Page 42 of Mountain Protector

“Songbird. You make me incredibly happy.”

“Songbird?”

His ears go pink. “It’s nothing.”

“No.” I squeeze his hands. “Tell me.”

“Well. I just think of you like that.”

“Because of my name?”

“No. Because…” Ruddy spots appear on his cheeks. “You’re bright. And beautiful. And cheerful. And I love listening to you.”

OH.

I have to tell him.

“Knox.” As he watches me with a worried gaze, I move closer to him. “I know we’re friends. But…”

“But?”

“I… I want to be more than that. More than just friends.”

His concerned expression shifts to relief. On an exhale, he says, “Oh, Lark. So do I.”

Everything else fades in importance to this moment. To the beginning of something special.

“So…” I move closer still; until our chests are flush and his face is inches from mine. “If we’re more than friends now, does that mean we can…”

“Yes.” His hand cups my cheek. “I’ve been wanting to do this for… longer than I let myself admit.”

Desire heats his gaze.

He dips his head.

Our lips are a breath apart.

My heart races.

And then?—

We kiss.

His mouth covers mine, and for a second, or an hour, everything stills.

It’s just me and him. Falling into something I’ve only dreamed about until now.

Knox nips at my lip, then caresses the tiny sting away with his tongue.

One hand moves to my lower back, pressing me against him.

He teases my mouth open and dips inside, tasting of sugar and nutmeg and cinnamon.

Need coils in my belly.

My lungs demand air, but I ignore them in favor of this incredible feeling.

But too soon, Knox breaks the kiss, gazing down atme with a mixture of hunger and affection. “That was even better than I imagined it.”

---