Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(59)

Yet he stood there, unable to break away. He breathed her in. Her arms remained at her sides, passive, and he just inhaled her. He enjoyed the velvety softness against his cheek; he thought maybe she was far softer and silkier than the average woman. He enjoyed the feeling of the smooth skin of a woman against his rougher skin. Why didn’t she pull away? He lifted a hand from her upper arm to her face and placed his palm against her other cheek, just absorbing the sweet, delicate warmth, the texture, the scent that was only her.

At least a minute had passed. Maybe two minutes.

It’s just an affectionate hug, he told himself. Not a big deal.

But when he stepped back, he looked into her large brown eyes and said, “I apologize. That was probably inappropriate.”

“Probably,” she said. “You being my boss and all.”

“I won’t do that again,” he promised. “It’s just that—” Words seemed to fail him.

“Just that you wanted to be close to someone?” she supplied.

To you. “I did,” he said, relieved that she had an explanation.

“But I let you, Noah. Don’t you go thinking you can get away with things.”

He shook his head.

“Don’t start thinking I’m easy.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her. She looked about one inch away from biker chick and she’d been through the school of hard knocks, but there was something just plain pure about her. “You haven’t been the least bit easy since the minute I met you.”

“I think it was all that talk about your wife, Merry,” she said. “I know you miss her. And miss being close to a woman in general.”

“I doubt that’s it,” he said. “Merry’s been gone five years. I’ve been close to a woman or two since then.”

“Just the same, you should think about it,” Ellie said. “You don’t want to get your feelings all mixed up. You don’t want to start thinking you like me in a certain way when all you’re really feeling is lonesome. Which is natural. Easy to understand.”

“Maybe you should be the counselor.”

“I mean, if we’re going to work together—”

Noah’s good sense took a hike. He put his hands on her narrow waist, pulled her close and covered her mouth with his. A little squeak of surprise escaped her, but it only took her a second to settle against his lips. Her hands slid up onto his shoulders and his tightened around her waist. He tilted his head to a new angle and rocked against her mouth, gently parting her lips. And he groaned in pure pleasure.

Ellie was lost in his kiss; his lips were so strong and soft, his mouth so deep and wet, his arms firm and confident. And, oh, she hadn’t been kissed like this in her life. He left her lips for just a split second, long enough to look down into her startled eyes, and then he was on her mouth again, pulling her tight against him, bending her back with his hunger. She welcomed his tongue, joined him with hers, and her arms rose to circle his neck. And they rocked together, body to body, mouths together, tongues entwined, breathing coming harder and deeper. She liked this kiss, she thought. But this is not a good thing.

At long last he broke from their kiss, gazing into her eyes, and she asked, “Can you fire me for letting you kiss me? Because you know I need this job.”

“No,” he said softly. “You can probably sue me. But you’ll end up with an old RV and a dog. An expensive dog.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I should never have let you…”

“How can you taste like strawberries when you had brisket, beer and apple pie?” he asked her.

“It’s not me, Noah. You’ve just been lonely…”

He lifted one expressive brow. “Is that so? And what’s your excuse?”

“I told you, you’re kind of cute, for a minister, and—Oh!”

She was going to have to watch that sarcastic sense of humor, it obviously turned him on. He grabbed her against him again and devoured her once more. And he was delicious. Powerful and starving and passionate. He licked her lips apart and invaded her with his tongue. Then he kissed his way down her neck and was back on her mouth, feeding her a wonderful kiss that wouldn’t end. This is not what one expected from a good-goody preacher. Whoa, his chest and arms were so hard against her, his arms like vise grips. His kiss was hot, wet and wonderful, lasting a minute, then two.

Noah tried reciting the Psalms backward, but it was useless. He began to feel a burning lust, the tightness of desire and arousal. And it felt at once shameful and fabulous. He’d been with a couple of women the past several years, looking for something solid and satisfying, but no one had stirred him like this in a long, long time. He welcomed the feeling of his natural sexual response. It was real, and really great.

And she knew. She pressed against him, he held her tight, and there was not one secret between them. Finally, reluctantly, he freed her lips.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said.

He grinned in spite of himself. “Come on, Ellie. You can’t make me not think about it.”

“I’m not getting mixed up with someone like you. First of all, I’m all wrong for someone like you. Second, I’m clearing out the second I have my kids. Third…” She paused. “I don’t need a third. That’s good enough. Don’t ever do that again.”