Singed by Kaylea Cross Page B

irritated with her all over again.
    Gage took the pillow. “Thanks.” He dropped it at one end of the couch and reached back for the first blanket. Hating the distance between them, she helped him tuck it into the frame like a fitted sheet and shook out the heavy quilt he’d use as a blanket. When it was done he looked over at her, poised at the other end of the couch, as if he wasn’t sure why she was still standing there, and stared. Swallowing, she shifted from one foot to the other. Did she lay it all out on the line here and now?
    “Not tired anymore?” he guessed.
    “No, I’m completely beat.”
    “Go ahead and get to bed then. I’m good. See you in the morning.”
    The dismissal registered but she couldn’t make herself leave. Something warned her that if she didn’t do something to close this emotional divide she’d be sorry, and regret it for the rest of her life.
    He was still standing there, unmoving, watching her with an unreadable expression. With the kitchen light still on there was enough light for her to see the wariness in his eyes. She hated that look. Hated it more that she’d put it there. More than ever she realized how much she needed him. And so far he’d been there for her every step of this hellish journey. He was the kind of man she could depend on for anything and she wanted him beside her from this moment on.
    He didn’t want her thanks and she didn’t know what else to say. But sometimes action was better than words.
    Before she could change her mind, she took two steps to close the distance between them, reached up to take his face in her hands and leaned up to kiss him.
    Huge mistake.
    He made a low sound and slanted his mouth over hers. Sexual need slammed into her. It hit her like a blast wave, so strong it made her shudder. His taste. God, she’d forgotten how good he tasted, how soft his lips were.
    She crowded in closer with an inarticulate sound and plastered her body against his muscular frame, desperate for more. Gage growled low in his throat and slid his hands into her hair, his tongue eagerly exploring her mouth. Her nipples tightened, breasts swelling as tingles raced along her nerve endings, centering in the throbbing pulse in her core. He was all hard, taut muscle, his body all but vibrating with unrelieved tension. Claire surrendered to the lust driving her and kissed him harder, demanding everything he had to give.
    It was always like this with him. Zero to ninety in the space of a heartbeat. She was melting, liquid heat pooling low in her belly and between her thighs. She wanted him to throw her onto that couch and blanket her with his weight, fill her completely and pound into her until she came so hard she screamed his name. When it came to making her scream in ecstasy, Gage was an expert.
    Her throaty, needy moan drifted into the air between them, charging the room with electricity. His hands locked her head in place as he crushed his mouth down over hers, the steely length of his erection pressed against her lower abdomen. She was drowning, already slipping under the dark waves of desire when he suddenly ripped his mouth away from her and released her head.
    Gasping, Claire reached for his shoulders to steady herself. He caught her upper arms but as soon as she’d straightened he released her and stepped back. She licked her lips, stared at him. He was breathing roughly, his stare hot enough to melt metal. He wanted her, every bit as badly as she did him. “What—”
    He shook his head sharply. “Bad idea.”
    Her heart constricted. “I—” Want you. I need you. I never stopped loving you. But she couldn’t force the words out. They made her feel too vulnerable in the face of his rejection.
    Gage blew out a frustrated breath and scrubbed a hand over his face, clearly fighting for control. “God, just… Look, you’re going through a lot and I understand why you want this right now but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be something you regret tomorrow