Page 20 of The Jade Stone Sleuth

Clara wondered why he shouldn’t. He’d told her last night he was only here for a short time and not in a position to fall madly in love like Linc had teased them. Maybe he had a girlfriend back home. Maybe Clara wasn’t his type. Maybe he had made a vow to not date like she should have done.

She couldn’t waste any more time stressing about why he ‘shouldn’t’ when his arms lifted her closer and their lips met.

The air around them seemed to sparkle as their mouths connected and then danced together. Brex confidently took possession of her lips, and the morning sang with joy. Their kiss brought them together as if they were two magnets searching for each other their entire lives. Maybe heaven above had brought Brex to the valley and to her. He was a spectacular enigma, and she was fascinated by him. His kiss only made her more drawn to him.

Brex released her from the kiss and stared at her. His gaze was filled with the wonder of what had just transpired between them. How could this accomplished man who’d probably dated actresses and models look as awestruck as she felt? Their kisswas unique and binding, and she knew she wasn’t the only one who felt it.

“Clara,” he whispered again.

She’d always thought her name was plain and old-fashioned. Not on Brex’s lips. It was mystical and enchanting.

He captured her mouth again, and magic wasn’t enough to describe how his kisses felt. The water babbled merrily nearby as their kisses intensified, became more passionate and more fulfilling. Clara was swept away in the joy of Brex and amazed to feel the depth of his longing for her in each kiss, each touch. Time passed, but she didn’t catalog it. She savored kissing and being kissed.

Voices echoed from the canyon below.

Brex pulled back. His eyes swept over her, full of a hunger she’d never seen in a man’s eyes and especially not a man as desirable and accomplished as Brex. Abandoning any ideals of not having a boyfriend, she was planning their future in her mind. She’d keep him safe. Somehow.

She moistened her lips, and his gaze sharpened and grew even more heated. She thought he’d kiss her again—who cared if whoever was coming saw—but he took her hand and turned. She said a prayer of gratitude for their magical exchange in this mystical and beautiful spot.

Brex didn’t say anything as he led her down the river. They greeted the couple coming up the stream but didn’t stop to chat. Clara recognized them but didn’t know their names.

They progressed down the path and the silence between them became louder than the creek dancing over rocks. She didn’t know what to say and wished he’d break the silence. Yet how could words fill the air between them that had been changed by their powerful kissing session? She’d naively fallen for him in those blissful moments. Had he just been enjoying the kisses, or did he feel anything deeply for her?

As the silence wore on, the rapture slowly fell away and an uneasy pit formed in her stomach. Brex was holding her hand. He looked strong and protective, but there was something off about them kissing like that, then neither of them speaking since.

Did he regret their kisses?

Did she?

She didn’t know that she could regret kisses that pure and enthralling, but she’d promised herself not to get another boyfriend. What if Brex slipped off a cliff or wrecked on a mountain bike, was crushed by a falling boulder, caught in a flash flood, or struck by lightning? Jade Valley was known for flash floods and spectacular lightning storms, and she’d personally seen men killed falling off cliffs and wrecking mountain bikes.

Her heart beat high and fast and her hand gripped his more tightly.

How could she protect him? She was terrified to have something happen to Brex. Their shared interactions and their shared kisses were beyond anything she’d experienced with Harrison, Kyle, or Malik. She’d known Brex all of a day and wanted to pledge her heart and life to him. That wasn’t smart or rational. On any level. He hopefully wouldn’t die, but he’d eventually leave Jade Valley, and her, behind. He was too suave and larger than life. Too accomplished for this valley. For her.

The canyon widened and they were able to step out of the river and onto dry ground. Brex released her hand, and they picked up the pace. He gave her another glance filled with longing but said nothing. The next couple miles passed with her stewing over what he was thinking and what she was thinking.

They finally made it to the parking lot, their ethereal waterfall retreat far behind them. Brex walked her over to her car and turned to face her. She pressed her back into the car doorand stared up at him. The sun lit his handsome face, but his eyes were dark and apprehensive.

“Clara,” he said, studying her, “I’m sorry.” He flicked his wrist and glanced at it, even without his watch to look at. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

She blinked up at him, the unease in her stomach becoming a cold rock. He was not only second-guessing their passionate exchange; he wanted to retract it. His repentance was deeper than her questioning whether they were moving too fast. He wanted to erase it.

“You’re sorry about those kisses?” she demanded.

He smiled and cupped her jawline with his palm. “I couldn’t ever be sorry about those kisses.” Sparks of desire in his eyes counteracted the concern. “I’ve never experienced a kiss like that, a feeling like that.” He looked her over. “Pure and powerful. Genuine. You are pure and powerful and genuine, Clara Gem. If I could, I’d kiss you every hour of every day.”

Clara’s heart hopped and tingles covered her skin. He was sincere. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. He’d felt that interchange as deeply as she had. She had no power, only through her Savior, but the thought of their kisses being pure and powerful hit exactly right. Definitely genuine. There was nothing false between them.

He released his hold on her and stepped back. The muscles in his arms engaged as he clenched his hands into fists. “But I’m on a job here, and I shouldn’t be kissing you and leading you on. That isn’t my objective.”

Clara’s hopes dove into the red dirt. Her heart felt squished into the red dirt as well. She’d been falling for him, and he was easily stepping away. She put up her defenses and scrambled for something to say. “That’s good … really good … because I’ve sworn not to have a boyfriend again.”

His gaze became searching. “You have? Why?”

She blinked up at him. For a moment she considered telling him her story, the horrifying deaths, and begging him to help her. But if he was only ‘leading her on’, she wasn’t going to confide in him.

“None of your business,” she snipped. “If you’re focused on your job and I’m focused on not having a boyfriend, it’s for the best that we not see each other and that we never kiss again.” The words hurt to say, and she prayed he’d contradict them.

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