Free Stormbound with a Tycoon by Shawna Delacorte Page A

what I could to see that he was able to make the purchase.” He slid his fingers along her jaw, then cupped her chin in his hand. His voice dropped to a soft, seductive tone. “I’d hate to see him miss out on something this important if there was anything I could do to help.”
    Her words came out in a breathless whisper. “That’s very nice of you to offer.”
    â€œJustin is my friend…my best friend.” A lump formed in his throat. A rush of sadness filled him as the remaining words escaped in a quiet hush, so low that they were almost inaudible. “Perhaps my only true friend.” He chased the moment of melancholy away before it overwhelmed him.
    He leaned forward until he was within inches of her face. He wanted so much to kiss her, to taste the delicious-looking mouth that had been driving him crazy all day. The uncertainty that had earlier invaded his consciousness once again returned to plague him.
    â€œHow about you, Jessica?” He succumbed to the urge as he brushed his lips lightly against hers. He didn’t dare allow the gesture to linger in the form ofa true kiss, even though it was what he wanted to do. “Are you my friend, too?”
    He saw the same bewilderment mirrored in her eyes that clouded his own senses. Had he just made a colossal mistake? He had never experienced quite that reaction to a woman. She was the type with which he had no experience—honest, self-reliant, capable and down-to-earth—qualities he found very appealing. It was more than merely wanting to get a beautiful woman into bed. It was so much more. What was happening was as frightening to him as it was intriguing.
    And lurking in the middle of his physical attraction to her was a growing awareness of how easy it would be for the physical desires to turn into an emotional involvement…something he knew all too well had to eventually lead to some sort of a commitment. He had been down that road before. He led with his heart and it had taken him all the way to the altar, then kicked him in the teeth and left him a member of the walking wounded. It had been a painful lesson, and one he had carried with him all these years. It was an experience he didn’t want to repeat.
    Then, as if on cue, that vacant spot in his life he wanted to fill jabbed at his awareness, quickly followed by an invisible shiver of panic. Another roadblock flew in his face in the form of a nagging reminder that she was more than just another woman. Even though she was no longer an underage teenager, she was still Justin’s sister. He already had enough guilt to wrestle with over what had happened to Stanley and Rose Clarkson because of him. He didn’t need to further compound his self-created upheaval. But all those good intentions didn’t shake his thoughts abouther or lessen the possibilities that he knew would present themselves as the evening unfolded.
    For the first time in his adult life he didn’t know what to do or how to proceed where a woman was concerned. Perhaps he had already done too much. He tentatively reached out and framed her face with his hands. Her slightly parted lips seemed to be beckoning him forward in spite of the wariness in her eyes and the caution blanketing her features. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a calming breath, then backed off.
    The subdued daylight that had fought its way through the gloominess of the storm was fading into evening. Somehow over the course of a tension-filled day she had invaded his senses totally and completely. Now that night approached and they had settled into a more comfortable mode of easy conversation, the temptation of her nearness had become almost irresistible. But unlike the others over the years, he could not assume anything with her.
    He nervously cleared his throat and tried to bring a sense of calm to the anxiety that fueled his confusion. “I’d better bring in some more wood.” He rose from the