Dawn Temple - Moonlight and Mistletoe

She rolled to her side and reached for him, easing her hand around his hard silky strength. He swelled even more, his flesh seeming to reach for her.

“Beautiful,” she whispered, hoping the compliment would affect him the way it had her.

“It sure is,” he agreed. She looked up and found him staring down at her. Her heart filled with the love she knew she couldn’t verbalize. Which meant she’d just have to show him how she felt.

She opened her arms to him. He paused long enough to roll on protection then settled himself on top of her, his erection teasing her opening. She strained upward, bringing her mouth to his ear, and all the rest of her body parts in contact with his. “I need you inside me now.” She thrust her hips forward, drawing his body into hers.

He froze, his breath and chest heaving. “Damn it, Shayna. I wanted to make this last.”

“Too bad. Guess you’ll have to try harder next time.”

“Vixen.” He chuckled in her ear as his body began moving. She did her best to urge him faster, but the stubborn man refused to be hurried. He pumped his hips excruciatingly slow, in, in, in. Slower still, out, out, out.

In and out. In and out, until her blood caught fire. Pulsing waves of pleasure rocked through her, cresting at the spot where their bodies became one. Shayna quit fighting against him. The instant she granted him full control, he sped up. Seconds later, her body ignited. Bright, vivid flashes of ecstasy showered her, as if there were fireworks exploding in her most sensitive places.

She screamed his name, tears leaking from her wide open eyes. With a final, heart-deep thrust, Kyle’s body quaked in her arms, and she knew he was feeling the fireworks as well.

Too moved to keep her love locked inside, she traced the words on his back, encircling them in a heart.

You’re in deep, Anderson.

Kyle tried to block the dire warning echoing through his conscience. He lay in Shayna’s bed, staring out the darkened window, his fingers twining around the ends of her hair. He kept his touch light, not wanting to wake her but unable to keep his hands to himself.

For a man who’d perfected the up-and-out-the-door dash, he felt a surprising lack of panic as Shayna cuddled next to him. Where was the restlessness, the overwhelming need for distance and personal space? Did knowing he was leaving town tomorrow negate his casual, hey that was great, let’s do it again sometime attitude?

His feelings were anything but casual. She’d gotten under his skin. Fast. Strange thing was, he wanted to keep her there.

Impossible.

“You’re cheating.” Shayna’s hand traveled dangerously low on his belly as she lifted her head. The strands of hair he’d been toying with slid from his grip. “I can feel your brain waves.”

Despite the vigorous lovemaking they’d shared just a few hours ago, his body tightened. He insinuated a leg between hers. “Are you sure it’s brain waves you’re feeling?”

“Yep. Among other things.” Her hand trailed to his rib cage as she knotted her legs around his. “We agreed not to think about tomorrow.”

He dipped his head toward the clock. “It is tomorrow.” And in a few hours, he’d be gone.

“Oh.” She rolled on top of him and flipped her hair over her shoulder, double-checking the glowing red numbers. “Surely it’s still yesterday somewhere.”

He couldn’t see her smile in the darkness, but he certainly heard it. And he agreed one hundred percent. “Hawaii?”

“Aloha,” she whispered, her lips grazing the skin above his navel. The silk of her hair tickled as she pushed up and straddled him. He wished the moonlight were brighter so he could see her face. His hands caressed up her stomach, to the heavy weight of her breasts. Words lodged in his throat, words he’d never been tempted to utter before, words he didn’t dare consider.

Wishing he could offer her more, hell, everything, he rolled her beneath him and made love to her, for the first time in his life concentrating on emotions rather than finesse. They stroked each other, caressed each other, loved each other, then crested and came together.

When their breathing finally leveled out, he held Shayna against his heart, knowing that everything had changed.

A few minutes before sunrise, Shayna felt the loss of Kyle’s arms around her body. Lying perfectly still, she listened as he moved around the room, retrieving his clothes and dressing in the dark.

Tears burned behind her closed lids, but she refused to let them fall. She’d invited him here, fully aware of the limitations of what they could offer each other. She wouldn’t spoil their one night with a weepy, clingy goodbye.

The mattress sagged near her hip as Kyle leaned down to brush a kiss across her cheek. Without a word, he slipped from the room. Shayna rolled over, buried her face in his leather-scented pillow and let the tears come.

Chester returned from the deer camp early and agreed to move their appointment up. As she headed into town Thursday afternoon, Shayna rolled her windows down, enjoying the sunshine and crisp, clean air. The return of seasonal weather felt even better after the recent glimpse into winter’s bleariness.

Or perhaps the world sparkled brighter because she’d finally made peace with her past. She owed Kyle a huge debt for helping her put old hurts and resentments into perspective. He’d badgered at her and debated with her until she’d had no choice but to reopen old wounds and find ways to heal them for good.

A large chunk of her heart had flown back to L.A. with him Tuesday. But these past few days had given her time to sort through all the facts, all the advice and all the emotions of the past couple of weeks.

Late last night, all the answers she’d been seeking finally became clear. She knew now what she needed to do. She also knew exactly what she was and wasn’t willing to do. Her decision was a calculated risk, but it was also the right thing for her.

After scoring a parking spot in the town square, she made her way to the People’s Bank building. The four-story building housed most of the professional offices in Holcombe County.

Nelda Parker, Chester’s secretary, was seventy if she was a day, but the woman still dressed to impress. Not wanting to stick out like a sore thumb, Shayna had opted for one of her nicest dresses, but she still felt a bit frumpy in comparison to Nelda’s navy-and-pink power suit.

“Good morning, Nelda. You look gorgeous as usual.”

“Why thank you, dear. You look pretty spiffy yourself.”

Shayna ran a smoothing hand over the hip of her brown-and-gold wrap dress. “Thank you.”

Nelda stood, revealing a trendy pair of pink Crocs. “Chester said to show you right in, so follow me.”

Nelda ushered her into Chester’s large, masculine office. Once they’d dealt with the social niceties-everyone was in good health, the weather was wonderful and no one cared for coffee-Shayna got straight to the point.

“Chester, are you aware that James Miller wasn’t my natural father?”

“Yes dear, I am.” Her surprise must have registered, because he quickly elaborated. “Your Papa Joe and I used to play cards together. When James showed up with you in tow, I asked Joe how come he’d never mentioned becoming a grandfather. He told me then about James adopting you in Boston.”

She wanted to let the explanation go at that but knew Chester’s advice wouldn’t be worth much if he didn’t have all the facts.

“Actually, Daddy never officially adopted me. The courts granted him temporary custody just before Papa Joe got sick, and Daddy and I just never went back.”

“Are you worried about the validity of your inheritance, after all these years? Legal paperwork wouldn’t have changed y’alls relationship, dear. You were the light of James’s life.”