingness actually about Lily?” he interrupted her. “Or something else?”

Her heart quickened. “Like what?”

He looked at her. Really looked. Callie felt compelled to turn her gaze away, but she didn’t. Couldn’t. She’d never felt this kind of intensity with anyone before. She’d spent years convincing herself she didn’t want it.

“I thought that perhaps you and …” He stopped, hesitated and sort of half smiled. “I think we … I think we might have started off on the wrong foot.”

He wasn’t kidding. But she wasn’t about to admit it. She wasn’t about to admit to anything. Instead, she thought about the practical. “Why this sudden confidence in my abilities?”

“Because Lily believes in you.”

Callie didn’t break their eye contact. “Even though you don’t?”

“And if I said I did? Would you reconsider teaching Lily? If I apologized again for being a jerk and asked you to do this for my daughter?”

Her insides quivered. Don’t be nice to me. “You don’t give up easily.”

He shook his head. “Not when I want something.” He looked around. “I heard you’d lost some students recently.”

She stared at him. “How did you know that?”

He grinned. “Local gossip.”

Callie’s skin prickled. Just like the local gossip she’d listened to last weekend. “Yes, I did.”

He looked around, to the house, then back to her. “So, it looks like you’re not doing well financially.”

More prickles. “I’m not filing for bankruptcy just yet.”

A full smile this time. “I didn’t mean to imply you were,” he said carefully. “But I thought perhaps we could strike a deal.”

Cautious, Callie’s interest spiked. “What kind of deal?”

“Your usual fee—plus I’ll help prevent your house from ‘crumbling around your ears.’”

She stilled. “And how exactly will you do that?”

“I’ll do whatever maintenance needs to be done while Lily’s having her lessons.”

Callie looked at him suspiciously. “Do you work construction?”

“No,” he replied. “But I know my way around a toolbox.”

I’ll bet you do. Suddenly she was tempted. Very tempted. She did need the money. And as for his offer to help repair her house … that idea dangled like a juicy carrot in front of her nose. With windows that wouldn’t open, doors needing repair, fence palings hanging loose and the knowledge she needed to chase the entire house with a paintbrush, the lure of his offer teased her. Refusing would be impulsive. And foolish.

And Lily … she wanted to help Lily. Helping Lily was suddenly important to her.

Oh, hell.

“Okay,” she said quickly, before she had time to think about what it might mean to have him hanging around her house every Sunday morning. Him and his adorable kids.

Noah looked instantly pleased. “Good. Will you start today?”

She shook her head. “No. Next week. Sunday, nine o’clock.”

He stepped back, finally, and she dipped underneath Kirra’s neck, feeling safer with the horse between them. “Thank you, Callie. You won’t regret it.”

Too late … she already did.

He walked off without another word, collecting his kids along the way. Once his truck had disappeared down the driveway, Callie took off Kirra’s tack and led her to the washing bay.

Joe appeared, his hair spotted with straw from the bales he’d been lugging off the truck and into the feed room.

“So, what’s the deal with Vampira?” he asked, grimacing as he passed Callie an old towel. “Scary.” He shuddered. “Do you reckon she’s got tattoos, as well?”

Callie wasn’t about to admit that she had one herself. “That’s not nice.”

He shrugged his lanky shoulders. “If my little sister went around looking like that my parents would go ballistic.” He made a disagreeable face. “Was that her dad—Noah Preston?”

Callie stopped rubbing the towel over Kirra’s flanks. “Do you know him?”

“I met him last weekend when he was looking for you. My Uncle Frank bought one of his boats last year.”

Her interest increased tenfold. “He sells boats?”

Joe shook his head. “He designs boats,” he replied. “And builds them. Top-of-the-range stuff. He’s got a big factory in town. Uncle Frank reckons his boats are the best around.”

Noah was a boat builder. And a single dad. And too gorgeous for her peace of mind.

As she led Kirra back to her stall, Callie couldn’t stop thinking about how deeply he affected her. And how much she wished he didn’t.

The Crystal Point Twilight Fair was an annual event that raised funds for the local elementary school and volunteer Rural Fire Brigade. Callie had been invited to provide horse rides for a small fee. The money collected would go directly back to the organizing committee, but it gave her an opportunity to promote her riding school. Sunshine and Peanuts, her two quietest geldings, loved the attention and happily walked around the makeshift yard she’d put together with a little help from Joe. There was also a jumping castle, a small carousel, a baby animal pen and a variety of stalls selling homemade cakes and candies and assorted handicrafts.

