Free The Bachelor Takes a Bride (Those Engaging Garretts!) by Brenda Harlen Page B

that you needed to be rescued.”
    “From laundry?”
    “From your belief that a washing machine is suitable company on a Saturday night.”
    “Well, Charm Boy, you are a better conversationalist than my Maytag,” she acknowledged.
    “And hopefully less agitating.”
    She smiled at that. “Much less, so thank you for rescuing me.”
    “I’d say we rescued each other.” He finished his coffee, then pushed away from the table. “But now I should let you get started on that laundry.”
    She carried her empty plate and cup to the sink, set them beside his. She’d enjoyed his company, but she didn’t know how to say that without giving him the impression that she was open to anything more. So she said nothing, silently following him to the door.
    “Thanks again for the ride home,” she said. “And the cannoli.”
    “Thanks for the coffee.” He lifted a hand to touch the crystal cherries dangling from her ear, then tipped her chin up. “And the kiss.”
    The—
    Before her brain fully grasped the implication, his mouth was on hers.
    * * *
    Marco half expected Jordyn to slap him. Or at the very least, push him away. She’d given him no reason to believe that she would be receptive to a romantic overture, but he’d been unable to resist sampling the flavor and texture of her lips.
    She didn’t slap him.
    And she didn’t push him away.
    After a brief moment of surprise and indecision, her eyelids fluttered closed and her mouth yielded to his.
    He was nearly as stunned as he was aroused to realize she was kissing him back. Tentatively at first, as if she wasn’t quite sure this was a good idea. But after a few seconds—brief and yet somehow endless seconds during which he held his breath and fervently prayed that she wouldn’t suddenly decide to slap him or push him away—a soft sigh sounded deep in her throat, then she lifted her arms to his shoulders and melted into him.
    He settled his hands lightly on her hips, holding her close but not too tight. He wanted her to know that this was her choice while leaving her in no doubt about what he wanted. She pressed closer to him, and the sensation of her soft curves against his body made him ache.
    He parted her lips with his tongue, and she opened willingly. She tasted warm and sweet—with a hint of vanilla from the coffee she’d drunk—and the exquisite flavor of her spread through his blood, through his body, like an addictive drug.
    He felt something bump against his shin. Once. Twice.
    The cat, he realized, in the same moment he decided he didn’t dare ignore its warning.
    Not that he was afraid of Gryffindor, but he was afraid of scaring off Jordyn. Beneath her passionate response, he sensed a lingering wariness and uncertainty.
    Slowly, reluctantly, he eased his lips from hers.
    She drew in an unsteady breath, confusion swirling in her deep green eyes when she looked at him. “What...what just happened here?”
    “I think we just confirmed that there’s some serious chemistry between us.”
    She shook her head. “I’m not going to go out with you, Marco.”
    There was a note of something—almost like panic—in her voice that urged him to proceed cautiously. “I don’t mind staying in,” he said lightly.
    She choked on a laugh. “I’m not going to have sex with you, either.”
    “Not tonight,” he agreed. “I’m not
that
easy.”
    This time, she didn’t quite manage to hold back the laugh, though sadness lingered in her eyes.
    “You have a great laugh,” he told her.
    Her gaze dropped and her smile faded. “I haven’t had much to laugh about in a while.”
    “Are you ever going to tell me about it?”
    He braced himself for one of her flippant replies, a deliberate brush-off, and was surprised by her response.
    “Maybe,” she finally said. “But not tonight.”
    It was an acknowledgment that she would see him again, and that was enough for now.
    * * *
    Though Jordyn and Tristyn lived together, their different work schedules meant