“No, I don’t plan to return to Gamble. In fact, Nadia and Paige and I talked a few weeks ago and we plan to approach Pam about selling the place. She would have done so already, but she thinks we want to keep it as part of our legacy.”
“You don’t?”
“Only because we’ve moved on and think of Denver as home now. At least Nadia and I do. Paige has made a life for herself in Los Angeles. She’s hoping her acting career takes off. We’re hoping the same thing for her. Pam has done so much for us already and we don’t want her to feel obligated to pay more of our college tuition and expenses, especially when we can use the money from the sale of the house to do so.”
He nodded. “Let’s take a walk. I want to show you around before we move on to Adrian’s Cove.”
He dismounted and tied his horse to a nearby tree. Then he turned to help her down. The moment he touched her, awareness of him filled her every pore. From the look in his eyes it was obvious that something similar was happening to him.
This was all new to her. She’d never felt anything like this before. And although her little lovemaking session with Cobb Grindstone on prom night had appeased her curiosity, it had left a lot to be desired.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard a deep moan come from Aidan’s throat. Only then did it become obvious that they’d gotten caught up in a carnal attraction that was so sharp it took her breath away.
“Jillian...”
He said her name again and, like all the other times, the deep, husky sound accentuated his sexiness. But before she could respond, the masculine hand planted around her waist nudged her closer and then his mouth lowered to hers.
Three
All sorts of feelings ripped through Aidan, making him totally conscious of the woman whose lips were locked to his. Deep in the center of his being he felt a throb unlike any he’d ever felt before—an intense flare of heat shooting straight to his loins.
He knew he had to stop. This wasn’t any woman. This was Jillian Novak, Pam’s sister. Dillon’s sister-in-law. A woman who was now a part of the Westmoreland family. All that was well and good, but at the moment the only thing his mind could comprehend was that she had desire clawing at his insides and filling his every cell with awareness.
Instead of yielding to common sense, he was captivated by her sweet scent and her incredible taste, and the way her tongue stroked his showed both boldness and innocence. She felt exquisite in his arms, as if she belonged there. He wanted more. He wanted to feel her all over, kiss her all over. Taste her. Tempt her with sinful enticements.
The need for air was the only reason he released her lips, but her flavor made him want to return his mouth to hers and continue what they’d started.
The shocked look in her eyes told him she needed time to comprehend what had just happened between them. She took a step back and he watched as she took a deep breath.
“We should not have done that.”
Aidan couldn’t believe she had the nerve to say that while sultry heat still radiated off her. He might have thought the same thing seconds ago, but he couldn’t agree with her now. Not when his fingers itched to reach out and pull her back into his arms so he could plow her mouth with another kiss. Dammit, why did her pouty lips look so inviting?
“Then why did we do it?” he countered. He might have made the first move but she had definitely been a willing participant. Her response couldn’t lie. She had enjoyed the kiss as much as he had.