“So, are you staying for the dance later?” Fiona asked as she navigated Peanuts past her.

Callie checked the child clinging to Sunshine’s saddle and smiled at her friend as they passed one another. “In this outfit?” she said, motioning a hand gesture to her worn jeans, thin sweater and riding boots. “I’ll skip it. I have to get the horses back anyhow.”

On their next passing Fiona spoke again. “I could use the company.”

“Maybe another time.’

Callie didn’t socialize much. Or at all. There seemed to be little time in her life for anything other than work. And she wasn’t exactly in the right frame of mind to be thinking about dating.

Dating? Where did that come from?

She maneuvered the pony toward the entrance and helped the child dismount. The queue had grown and about six kids were waiting in line. She took the next one in turn.

An older woman came forward with two small children. They looked familiar and she glanced at the woman, taking in her attractive features, dark hair and deep green eyes.

Noah’s children.

Callie’s breath caught in her throat. The blond-haired pair were unmistakable. They were Noah’s twins. And she was certain the striking-looking older woman was his mother.

“Is something wrong?” the woman asked.

Callie shook her head. “Of course not … It’s just that I know your … Evie,” she said quietly, suddenly self-conscious. “And Lily,” she explained. “I’ll be teaching Lily.”

The other woman smiled. “Yes, I know. My son told me.”

Callie’s skin heated. She stopped herself from looking around to see if he was close by. “Let’s get the kids up on the pony.”

“Can they go together?”

“Yes.” Callie took the little girl’s hand and helped her into the saddle. She was such a pretty child and had an adorable smile. Something uncurled inside her with a sharp, ripping intensity. She’d become so adept at covering her feelings that children didn’t normally do this to her … didn’t make her think about Ryan. But this little girl did. With her bright eyes and rosy cheeks, Noah’s daughter made her remember all she had lost.

Callie managed a smile, fought against the lump suddenly forming in her throat and helped the little boy aboard the pony. He was quieter than his sister and didn’t say a word, while the little girl chatted for the entire duration of the pony ride.

She walked the perimeter of the arena a few times and learned that the girl’s name was Hayley and her brother was Matthew. They were four and a half and couldn’t wait to start school soon. They loved their grandma and Aunt Evie and didn’t like green vegetables all that much.

By the time the ride was over Callie had a strange pain wedged behind her rib cage.

She headed for the gate, passing Fiona on another round, and was surprised to find the children’s grandmother gone.

And Noah stood in her place.

“Daddy!” Hayley exclaimed. “Look at me.”

He was smiling that mega-watt smile and Callie’s stomach rolled over. “Hello.”

She swallowed hard and tried not to think about how good he looked in jeans and a navy golf shirt. “Hi.” She glanced into his eyes, saw awareness, felt that familiar jolt of attraction. “Your mother?”

He nodded. “She’s gone back to trawling the craft stalls.” He gestured to the kids. “Did they behave themselves?”

“They were perfect little angels.”

He laughed out loud. “Angels? That doesn’t sound like my kids.”

Callie smiled back. “She’s a natural. So is Matthew.”

Both children looked pleased as could be with the praise. He hauled Hayley into his arms and then placed her onto the ground. Matthew followed soon after. The kids moved around to the front of Sunshine and began stroking his nose.

“So, can you take a break from this gig?”

“A break?” she echoed. “What for?”

He smiled. “To talk. You could let me buy you a soda.”

“I really don’t think—”

“I’d like to get to know you better.”

There it was, right out in the open. “Why—”

“You know why, Callie.”

Without anything to hide behind, Callie felt so raw, so completely exposed, she could barely draw breath. She stared at him for a moment and then looked toward the now queue of one waiting for a turn on a pony. “Um … I probably shouldn’t,” she said on a whisper. “There’s someone still—”

“We’ll wait.”

We’ll wait. Him and the children she wanted so desperately to avoid—but somehow couldn’t.

Fiona chose that moment to come up behind her and announced she’d happily take charge of the remaining child and then volunteered Joe to help with Sunshine. Before she had a chance to protest, Joe had taken the gelding and Callie found herself leaving the arena with Noah and his children.

