She lifted her face to his, knowing he would read the invitation correctly.
Shane lowered his head and she went up on tiptoe to meet him. Her arms went around his neck, his around her waist. Their mouths met and fused. For the first time, Kelly cooperated fully with the kiss, holding nothing back. And her cooperation changed what might have been a merely spectacular kiss into an explosion of sensation that nearly knocked her off her feet.
She no longer tried to deny to herself that she found Shane more attractive than any man she’d ever known before. She didn’t try to pretend any longer that she thought of him only as a pal, or a sort-of cousin. He was a handsome, sexy, compelling male and everything inside her responded to him—always had, though she had tried for so long to resist.
She couldn’t resist any longer.
She closed her eyes, giving herself over to her other senses. The scent of evergreen tickled her nose, and she knew she would always associate that festive smell with this magical moment. Shane’s body pressed against hers, and she could feel his warmth in her breasts, in her thighs—and deep inside her, where desire had begun to stir and simmer.
Shane drew a hand slowly down her back, tracing the shallow dip of her spine and then settling at her hip. He shifted her closer to him and she realized that she wasn’t the only one who was becoming aroused by the embrace. That intimate contact with Shane almost shocked her into retreat again—but the anticipation building inside her kept her where she was.
Apparently emboldened by her participation, Shane changed the angle of the kiss and drew her closer. He made no effort now to conceal the extent of his reaction to her. Instinct made Kelly rock lightly against him. His reaction was a flatteringly heartfelt groan.
“Kelly,” he muttered, cupping her face between his hands. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this forever.”
His mouth came down on hers again before she could answer. His tongue thrust between her lips. His leg pushed between hers, settling her even more firmly against him. This was no longer a tentative, first-date kiss. This was a passionate embrace that would forever change the comfortably platonic relationship they’d had before. Whatever happened from this point on, she realized dimly, she and Shane would never again see each other in quite the same way.
She was trembling when the kiss finally ended. And even more amazingly, Shane was, too.
He drew her to the couch and pulled her down into his arms. She made no effort to resist. When he lowered her to the cushions, she pulled him down with her, sliding her hands over his shoulders to lock behind his neck.
He nuzzled her temple, rubbed his lips across her cheek, kissed the tip of her nose and the faint cleft in her chin. He nibbled at her lower lip and traced her mouth with the tip of his tongue. Even as Kelly concentrated on the pleasure he gave her with his clever mouth, she was aware that his hand was also busy, slipping beneath the hem of her sweater. His fingers slid across her stomach, which contracted in reaction. He sketched a circle around her navel, then finger-walked up her ribs.
She moved restlessly beneath him, her breasts already tingling in anticipation of his touch. When he finally, gently closed his hand over her left breast, she inhaled sharply and involuntarily arched her back.
“You feel so good,” he murmured against her mouth, his thumb circling her nipple through the lace of her bra. “All evening I’ve looked at you in this soft sweater and all I could think about was how soft you would feel beneath it.”
She couldn’t help laughing gently, ruefully as she thought of the piles of discarded outfits littering her bedroom. “I’m glad you like the sweater.”
“I like what’s in the sweater,” he corrected her. “You could be wearing a grocery bag and I would think you’re beautiful.”
“You keep saying that,” she whispered, reaching up shyly to push a lock of hair off his forehead.
“Only because it’s true.” He lowered his head and pressed a kiss against her throat, then moved his mouth even lower, into the deep scoop of her neckline. His mouth opened at the top of her breast, tasting the soft skin there. Beneath the sweater, his hand pushed gently upward, baring more of her to his thorough exploration.
Kelly had never thought of herself as beautiful. Did Shane really see her that way? She wanted to believe that he did. She gasped when his tongue swept beneath the lace of her bra to tease her distended nipple. Her hands clenched involuntarily, clutching his shirt. He lingered awhile—just long enough to drive her to the edge of insanity—and then he lifted his head. He kissed her lips again, very tenderly, then sighed and reluctantly withdrew his hand from her sweater. He slowly pushed himself upright. “I’d better not push my luck on our first date.”
As she straightened her clothes and scooted up to sit beside him, Kelly bit her kiss-swollen lip, thinking that he wouldn’t have had to push very hard at all.
He cleared his throat and shifted on the couch,
making a visible effort to pull himself back together. “The Christmas charity dance is tomorrow night. I know Heather talked you into buying a ticket when she hit up the rest of us last month.”
Trying to clear the fog of desire from her mind, she nodded. “It’s a good cause. I didn’t mind buying a ticket.”
She knew Heather had persuaded Shane to buy two tickets to the dance. Kelly had wondered at the time—back when she was still trying to convince herself that it didn’t particularly matter to her—who he would ask to accompany him. She had planned all along to go stag, since she hadn’t dated anyone for a while and hadn’t been looking for a relationship at this point in her life.
Had he already asked someone? Was she going to have to watch him spend the evening with another woman now that she had discovered how very right it felt to be in his arms? That was one possible aspect of their secret relationship she hadn’t considered before.
“Will you go with me?” he surprised her by asking.
She didn’t know how to answer. She still wasn’t ready to go public with the fact that they were dating. If something went wrong between them now, no one else would ever have to know about it. She wouldn’t have to deal with pity or sympathy or awkwardness or even teasing.
“I’ll meet you there,” she suggested. “Since we were both planning to go, anyway, no one will find it odd if we spend time together while we’re there.”
Shane frowned. “You still want to pretend nothing has changed between us?”
“Yes. Please,” she added when he acted as if he might argue. “I’m just not ready to let anyone else know, Shane.”