Then Colin's hand slid from her cheek to the nape of her neck, his fingers tangling in the hair at the base of her tight bun. The kiss deepened, his mouth moving more insistently against hers.
A small sound escaped Hope's throat, part surprise, part surrender, and Colin pulled back slightly, his breath warm against her lips.
"Open your mouth,kyria."
The roughness of his voice was unexpected but thrilling, the sound compelling her to obey. And as soon as her lips parted, the kiss deepened with a stroke of his tongue. And the taste of him was wonderfully...virile.
Colin's hand tightened in her hair, loosening the pins that held her severe bun in place. The kiss turned hungry, demanding. Heat bloomed in Hope's chest, spreading downward, pooling low in her belly. She'd never been kissed like this.Never.This kiss made her feel like she was a woman, and that she was wanted. And as to whether that was true or not—her body didn't seem to care.
When Colin finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard. Hope's hair had come partly undone, a few strands falling around her face. Colin watched her with dark, unreadable eyes.
"We'll be landing soon."
The tautness of his voice was unmistakable, and so was the rigid set of his body. It seemed as if he had forced himself to stop. But why that was, she wasn't yet ready to think of.
She touched her lips, which felt swollen and overly sensitive. Her body was still trembling, and her entire world became even rockier when Colin suddenly reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The casual intimacy of the gesture felt more shocking than the kiss somehow, and it completely stole her breath.
"You should wear your hair down more often," he said quietly. "It suits you."
Before Hope could respond, he returned to his original seat, leaving her flushed and confused.
The pilot announced their descent into Denver. Hope gazed out the window as the plane dropped through clouds, city lights appearing below.
When she glanced back at Colin, he was watching her with an intensity that made her shiver.
"Welcome to Colorado, Hope." His gaze was shuttered, his tone unreadable. "Let's hope this works for the both of us."
Chapter Two
Hope stood at the bedroomwindow, her gaze unseeing despite all five thousand acres of Colin's ranch spread out before her. Right now, all she could think about wasthat.
His kiss, which had her lips tingling even until now.
She pressed her fingertips to her mouth, replaying the kiss on the plane. Her first real kiss in nearly a decade. The few awkward embraces she'd exchanged during her thirties hardly counted—nothing like the heat of Colin's mouth, the firm press of his hand at her nape, the way her entire body had responded as if waking from a long sleep.