“That was fun, Daddy,” Hayley said excitedly.

“Was it, poppet?” He looked at Callie as they walked. “Maybe the twins could have riding lessons, too.”

“Maybe,” Callie replied and almost jumped from her skin when Hayley grasped her hand. She stopped walking immediately and looked down. The little girl tugged her forward, giggled and acted as though holding her hand was the most natural thing in the world.

Instinct kicked in and she went to pull her hand away … but something stopped her. Maybe it was the lovely, infectious laugh coming from the little girl. Or perhaps it was that Noah was watching her with such blistering intensity she knew that if she moved, if she rejected the child’s hand, he’d see it. And he’d see more than that. He’d see through her and into the parts of herself she kept so fiercely guarded.

“Anything wrong, Callie?”

Already suspicious, she thought. Already figuring her out. “Not a thing,” she lied and allowed herself to be led toward a refreshments stall.

He bought drinks all round and Callie had just cranked the cap off her soda when Hayley announced she wanted her face painted.

“Can we, Daddy, please?” she pleaded and skipped toward the face-painting tent.

He nodded and they all followed. He passed the colorfully decorated painter a couple of notes from his wallet. Hayley insisted on going first while Matthew waited patiently behind his more flamboyant sister.

Callie stood to the side. “Where’s your other son?” she asked. “And Lily?”

“Jamie’s with Evie. And Lily doesn’t do fairs.”

Callie half smiled. “Too cool, huh?”

“Or stubborn.”

“She’s headstrong,” Callie said. “And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

He crossed his arms and she couldn’t help looking at his chest. He was remarkably fit and broad shouldered and her awareness of him spiked. It had been eons since she’d been this attracted to someone. Maybe never. She’d been with Craig for so many years, and any true desire they’d felt for one another had faded long before his death. But Noah had kickstarted her libido with a resounding thud.

“Speaking from experience?” he asked quietly while keeping a watch on his kids.

Callie got her feelings back on track. “I’m sure my parents thought me willful. I liked to do things my own way.”

“And still do, I imagine.”

She wasn’t about to deny it. “She’ll come around,” Callie assured him, sensing it was true, although she had no idea why she thought so. “Raising a teenage girl wouldn’t be easy—especially alone.”

“Sometimes … no. But they’re all pretty well behaved most of the time. Even Lily.”

“Do they see their mother much?” she asked before she could stop herself. She wondered why on earth she was so interested in this man and his children. She wasn’t usually so inquisitive. Who was she kidding? She was never inquisitive.

“No,” he replied. “They don’t.”

Callie’s tongue tingled with another question, but she held back. The more she knew about him, the more he’d want to know about her … and she wasn’t ready for that. She wasn’t sure she ever would be. But despite her reticence, she suddenly had the image of his four motherless children burned deep in her heart.

Heaven help me … I’m actually in danger of falling for this man.

Noah felt her pain. She’d done a great job of building a big wall around whatever it was that haunted the depths of her blue eyes. But not quite good enough.

“Will I see you tonight?” he asked, determined to keep her talking.

“For the dance?” She shook her head. “No. I have to take the horses back home.”

He pressed on. “You could come later.”

She stepped back. “I don’t … I don’t … it’s just that I don’t …”

“You don’t what?” he asked, picking up her trailing words.

“I don’t date,” she said bluntly.

Noah half smiled. So they had something in common. “Neither do I,” he admitted and when she looked surprised, he explained what he meant. “Four kids make dating … difficult.” He raised his brows. “What’s your excuse?”

She shrugged and took a deep breath. “I don’t have one.”

Not exactly the truth and they both knew it. “Are you nursing a broken heart?”

She crossed her arms and dangled the soda bottle between her fingertips. “Not the kind you might be imagining,” she said softly.

Noah’s curiosity soared. He wanted to know all about her. Everything. She’d been hurt in the past, that much was obvious. But by whom? “Want to talk about it?”

She shook her head again and stepped back fractionally, as if she was looking for an escape. “I should go.” She tapped the soda bottle. “Thank you for the drink.”

She said goodbye to the kids and walked away, leaving him staring after her.

Callie sat on the edge of her bed and examined the contents of her open wardrobe.

