Her eyes gave nothing of herself, but her lips...
Her lips reached up to his.
His own eyes drifted shut just as her mouth touched his.Sweet fire. With as much as this woman liked taking control, the strength in her kiss shouldn’t have surprised him. But the vulnerability in her touch swept through him, raising every part of him to life.
He returned the kiss, slipping his hand around her back, drawing her in, letting her feel his protection.
She wove her way into his very being as she responded. How had she become so important to him so quickly?
Yet she had, and with his kiss, he made a promise to her.No matter what happened, he would keep her safe. He would defend this woman who spent her life defending those around her.
Even if that meant protecting her from himself and the mission he was beginning to loathe.
He’d broken through her defenses. And the worst part was, Brielle couldn’t bring herself to regret it.
She could barely draw breath by the time Evan pulled back from the kiss. He lowered his forehead to hers, and she let her eyes drift shut again as she soaked in his nearness. She brushed the hair at the nape of his neck with her fingers.
Did she dare draw him back down for another kiss? She would never have thought she’d have the nerve for the first one. And with the tumult of longing inside her, maybe it was better to step back. She had to regain control.
As if he’d read her thoughts, he groaned and closed the distance between them again, pressing his mouth to hers in a gentle brush.
A brush that reignited the fire within her.
She kissed him back, a give-and-take that strengthened with each breath. She would soon burn to ash if she didn’t stop this.
With every bit of strength she possessed, she drew away. And this time, she forced her feet to step back, as well.
His hands slid from around her waist to her elbows, his fingers trailing down until they found her hands.
Her rough, cold-chapped hands. She was no lady. Did he truly know how unfit she was?
But he raised her fingers to his chest, cradling them there,then lifting her left hand to press a kiss on the backs of her fingers.
How could even a gentlemanly kiss like that send a shiver all the way through her?
He focused his gaze on hers as he held both her hands to his chest again. His eyes were so warm, so earnest. “I can’t bring myself to apologize for that, although maybe I should.”
Another surge of longing slid through her. All he had to do was look at her and she came apart in his hands. “You shouldn’t.”
Evan lay on his bed pallet as Philip sat against the wall, reading a Bible. Perhaps he should be doing the same, but he couldn’t seem to put two thoughts together unless they contained Brielle.
They’d only had a few minutes before Philip had come in for his night shift. For a minute, he’d thought Brielle might send Philip away. But a bit of time away from her would be good for him. Not only to settle every part of him that had sprang to life with her kiss, but he also needed time to sort through how he really felt.
And what he planned to do about it.
He’d never felt anything this strong for another person. His marriage with Sophia had started from mutual respect and need. She needed someone to provide a roof over her head after her father died, and he’d been tired of living his life so alone. They’d become friends, and through their two years of marriage, he’d thought it was love growing between them. It probablywaslove, but this stirring inside him nowafter two weeks was so much more than that feeling had ever been after two years.
Now, he only had to make sure he didn’t disappoint Brielle the way he’d failed Sophia.
He wouldn’t dream of asking her to leave her home, her community—her legacy—here in Laurent. Maybe she’d like to travel a little and see the world. He’d take her anywhere she wanted. But he had to be willing to leave all behind to make a life with her.
Who was he fooling? Between Brielle and the people he’d come to know here, he would leave his old life behind in a minute. If he could, he’d gladly head back to the States now and resign his commission, then come back and do whatever he could to woo her.
If she’d have him. Just because attraction sparked between them didn’t mean she thought enough of him to accept his courtship.
Besides, he still had a promise to fulfill, and his country depended on him. He was due back by the last day of December, and he had to find pitchblende before he returned.
If he told Brielle everything, would she allow him to leave Laurent and go around to the back side of the mountain to dig into the rock there? She could come with him if they felt the need to keep him under guard. Which they might after he revealed his connection to the army.
