Page 9 of Defending Casey

He stopped her with a kiss.

He knew just how much she loved the feel of his lips on hers.

He knew the way to tease her lips open.

And when his tongue tangled with hers, he knew exactly how breathless that made her. How her knees and her resolve turned into mush.

Hale pulled away but settled his hands on her hips to hold her against his body. “You look like you’re dreaming, Casey. Your eyes are so soft, your lips,” he pressed another kiss against them, “rosy and full. I love your lips.”

“I love yours too.” The words were silly, but loving Hale made her silly… a lot. “I love you, Hale.”

“I love you too, Casey. So much I think I might die if I don’t get to love you tonight.” His hands shifted back over her hips to cup her butt as he stepped closer to her.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she tipped her head back to look at him. “Hale?”

She didn’t really have a question to ask him. Not in so many words.

Casey felt him hard and thick between their bodies and found herself short of breath and much too aroused to think of a good reason to pull away.

“Let me love you, Casey. Let me show you what we could have together. What I could give you as your husband.”

“But Hale-”

He kissed her, but this time he lifted a hand to her hair and tugged on her ponytail, tipping her head back so he could kiss her along the side of her neck, just under her ear.

Her breath escaped her on a throaty gasp and her hands fumbled around until she could fist them in his shirt.

“Oh, wow.”

He scraped his teeth gently against her skin and she tensed against him.

Hale stopped and pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “What is it? Something wrong?”

She was dazzled by the sensations he’d shared with her.

Her palms tingled and her breasts felt fuller, heavier.

“Talk to me, Casey. Do you want me to stop?”

That was the last thing she wanted, but she also knew she shouldn’t.

They shouldn’t.

When she didn’t answer, Hale looked down at her hands clutching his shirt and smiled. He lifted a hand and traced a fingertip down her ring finger from her nail to the knuckle where it connected to her palm.

“This finger, Case. I’m going to put my mom’s ring on your hand when we’re in church. You’re going to be my wife. Casey Foster. And I’m going to love you forever. You and me and a bunch of kids.”

Her head swirled with thoughts, her heart filled with love, overflowing. “Really, Hale? But you’re going away, how-”

“I’ll take you with me, Casey. I’ll come back after freshman year. We’ll get married and I’ll take you back with me. We’ll have an apartment there. And later a house.”

It was like a whole new world had opened for her.

The thought of being with Hale, living with him as his wife? It was too beautiful to argue with.

How could she argue with heaven?

Using her grip on his shirt, she pulled him down toward her and pressed a deep, searching kiss against his lips. When she broke free, she could see the surprise in his eyes.

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