She’d arrived home an hour earlier. The horses were fed, the dog was asleep in the kitchen and she was left wondering why she was actually considering dressing up and heading back to the fair. But Fiona had called and begged her to go. So, her friend needed her. That was as good a reason as any. It wasn’t because there was a band playing and that there would be dancing. It wasn’t because Noah would be there.

She knew getting involved with him was out of the question.

He has four children.

He had what she would never have. Her heart felt so heavy in her chest when she thought about it. She’d kept a lid on her feelings for more than four years and had accepted she could never have another child because of complications during Ryan’s birth. Ryan was her child … and he was gone. But in a matter of days, and without warning, the lid had lifted off and suddenly she was all feelings … all memory … all want.

Noah makes me want.

Desiring him was one thing. She hadn’t expected to like him. She hadn’t expected to like anyone ever again.

Forty minutes later she’d dressed and drove back to the fair.

It was well past eight o’clock by the time she arrived. The stalls and kiddie games had been replaced by a large dance floor and clusters of tables and chairs. The whole scene had been decorated with hundreds of tiny lights, and food and drink vendors were on hand to satisfy appetites. The turnout was impressive. People had dressed up and were clearly enjoying themselves. The band was good and the dance floor was busy. Callie spotted Fiona standing near a tent where drinks were being served and quickly headed for her friend.

“You’re here!” Fiona squealed and hugged her close. “Thank goodness.”

“You said you could use the company.”

“I could. Great dress—aren’t you glad I insisted you buy it?”

It was a great dress—a flimsy chiffon concoction of muted caramel shades with a halter top. The skirt fell just above her knees. “Of course.”

“Fiona!”

They both turned at the sound of the pleasantly pitched female voice. A dark haired woman with the most amazing green eyes came toward them, buffering against a few people in her stride.

“M.J.,” Fiona greeted. “Good to see you.”

Fiona introduced them and the green-eyed beauty made a startled sound. “You’re Callie? Lily’s riding instructor?”

Callie bristled. “You know Lily?”

M.J. laughed delightfully. “She’s my niece,” she explained. “I’m Noah’s sister.”

Of course. The resemblance to Evie was unmistakable. And those eyes were all Preston. “I didn’t realize he had more than one.”

“There are three of us girls.”

“Is Evie here?” she asked, acutely conscious that Noah would be nearby.

I’m not here for him. I’m not. I can’t be.

“Nah—she’s looking after the kids,” M.J. said. “It’s just me and Noah tonight.”

And then, as if drawn by some inexplicable force, Callie turned her neck and met his gaze head-on.

Noah knew the exact moment Callie arrived. It was as if some internal radar, attuned to only her, had taken hold of him. The area seemed smaller, the air heavy, and the noise of glasses clinking and people speaking faded into a barely audible sound. She looked incredible. The dress, the hair tumbling down her back, the heels that showed off her amazing legs—he wondered if any of the half a dozen people around him heard the strangled sound that formed in his throat. She must have felt him staring at her because she turned her head and looked right at him.

A blinding and electrical visual contact hit him from his feet to his fingertips. His best friend, Cameron Jakowski, jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow and gave a low whistle of appreciation. Noah didn’t like that one bit. With three sisters and an independent working mother, he’d learned at an early age not to objectify women.

“Who is that?” Cameron asked.

“Fiona.”

Cameron raised his brows. “I meant her friend with the great legs.”

“Callie Jones,” Noah replied quietly.

Cameron chuckled. “The horse lady? Very nice. No wonder you’ve been keeping her to yourself.”

“That’s not what I’ve been doing.”

“Sure it is.” Cameron smiled. “Shall we go over so you can introduce me?”

“No.”

“I just wanna talk to her.”

Noah stood perfectly still. “Hard to talk without teeth.”

Cameron laughed loudly and began walking toward them. “Okay, I get the message,” he said once Noah caught up. “But introduce me anyway.”

He did so begrudgingly. Cameron liked women and women usually reciprocated. He was stupidly relieved when Callie seemed oblivious to his friend’s brand of charm.

Once the introductions were over Fiona dragged Cameron onto the dance floor. Noah bought a round of drinks and they sat down at a table way back from the noise of the playing band. It wasn’t long before M.J. went off in search of the man she’d arrived with and he and Callie were alone.

She looked nervous. And beautiful. He’d never seen her hair loose before. It was longer than he’d imagined and hung way past her bare shoulders. He felt like running his hands through it and tilting her head back so he could kiss her throat.

