Free Married By Midnight by Julianne MacLean

contours of his muscular shoulders beneath the clean white shirt and fine tailored waistcoat.
    She’d read a lot about sailing large ships and suddenly she was caught up in a romantic fantasy of him standing on the deck of his boat, using those strong hands and powerful muscles to hoist a mainsail, then turn a wheel hard to bring it about while crossing a wide open emerald sea. How heroic he would look, commanding a yacht with the wind whipping through his thick golden hair and the waves crashing up against the hull.
    She couldn’t bear to imagine the accident, however, and the boat sinking beneath him. What a terrible ordeal it must have been.
    “ We’ll sit on the steps and wait,” he suggested and placed the candelabra on a convenient shelf of rock.
    The mere sound of his voice sent little tremors of excitement through her body, which she fought to ignore, for she must be very careful. It must be this dark place and her imaginings that were taking her thoughts where they should not be. She was growing more and more attracted to Garrett by the minute.
    As she sat down beside him, he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to keep warm.
    She would have preferred to remain indifferent about his nearness and the touch of his steady hand on her shoulder, but it caused a noticeable warming of her blood.
    “ Are you feeling warmer now?” he asked, brushing his lips lightly across her ear. The moist heat of his breath caused a tingling sensation in her core.
    “ Yes, that is much better.”
    But was it? She wasn’t so sure.
    She couldn’t seem to conquer the desire that was now coursing through her body. She wanted to lean closer, to feel his other arm wrap around her too. To feel his lips on hers in this dark cold place.
    “ Do you think they are taking their time on purpose?” he asked, his voice like warm silk in her ear. “Charlotte seemed particularly eager to send us off to be alone together.”
    “ Maybe with all their ghostly howls, she expected me to throw myself into your arms and beg to be held.”
    His lips were soft on her cheek as he spoke with gentle allure. “I wouldn’t have objected if you had.”
    The implications of that statement aroused her senses to an alarming degree. She couldn’t help but look up at him, and when she did, she became instantly lost in those moody blue eyes and the idle way his hand was stroking her shoulder.
    His gaze dipped lower to her lips and held there for a sizzling moment of contemplation.
    Anne was shocked at her own eager response as he lifted her chin and slowly touched his lips to hers. Shivers of delight followed the lush heat of the kiss, and her body went weak all over. If not for the chill in the air, she might have fainted from the searing pleasure that came next as his lips parted and his tongue swept inside.
    Her body melted. He let out a husky groan of need.
    His passion caught her completely off guard, for he had been so cool and distant in every other way. She was confused by the change, but had no will to resist, for it was deliciously wicked and he was the most wonderful kisser.
    Garrett stroked her cheek and turned his body to lift her onto his lap.
    “ Your lips are like sweet honey,” he whispered with a smile, tasting her lightly and kissing down the side of her neck.
    An exotic euphoria poured through her, though she was not entirely comfortable with any of this. She had been seduced once before with dreadful consequences, for she had given herself to a man before marriage and did not wish to repeat that mistake. It didn’t matter that she’d signed a contract. They were not yet married, and anything could happen between now and then.
    A ghostly howl echoed through the underground and the candles flickered in the draft that blew in under the door.
    “ I think they’ll be here soon,” Garrett calmly mentioned as he kissed down the front of her throat.
    “ That’s probably a good thing,” she replied, tilting her head back