Suddenly, cold air replaces all the places he is touching ashe pulls away, letting go of me. Almost like I am chasing him, I slump away from the wall, the pull to him so strong that I follow like a magnet as fear squeezes my chest.
Did he change his mind? Is this a repeat of the other night? I open my eyes to search his, seeing if I can read his thoughts, but all I see is hunger looking back at me. Fast movement between us has me looking down to see him pull his gloves off in two tugs and they fall to the ground.
Then his hands are on my hips, pulling me into him. I roll up onto my toes, throwing my arms around his shoulders to resume the kiss, every nerve ending in my body is alive and reaching for him. His hat is in my way, so I grab the brim and pull it off with one hand and slide the other through the hair on the back of his head.
The smoky sandalwood scent, which has become like a drug to me, caresses my senses, sending more heat to my center. He tangles his tongue with mine, battling for dominance, sending sparks between my legs, my arousal seeping onto my panties. A small moan escapes my throat, and he freezes.
My eyes open to his closed ones as he turns his head a little away from me. “If we’re not careful, you’re going to be laying on a bale of hay and I don’t want it to be like that.”
Setting my palm on his cheek, I move his head so he’ll look at me. “Don’t tease me. Tell me you’ll feel the same way later, or are you just saying that to push me away again?”
Setting his forehead against mine, he says, “I don’t tease, frostbite. I want to taste you so bad right now, to feel your heat around me, but I’m not that kind of man. I won’t fuck you in the barn.”
A small smile forms on my lips, “I don’t know that I have ever met such a crudely romantic gentleman. But you definitely make it work.”
A hint of a smile ticks the corner of his mouth up for asecond before he says, “I want to trust you. Please don’t make me regret this.”
Running my fingers through the soft hairs on his nape, I look him in the eye. “I promise, I’ll show you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
GRAY
THE SOUNDSof female chatter and oohs and aah’s are loud in the kitchen as I walk through the back door. Shedding my coat and the spikes on my boots, I hear Sloane ask, “You don’t know who would send something like that to you?”
Rounding the corner, I see Sloane, Marley, Hallie, and Elly leaning over the kitchen island, admiring something on the marble countertop.
Slowly shaking her head, confusion written in the line between her brows, Marley says, “No, I’m not close to anyone outside the family. Maybe it’s a mistake?”
Elly picks up a piece of paper and reads off the name and address on the delivery invoice. Marley watches her as she reads. “This is you, right?”
“Yeah, but I mean, maybe my account somewhere got mixed up with someone else’s?” She lowers her eyes back towhatever is on the counter.
Elly smiles as her eyes widen. “Honey, that’s Czech Crystal that was shipped from the Czech Republic, do you have an account anywhere that could have got mixed up with their system?”
Marley shakes her head in bewilderment.
“My mom used to order chandeliers and fixtures from them because of the type of crystal they use, they’re not cheap.” Elly says as her eyes fall to what’s on the counter.
“What is it?” I ask and insert myself between Marley and Elly at the counter. My arm brushes against Elly’s and warmth travels across my skin. Her hands are flat on the counter in front of her and I set my hand next to hers close enough our pinkies are touching.
On the counter in front of a box and a mountain of various packing materials is a delicate, detailed crystal figurine of a rearing horse next to a jewelry box with a necklace. Leaning closer to get a better look, I see a dainty but elegant horseshoe charm on a white gold chain. “Is that a diamond?” I wonder out loud as I zero in on the small sparkling stone inset on the horseshoe.
Elly lifts the packing slip again and reads. “One of a kind, hammered white gold horseshoe pendant.” She reads the entire description, including the details of the small diamond that’s set into the metal of the horseshoe. When she finishes reading, she lets her hand fall to the counter and looks at Marley. “In other words, this pendant was designed especially for you, and no other person in the world has one like it. Someone’s dropped a large amount of money on you. Do you really not have any idea who it might be?”
“No.” Marley whispers, and her eyes move to me. “Gray, I don’t know who sent these.”
Righting myself, I put my arm around her shoulders. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”
Her head turns back to the gifts on the counter, and she pauses as she looks at them. “I don’t know what to feel about them. I would love them to no end if they were sent by someone I know or care about.” She waves her hand toward them. “Look at them, they’re beautiful.” She pauses before she says the word beautiful and wonder is laced into her tone.
I look over the gifts on the counter again. “Would you like to send them back?”
Her eyes flick to mine and back to the gifts. “Would I be a hypocrite if I wanted to keep them?”
“Why would you be a hypocrite?” Sloane says, a hint of anger in her tone and a line between her eyebrows. “You could never be a hypocrite.”
Marley gives her a warm smile before she answers. “Well, if a stranger on the street walked up to me and tried to give these to me, I would refuse and try to get away as quickly as possible because I would assume only a person with ulterior motives would try to give something so nice to a stranger. But since I am getting them in my home and the stranger is not in front of me, I really want to keep them.”
