Just when he thought she’d refuse, the stiffness left her limbs as she melted against him. “Yes.”
He lowered his mouth to hers. The tentative tasting led to a deep desire for more. When she sighed, he took advantage of the moment and traced the rim of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. When her tongue tangled with his, heat shot straight to his gut, and he angled her head back to drink from her lips. Pure and potent as wild honey, Caitlin went to his head like two fingers of Irish whiskey.
Coming up for air, he tucked her head beneath his chin and worked to steady his breathing. “You pack a lethal punch,” he confessed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Her arms tightened around him. “I’ve been kissed before,” she said, “but not like that.”
He eased back until he could look into the depths of her emerald eyes when he asked, “And how’s that?”
“Like you’d die if you didn’t kiss me.”
“That about sums it up.” Reeling her back in, he undid her braid and speared his fingers into the mass of waves, reveling in the fact that she was warm, willing, and eager to kiss him back.
He had a gut-deep need to taste more…touch more…but it was too soon and he didn’t want to scare her off. “Caitlin—” He gave in and brushed his lips over hers.
“You make it hard to say good night,” she said when he eased her back. “All I want to do is keep on kissing you, but you tempt me to want more, to do more, and I don’t think I’m ready to rush into anything. I want to savor every moment—”
The urge to pull her back into his arms was so strong, he had to look away and then back, asking, “So you’ll be back then? I haven’t scared you off?”
She laid a hand on his arm and said, “I promised to help with Jamie. Besides,” she said. “I don’t scare easily.”
“I can be a patient man, Caitlin.” He slowly smiled and added, “I’ll give you a couple of days to think about whether or not you want to do more than share a few heart-stopping kisses.”
She tilted her head to one side. “My heart’s still beating. Maybe you should try one more time before I go.”
He tugged on her arm until she fell against him. When she gasped, he poured everything he was feeling into the kiss. Mouth, lips, teeth, and tongue gave and gave before finally, finally taking pleasure for himself.
Drunk on the heady taste of her, he set her away from him, held up his hands, and backed away. “Go now, or consider yourself shanghaied.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.” She gave a mock salute, turned, and sprinted for the driveway.
“Avast, ye coward!” he called after her. Then had to laugh at the way she turned around and grinned at him, all the while running backward toward the safety of her car.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked, holding the driver’s door open.
“If you wait for me to get home. I have office hours until six o’clock tomorrow.”
“Do you want me to bring dinner again?”
“No,” he told her. “It’s my turn to cook for you.”
Her smile glowed from within. “What are we having?”
“I don’t know yet…but I can guarantee it will be edible.”
“Sounds perfect.” She waved, climbed into her car, and was gone.
Watching her back out of his driveway, Jack felt as if the night air had cooled. She’d taken all of her warmth and sweetness with her.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. He couldn’t wait until she came back.
Chapter 7
“Anything new on the water tower?”
Caitlin smiled at her older sister. “Nope. It’s been declared off limits since the younger Smolinsky brother fell off the ladder and dislocated his knee.”
Meg sighed. “I know, but I keep hoping someone will brave the sheriff’s wrath and climb up the ladder and paint a heart with their initials in it, or better yet, propose marriage.”
“Like Dan did for you?” Cait asked.
Her sister stared into space. “I waited a long time to see my name painted up there in John Deere green. Never thought I would.”
“Well, no one new up there yet. And definitely not Dad and Mary, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Meg shook her head at her sister while Cait centered the bookshelf she’d built for Meg and Dan’s nursery. Taking a step back, she eyeballed the piece and ran the tips of her fingers along the top of it. “It looks good, doesn’t it?”
Meg slipped her arm around her younger sister and sighed. “You build beautiful things, little sister.”
Cait felt her face heat at the compliment. “Coming from you, that’s high praise.”