Page 2 of The Sheriff & the Nurse

Lily leaned into him, her hands latching onto his arms—his muscular, firm, virile arms. Why did everything about him have to be so appealing?

His breath rushed out. A sweet longing filled his blue eyes that stole the oxygen from her lungs. He was drawn to her. There was no way he could deny his yearning for her at this moment.

He would deny it if she asked. Not that she would ever form the question.

“Lily.” His voice was so raw and husky that a tremor went through her. She wanted to hear him say her name like that every hour for the rest of her life.

“Clint,” she whispered, sliding her hands up his beautiful arms and to his broad shoulders, appreciating each striation of muscle and firm skin.

His eyes widened, and he trembled under her touch. She had the oddest sensation, as if the tough, closed-off, and accomplished sheriff was in her power.

Her hands worked their way around to his back, reveling in the strength she found there. She cuddled into his chest, her forehead brushing his stubbled jawline.

Clint didn’t respond for half a beat, and she feared she was alone in her longing for him and had overstepped every boundary that existed between them. They were always friendly to each other, but there was an unwritten agreement that they not get too close. Maybe they’d both sensed that this would happen—sparks, happiness, warmth, and comfort that was unequaled by any other man’s touch.

Suddenly both of his hands slid around her lower back, and he pulled her flush against him.

Joy filled her. Every touch, every sensation was more than she’d ever experienced, ever dreamed of. Clint Coleville was the man written in her heart. Was it finally the right time to tell him? This stud of a sheriff would protect her from Dr. Hampshire.

His cowboy hat shielded them from the dark night and his warm, strong body protected her from every worry. His head turned just enough for his lips to trail across her forehead. Fire raced through her. She didn’t dare move and break the spell that had wrapped around them as surely as his arms held her fast.

The soft lapping of the water against the dock, the crickets singing a nighttime tune, the moon reflecting off the glistening water, and the forested mountainside sloping added to the romance of the moment.

“I’ve got you, Lily,” he murmured against her forehead. Her stomach hopped happily in response. She ran her hands up his back and around his neck.

He had her. Clint would take care of her, protect her, light up her world with his warm and thrilling hands, change her life’s path with his tender and passionate kisses.

She’d been low and hopeless only moments ago. But the rightness of being in Clint’s arms, protected, safe, and happy dispelled any darkness, any fear, any pain. She’d never dared imagine such a future was possible for her, for them. At this moment, anything seemed possible. Happiness and purpose intertwined in her future. A future with Clint.

He softly kissed her temple, and she let out a sigh of longing. His breath was quick and warm against her face. For exhilarating seconds they held onto each other, and she savored his touch and every well-developed muscle in his beautiful body that was pressed against her.

He gave her another lingering kiss on her cheek and then her jaw. Each kiss was the stuff dreams were made of.

His lips slowly edged closer to hers, and then he kissed the corner of her mouth.

Lily couldn’t breathe, couldn’t support her own weight. She leaned into Clint and hoped beyond hope that his lips would move just enough to capture hers.

Moments passed as they clung to each other, every fast beat of her heart another beat that they were together. The hope of him kissing her lips and changing her future into one of happiness and love with the right man for her made it hard to catch a breath and impossible to think straight.

“Lily,” he said in that husky, tender tone she’d never heard from him. She doubted anyone in this world was privy to that tone from Clint. It added to the wondrous experience of tonight. She’d gone from despair to soaring in the cocoon of his arms, a hope for a future she hadn’t dared formulate, and a breath away from the kiss to end all kisses.

He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. His eyes were liquid sapphires, full of her and full of a need that made her lightheaded. Her stomach gave a happy pitch and her body tingled. She was the woman Clint longed for. She knew it as surely as she knew her parents’ love.

His gaze dropped to her lips and then met hers again. Heat rushed through her. She ran her hands around to the front of his neck, savoring the warm flesh and his strong pulse under her fingertips. Her hands trailed down to his chest, and he let out a very telling groan from deep in his throat.

A thrill raced through her. Her touch affected him just as surely as his touch did her. This was the moment she’d been waiting for all her life.

She gave him what she hoped was an alluring smile. He moistened his lips, and her pulse skittered.

A splash came from behind them. Lily whirled to look at the dark lake. Was someone there? Clint would protect her.

“A fish jumping,” he said.

“Oh.”

As she focused back on him, she realized something had changed in his eyes. That slight interruption had thrown him out of the moment. Frustration and yearning battled in the blue depths of his gorgeous eyes.

Catching her hands in his, he stepped back.

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