Free Steal My Heart (Bachelors & Bridesmaids) by Barbara Freethy Page B

pressure of his lips against hers.
    When he pulled her up against his chest, sliding his arms around her back, she went willingly. When his tongue slid along the seam of her lips in a restless determination to get inside, she opened her mouth, letting him take the kiss even deeper. And it still wasn't enough.
    She wrapped her arms around his neck as he threatened to lift his head and take a breath. Not yet. She couldn't let him go. She needed another minute, another hour, another day or a year. And maybe that wouldn't be enough time.
    His kisses had released a decade of pent-up emotions, and she had no idea how to stop the tidal wave that was running through her.
    Finally, they broke apart, their breaths heating up the cool evening air.
    Michael stared down at her with eyes that glittered in the moonlight. "What the hell," he muttered.
    She didn't know what to say to that. Her brain was trying to kick itself back into gear.
    "I didn't expect…" He stopped again. He couldn't seem to put together a full sentence, but she was no better. She couldn't even manage a few words.
    He ran his hand down the side of her face. "Beautiful, Lizzie."
    Her heart turned over at the tender side of his passion. Maybe he had liked her more than she'd ever believed. Or was she just caught up in her romantic fantasy coming to life? She had always been the practical girl, but the last thing she wanted to be right now was practical.
    She drew in a breath, then another.
    He smiled. "I didn't know that I could completely shut you up with a kiss."
    "It's comments like that that might get you punched in the nose again," she said lightly.
    "There's the girl I remember."
    "But I'm not that girl anymore, and you're not that guy, and this isn't high school. We got caught up in the moment, but the moment is over."
    "It doesn't have to be. We're both single."
    "We're competing against each other."
    "That's business." He leaned forward, whispering in her ear. "This is personal."
    She shivered as his warm breath hit her cheek. "We can't mix the two."
    "It's too late."
    "For tonight," she agreed, putting a hand on his chest to push him away. Only the feel of that solid chest made her really just want to curl her hands in the fabric of his shirt and pull him back to her. "Stop it."
    "Stop what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
    She frowned, realized she'd said the words out loud. "I was talking to myself."
    "Really?" he asked with interest. "What did you want yourself to stop doing?"
    "Everything. We need to leave now, Michael. We need to go back to Sacramento and regroup. Tomorrow we have to finish up at the park and then put together an initial pitch for Charlie by Thursday."
    "I know. And we'll leave in a minute. We'll do everything you just said, but for now…" He shifted her so that she was facing outward. She leaned against his broad chest while his arms came around her waist. "Let's just enjoy the night for another minute. Then we'll go."
    It was hard to fight something that felt so good, so she did what Michael asked. She let him hold her as she looked out at the stars and dreamed a new dream—one that couldn't possibly come true.
     
    * * *
     
    Liz fell asleep about twenty minutes into the drive back to Sacramento. Michael couldn't help thinking how she looked even prettier asleep. Her guard was completely down. There was no tension, no fight left in her body. She was completely relaxed and there even seemed to be a little smile on her slightly parted lips.
    He shifted in his seat, turning his attention back to the road, but his mind wasn't on the highway or the traffic, it was on Liz, on what had happened on her balcony. He'd wanted to kiss her since he'd seen her fall into the quicksand outside of Charlie's office a few days earlier.
    Actually, he'd wanted to kiss her since he'd tried to do that the last time—nine years ago.
    She'd been worth the wait, he thought with a smile. And she hadn't hit him this time. No, she'd kissed him back with all her