Page 61 of Heart of Stone
His eyes never left my face, my mouth, as he moved his head slowly from side to side. “No. What I’d like is if you’d allow me to show you my appreciation for you making this day enjoyable for me, too.”
“How?”
With one arm draped over my thighs, Reid’s other hand went into my hair behind my neck. “I could kiss you. I’d really love to kiss you.”
My heart was racing, my chest rising and falling with my rapid breaths. I hadn’t been kissed in years.Years.
“Okay,” I whispered. “You should kiss me.”
Reid’s fingers pressed in at my neck as he urged me forward a touch. I went easily, my hands landing flat against his chest. Themoment his lips brushed lightly against mine, a shiver ran along my spine.
Whether he noticed or not, I didn’t know, but when he did it again, a whimper he couldn’t ignore escaped.
That whimper seemed to be his undoing. Because the next thing I knew, Reid had captured my mouth with his.
It was firm and unhurried, like he wanted to take his time learning the shape and feel of my lips. I didn’t mind. I was enjoying every second of it.
And when his tongue ran along the seam of my lips, coaxing them apart, I didn’t hesitate to give in to the silent demand.
Reid explored my mouth thoroughly, like he wouldn’t accept missing the opportunity to taste every part of it.
And as though that wasn’t enough, the way he held me in his lap, one arm around me, the other in my hair, I was lost to something so much bigger than I knew existed.
This was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
It was just a kiss. And yet, it was so much more.
My heart hammered, my nails gripped the material at his chest, and I moaned against Reid’s lips. He took it all, swallowing it down, and didn’t stop until he’d gotten his fill.
It felt like I’d been kissing him for hours, but I wanted to cry at the loss of him when he tore his mouth from mine.
Our breaths mingled, warm and sweet. “I like you, Natalia.”
My heart squeezed. “I like you, too.”
“After we enjoy some dessert, I think I might like kissing you some more.”
My nails dug into his chest again. “I might like that as well.”
He smiled against my lips before pressing a chaste kiss to them.
A moment later, we were enjoying our delicious desserts, Reid insistent on keeping me settled in his lap.
And while everything about what had happened today had made me smile and feel better than I had in years, the truth was that I’d just made out with my temporary boss. Had I made an awful mistake?
NINETEEN
Natalia
“We’re later than usual on this. I feel as though I’ve allowed my personal life to take over and make me useless at work.”
I rolled my eyes at my friend before hooking an ornament onto the branch of the Christmas tree we had in the main lodge.
It was Monday evening, after normal work hours, and as she’d promised me weeks ago, Danielle had saved this part of her holiday decorating until after work, so that I’d be able to join in with her.
Of course, based on what she’d just said, it was clear she wouldn’t have been able to get it done any sooner than now. Evidently, she’d been swamped here at work, but I was more concerned about something else she’d said.
“What’s going on in your personal life? Is this about Stephen?”
