Her knees weakened, and she knelt in front of him. He nudged his knuckle beneath her chin, gently raising her face until she had no doubt of the warmth and emotion she saw there. Heady sensations coursed through her body.
“I never imagined it would feel like this,” he told her.
“How long have you been imagining?” Her voice was almost foreign.
A small smile appeared on his face. “Since I almost kissed you by the fishin’ hole.”
“You almost kissed me then?”
He grinned. “You know I wanted to.”
A gush of air escaped her mouth. “Yes, I knew.”
“Do you like me fantasizin’ about you?”
“No, I mean yes—oh, I don’t know. You confuse me. Why have you imagined me touching your chest when it should be my sister?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know.”
One question haunted her, and she couldn’t put it off any longer. She had to know. “Jesse? Are you sober enough to answer me truthfully?”
“You make me feel a different kind of drunkenness, my darlin’.”
Her heart thumped harder against her chest. “Jesse? Are you in love with my sister?”
He sighed, and a frown claimed his face. “Not in the way a man should love a woman who is about to become his wife.”
Her eyes widened. “How long have you known this?”
“A while before you came back from your aunt’s house.”
“Why, then, are you still going through with the wedding?”
“Everyone is expectin’ us to wed. Rosie and I have been courtin’ for several years now, and the engagement sort of just fell together. I do love Rosie, but not in a husbandly way.” He paused, then continued. “I think she feels the same way about me.”
“Is that why you think she isn’t happy?”
“She’s not happy. Can’t you tell?”
“Then make her happy, Jesse. Let her go.”
His fingers tenderly stroked her hands, and then he lifted one to his mouth and placed a kiss on each of her fingers. “Will that make you happy?”
Her heartbeat quickened. “That’s irrelevant.” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go. He placed her hand back on his chest.
“Don’t leave.”
“Jesse, it’s not proper for me to be here.”
“I know, but I don’t want you to go.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips on her cheek. “Please stay with me.”
His hot breath and charming words tempted her, but she didn’t want to lose herself in passion like she almost had in the cabin. “I can’t, Jesse.”
“I need you,” he mumbled.
His lips moved across her cheek to her mouth. Scorching heat sparked through her, and she pressed her lips to his. He suckled her top lip and then repeated the gesture to the bottom. His mouth slanted across hers, and the kiss turned urgent, creating a greater excitement inside her.
She didn’t know what had taken over her body and mind, and right now, she didn’t care. She enjoyed kissing him no matter what strenuous efforts it took to push away the guilt.
