“But of course. Why would you think differently?”
“I thought women like yourself would want a man who had a little bit of rogue in him.”
Her throat turned dry, and Jesse’s words returned to mind.What if Mr. Fancy-pants forces himself on you?But she wanted the man to kiss her, didn’t she? And if he did try something she wasn’t prepared for, it wouldn’t be the first time she punched a man in the face and broke his nose... and it probably wouldn’t be the last time, either.
He pulled her closer until she pressed intimately against him. “Summer? Would you think less of me if I kissed you right now?”
She breathed slightly easier now. He was enough of a gentleman to ask permission first. Unlike another man she knew...
Inwardly, she cursed the man again.Stop thinking of Jesse!
Her heart hammered quickly, but not from excitement. Why didn’t she want to kiss the man she would soon marry? Had Jesse been right, and she didn’t know Adam well enough yet? “Adam, I don’t think—”
“Then don’t think,” he whispered. “Just feel...”
The moment his mouth covered hers, she knew it was wrong. The kiss was so very different from the one she shared with Jesse. Although Adam kissed her in a similar fashion as Jesse had, something about it wasn’t right. It didn’t matter that his lips were soft and gentle as they moved against hers, her heart wasn’t in it.
He drew back slightly. “Summer? You’re too stiff. Relax and enjoy.” His mouth moved back to hers.
As difficult as it was, she tried telling herself that they would be married and then she would have to kiss him this way. It wasn’t terrible, so perhaps she should try and relax and allow the magic to work. After all, if she could kiss a man she disliked for years and had enjoyed it, surely kissing the man she’d marry would be just as spectacular or more.
She closed her eyes and tried to follow his request, but she still felt disgusted, as if something wasn’t right. Strange that she would wish Adam was Jesse right now. Why couldn’t she think of Jesse as a brother? Shoot, he was as bad as a pesky mosquito that she wanted to squash. The thought brought a silent chuckle to her throat.
Adam pulled back, confusion evident in his eyes. “Now that’s a first. Never in my life has a woman laughed while I kissed her.”
Her face heated. “Oh, Adam, I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“Then why did you?”
Her mind scrambled to think of an excuse. She could never confess that she had been thinking about another man. How could she explain her feeling for Jesse when she couldn’t figure them out herself? “Perhaps the giddiness of the moment finally got to me.”
He grinned. “Perhaps you’ve had too many cups of Mr. Hansen’s brew tonight.”
She laughed. “No, I haven’t. I’ve just had the punch.”
“Maybe it’s laced with something else.”
“I sure hope not.”
He sighed, and his embrace relaxed. “Thank you for kissing me. Now it won’t seem so awkward on our wedding night.”
Wedding night?Oh, why did those words make her mind return to the cabin... and Jesse? “Yes, it won’t seem as awkward.” Although this moment was beginning to reach the point.
He stepped back and hooked her arm around his, then turned them back toward the barn. The closer they came to other people, the easier she could breathe. But then Jesse’s muscular body caught her attention as he stood by the open double doors of the barn as he peered out into the night.
She didn’t know if he could see what she’d been doing, but he looked very upset. So, yes, he probably did see her. She silently groaned. How could she remove him from her thoughts? She must figure out a way, or her marriage to Adam would be one of misery.
