Page 23 of Finding Silence
My eyes are fixed on her mouth as I answer her with a shake of my head. All I can think of is how her lips would taste. I don’t trust myself to speak.
What the heck is happening to me?
“Hey…are you okay?” Phil asks, stroking her slim hand down my arm.
“Fine,” I force from between my tight lips.
My chest feels a little restricted and I press the heel of my hand against my sternum.
“Do you need to sit down?”
“No, I don’t need to sit down,” I snap at her, and immediately regret it.
It’s not her fault I’m feeling unbalanced.
She instantly lifts her hands, palms out, and backs away.
“Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she mutters as she turns her back and starts walking toward the edge of the deck where we left the fishing gear.
Before I realize what I’m doing, one of my hands shoots out and catches her wrist. Pulling her around, I lift my other hand to her face, sliding my fingers in her hair. Her free hand lands on my chest, and I only have a second to register surprise in her eyes before I kiss her.
Her lips are full and pliable, and I groan when she presses herself against me. It’s been too long since I’ve held a warm, soft body in my arms. Too long since I craved getting lost in a woman with such fierceness.
“Easy,” she mumbles against my mouth.
That single word is like a bucket of ice water.
I immediately release her and create some distance between us. What am I doing? Mauling a woman I barely even know?
This isn’t like me, I’m the least impulsive person I know.
“I apologize…” I start, “I was out of?—”
She cuts me off by waving her index finger in my face.
“Don’t you dare apologize for that kiss. It’s the best kiss I’ve had in years. You’re a surprise, Brant Colter, and I have a feeling things could get quite explosive between us.”
She replaces the finger in my face with a hand on my chest, and a gentle smile on her face.
“But I’m at an age where I’ve learned things are much better when savored instead of devoured.”
I cover her hand with mine and read nothing but sincerity in her eyes. What she says makes sense. I still have no clue what I’m doing, but she seems to have a decent grasp, so following her lead is probably the best course to go.
“Point taken.”
Lifting her hand to my mouth, I chastely kiss her knuckles before releasing her.
“Besides,” she adds with a cheeky grin over her shoulder. “If we’re going to get physical, I’d rather not be reeking of fish.”
Chapter 8
Phil
* * *
Yesterday around this time I was fit to be tied.
This morning I find myself floating on a Zen cloud. Utterly chill, like the world could be lit on fire and I’d still be blissed out in my little bubble.
