Page 32 of The Cattleman's Unforgettable Love

She felt as though she was under a spell as she leaned in toward him. Before she was even aware of what she was doing, he tucked his finger under her chin.

"There was a spark,” he said with a smile. “Sparks – lots of them."

She raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Her eyes drifted closed as he lowered his head until their lips were almost touching – then flew open again when he paused. He tipped his hat back and looked as though he was waiting for permission, so she closed the gap herself, tentatively brushing her lips over his.

There was nothing tentative about the way he responded. His hand came up to grip the back of her neck and all she could do was grasp his arm as he kissed her. There was nothing sweet or considerate about his kiss. Commanding, demanding, were better words for it – and she loved every second of it!

By the time he lifted his head, her breath was coming low and shallow. She was still gripping his arm tightly and she didn't want to let go.

He leaned back far enough to look into her eyes and brushed his thumb over her lips.

"Sparks are going to start a damn fire if you're not careful, Amelia."

She swallowed as all the muscles in her stomach and lower clenched tight.

"If you kiss me like that again I may spontaneously combust."

He chuckled. "Are you trying to put me off?"

She shook her head rapidly and leaned closer again. "No! I want more."

He closed his fingers around the back of her neck again, sending shivers chasing each other down her spine, and heat racing across her skin. This time, she slid her hand up to cup his cheek. His jaw was firm, strong and – she noticed for the first time – smooth shaven. He usually sported stubble or a light scruff. She loved that he'd made the effort to shave for their date. Her mind didn't get to linger on that detail for long though. She couldn't hold on to coherent thoughts as he claimed her mouth, and she happily surrendered to him, finally understanding what it meant to be 'kissed senseless.'

She didn't know how much time passed before they came up for air again. It could have been minutes or hours – even days could have gone by. All she knew was that she didn't want it to end, and when it did, she couldn't wait to kiss him again.

He sat back a little, still holding her gaze. "So," he asked eventually, "do I get that second date?"

She nodded eagerly. "Absolutely. But I hope we're going to finish this one first... We said if the day went well, we'd do something together this evening, too. Do you still want to?"

Heat trickled through her veins when desire flashed in his eyes. He gave her a rueful smile. "You mean, should we go for dinner somewhere, right?”

She had to catch her breath before she answered. If he was thinking about them doing something else together this evening – something that wouldn't involve going out – then she'd be up for that in a big way. But they didn't need to rush things.

"Dinner or drinks or whatever you like. You're the one who knows what's on offer."

There was a sexy glint in his eyes when he said, "I do, but I don't think I should spell it out just yet. So... I'll stick with, do you want to go over to Bozeman for dinner? Or would you rather stick around here? I'll take you to one of the restaurants."

"I'm happy to go wherever you like," she told him. "Maybe we should go to your favorite place," she added with a smile. "That worked out well this afternoon."

He nodded as he started the truck again. "You don't have any ideas where you'd like to go?" he asked.

She gave an embarrassed little laugh. "I don't know about tonight, but... are we going to pass Chico on the way back to the ranch?"

"We are. Do you want to stop for a drink?"

"We could have a drink while we're there if you like, but I'm more interested in getting rid of the last one."

He looked puzzled for a moment and then laughed. "Ah, right. You need the bathroom."

"I do. I might not be the city girl you expected me to be, but I haven't mastered peeing in the mountains yet."

He laughed. "Sorry. I should have thought of that sooner. We'll be there in a couple of minutes."

When they rounded the next corner and the tires of the truck hit asphalt again, she was relieved that she could see the resort at Chico in the distance.

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