Free The Five Kisses by Karla Darcy

cloud of snow billowed through the opening and when it cleared, she saw him.
    How different he was, she thought. She could find only a shadow of her childhood friend in the devastatingly handsome man who entered. There were deep lines etched on either side of a patrician nose and wrinkles radiated from the corners of his eyes. His face was thin and even in the flickering candlelight she could see the pallor beneath his skin.
    There was snow in his black hair, reflecting the strands of gray at his temples. She liked the beard, which was neatly trimmed, only covering his upper lip and his chin. The dark hair framed his mouth, accentuating the generously sculpted lips and drawing her eyes like a magnet. The last time they had stood beneath the mistletoe, he had kissed her. Her lips tingled in remembrance.
    “I saw your light and I couldn’t wait until morning. Robbie told me about your father. I’m so sorry, my dear.”
    The compassion in his voice broke through Gillian’s hard won self-possession. Tears filled her eyes, overflowing and spilling down her cheeks. He pulled her into his arms, fitting her against his body as if she belonged there. His voice was gentle as he whispered words she could not hear for the sobs that wracked her body.
    The storm of weeping passed and she lifted her face. He stared down at her, a smile of bemusement playing across his face. His dark eyes sparked with an intensity that she did not understand, almost as if he were seeing her for the first time. He brushed the tumbled curls off her forehead and kissed her temples. Her skin was sensitive to the silken brush of his beard and the firm texture of his lips. She closed her eyes and relaxed as his fingers moved to massage the back of her neck. He kissed her eyelids and her cheeks. His lips touched hers in the tenderest of caresses.
    She drew in her breath in a deep sigh of contentment. He kissed the corners of her mouth, sweet feathery kisses. Excitement raced through Gillian’s body and she felt as if she were going to swoon. Her heart throbbed in rhythm to the movement of his mouth. A tension built within her as he repeated the pattern, his lips blazing a trail of fire. Forehead. Eyelids. Cheeks.
    When he finally kissed her lips, she was jolted by the flood of sensations that shot through her. The last time he kissed her, she had tried to envision what it would be like to have Chad make love to her. She had wanted him to see her as a woman grown and she had wanted his caresses with all of her heart. She had longed for him in the dark nights of her soul. Abandoning all reason, she gave in to the pleasure.
    Her muscles relaxed and she pressed against him, the line of their bodies blending and flowing together. She moaned as his kiss deepened but his mouth was different now. His lips, which had coaxed a response from her, demanded one. His hands moved over her body with a familiarity that was almost an insult. Suddenly aware of the inappropriateness of their embrace, she struggled to free herself.
    Chad resisted her efforts to break away. For a moment Gillian feared he would not set her free and she could not hold back a small cry. Although her physical struggles had not penetrated the passion that consumed him, he stiffened at the sound of her distress. With a muttered oath, he released her.
    Gillian remained in place, her head bent, trying to control her rapid breathing and the agitated beating of her heart. Her face burned and she still could feel the imprint of Chad’s hands and lips on her body as if he had forever marked her.
    “Look at me, Gillian.” Chad’s voice was commanding and she raised her head in obedience. He towered above her, staring down at her in silence. His eyes were dense pools of dark brown, unreadable in the shimmering pattern of light and dark that played across his face. “I did not mean to frighten or offend you. My experience has been with women of a different breed. You are an innocent and will need time to