Need You for Mine (Heroes of St. Helena)(59)

“It’s called making connections, and the ability to connect with others is an impressive quality. If Lowen doesn’t see that, then he is missing out.”

His arms tightened until she found herself pressed against his chest, looking up at his lips, which were hovering over hers. “Is it crazy that the only person I care about impressing right now is you?”

“No, you’ve been tricked by science,” she mumbled, because his mouth was hovering mere inches above hers. “True story.”

“Science, huh?”

She nodded. “Red shoes, direct eye contact, enough cleavage to make you question what I have on beneath. The perfect dress for a date with the boyfriend’s coworkers. All planned, and all trickery.”

“That is an amazing dress,” he said. “The way it hugs your body when you move, and how it keeps flashing me little glimpses of the blue lace you’ve got beneath.”

“I didn’t think you noticed.”

He grinned. “Oh, I noticed, sunshine. I’ve been noticing you all night, but it wasn’t the dress or the shoes or even the cleavage, although all that is quite inspiring. It was just you.”

“I tried hard to make it look real.” It was silly that she was so thrilled by his admission. “I was thinking sexy thoughts too.”

“Sexy thoughts like this?” His mouth teased her lips, nipping at each corner before slowly pulling her lower lip into his mouth, and that same unforgettable fire she felt the first night shot through her.

“Just like that, but—”

“But?”

“I thought we weren’t doing this.”

“Me too.” He shook his head. “I just can’t seem to remember why right now.”

“Because we both have a lot on the line. Because you don’t do complicated. And because you wanted to be friends.”

“Right.” His gaze locked on her mouth as he reached out and traced its seam with his thumb. “Problem is I don’t know what my other friends look like naked.”

This was a problem, one her nipples seemed to ignore because they popped their corks in welcome.

“I had on lace,” she whispered.

“I remember.”

“Do you also remember how we decided this”—she looked at his mouth, which was a breath away and descending with purpose—“would complicate things.”

“Funny, the only thing I remember is what you taste like. Which makes this suddenly seem simple.” His voice was low and gravelly and made her tremble in the best kind of way. So did the way his hands slid down her back to her silk-clad bottom, pulling her flush against him, until he couldn’t even breathe without her feeling the rise and fall of his chest.

Oh my God, he was going to kiss her, right there on the patio on their first date and it was going to be amazing. The kind of caught up in the moment, waiting for the rush to take over, like you’re free-falling from thirty thousand feet without a chute kind of kiss.

He smelled incredible, and she knew he’d taste even better. Like hot, sexy, turned-on man and—be still my heart. She had to close her eyes to be sure, but she did and it was. Adam smelled like freshly baked peanut butter cookies and sex. Her mouth watered at the thought.

She felt him shift closer, and that tingle of hers grew to a full-body hum. Then she opened her eyes and saw the kitchen window behind him, and that was when the last important realization set in.

Or maybe it was a reminder. Of what this was and exactly what this wasn’t.

“Adam,” she said, trying hard to keep the hurt from her voice. “If this is for show, then we don’t have to do this. I don’t think anyone is watching.”

“Nothing about this is staged.” He pressed her against the table with his body, and there was the hard proof that this was real. “As for watching, you just go on and keep your eyes open, and let me know when it gets complicated.”

Sweet baby Jesus, it was already complicated. At least the rhythm her chest had taken up sounded like a college marching band, because his mouth lowered that final breath and slowly, ever so slowly, captured hers in a way that was all gentle steel. The kind that scrambled a girl’s thoughts and soothed her fears until she forgot that this wasn’t real. That he wasn’t collectible.

So instead of taking a step back, like a smart girl would have done, Harper kept her eyes wide open and melted—into him and that promise she tasted on his lips. Because in that moment, with him holding her as if he were vowing to never let go, he felt like hers.

And, God, how she wanted to be his.





Adam felt the moment Harper gave in. To the chemistry and to him.

Even though he had no right to, he let her fall. Warm and wildly sexy Harper who couldn’t enter into anything without giving over her entire heart and soul. And he watched her hand it over and didn’t say a damn thing.

He couldn’t. It felt too good.

From the second she had walked back into the station, her little blue dress had been doing a serious number on his head. The way it shifted and danced across her body did truly amazing things from his vantage point. But it was her smile that did him in. Full, real, so damn bright it was infectious.

He’d flirted with her because of that dress, but he’d kissed her because of that smile. Now he didn’t want to let go. Not when her body was shrink-wrapped around his and her hands were playing a dangerous game of hide-and-seek. And especially not when she was making those breathy little sounds that drove him crazy.