“Oh,” she murmured. “You think the recent kidnappings off the highway are related to that?”
“We think so,” he said. “We’re still trying to piece everything together, but it looks likely. We’re going to get to the bottom of it, though. We’re going to stop it. I promise.”
“I know you will,” she acknowledged. “I know this is your area of expertise. Sorry for pushing for more information. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her, rubbing his thumb along her fingers. “I get it.”
“And I’m sorry…” she began, hesitating before she forced the words out. “I shouldn’t have put you on the spot and demanded to know how you felt about me.” She shook her head when hetried to speak. “You should be allowed to share your feelings in your own way, your own time. And the kiss…”
His eyes darkened at the mention of their kiss and his gaze dropped to her mouth. “Oh, I’m definitely not sorry about that,” he replied softly.
She bit her lip, staring at him with hopeful eyes. “Really?”
“Really,” he assured her, and he moved closer, kneeling on the porch beside her chair. She was so small, he was at eye level with her right now, and those sweet blue-green eyes were softening.
“I’ve been thinking about kissing you for a long time,” he continued, interlocking his fingers with hers. “I’m just sorry it wasn’t how I pictured it.”
“It wasn’t?” she breathed.
“No, I always pictured it…softer,” he murmured. He drew even closer to her, their breath intermingling in the space in front of them.
“You want to show me?” she asked, a smile curling up the corners of her lips.
“If you’ll let me,” he replied, his gaze burning into hers.
Instead of replying, she nodded and closed her eyes.
So he leaned in the rest of the way, closing the last of the gap between them. Finally, their lips came together again, and this time, it felt far softer, far sweeter.
He reached his hand up to cup her face, and she slid her hands to his arms, holding on to them as though for dear life. He knew just how she felt. There was something about her that felt steady and strong, and as he deepened the kiss, he knew this was what he had been waiting for. Not the two of them, overwhelmed by emotion, but the two of them choosing to give themselves to each other. To accept that want between them, and finally act on it.
His tongue slipped into her mouth as he grazed his fingers down her cheek and moved his hand to the back of her neck tohold her in place. He felt the goose bumps rushing across her soft skin in the process. Her perfume filled the air around them, something sweet and with a hint of vanilla, like fresh cupcakes. And she was just as tempting.
She moved her hand up his arm, sweeping it over the nape of his neck and into his hair, her fingertips digging slightly into his scalp as she pulled him in closer. He felt her touch tingling all the way down his spine, lighting up every inch of his body.
She turned to face him fully, swinging her legs off the lounge chair to the ground. She kissed him harder, her teeth catching on his lip as her book tumbled out of her lap and onto the ground, not giving it a second thought. A damn meteor could have hit the lodge right now, and Lawson doubted it would have been enough to break them apart.
When they finally pulled away from each other, both of them laughed, a tension breaking between them, their argument completely forgotten. For so long, he had done his best to ignore the desire he felt for her, to keep things on a more professional level. But now? This was what he wanted from now on. No hiding. No pretending it wasn’t there. Just giving himself over to her, to this desire between them.
“Is that more like you had imagined?” she asked coyly.
“Hmm, much closer,” he replied, leaning his forehead against hers. “But I think I need a little more practice to get it right.”
She giggled as he leaned into her and kissed her again, the taste of white wine on her lips. He couldn’t help but smile into the kiss. He knew there was still so much he needed to worry about, so much he needed to take care of, but right now, all that mattered was how she felt in his arms.
And how certain he was that he would do anything it took to keep her there.
Chapter Ten
Lawson woke with a smile on his face. He was tired and a little stiff from sitting out on the porch with Sarah so long the night before, but it had been worth it. They’d cleared the air and he’d finally told her he had feelings for her. And kissing her… He could kiss her all day and never get tired of her sweet sighs, her pink cheeks and the feel of her skin. She’d made him feel like a teenager again.
It was nice to let everything else fade away and just concentrate on her. On them. Seeing her radiant smile at breakfast made it even better. They sat together, arms and hands brushing as they ate, and conversation flowed easily around them. He couldn’t wait for this mission to be over, for Granger to be behind bars, so they could move forward.
After breakfast and cleanup, everyone went to their respective work locations to check in and take care of their immediate duties. Cade and Aaron had a few things to handle around the property while Xavier and Lawson holed up in the office. Xavier had some paperwork to finish up while Lawson spent time on the phone with the sheriff, filling him in on their plan. They had a lot to get done in a short amount of time before putting their plan in motion later that day.
Since the men would be busy all day and into the evening with their mission, the women had decided to drive down the mountain to Blue Ridge that evening for a much-needed break. Lawson was glad to see Sarah feeling better, more like her old self. Having her friends close definitely helped.
After the women left for town, Cade, Lawson, Xavier and Aaron gathered in the office, which had become their war room as they planned their attack against Victor and his men.