Page 7 of Say Yes

Completely frozen, Sara simply stared back. What he said, how he said it, seemed unbelievably seductive. She told herself not to be foolish, not to misunderstand, but she felt her stomach curl up and squeeze tight. For a moment, she thought she might swoon in excitement. Or maybe throw up in sheer nervousness. It was a definite toss-up.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, lingering for a long moment, but to her extreme disappointment, he moved away. “I came today to celebrate. And to convince you to stop hiding from me.”

After sucking in two huge gulps of air, she managed to speak without croaking. “Uh, celebrate what?”

“Your freedom. We can start with a toast. I’ll pour the wine.” He went to the cabinets, and before she could stop him he opened the top drawer, then the next, looking for a corkscrew.

Sara groaned, knowing what he would find, knowing she would be mortified; she resigned herself to the inevitable. She was almost getting used to it.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Gavin turned to face her, a pair of her pale bikini panties dangling from one long finger. He wore an expression of mixed chagrin and incredulous disbelief. “Do you always keep your underwear in the kitchen drawers?”

She would definitely throw up.

There wasn’t anyplace adequate for her to hide, though she did consider crawling beneath the table. Of course, he’d still be able to see her, and she’d still have to come out sometime. She didn’t think he would just go away.

She dropped her face to the table and covered her head with her arms. “I told you I don’t have much furniture.” It sounded like an accusation. “The only drawers in the house are the ones here in the kitchen.”

Her words were muffled, but she assumed by Gavin’s rough chuckles he’d understood her. When she heard him opening and closing other drawers she jumped out of her seat to stop him. He had a silk camisole in one hand, a garter belt in the other and a look of profound masculine interest on his face. The feminine garments looked very fragile and soft in his big hands. Sara snatched them away, glaring at him despite her embarrassment.

He made an obvious, rather measly effort to hide his reaction. “Damn, I’m glad I came today. I’m learning all kinds of things about you.” He reached out and stroked the garter belt with a knuckle, his tone dropping to an intimate level. “I had no idea you wore such racy lingerie.”

Her face felt so hot, her vision blurred. “Don’t you dare laugh at me again, you big—”

The sky exploded with a splintered streak of neon light and the house shook with the accompanying thunder. They both jumped, and in the next instant were left in complete darkness. Sara held her breath, stunned into silence.

Gavin reached out and felt for her, his fingers landing first on her throat, then skimming across her collarbone before curling over her shoulder. “Sara?”

“Lightning must have hit a power line.” Her voice lowered to a whisper in deference to the fury of the storm.

“Probably.”

They stood there in the dark, and Sara could hear him breathing, could feel the heat of his body as he slowly, relentlessly pulled her closer. She could smell his wonderful, delicious, toe-curling scent. Her heart knocked against her ribs and she cleared her throat. “Well. So much for drinking wine. What do we do now?”

It was a loaded question, unintentional of course. But Sara saw the amused flash of Gavin’s white teeth. “It just occurred to me,” he whispered. “If your underthings are all in here, and you changed in the bedroom, what are you wearing beneath that dress?”

She managed a horrified gasp just before he lowered his head. She knew he was going to kiss her, and she didn’t voice a single complaint.

She may have even met him halfway.

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