“You came back,” he heard himself say.

She glanced at him. “Yes.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“It’s still not a date.”

Her words made him smile, and Noah’s whole body thrummed with awareness. Being around her, sharing molecules of space with her, undid him on so many levels. “Of course not. We don’t date, remember?”

Her blue eyes sparkled. “Do you have to be so agreeable?” she asked quietly.

“Do you have to keep looking for a fight?”

One brow rose sharply. “You like provoking me. It’s probably because you were surrounded by women growing up. You know, the spoiled only son, indulged by his mother and adoring sisters, given license to say whatever he wants.”

He laughed. “I’m sure my mother would disagree with you.”

“Ha—I’d like to talk to your mother,” she said and he saw her flush.

“I’m sure she’d enjoy that, too. So where’s your family?”

She hesitated for a moment, like she was working out how much to reveal. “California,” she replied finally. “My mom lives in Santa Barbara. My brother Scott has a place in L.A,” she added. “He works for the fire department.”

“And your father?”

“He died ten years ago.”

Noah pushed his beer aside. “So why Crystal Point?”

“My dad was born in Bellandale and I vacationed here many times when I was young. After my—” She stopped for a moment. “After I finished professional competition I wanted to do something … else. I’d always wanted to have my own riding school and secured Sandhills Farm for a good price.”

“It was a courageous move,” he said. “I mean, without family support.”

“I had that. I still do.”

“Do you miss it?”

“California? Sometimes,” she admitted. “But I needed to … to get away.”

She’d said too much. He felt it with every fiber inside him. “Get away or run away?”

“Both,” she admitted.

“Have you been back?”

She nodded. “I try to get back every year to see my family.”

“You’re close to them?” he asked.

Callie nodded. “Very.”

“But you wouldn’t move back to California for good, would you?”

She looked into her glass. “I’m not sure. For the moment this is home.”

“That’s … good news. For Lily,” he clarified. “And the rest of your students.” He paused, looking at her. “How many students do you have?”

“Not nearly enough,” she replied. “I lost a few a while back. An unhappy client,” she explained. “Or an unhappy parent, to be precise.”

“Sonja Trent?”

Callie stilled. “You know her?”

“I know her.” He took a drink and looked at her over the rim of his glass. “How many more students do you need?”

“To stay afloat?” He could see her doing a quick calculation in her head. “About a dozen or so. I could advertise—but of course that takes money. If I hike up my tuition fees, I risk losing the students I have to one of the bigger equestrian clubs in town who do a group rate. And with insurance costs and the price of feed sometimes I feel like I’m …”

“You feel like what?”

“Like I’m pushing a barrow of manure uphill with a faulty wheel.”

He smiled, thinking how he knew that feeling. “I don’t think you should dismiss the idea of raising your prices,” he said after a moment. “Cheap doesn’t necessarily mean value. Sure, your clients could go to the bigger establishment—but would they get what you can give them? Probably not. One-on-one lessons with someone who has your experience is what customers will pay for. Your skills and knowledge make your time valuable, Callie—you’ve earned the right to be rewarded for it.”

Her eyes shone bright with tears, and in that moment Noah wished he knew her better. He saw vulnerability and pain and fought the instinctive urge to reach for her. Now wasn’t the time. But soon, he thought. Soon.

The compliment went straight to Callie’s heart and she fought the sting behind her eyes. Silly, but his words made her feel taller, stronger. Her defenses were down. He broke them down. No, not broke … something else. Somehow he took the barricade around her apart, piece by piece, holding each one of those pieces in his hand, showing her what he had in his palm, drawing her out, making her want and making her feel.

Making me unafraid.

She was momentarily stunned by the intensity of her feelings. What she’d first thought was just attraction suddenly seemed so much more.

She liked him…. She really liked him.

This is a good man, a tiny voice inside of her said. A good man with a dazzling smile and integrity oozing from every pore. A man who made her feel safe when she’d believed no man would ever make her feel that again.

How did she resist? She wasn’t sure she could. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

But … to feel again? Where did she find the courage to do that? If she let herself care for him … she would also have to let herself care for his children. She had to allow them inside and into her heart. Into her heart that was only barely glued together these days.

“Callie?”

She realized she’d been staring at him and dropped her gaze. “Yes?”

“Would you like to dance?”

