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It was neither cautious nor s her face to his and letting her eyes slide shut His lips didn’t cover hers Instead, a growl filled her ear as he plunged his fingers into her hair and tugged just forcefully enough that she couldn’t call his grip gentle

"You’re te me, Lottie Not here Because once I start, I don’t knohen or if I’ll stop Think long and hard about that before you offer ers in her hair, his body heat against hers, that deep voice thatlashes, then caught sight of his taut profile Every muscle in his body looked tense, poised for battle…or sex Her gaze flitted down The front of his jeans protruded, looking even harder than the rest of hi scared as she’d been the last time he had kissed her, she felt herself tremble with excitement Her belly flipped Parts of her that she had barely thought of in years suddenly turned slick

Goodness

She turned away as Caleb took the cans of paint from the store’s employee and loaded them on the flatbed He rounded the square counter of the paint depart tarps and paintbrushes, painter’s tape and a bit of sandpaper Caleb did not once look at her as he dragged the cart behind hiry Rather, he was restraining himself For her

His actions were commendable and sweet Still, she hoped that he would not reined that anyone--much less a hunk like Caleb--would find her attractive at this stage of her life She felt a bit like pinching herself Of course, his behavior suggested that he had always been attracted to her Shortly after her divorce, however, she had been too anxious and shell-shocked to handle Caleb She had wondered if he ht she would be an easy h Hunter, she had come to know Caleb much better and realized that he was exactly as he seemed: honest to a fault, steady, sexy A protector A provider

A lover

"Come with me, Lottie" His voice rumbled as he nearly sprinted to the checkout counter at the front of the store

She rushed on her high heels to keep up and chastised herself for not wearing e

As they reached the register, Caleb threw everything on the counter that would fit and jogged to find another cart, shoving every item in the mo in advance, so Caleb left that on the flatbed He barely listened to the total the cashier rattled off, but swiped the debit card, checked his phone for the PIN, and punched it in The second the rabbed the scrap of paper and tore it free, tossed it in one of the bags, then ushered her to the cart He took the flatbed with the flooring and jerked it behind him as he all but ran out of the store He had the truck half loaded before she reached the parking lot

Carlotta suppressed a s, wet, hungry kiss as she was…then, yes, she was i-box store and to reach someplace more private

On the drive back to the new house, Caleb re wheel until his knuckles turned white Thick silence shrouded the cab of the truck Two yellow lights and a sharp turn into the driveway later, he brought his truck to a quick stop, then killed the engine His abruptness startled her a bit

"Out of the car, Lottie"

Suddenly, the swar to ponder kissing a man when she was desperately out of practice After all, she had not kissed anyone since their second date What happened if things heated beyond a kiss? She was not twenty-one any naked in front of Caleb filled her with anxiety

But no denying that she hadwith Eduardo had been a rush of love, but short on actual pleasure They had coins, and the babies had co sex They had spent the next years being parents…and then a violent man had snuffed out Ed’s life Gordon had been her only other lover, and he had approached sex as he had everything else--selfishly

She suspected that being with Caleb would be totally different He ht be a man of military precision, but he had the drive and ambition to be successful at any endeavor he undertook The thought that he could give her true pleasure both excited and terrified her

"Lottie?"

Whipping around toward his voice, she saw hi it open and watching her with a concerned expression

She sed her down and against his body He was hard all over, his eyes narrow as he studied her His breathing fell in low pants on her face

"Caleb?"

"Come with me," he said finally and pulled her away from the truck and up the ay to the kids’ new front door

With a press of his key fob, he locked the vehicle Carlotta looked over her shoulder as Caleb shoved the key in the lock and opened the door to the house

"Are we leaving everything in the truck?"

Caleb pulled her into the house and shut the door, then backed her against the wall beside it He settled every angle of his body to her soft curves and cupped her cheek "I’ain, but the way I want you…" He sed "If you’re going to say no, say it now, Lottie"

She drew in a shocked breath and blinked up at hiers curled around her neck, the way those incredibly blue eyes delved deep into her, the desire tightening his face…he would not stop with a kiss

The Catholic girl in her said that a good female did not have sex out of wedlock The fifty-year-old wo herself to ashort of ery woman in her with thirty years of lackluster sex in her past wanted to know just this once what it meant to splinter apart because an experienced uilt and insecurity