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"No problem," he said a few steps behind He slipped in front of her and stood by the door
Charlotte knew she was running away like a frightened rabbit The trapped feeling had returned and it terrified her as it always had She’d thought it would be different this tie, never go away They’d always be there to res, how inadequate she was, how no man could ever be trusted Tom had proved that She was anxious to be on her way now, but Jason was blocking her only lanced up, some of the fearher
There was a short silence, too deep to last long, but too intense to ignore Charlotte held his gaze for as long as she dared before looking away His eyes were so blue, so serious, so filled with questions She’d perplexed him, she knew, but she couldn’t explain Wouldn’t explain
They’d laughed and teased and joked But Jason was sohtheartedness she’d sensed in hi, was perfectly shaped Everything about hiht nose Too perfect for her
The paralyzing regret threatened to explode within her, but Charlotte ed to keep it in check How, she wasn’t sure It must’ve been her fear, she decided Fear of what could happen, the happiness a relationship with hi--and the disappointment that would inevitably come afterward The disappointment he’d feel in her Then it would be over alun
She looked up one last tioodbye, to thank hi to kiss her But one word, the least bit of resistance, and he wouldn’t go through with it Charlotte was completely confident of that
Need and curiosity overcame the anxiety, and she watched, mesmerized, as his mouth descended toward her own His lips, so warm and seductive, barely touched hers
Charlotte closed her eyes, trely of its own accord,the security and the strength she felt in hi her head to one side, inviting hiht Sweet More seductive than anything she’d ever known It felt wonderful So wonderful…
Charlotte didn’t understand why he resisted kissing her co hiid way he held hi her at bay Keeping himself at bay
Her head was full of the promise his lips had made and hadn’t kept Full of the possibilities Full of the surprise and the wonder She’d never felt like this before
Once again hisslowly--so slowly--and so easy, as though he had all the time in the world
"Jason" It was a battle for her to breathe Her heart sounded like a frantic druht
He tensed, then kissed her, really kissed her, wrapping hith, his need
They remained entwined, arer stand She broke away and buried her head in his shoulder, her breathing heavy
"Charlotte, I didn’t hten you"
"You didn’t" It was the truth; any fear she felt had nothing to do with hi"
But most of all for that kiss, she added silently It was unlikely he’d ever kno le kiss had meant to her
Three
He’d kissed her He’d actually kissed Charlotte An hour later, Jason still had trouble taking it in
Oh, he’d kissed plenty of women in his day But this time, with this woman, it was different He didn’t kno he understood that, but he did He’d realized it long before he’d touched her Perhaps because she was so different fronified, straitlaced, unapproachable Then, as soon as he’d told her about basketball rules, she’d kicked off her shoes and was cheering as enthusiastically as he was himself What a contrast he found in her Pri to break loose on the inside
She intrigued hiether--exactly when, he couldn’t be sure--he’d felt an unfaone away If anything, it had intensified
What they’d shared wasn’t any ordinary kiss, either Perhaps that explained it They’d communicated on an entirely different level, one he’d never known before It seemed their spirits--the deepest, innermost part of theetting fanciful
No, this wasn’t the kind of kiss he’d had with any other woh she’d acted blatantly provocative, urging him to deepen the contact, he’d resisted That same inner voice that had said Charlotte was different had also warned hiile she was, and the urge to protect her, even froenerally so philosophical He didn’t waste ti on relationships or ht now His reaction to Charlotte was unwarranted--wasn’t it? Although it’d been a nice kiss, it wasn’t so spectacular that his whole world should be turned upside down