Page 29 of In Love with a Ranger

She nodded, biting her lower lip.

Oh yes, it would be no burden to kiss her. He’d wanted to do so since he first laid eyes on her standing there in the towel. If anything, he felt sort of guilty because she was getting the ‘short end of the stick’ marrying him. He was unemployed, had to figure out something to do when he got his cast off, and partial disability would not be enough to live on. The only thing he had going for him right now was his looks and his savings account – his health was questionable in his mind.

“Should we get out of the truck?” she said nervously, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. “We should probably get out, right?”

“Nahh,” he said softly, unbuckling and scooting slightly toward her. “Just stay still for a moment, okay?”

“Okay. Stay still. I can do that,” she whispered, closing her eyes and pursing her lips – and he paused. Had she never been kissed before? Surely she had… hadn’t she? The evidence before him said otherwise. She was sitting there with her lips puckered, waiting, with her eyes pinched shut, and this would not do.

Nope.

Gideon scooted over a little more and touched her cheek, only for Christina to jump as her eyes popped open, and she exclaimed aloud. She met his eyes, looked embarrassed, and then laughed nervously.

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay. Relax.”

“What are you doing?”

“Touching your cheek.”

“Is it necessary?”

Is it necessary? Are you kidding me? Is it NECESSARY? Like breathing air, it’s very necessary to me. He swallowed back and nodded, feeling the pressure within him building because he was a thousand percent certain that she had never been kissed properly now – and by golly – he was going to do a bang-up job of making sure she never forgot this one!

“Yes,” he replied, touching her cheek tenderly with the back of his knuckles. She drew in her breath and shivered slightly, causing him to smile at her open and honest reaction. “Shhh… I’m practicing, remember?”

“I’m relaxing. Go ahead and make sure it looks right.”

Heaven help him; he wanted to smile or laugh, but his hands were trembling at the thought of her possible reactions. He wanted to hear her sigh, feel her lips part, taste her, and wonder if she would cling to him. Would she sit there idly, clasping her hands, or would she clutch his shoulders?

He caressed her cheek again and then tucked a curl behind her ear, treasuring the way she shivered slightly again, smiling in silent understanding. Yeah, he was practicing all right. He was currently learning exactly what touches and movements worked for her because he knew every woman was different. He wanted to learn Christina – and chuck all his old mental notes right out the window for the next sucker.

“Shhh…” he breathed again, cupping her cheek in his hands and moving slowly forward. Her breath was coming faster, like a scared little rabbit, making him feel like the big, bad wolf. He brushed his nose against hers, treasuring the soft gasp and faint giggle that escaped her, realizing deep in his soul that sensation made her happy. He was going to do that move every time he freakin’ kissed this woman.

And felt her hand blindly reach out to clench his bicep. He glanced at it distractedly, seeing her fingers there on him, and swallowed. She was driving him insane with her naivete – and this was the woman that talked about calves being born like it was nothing?

He brushed his nose against hers again before moving to caress her cheek with it, treasuring her reactions. She whispered his name, her other hand blindly reaching for him and grabbing near his elbow, holding him steady where he was still cradling her face.

“I’ve got you,” he breathed against her lips and heard the softest sound escape her, nearly laughing as her fingers crawled up his arms to get a better hold of him and leaned into him at the same time. There was a burst of masculine awareness within his chest that was staggering as he recognized that she wanted him to kiss her, probably nearly as badly as he wanted to close the gap between them.

“We’re almost there,” he murmured, brushing his lips against the corner of her lips and nearly shouted as her lips parted in anticipation. He could feel her pulse fluttering under his wrist where it touched her throat.

“Is it always like this,” she whispered in a halting manner.

“No,” he breathed. “We’re lucky…”

“Very…” she gasped mindlessly, and that was his cue. Gideon moved forward, kissing her tenderly, and loved the noise of delight that she made. She was pulling at his shoulders now, and he would have broken both legs to experience this moment. He curled an arm around her waist, pulling her to him, and swallowed the gasp that she made at his aggressive movement and almost backed away, except she moved her hands again, reaching up and grasping a handful of his hair.

Bald was a look he could live with, he thought instantly as he leaned forward, deepening the kiss and savoring this moment for all it was worth. Yeah, he was going to marry this girl, and when she said the word, they were going to have an incredible time together in bed. He broke the kiss, moving to kiss the soft skin of her jawline, needing more and letting himself get carried away in the moment. She was arching her neck, giving him access, and heard her words like a cold splash of water.

“I think a car honked at us…”

“Let them,” he whispered, kissing her throat again.

“Gideon, I don’t think you’ll be kissing me on my neck when the ceremony is over. Don’t the bride and groom kiss on the lips?”

“If you say the word, I’ll kiss you everywhere,” he breathed – and felt her tense, immediately pulling his hands from her in alarm and awareness. He crossed a line and knew it. This was so intense between them, like a fire raging out of control. He was going to have to be careful around her.

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