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"I truly loved my family, my friends, my town, but I always kneas different Because when everyone else was drea of adventures and airplanes My father understood, and he would tell me about the places he’d seen in the war But ently ran the pads of his thumbs over the backs of her hands As always, there was a deep sensuality to his touch, but tonight she was esture

"Your mother wanted you to stay"

Mary nodded "I was all she had, her only child And she was afraid for me, afraid that I’d be hurt I understand it better now that I’e I hen I told her I’dstar in New York City I was so naive," she said with a laugh "And very lucky that Randy--the talent scout--was honest and legitiirls when you could be living the high life in a penthouse You want to make sure they make it home to their mothers safe and sound"

"Yes, and I’hts, either," she confessed Though he smiled, she knew he hadn’t missed the fact that she’d left out part of her explanation "Myand foolish I was angry with her for being stubborn and deters we didn’t ht I arrived in New York City, she refused to come to the phone My father made excuses, but I knew I knew She’d hter"

Mary couldn’t stop her tears fro as she wept for the hter’s need to open her wings and fly, if only to see how things looked from new skies and not because she wanted to fly away forever

"But she’s always been le day"

Jack drew her against hi as he stroked her back He didn’t speak, didn’t try tobetter for her with simple platitudes He simply held her and let her cry out the tears she’d held back for too long

It wasn’t until she’d drained her well of emotion dry that she realized he’d pressed his lips to her forehead in the kind of kiss one friend gave to another

No man had ever kissed her that way before As a friend

And she’d never before slipped so easily into a man’s arms, as if she’d finally found the place she was supposed to be

Taking a shaky breath, Mary pulled back slightly and brushed a hand over the broad shoulder that she’d just cried on "Just when you were starting to dry off, I got you all wet again" It would have been easier to stand, to fiddle with reheating their coffee, to talk about the ad ca but reaze "Thank you for listening," she said as she looked up into his eyes and was iain, that voice in the back of her head scolded her with re as she reached up to stroke her fingertips over the dark shadow across Jack’s jaw, she was still the sairl now that she’d been at nineteen

"You’ve already gone above and beyond tonight, dancing withme while I cried I know I shouldn’t ask fors she shouldn’t allow herself to desire, his o, Jack had kissed her as a friend

Now, he kissed her as a lover

One hand threaded into her hair, the other cupped her hip as he slid her froood Hard and strong, his caresses just wicked enough to ue slid across her lips once, then once again as if he hadn’t gotten nearly enough from the first taste And then, a moment later, she knew for sure that he hadn’t because he was sucking her lower lip into his ently with his teeth

Their first kiss had been a shockingly sweet press of lips that had sent pleasure huh her But this kiss--and the sharp, hot, deep rush of being so close to hi off an entire fireworks show inside of her

Both of the hard when he finally drew back an inch "I’ve never tasted anything as good as you Not even close"

He dipped hisin her boots, but too soon he pulled back again She could feel the tight rein he was trying to keep on hiel I swear I a except how much I want you"

She’d asked hi for more But that hen she’d assu around hi hiive ain, to thread his hands roughly into her hair and devour her once more But Jack Sullivan had surprised her froht brush of his fingertips over her lips was so gentle, so sweet, that she was stunned by the force of eh her as he touched her She could feel herself ht, it wouldn’t end there