The Cowboy's Way(24)

“Wh-why not make the fresh start now instead of three days ago?” she asked when she finally found her voice.

His slow smile sent her pulse racing and caused a flutter deep in the pit of her stomach. “If we did that, I would be obligated to forget how cute you looked wearing my flannel shirt and how long and shapely your legs are.” With one arm around her waist, he held her securely against him as he reached up to cup her cheek with his other hand. “That’s something that I just can’t do.” His eyes darkened. “And as long as we’re clearing the air, I have my own confession to make.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What would that be, T.J.?”

“I may have been out of line when I kissed you, but I don’t regret it one damned bit,” he said, his tone low and intimate. “In fact, I’d really like to kiss you again.”

“That probably wouldn’t be...a good idea,” she said, finding it hard to draw in enough air.

“Why not, Heather?” he asked as he slowly stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

She was sure there were some very good reasons why kissing him again would be unwise. At the moment she couldn’t think of a single one. His touch was making her feel warm all over, and her ability to think rationally was all but impossible.

“Did you like when I kissed you earlier?” he persisted.

Heaven help her, but she couldn’t have lied to him if she had tried. “Yes. I liked it very much.”

“Then why don’t I go ahead and kiss you now?” he asked, his smile so darned sexy she was certain he could charm the birds right out of the trees. “We can discuss why it wasn’t a good idea later.”

Before she had a chance to respond, his firm lips settled over hers. Closing her eyes, Heather gave up trying to remember why she should call a halt to the caress. As he traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue, it suddenly didn’t matter anymore. The mingled scents of expensive leather and warm, virile male surrounded her and she opened for him, her body asking him to deepen the kiss, and she didn’t give her submission a second thought.

Exploring her with soft gentle strokes of his tongue, he sent heat flowing through her body as he slid his hand from her cheek down to her collarbone. But when he continued down the slope of her breast to cup her fullness with his large palm, he created a longing deep within her that she had almost forgotten existed. She knew without a doubt that she could easily lose herself in the feelings T.J. was creating.

The hardness of his building arousal against her hip should have been enough warning to bring her to her senses, but his desire only heightened the need swirling deep inside of her. As more ribbons of heat threaded their way throughout her entire body, Heather remembered that it had been over two and a half years since she’d experienced even the slightest stirrings of passion. She had been so busy being a caregiver, a single mother and the owner and manager of a ranch in deep financial crisis that she had forgotten what it felt like to be a woman in the arms of a man who desired her.

A tiny moan escaped her when T.J. slowly slid his hand down her side to her hip, then to her knee and back up along the inside of her thigh. Even through her jeans his touch caused her to tingle all over. Unable to sit still, she moved her own hands to unfasten the first few snaps on his chambray shirt. When she rested her palms on his bare chest, the feel of his hard muscles and the steady beating of his heart caused a yearning inside of her that robbed her of breath.

As he eased away from the kiss, T.J. nibbled his way along her jaw to whisper in her ear, “I think I’m going to go out to the barn for a little while, sweetheart.”

His warm breath sent goose bumps shimmering over her skin, and Heather blinked as her hazy brain tried to grasp what he had said. “B-but you’ve already taken care of the horses. There really isn’t anything left to do out there until tomorrow.”

His low chuckle caused a delicious shiver to slide up her spine as he set her on her feet then rose from the chair only to pull her back into his arms.

“Yes, but if I don’t go somewhere to cool off for a while, one of two things is going to happen right now. We’ll either end up doing something you’re not ready for or I’ll end up losing my sanity.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll be back in time to babysit Seth while you make supper.”

As she watched T.J. step back to fasten the snaps on his shirt, then shrug into his jacket and leave the house, Heather swallowed hard. Although need still ran through her veins, she had to thank the stars above that he’d had the presence of mind to end the kiss.