Page 91 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“You’re wrong,” he whispered, brushing the tears off her cheeks. “You’re wrong about all of it. You’re not emotionally fragile like your mother, but you’re not made of ice either. You have a heart, Lia. You’re just afraid to let people see it.”
She sniffled and shook her head, but before she could argue, he spoke again, and his voice was filled with feeling. “I wish you could see what I see.”
Her entire body stilled as she gazed into his eyes. They were a tractor beam—mesmerizing, drawing her in.
“I see strength, determination, and a heart that wants to give and serve and take care of the people around her. You have no idea how incredible you are.”
She tried to shake her head, to deny his words, but he held her still.
“You are so worthy,” he whispered, leaning toward her, so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. “You’re worthy of every good thing.”
She couldn’t help but touch him. Lightly running her fingers down his beard, she tried to resist her thundering heart, but it was no use.
His power over her was too strong to fight.
Impulse pulled her forward, and she pressed her mouth to his like it was the only thing she was born to do.
32
For all the years JJ spent searching for a home, he never expected to find it in a kiss.
But the moment Dahlia pressed her lips to his, that was exactly what he found. Her lips were soft and warm, and they fit against his like they were born to be there.
For a second, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. His entire life came down to this moment, this feeling of her heat pressed against him, of her lips molding to his.
It wasn’t until a heartbeat later, when he felt her warm breath against his parted lips, that his body overtook his stunned state. He reached out to grip her shoulders before she could pull away, and this time he sought her lips for a harder kiss—one that was deep and sweet and that he hoped said all he wanted to say.
She gasped at the urgency of it, so much harder and fiercer than her sweet, almost chaste kiss. But she wound her arms around his neck as he tilted his head, fitting his mouth to hers.
Slowly, he learned the taste of her. With all the patience he could muster, he savored the feel of her lips against his, the way they moved, nipped, and clung.
But this angle wouldn't do. She was still on her knees before him, and he was bending over her…
In one quick move, he reached for her waist, hauling her up and into his lap. He pulled back just long enough to look down at her ankle. “Does this hurt?”
The stunned look in her eyes as she gazed back at him made him smile. “Hmm?”
He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. She was too adorable when she was studying him like this. Desire and affection were clear in her eyes.
“I guess that’s my answer,” he murmured.
Her gaze was on his lips, and her glazed awe perfectly matched the way he was feeling. He was reeling, truth be told, but in the very best way. Like planets were repositioning in the sky, and the ground was shifting below, and the whole world was realigning into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
And all because of a kiss that felt more right than anything he’d ever known.
He swallowed hard, his eyes skimming her lips. “I’m going to kiss you again,” he whispered, his voice husky.
It wasn’t a question but a mere statement of fact. He had to kiss her. There was nothing else he could do. Thankfully, she nodded.
He leaned in slower this time, savoring every second, from the slight rasp of her breathing to the feel of her breath on his lips right before they met. Her arms wrapped tighter around him, and the weight of her against him was like nothing he’d ever felt before.
She was everything he’d never known he’d wanted, this riddle in his arms. Soft and tough, solid and fragile. And the way she kissed him back…
He’d never again believe her to be an ice queen, not when she was pure fire in his arms.
Though every part of him wanted to claim her fully, to tell her there was no going back now—that she was his—he also knew he had to go slow. Because that was not what this kiss was about.
The kiss deepened slowly, perfectly. Each of them exploring and learning.
