“That was a ridiculous idea when I could be kissing you,” he said for her ears only. “I must have taken leave of my senses.”
She waved goodbye to Chris and walked ahead of Jamie, conscious of his hand on her back and the way Chris noted it.
They didn’t say anything for the first block. Usually, she’d have been keeping an eye out because this block wasn’t always the safest. Tonight, she was too distracted by the feel of Jamie’s palm near her waist. Kevin used to keep his hand on her, but that’d been in a proprietary way to show that she was his. She’d NEVER liked that.
Jamie’s hand on her felt intimate. Caring. Like he couldn’t bear the thought of not having his hands on her.
That was hot. It made her belly twinge with all kinds of longings she hadn’t had in ages.
“What are you thinking?” Jamie asked, his voice hushed in the stillness of the night.
“I realized I’ve forgotten what it was like to be desired.” She frowned as they began to cross the street. “Actually, I’m not sure I was ever desired.”
He stopped right in the middle of the crosswalk and pulled her to him. Holding her chin, he lifted her face. He slowly lowered his lips to hers, brushing them in the softest butterfly kiss. “Do you doubt that I desire you?” he asked, his sexy voice husky.
She shook her head.
“Good.” Taking her hand, he walked her home in silence.
She’d never experienced a silence like this. It wasn’t the kind that made you want to bring up the weather out of desperation; it was the sort that was charged with so much tension you were surprised your clothes were still intact.
When they reached her house, Jamie opened the gate for her and then followed her up the walkway and steps to the porch. He waited, still holding her hand, as she unlocked the door.
She turned around and looked up at him. It felt like her heart was in her throat for some reason. “Today was a crappy day,” she started.
He frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because all of that didn’t exist any longer after I saw you. Thank you.” She reached up on her toes, bracing herself against his chest, and kissed his cheek.
He stood there, staring at her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking because of the night’s shadows. She waited, but he didn’t say anything.
Maybe he wasn’t thinking anything.
Unsure, wondering if she’d said something that made him want to take a step back, she began to inch away.
He followed her.
Suddenly her back was pressed against the door, and his body was pressed against hers. His hand speared into her hair, cupping the back of her head.
“I’ve been thinking about kissing you all day.” He placed a kiss on her collarbone before making his way back up her neck. “I’m not sure where I want to start.”
“Start anywhere.” She arched as he rubbed his nose against her neck, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “I can guarantee I’ll like it. It’s been so long.”
He lifted his head and looked her in the eye. “How long?”
“Kisses?” Since before her divorce. She couldn’t even remember the last time Kevin had shown her affection. Sex in the end, the rare occasions they had it, had been perfunctory. “Over a year.”
“Over a year?” he asked incredulously. “Since your ex?”
“Yes.” She frowned as she thought about it. “It might be closer to two years.”
He shook his head. “He was daft. We will never mention him again.” Jamie tipped her chin back up so he was the only thing in her sight. “And you haven’t been with anyone since?”
She shook her head.
Brushing her hair out of her face, he kissed her forehead. “Then we’ll go slow. Or at least as slow as we can go.”
“Wait a minute.” Frowning, she fisted her hands in his shirt. “What if I don’t want to go slow?”