She sighed in her sleep, and he laid a featherlight kiss on the top of her head. The rest of the movie played out, but his attention was solely on Priscilla. His eyes traced the contours of her face, noting the faint worry line creasing her forehead. He gently traced a path from her hairline to her jawline with his index finger. Beneath the pad of his finger, her skin was soft.
Priscilla stirred and opened her eyes, sleep darkening the blue of her irises. His hand stilled at her jaw. When she didn’t shove it away, he continued his exploration, moving his fingers across her brow and lightly outlining her eyebrows.
“I’d forgotten how beautiful you are.” His whisper stirred a wisp of hair onto her cheek, and he tucked the strand behind her ear.
“I didn’t know you existed until three days ago.” Her voice, low and husky from her short nap, inflamed his heart. “Everything’s mixed up inside my head.”
“Shhh.” He pressed his index finger lightly across her mouth. “It’s okay. Everything’s a bit mixed up in mine too.”
Her lips tensed against his finger. Was that a kiss? His hopefulness awakened a fresh desire to cover her mouth with his own, but he should quash that yearning. He hadn’t searched for Priscilla to start a relationship.
Removing his finger, he waited, his eyes searching hers for a signal as to what she wanted. What he saw in their welcoming depths made him want to close the gap between them. But he didn’t move a muscle, willing to let her make the first move.
“Luc?” The question hung in the air.
“Yes?” His gaze dropped to her mouth, and he could almost taste the saltiness from the popcorn that must coat her lips.
When her tongue darted out to her bottom lip, he pulled back slightly, needing to put space between them. His resolve had been weakened to the point that any second he might break the promise just made to himself.
“Would you kiss me?”
Her request made him smile. “With pleasure.”
Slowly, Luc fanned his hand across her cheek. He ran his fingers through the silkiness of her braid. Her eyes darkened, and her own hand reached up to touch his face, stroking her fingers along his five o’clock shadow.
Priscilla tugged his head down and placed her lips on his mouth. Luc kissed her gently, wishing he could prolong the moment, but forcing himself to extract himself from her embrace.
Luc pushed himself up off the love seat, noting with a twinge of satisfaction that her own breathing had quickened.
“I’ll go check on dinner plans.” He grabbed up the empty popcorn bag and headed out the door. His senses reeled from the kiss that had reminded him with the force of a hurricane why he’d married this intriguing woman at the drop of a hat. He had wanted to give Priscilla his protection until she got back on her feet after losing her job. Memories of their time together as teens had made it easy to propose. When she’d left without a trace hours after their wedding, he had been more hurt than relieved. Learning why she had vanished had stirred compassion in his heart for his missing bride.
Lord, keep Priscilla safe and help me to stick to my plan to release both of us from our impetuous decision to marry.
* * *
On the couch Priscilla wrapped her hands around a cup of steaming coffee, breathing in the rich aroma of Starbucks’ holiday blend. She hadn’t had a chance to talk much with Luc over dinner last night, and had barely said hello to him this morning, making her self-conscious and more than a little awkward. What would he say to her? What should she say to him after begging him to kiss her?
Her eyes went to Luc standing at the kitchen counter. He stirred cream into his mug with a spoon, making lazy circles around the inside rim of the cup.
The movement brought immediately to mind his gentle touch last night. She ducked her head as heat stole up her cheeks in memory of his kiss. Truth be told, she hadn’t been asleep the entire time. She had awakened but kept her eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of his fingertips gliding over the contours of her face. A warmth had invaded her, filling her with a mixture of tranquility and excitement. When she had opened her eyes and seen him staring at her, it had seemed natural to kiss him.
Last night, Laura had slept in the same room with Priscilla for security reasons, putting an end to any more kissing. Not that Priscilla had much experience with kissing. She’d had to keep the few men who had expressed interest in her at arm’s length because delving deeper into a relationship didn’t feel safe to her. Being in WITSEC meant she’d gotten used to relating on the surface level. Her head told her to keep her distance from Luc until she knew she would even have a life beyond witness protection. But that kiss had her doubting the wisdom of that idea.