RaeAnne Thayne - Thunder Canyon Homecoming / A Thunder Canyon Christmas

She wondered if she’d been so obviously preoccupied or if he was more intuitive than she would have guessed. Either way, she couldn’t imagine telling him what she’d been thinking. She couldn’t imagine telling anyone about her suspicions, though she knew she should probably talk to someone before she took the next step.

Right now she had no idea what her next step was going to be, how to follow-up and find proof of her theory. Sure, she’d considered approaching Grant and saying, “I think I might be your sister.” But as hard as she tried, she couldn’t imagine how he might respond to such an announcement, except that she was confident he would not throw his arms around her and say, “Welcome to the family.”

At the very least, he would be cautious; more likely, suspicious; possibly he would even question her sanity. All of which would be understandable reactions to such an unexpected claim, and all of which reaffirmed for Erin her decision to stay away from the resort today and avoid any chance of crossing paths with her boss.

But as much as her actions had been motivated by self-preservation, she couldn’t deny that she was glad Corey had shown up and taken her mind off of the situation—at least for a while.

“I was just thinking that I was glad I played hooky today,” she told him, because that was true.

His eyes narrowed, as if he knew she wasn’t being completely truthful with him, but then he smiled. “I’m glad you played hooky today, too.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t keep playing hooky, which means that I have an early morning.” She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, taking her plate and cutlery to the dishwasher.

“Is that supposed to be my cue to take off?”

“Yes, it is,” she said, but with more than a hint of reluctance.

She really had enjoyed her day with Corey—and she’d appreciated that he’d been able to take her mind off of her worries when nothing and no one else had done so.

“I’ll head out as soon as the kitchen is cleared up,” he told her.

“You cooked dinner, so I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

“That doesn’t seem fair when I made the mess.”

“It’s more than fair, considering the delicious meal I just ate.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” More importantly, she was worried that if she didn’t get him out of her apartment as soon as possible, she might change her mind about wanting him to go.

“All right then,” he relented. “But only because I have some early morning meetings myself that I need to prepare for.”

“Meetings? I didn’t realize…I thought you were just in town for your brother’s wedding.”

“I would have come just for the wedding,” he agreed. “But as it turned out, I had a business opportunity come up in the area.”

“Then you’re going to be staying in Thunder Canyon for a while?”

He leaned closer. “Do you want me to?”

More than she should, and that was not an admission she was willing to make to a man who was all too aware of the effect he had on the female species. Instead, she only said, “I’m sure your plans have nothing to do with me.”

His smile, slow and sexy, made her heart bump against her ribs.

“Don’t be too sure, darlin’,” he said in a tone that was as slow and sexy as his smile and shimmered over her skin like a caress. “While it’s true that some new opportunities have come up, I’m not sure I would have been so willing to hang around if I wasn’t also tempted by the possibility of spending some more time with you.”

“I told you—” she had to look away to break the hypnotic effect of those espresso-colored eyes “—I’m not looking to get involved with anyone right now.”

“Yeah, you told me,” he agreed. “But your kisses say some thin’ totally different, darlin’.”

“It was one kiss—and it never should have happened.”

“My mama might have raised me to be a gentleman,” he said, “but she also taught me to never back down from a challenge.”

“That wasn’t a challenge,” she said.

“Wasn’t it?”

“No,” she insisted vehemently, desperately. “It was a state ment of fact.”

He smiled again. “We’ll see about that, darlin’.”

“And stop calling me darlin’ .”

“My apologies…Erin.”

The way he spoke her name made it sound more intimate than any words of passion that had ever been whispered between lovers in the dark. She fought the urge to shiver. She refused to give any outward indication of the effect of his nearness on her.

“And the reason I said ‘kisses’ is because there will be more,” he told her.

“That’s quite an assumption to make,” she said.

“I know.”

His lips curved, just a little, before they covered hers.

It was a gentle kiss this time—teasing, testing. As if, despite the previous kiss they’d shared, he was unsure what her response would be this time.

Erin had no doubts. She was sure that she could— would —resist.

Her certainty lasted all of about two seconds. Because in the moment that his mouth first brushed against hers, every thought of protest, every ounce of resistance, simply melted away in response to the heat that churned through her body.

The sciences had never been her forte, but she did understand the basics of simple chemistry. And it didn’t get much more basic than the rubbing of a man and a woman together resulting in physical attraction.

She knew there were exceptions to the rule. Trevor had been one of those exceptions. However, Corey was the poster boy for the rule. And in his arms, Erin was nothing more than a reactant.

She had no free will, no ability to control her own response where he was concerned, and no desire to be anywhere but in his arms.

Already the feel of his mouth on hers was familiar, his flavor addictive. She’d wanted this—wanted him —from the first, and the knowledge shook her. Or maybe it was the kiss that made her tremble.

She’d said their first kiss never should have happened, and maybe she was right about that. But at this point, Corey thought that attempting to deny the attraction between them would be like closing the barn door after the horse had gotten out. And the desire that raced through his veins reminded him of Lucifer racing across the field, sampling his taste of freedom. Heady and reckless and desperate for more.

He desperately wanted more of Erin.

All of Erin.

He already knew how it would be between them, how she would feel, her naked body beneath his, moving against him, willing and eager. How she would wrap herself around him; how he would sink into her warmth and softness.

He could picture it clearly, and the details were so vivid and real, they made him ache.

But somewhere beneath the passion he tasted on her lips, there was something else. Just a hint of uncertainty, a touch of wariness. He could make her forget all of her doubts. He could simply keep kissing her, touching her and enticing her to the point that her desire overwhelmed any lingering reluctance. But he knew that they would both have regrets if he did.

No, he wouldn’t take her to bed until he was certain that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. So instead of letting his hands roam over her and touch her as he craved, he contented himself with holding her. Even when her arms lifted to link behind his head and her body softened against his, he held his own raging desire in check and continued to kiss her.

Just tasting.

Testing.

Tempting.

Except that he wasn’t just tempting Erin, he was tempting himself, too. And because there was a definite limit to how much temptation he could endure, he gently eased away. Slowly. Reluctantly.