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on his way to retrieve his clothes. You have a tattoo? Hestraightened, the load of clothes in his arms. He d forgotten all about the blasted thing! Small, about the size of a half-dollar, a red diamond graced his right cheek. He twisted around as if he could see it, turning himself to face her again as he did so. Carolyn laughed and the tension between them lessened, but did not disappear. You look like a dog wanting to catch his tail! Paul s eyes glimmered with mischief. Teasing they could handle. It was seriousness that made them both nervous. I d rather catch someone else s tail! The kettle whistled and Carolyn spun to shut off the noise. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him blur past her and into the darkened room beyond. Alone, she savored the memory of his nudity and tried to figure out what had made him pull back before she could decide what she wanted. There was the companion question, of course. Forget what he wanted, what did she want? Certainly making love with a handsome colleague had not been on her mind when she slid into that snowbank . She wasn t a prude, but she wasn t easy, either. Still, the memory of him clothed in the snow& and then again clothed in nothing but candlelight, his eyes burning with an inner passion& she certainly was tempted. Sighing, she eyed the cups and decided she didn t really want another cup of cocoa. Her stomach growled and she glanced at the wall clock, but its blank face reminded her that the storm had thrown them back into another century. Suddenly dinner became complicated. His emotions and his clothes all neatly tucked in, Paul sauntered back into the kitchen, rubbing his stomach as a sudden hunger hit him. Carolyn had pulled out a kitchen chair in his absence and now sat at the old oak table, toying with one of the candles by rimming the wax around the glass jar so the light would burn brighter. The light filled her face and Paul stopped a few steps into the room as she looked up at him, glowing with sweetness& and temptation. How about some dinner? He clapped his hands together to banish the desires he thought he had put away and busied himself rooting around the kitchen to cover his unease. Pulling out two pots, he held them up, twirling them to catch the light and toss it around the room. With the electricity out, only the stovetop works& pastasound good? Carolyn wondered what his sudden antics hid. Grinning to hide her own confused feelings, she nodded. Pasta sounds wonderful. Do I dare hope there s stuff in the fridge for a salad? Paul snorted. You can hope, but there s nothing green in there. He stopped and thought a moment. I take that back. There is green in there, but I m not sure I d eat it. Carolyn laughed, relaxing into the stereotype. I think I ll take your word on it and not go looking. Page 76 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Smart woman. So how long have you been teaching? Ten years this year.You? Seven. So this is your vesture year?Making it into the big time, now. She opened the box of pasta he pulled out of the cupboard, noticing the little bowtie-shaped macaronis. What was that about being able to take the man out of the little boy& ? Your vesture year?You ve been teaching ten years already? How old are you? Carolyn grinned. She considered it a compliment that she still got carded at the liquor store. Apparently Paul had pegged her as young as well. Perhaps that accounted for his sudden withdrawal. Tempted to tease him about not asking a woman her age, she decided it might be in her best interests to just tell him. Twenty-nine.And you? Turn about was fair play. Thirty-one.That makes me two years closer to retirement than you are. Laughing, she handed him the box of pasta and watched him pour it into the pot. * * * * * They stayed on the safe topic of school all through dinner. As long as he thought of her as the first grade teacher, he could keep her sex appeal in its place. And when she reminded herself that this man had made some very unpopular decisions regarding elementary education, it was easier to forget the knight in the snow. We ll have to leave the dishes, Paul informed her as she set about cleaning up afterward. Why? No hot water. It runs on electricity. The water in the heater downstairs will stay plenty hot for quite a while, but I don t want to waste it on dishes. Besides, there are too many. Carolyn shook her head. No problem. Just fill up the teakettle again. Not-so-instant hot water, but it will do. And ignoring them won t make them go away. She grinned and rolled up her sleeves. Paul brought the teakettle to where she stood at the sink. Carolyn moved a candle from the table and set it by the faucet so she could see to wash up and the soft light accented her delicate features. He was too close, he knew. But he couldn t resist the urge to be near her; desperately he tried to think of her at school, but the candlelight had a magic of its own. Even as he reached around her to fill the teakettle, he leaned forward to breathe in the scent of her hair. Carolyn s hands gripped the faucet as she froze in the act of turning on the water for him. Slowly she Page 77 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html turned her head toward his presence, leaning back into him and bringing her face up. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of his cologne, sending tingles to the center of her stomach. Cold water splashed unheeded over his hand as he set the teakettle in the sink and bent down to meet those beautiful lips. Ever so gently, their lipsbrushed, their breaths soft and hearts yearning. Which of them leaned in first neither of them knew; it didn t matter. Their lips touched and the yearning spread. Neither of them moved as each savored the kiss. Pasta sauce and his cologne mixed with her perfume in a heady scent that made the mind reel with desire. When her lips parted, inviting him deeper, he entered gently& probing, tasting, wanting. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |