He should leave. But holding her felt so good, so right. Besides, Emily needed him, for a few minutes anyway. When she’d pushed him away this afternoon, he’d wondered if she’d ever let him comfort her again.
And now she had.
His elation plummeted. She’d turned to him, and he’d taken advantage of her. He’d been much more of a gentleman than some men might have been, but he’d be lying if claimed he’d only kissed Emily for her benefit.
Emily’s breathing grew steady, and her body relaxed in his arms. At least she didn’t seem upset about the kiss. Tonight anyway. Would she feel differently tomorrow? Sometimes, regret took a while to sink in.
He didn’t want his relationship with Emily clouded by something they’d end up regretting. Yes, he wanted a relationship with her. But she wasn’t ready for that. She was dealing with too much and needed time to heal.
Besides, he knew very little about her still. But he wanted to know. He wanted to learn every little thing about her. Would she ever trust him enough to fully confide in him?
Not if he kept kissing her and taking advantage of her when she was so vulnerable.
He would have to be careful around Emily. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn’t keep kissing her like that. Because like their first kiss, this kiss, had left him wanting more.
So much more.
* * *
Jake awoke with a strange,heavy sensation in his arm. It took him a long, drowsy moment to figure out why. He’d fallen asleep. In Emily’s bed. With her in his arms.
He looked toward the window. The gray light coming through curtains told him it was almost dawn. He’d spent the entire night in Emily’s bed.
He looked down at her peaceful face and remembered her anguish of the night before. Then he remembered the kiss they’d shared. His pulse sped up as he remembered the feel and taste of her mouth against his. He waited for the guilt and regret he was sure he would feel this morning to hit. But they didn’t come.
Having been raised with old-fashioned values and high morals, he knew he should feel guilty. But nothing inappropriate had happened, and Emily had needed him last night.
He could never comfort her like this again, though. It would be playing with fire. And they would both get burned.
He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop with a single kiss next time. Emily was too pretty, and he cared too much for her to hurt her. She was too vulnerable for him to be toying with her emotions.
Although nothing had happened, he did not want his mother to find him in Emily’s bed. He slid his body backward as he slowly pulled his arm from under Emily. She rolled toward him, and he paused to make sure he didn’t wake her. She had a peaceful, serene smile on her face.
A smile crept to his own lips.Man, she’s beautiful.
He continued to disengage himself from Emily and her bed. Taking one last look at her, he fought the urge to press his lips to her forehead. Silently, he slipped from her room, picking up the boots he’d left in the hallway last night.
Going to his room, he closed a second door between him and Emily. He took a deep breath and frowned. Still no remorse. That wasn’t a good sign. He’d enjoyed holding Emily too much.
And that was a problem.
Finally, a twinge of guilt hit him. But it was guilt for not feeling guilty. Reminding himself he’d already determined he couldn’t allow it to happen again, he pushed it from his mind.
As he changed into work clothes, the muscles in his back protested. He had many stiff spots this morning from how he’d spent the night.
It served him right. He needed a physical reminder he shouldn’t have slept with Emily.
He would have to work extra hard to work off this frustration.
Chapter 24
Emily awoke feeling content and peaceful. Then reality crashed down on her, stealing the air from her lungs. The sadness settled over her like her grandmother’s heavy homemade quilts, and she rolled onto her side to let the tears wet her pillow as she struggled to catch her breath.
She remembered Jake’s comforting embrace last night. He’d smelled so good when he pulled her into his warm embrace, and his kiss had made her forget all the bad things in her life. It also made for some very pleasant dreams.
Heat flooded her cheeks.
She’d done it again. She’d practically forced Jake to kiss her. She hadn’t said the words, but she’d begged him to help her think about something else.
