Page 34 of All Because of You

And still, Evan didn’t kiss her mouth the way her body ached for him to. But she could feel him looking at her, and it was a caress, a longing, matching her desire.

So why . . .

Maybe he was waiting for her to make the first move. Could she do that?

Yes.

The word wound itself around her heart and tugged upward, toward Evan. So Madison moved her hands around the back of his neck, playing with the tuft of hair she’d noticed earlier, then drew his head down.

He didn’t resist, and his mouth overtook hers.

For a moment, she simply allowed the water from the heavens to course down her face, giving in to the pleasure of his lips pressing against her own, of their bodies held together, their arms interwoven. Then, his kiss became more urgent, and he grabbed the sides of her sweatshirt, pulling her even closer.

Madison could feel the muscles beneath his shirt as her hands drifted down from his neck, to his chest, to his shoulders, exploring their connection, embracing what this could mean, trying not to think, just to feel.

And oh, how good it felt.

Finally, they pulled away, both breathless. Evan placed his forehead against hers. “Wow. That was . . . incredible. Though I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you rock at everything you do.” He snagged the baseball equipment and led her toward the ramada, out of the rain. Once he’d set down the bag, he leaned back against the picnic table and tucked her against him.

She wound her arms around the trunk of his solid body and put her head against his chest. “Thanks, but the reality is there’s one thing I may very well fail at.”

“I doubt it.”

Now that the nerves over the evening had passed, her mind was released to think once again about the store opening in the morning. “Guess we’ll see tomorrow.” The rain beat against the ramada roof, like a drummer given free rein during a solo.

He pulled back, lifting her chin to look her in the eyes. “I don’t need to see. I know you’ll make Chrissy proud.”

His words were sweet, but Madison saw all the ways she lacked the necessary knowledge. There simply hadn’t been time to learn it all.

Evan’s eyes probed. “You look like you could use a distraction.” A sudden smile curled around his lips.

Despite herself, Madison grinned as well. “Did you have anything in mind?”

He bent toward her, touching her nose to his. “I’m sure I could think of something.” His lips flirted with hers as he spoke.

“Please enlighten me.”

“With pleasure.” And he did.

Chapter 9

Every day Madison Price impressed him more and more.

Today was no exception.

With his free hand, Evan pushed his way through the front door of Hole-in-the-Wall Hardware, and a bell overhead announced his arrival. Inside, townspeople milled about the brightened space, some carrying items for purchase, others chatting in the aisles about how their weekend was going.

And there was Madison, helping old Dottie Wildman select paint colors from her collection. Surrounded by organized buckets of nails, screws, and washers, the wall of color swatches and paint cans livened up the corner of the store.

At his approach, Madison glanced up, and a huge smile lit her face. Was she remembering last night? He hadn’t been able to get their kiss—kisses—out of his mind. “Hey.” Her eyes flew to the box in his hand, and, if possible, her grin widened. “Are those what I think they are?”

Dottie turned, squinting. “What did you bring us, young man?”

He opened the flap of the box. “A dozen donuts from the Frosted Cake.”

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