Instinct screamed no. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. It’s just a dance.”

It wasn’t just anything … she knew it as surely as she breathed.

“I really—”

“Come on,” he urged and took hold of her hand. Before she could protest further he’d pulled her gently from her seat and led her toward the dance floor.

She’d always liked the idea of dancing but had never been all that good at it. Craig had complained it was a precious waste of time when there were horses to train and competitions to prepare for.

The band played covers of popular tunes, and just as they reached the dance floor the beat changed to a much slower number. Callie didn’t move at first. At over six feet Noah was considerably taller than her, and she tilted her head back to look at him. Everything about him drew her in. The white collared shirt he wore emphasized his broad-shouldered strength and as she curled her fingers into the soft fabric and felt the hard muscle beneath, every ounce of blood in her veins surged. She hadn’t been this close to a man for so long Fiona greeted. “Good to see and never one who’d affected her so powerfully.

The music was slow and they moved well together. One hand lay gently against her hip and he held her free hand in his. She felt the intimacy right down to her toes.

She took a deep breath. “Noah …” Saying his name set off a surge of feelings inside her. Her body tensed and she knew he felt the sudden shift.

“Yes, Callie.”

“Don’t expect too much.”

He looked at her oddly. “Are we talking about your dancing skills or something else?”

“Something else,” she admitted on a sigh and wasn’t sure where the words came from. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. She felt like the worst kind of fraud by denying the obvious and refusing to admit to the feelings running through her.

She was suddenly paralyzed by the realization. It was impossible. She had no room in her heart for anyone. Not him. Not his children. “I have to go,” she said a moment later as she dropped her hand from his shoulder.

“I’ll drive you home,” he said quietly.

Callie stepped back, oblivious to the music, oblivious to everything other than Noah and her furiously beating heart. “I have my truck.”

“Then I’ll walk you to your truck.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Yes, it is,” he said and continued to hold her hand.

By the time they’d left the dance floor their palms were pressed intimately together. Callie didn’t pull away. Deep down, in that place she’d switched off and never imagined she’d switch on again, she found she liked the sensation of his fingers linked with hers. She liked it a lot.

Her truck was parked midway down the car lot and the walk took a few minutes. It was dark and there were a few couples hanging by their vehicles. Callie spotted one pair kissing madly, another simply holding each other. The entire scene screamed of the kind of intimacy she hadn’t felt in a long time.

The kind of intimacy she suddenly craved.

She knew it was foolish to want it. She had nothing to offer him other than the fractured pieces of her heart. And for a man like Noah, she knew that would never be enough. He’d want the whole Callie. The Callie she’d been before her world had been shattered … before she’d been shattered.

And that woman simply didn’t exist anymore.

Once they reached her truck she twisted her fingers from his. “Well, good night,” she managed to say and shoved a hand into her small bag for her keys.

She found the keys, pulled them out and accidentally dropped them at her feet.

Noah quickly picked the keys up and pressed them into her palm. “Good night, Callie.”

She looked at him and saw desire burning in his eyes.

He wants to kiss me …

The power of him drew Callie closer, until they were barely a foot apart. She felt her lips part, felt herself move and felt her skin come alive with anticipation. He leaned in and kissed her cheek so softly all she really felt was breath.

Not enough…

Callie instinctively reached up, grasped his shoulders and pulled him toward her with all her strength. Driven by instinct, she planted her lips on his mouth and thrust her tongue against his. He tasted good. He felt good.

No … more than that. He tasted … divine. And her lips, denied for so long, acted intuitively. She felt her blood heat, felt her skin come alive, felt desire uncurl way down, igniting the female part of her that had lain dormant since forever.

Callie felt his rush of breath as he started to kiss her back. She got the barest touch of his mouth, the barest taste of his tongue. She waited for more. She longed for more. But then he stopped. He pulled away, kissed her cheek again and straightened. Callie released him and stepped back on unsteady feet.

Air crashed into her lungs, making her breathless. She looked at him, felt the burning red-hot gaze. I know he wants me…

She knew it, felt it and tasted it in the brevity of his kiss.

“Good night, Callie,” he said. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

Callie got into the truck and started the engine. She wasn’t sure how she drove home. All she could feel was the tingle on her lips, the heat in her blood. All she could think was how she had just kissed Noah Preston.

And how her life would never be the same.