Page 31 of Allie's Shelter

“It’s not the first time.” He gave her a reassuring squeeze that melted her heart. “I can hold my own.”

She didn’t doubt that, she just didn’t want to be the one responsible for testing it. “Oh!” She sat up, twisting to face him. “There is one more thing.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“In the grand scheme, it’s pretty minor.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I don’t really have an alibi for Roberts’s murder. I wasn’t with my friend Nicole.”

“Oh, I knew that.”

She frowned. “How?”

“You always swallow before you fib. I first noticed it somewhere around fourth grade. I think Cochran suspected the Nicole story was bogus, too.”

“Then why did he let me off the hook?”

Ross smiled, sending her pulse leaping. “Cochran’s known you forever. He wants to believe you.” He took a deep breath in, let it out slowly. “Since it’s just you and me here, why don’t you tell me where you really were?”

She heard the question, but didn’t answer, too mesmerized by the way his gaze dropped to her mouth. There it was, the invitation she had promised herself she’d seize.

She let the need grow, let the anticipation fire her blood as she slowly leaned closer. Closer. Until, finally, her lips whispered against his. Her eyelids drifted closed as she remembered the texture and talent of that warm and willing mouth. She was eager to discover it all over again.

His skin still carried the scent of the woods they’d tramped through and the stubble of his beard was a deliciously rough framework for his soft, full lips.

Lips that weren’t reciprocating.

Mortified, she eased away, unable to make eye contact while she searched for any shred of dignity.

She wanted to be angry, to accuse him of denying the attraction between them, but this was Ross. He’d been her first love and at the moment he was her only real ally.

Her apology dried up when his hands landed warm and firm on her hips. He pulled her across his lap, her thighs straddling his, until she felt the unmistakable evidence of his arousal. She braced herself on his shoulders as his hands skimmed up her back, drawing her closer.

“Better,” he said, nuzzling the sensitive place above her collarbone. When she gasped, he trailed hot kisses up her throat, over her jaw, to—finally—capture her mouth.

* * *

Ross recognized the stupidity of giving in to this crazy attraction, but damned if he could resist her and all her delightful, sensual appeal. Besides, she started it and he wasn’t ready to let it end.

Might never be ready, he thought, as her tongue boldly stroked his. Her trim body went soft and molten under his touch and he let his hands wander, learning what had changed in the long years since they’d last held each other.

She’d always been athletic and graceful, but she felt stronger now. There was a certain mettle to her that only came from experiencing life. He wanted to know all about it. More, he wanted to know all about her right now in this moment at the most basic level.

She rolled her hips to his and he groaned. He felt her lips curve in a smile against his skin as her mouth roved down his throat, then back up to nip his earlobe.

“Sweetheart, that’s a one-way ticket,” he warned.

“I remember.” A sultry chuckle followed. She was temptation personified and clearly enjoying the moment. Why should he put a stop to the fun?

Because he was an adult with an obligation. Cupping her chin, he brought her mouth back to his and tried to leash his desire. However much he wanted—they wanted—to do this, he needed to stay sharp until she was out of danger. He needed to explain that to her. And he would. Any second now.

The landline rang and she jerked and scrambled away from him as if her father had turned on the porch light.

He smiled at the memory. “Relax. It’s just the phone.”

She blinked a few times, but the longing remained clear enough in her eyes. Her kiss-swollen lips beckoned him to rearrange his concerns and priorities. On a muttered oath, he moved away, leaving her alone on the window seat. Only Rick and Eva had this number—and they only called when they had news.

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