Free Walker Bride by Bernadette Marie

brand new, so they looked nice. Most
important was the bra she’d put on. She couldn’t believe he’d seen
her without one. Even dressed, no woman should let a man see her
braless unless he was the one that took it off of her.
    The tank top she’d chosen wasn’t as casual as
the yoga pants, but she was attracted to the man. She did want to
entice and impress him a little.
    Her cheeks heated. She’d found him on her
front porch twice in two days. Perhaps that was a sign that she had
enticed him. Was there a genuine interest there?
    Pearl had brushed her teeth, but for good
measure, she gargled some mouthwash. Breakfast was probably going
to taste funny now, but it was worth it.
    As she descended the stairs, she could hear
dishes rattle and the sound of the pan on the stove. When she
turned the corner, she could admit she was genuinely impressed.
    “You finished breakfast?”
    He turned, and she noticed his eyes widen as
he took her in. Quickly he went back to his task. “Yeah. Thought I
could be helpful.”
    “Thank you,” she said with a sultry tone in
her voice that she hadn’t planned. “I’ll get some forks.”
    She eased up next to him and pulled open the
silverware drawer. He was close now. So close she could feel the
heat from his body. Inhaling, she caught the scent of his soap on
his skin. It was nice. Thoughts of having wrapped her arms around
him while she measured him sent a tingle down up her spine.
    It was enough to have her shake away the
sizzle that traveled through her. Though she must have forgotten,
he was right behind her, because she backed right into him, causing
him to lift his hands to her waist to steady her.
    “Everything okay?”
    Pearl turned quickly in his arms before he
could remove his hands completely. “Everything is perfect.”
    The kitchen wasn’t very big, and usually,
that bothered her. Today, however, she was grateful that they were
nearly pinned against the counter in the small space.
    With a fork in each hand, she let her body
press up against his. His hands still held her in place.
    Tyson’s eyes had gone dark.
    He moved his gaze from her eyes to her lips
and back again. “You have a tattoo on your back,” he said, his
voice raspy.
    Pearl blinked slowly. “You saw it?”
    “Your shirt wasn’t very long.” His Adam’s
apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. “Your shorts weren’t
very—high on your waist.” His breath had grown heavy.
    The air in the kitchen became thick and hot.
“I hadn’t expected company,” she said easing against him as his
fingers dug into the skin on her hips though the thin fabric of the
yoga pants. “How much of it did you see?”
    She felt his thumb making a small circle on
her hip bone, and it was sending wild signals to all parts of her
body. Signals she wasn’t sure she could continue to ignore.
    “There were wings,” he said as he stepped in
closer to her and her back pushed up against the kitchen counter.
“Butterfly or angel?”
    He lowered his face so that their mouths were
a breath apart. Pearl wrapped her arms around his neck as they
hovered close.
    Her mouth had gone dry, but she managed,
“Perhaps you should look for yourself.”
    Those must have been the words that snapped
his control. Tyson’s mouth came down on hers with a fury, and she
accepted. Their lips parted ways as their tongues fought to dance
and their bodies pressed together.
    Pearl dropped the damn forks on the ground
and pulled Tyson’s hat off, dropping it as well. She wanted to run
her fingers through the short crop of hair he always kept
hidden.
    His hands left her hips and skirted just
under her T-shirt so that they were on her skin. She sucked in a
breath with the kiss that consumed her.
    Pearl lifted a leg around Tyson’s hips, and
he took the invitation to lift her to the counter where she wrapped
both legs around him and pulled him in closer.
    Breath had to be fought for. Heat now came
from both the stove and their bodies.
    She