All They Need(58)

He heard the door open and close. He turned away from the fridge as Mel appeared. Her gaze swept the table and counter, and she gave him a grateful smile.

“Thanks for clearing the table.”

“Thanks for dinner.”

“Thanks for working like a dog for me all day.”

“Thanks for letting me barge into your family working bee.”

She laughed. “I’m all out of thanks. Would you like a coffee instead?”

“Thanks.”

She laughed quietly at his little joke as she took the jar of beans from the pantry.

“So, are you going to give in to the lure of civilization and stay in one of my cottages or are you going to go back to your man cave?” She glanced at him in order to gauge his reaction.

“I think I’m going to suck it up and brave the sleeping bag.”

“Then there’s no help for you.” She gestured dramatically with her free hand. “I officially give up.”

“Do you?”

He hadn’t meant it to sound like a challenge, but that was the way it came out.

The coffee canister hit the counter with a loud thunk. The instinct to make a joke so they could move past the moment was strong. Almost undeniable.

He didn’t want to push her.



And yet, he did, too. He was falling. It would be nice to have some idea where he might land.

So he waited.





CHAPTER TEN



MEL WAITED FOR FLYNN to say something—anything—to dispel the sudden tension in the room, but he remained silent. It was going to be up to her, then, to get them past this moment. This moment that had been heading their way for weeks now.

“You take sugar, right?” Her voice sounded a lot huskier than she would have liked. Almost sultry.

“I do.”

He was barely an arm’s length away, one arm propped on the counter as he watched her. Panic—excitement?—sent adrenaline surging through her bloodstream. She took a deep, calming belly breath.

“Is it that scary, Mel?”

She met his eyes. She intended to cover, to protect herself, but the truth popped out. “Yes.”

“Okay.” He sounded disappointed. “Then perhaps I should go. If that’s what you want.”

She stared at him, the right words forming in her mind but somehow not making it out her mouth.

“The thing is, I’ve always had a bit of a crush on you. Even when I shouldn’t have.” He said it lightly, but his words hit her low in the belly.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. I’ve always loved the way you laugh. The way you smile. The way you hold yourself. Your body.”



She blinked. “I had no idea.”

“Then I guess I’ve picked up a few tricks since I was fourteen.”

“I think you might have.”

He smiled, but his eyes remained serious. He was waiting for her to answer him. To tell him to go—or to stay.

“I don’t know what I want,” she said.

“Don’t you?”

His gaze was steady on hers as he took one step toward her, then another. Her heart clamored against her breastbone as he stopped a scant few inches away. She could feel his body heat, could smell his aftershave and the faintest hint of good, clean sweat. She could see his five-o’clock shadow and the small scar at the very tip of his left eyebrow.

Her gaze slid to his mouth, tracing the sensuous curve of his lower lip. She’d been too confused, too conflicted to allow herself to even think about kissing him before. Now she let herself go there, wondering how it would feel to press her mouth to his, to feel his tongue inside her mouth, to taste him and breathe the same air as him.

Hot desire unfurled inside her, foreign and familiar at the same time. It had been so long since she’d kissed and been kissed.

“You have the most watchable face,” Flynn said, his voice very low and deep. He laid his hand on her face, his thumb brushing along her cheekbone, his fingers cradling her jaw.

She swallowed, awash with nerves and lust and anticipation and fear as his gaze slid to her mouth and he drew closer. She closed her eyes and forgot to breathe as his lips met hers and his free arm came around her, pulling her close.

He was strong and warm and male and his mouth moved gently against hers, his kiss provocative and soothing at the same time. Her hands found his shoulders, her fingers gripping muscle and bone. She felt the brush of his tongue against her lips, then he was inside her, hot and wet and demanding, and a part of herself she’d pushed down deep inside came roaring to life.