too?
Shaken by that thought, he was grateful when the phone rang. She jerked
as if surprised, then stepped over to the end table and looked at the
caller ID. She let it ring once, twice.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
She nodded and picked it up. “Hello, Suzanne.”
Girls. They’d probably talk forever. He pounced on the opportunity and
decided to leave before he did anything stupid.
But they had had such a nice evening, he didn’t want to be rude. So he
moved closer to her, then lifted a strand of her silky hair from her
neck and whispered, “Thanks for having dinner with me. I had a great
time. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Then without analyzing why or what he was
doing, he brushed a gentle kiss to the hollow of her throat.
At the feel of Thomas’s lips on her neck, Rebecca quivered with longing
that arose from somewhere deep inside her. Then he disappeared, and she
sank onto the
couch, breathless, wondering why he’d kissed her. And wishing he hadn’t
left.
Had she misinterpreted the look he’d given her earlier? She’d thought
she’d seen hunger in his eyes. For her.
No, it couldn’t be.
He’d said they were friends.
“Rebecca, are you listening?” Suzanne’s voice broke into the haze around
her.
Still, she savored the sensations spiraling through her, memorizing his
masculine scent and the lingering whisper of his kiss. “Yes.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Attracted to a man who is all wrong for me. I want to
ask him to give me a baby but I don’t have the nerve.
“Like I was saying, Mimi called earlier, and she and Hannah plan to come
to Atlanta on a shopping spree to pick new outfits for the party. I hope
you’re coming with them.”
A shopping trip with all the girls? “I…I don’t know.”
“Oh, come on, Rebecca, don’t be a fuddy-dud. You can use a new wardrobe.”
She glanced down at her loose-fitting dress. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
Suzanne sighed. “Nothing, if you want people to think you’re an old
school marm.”
“My clothes are comfortable. Besides, I sell books in a small town-“
“That doesn’t mean you have to look like the spinster librarian. Come
on, it’ll be fun.” Suzanne’s voice grew excited. “We’ll get free
makeovers and have
lunch. Oh, and there’s a great lingerie shop we can buy some fancy
underthings, too. You never know when you might be taking your clothes
off for some sexy guy!”
Rebecca faked a laugh. Yeah, right. If only she had that problem to
worry about.
Thomas turned on his treadmill and began to walk, then jog, hoping the
exercise would purge the desire to call Rebecca and hear her voice
again. That stupid kiss had done something to him. His lips had never
tasted skin that actually made him tingle from the inside out.
He had wanted to dip his mouth and taste her lips, then lower down her
neck and beyond….
He adjusted the speed on the machine and sped up until he was sweating.
What was wrong with him?
He’d never been interested in art before, but the passion in those
pictures had aroused him and his curiosity about the woman who had
painted them. They were just landscapes, for God’s sake. It wasn’t as if
she’d painted nudes or erotic love scenes.
Don’t think about the paintings-think about that homey little apartment.
All those antiques and family photos and hand-knitted afghans. Rebecca
was a homebody. She’d obviously settled in Sugar Hill for life.
And he didn’t intend to.
He planned to move on. When he went to Atlanta, he’d find some
sophisticated city woman to keep him company. And if he ever did decide
to open up his heart again, it would be with someone who enjoyed
the same activities he did, hiking and skiing and…and football!
Someone who’d help him in his drive for
Shaken by that thought, he was grateful when the phone rang. She jerked
as if surprised, then stepped over to the end table and looked at the
caller ID. She let it ring once, twice.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
She nodded and picked it up. “Hello, Suzanne.”
Girls. They’d probably talk forever. He pounced on the opportunity and
decided to leave before he did anything stupid.
But they had had such a nice evening, he didn’t want to be rude. So he
moved closer to her, then lifted a strand of her silky hair from her
neck and whispered, “Thanks for having dinner with me. I had a great
time. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Then without analyzing why or what he was
doing, he brushed a gentle kiss to the hollow of her throat.
At the feel of Thomas’s lips on her neck, Rebecca quivered with longing
that arose from somewhere deep inside her. Then he disappeared, and she
sank onto the
couch, breathless, wondering why he’d kissed her. And wishing he hadn’t
left.
Had she misinterpreted the look he’d given her earlier? She’d thought
she’d seen hunger in his eyes. For her.
No, it couldn’t be.
He’d said they were friends.
“Rebecca, are you listening?” Suzanne’s voice broke into the haze around
her.
Still, she savored the sensations spiraling through her, memorizing his
masculine scent and the lingering whisper of his kiss. “Yes.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Attracted to a man who is all wrong for me. I want to
ask him to give me a baby but I don’t have the nerve.
“Like I was saying, Mimi called earlier, and she and Hannah plan to come
to Atlanta on a shopping spree to pick new outfits for the party. I hope
you’re coming with them.”
A shopping trip with all the girls? “I…I don’t know.”
“Oh, come on, Rebecca, don’t be a fuddy-dud. You can use a new wardrobe.”
She glanced down at her loose-fitting dress. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
Suzanne sighed. “Nothing, if you want people to think you’re an old
school marm.”
“My clothes are comfortable. Besides, I sell books in a small town-“
“That doesn’t mean you have to look like the spinster librarian. Come
on, it’ll be fun.” Suzanne’s voice grew excited. “We’ll get free
makeovers and have
lunch. Oh, and there’s a great lingerie shop we can buy some fancy
underthings, too. You never know when you might be taking your clothes
off for some sexy guy!”
Rebecca faked a laugh. Yeah, right. If only she had that problem to
worry about.
Thomas turned on his treadmill and began to walk, then jog, hoping the
exercise would purge the desire to call Rebecca and hear her voice
again. That stupid kiss had done something to him. His lips had never
tasted skin that actually made him tingle from the inside out.
He had wanted to dip his mouth and taste her lips, then lower down her
neck and beyond….
He adjusted the speed on the machine and sped up until he was sweating.
What was wrong with him?
He’d never been interested in art before, but the passion in those
pictures had aroused him and his curiosity about the woman who had
painted them. They were just landscapes, for God’s sake. It wasn’t as if
she’d painted nudes or erotic love scenes.
Don’t think about the paintings-think about that homey little apartment.
All those antiques and family photos and hand-knitted afghans. Rebecca
was a homebody. She’d obviously settled in Sugar Hill for life.
And he didn’t intend to.
He planned to move on. When he went to Atlanta, he’d find some
sophisticated city woman to keep him company. And if he ever did decide
to open up his heart again, it would be with someone who enjoyed
the same activities he did, hiking and skiing and…and football!
Someone who’d help him in his drive for
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