“I’m not entirely naive. I know what to expect.”
“I’m not so sure that you do,” he argued grimly.
She swallowed another sigh. “Wade, I have a big brother—somewhere. I really don’t need another one.”
Wade went suddenly still, stopping the swing’s lulling motion. “Have I given you the impression that my feelings toward you are fraternal? If so, you’ve gotten the wrong idea. Completely wrong.”
Emily felt her heart skip a beat in response to something she heard in his deep voice. “Um—”
“Trust me, Emily McBride, I don’t think of you as a little sister. And I sure don’t want you looking at me as a big brother.”
She cleared her throat. “I, er—”
He twisted on the swing until he was facing her. And then he reached out and took her hand, which had gone icy. His felt almost blazing hot in contrast.
“My reasons for wanting you to stay in Honoria aren’t entirely professional. Nor are they unselfish. Sure, I’m concerned for your safety. But there’s a hell of a lot more to it than that.”
She tried to think of something intelligent to say. Heck, she’d have settled for coherent.
Wade didn’t give her a chance. He leaned closer, his breath warm on her face when he murmured, “I’ve been wanting to do this since the first minute I saw you. If you want me to back off, now’s your chance to say so.”
Maybe she would have—if she had been capable of speaking at all. As it was, she could only close her eyes and try not to be completely swept away when his lips covered hers.
She wasn’t entirely successful.
Wade’s lips were firm and warm against hers, bold and skilled. And Emily could no more resist responding to him than she could stop her heart from pounding in her chest.
Wade took his time kissing her. Tasting her. Exploring every centimeter of her mouth. When he finally drew back, it was with a reluctance he didn’t bother to hide.
Dazed, Emily looked up at him, realizing for the first time that she’d clutched his denim jacket in both hands and was holding on to him for dear life. “Okay,” she said, her voice shaky. “I’ll knock five thousand off the house.”
His laugh was rough edged. “No, you won’t, and you know that isn’t why I kissed you.”
Yes, she knew, but she’d thought it safer to try to make a joke—no matter how weak—than to let him realize exactly how seriously she’d taken that kiss.
“Do you believe me
now that I don’t see you as a little sister?”
She released her grip on his jacket and locked her hands together tightly in her lap. “Yes. But—”
“Then I’ve accomplished something tonight, anyway.”
“Wade, I’m very serious about leaving town. I’ve been planning this for years.”
He nodded. “So you’ve said.”
“And I still think it would be a mistake for us to get...involved. Considering that I’m leaving, and everything,” she said lamely.
“Yes, we’ve agreed on that, as well.”
“It’s really for the best. It’s not as if we...well, you know...clicked or anything.” Oh, she was sounding lamer by the minute, she thought with a swallowed groan.
He tugged her into his arms and covered her mouth with his again before she had a chance to react. Not that she would have stopped him if she could have, she thought, drifting into another spectacular kiss.
An eternity later, he drew slowly back, his smile wicked. “I think I heard some definite clicking.”
Her cheeks flamed. “You know what I mean,” she muttered.