Free Sunkissed by Janelle Daniels Page B

“Even though it’s pretty fantastic.”
    She laughed around a bite of French toast. “I can show you some of my sketches if you’d like. I’ve been toying with some designs inspired by the war.”
    “Really?” He sounded intrigued.
    “Yeah. This whole thing with my grandmother. Our grandparents. It’s really been on my mind.”
    “Mine too.”
    Sated, Natalie leaned back in her chair, eyeing Grant.
    “You finished?” she asked before taking both their plates to the sink. When she felt him press up from behind, kissing softly along her neck, she shivered.
    He nuzzled a sensitive spot. “Your clothes should be about done if you’d like to change.”
    She sighed, looking up at the ceiling with regrets. “That also means it’s time for me to go.”
    Turning her to face him, he quickly took her mouth, hotly, forcefully. She felt the imprint of it to her soul. A brand.
    But that wasn’t right. She didn’t belong to anyone. Especially not to Grant. She tried to keep reminding herself of that as he kissed her again.
    When Grant broke off their kiss, she swayed, feeling unbalanced. His eyes blazed into hers, searching, questioning, before fully pulling away.
    He nodded reluctantly. “It’s probably better that you do.” He didn’t need to tell her why. The why haunted her the entire drive home.
     
    * * *
     
    She hadn’t seen Grant in almost a week. Busy sketching, fabric shopping, and coordinating with her helpers, she hadn’t been able to manage more than a few calls with him. But oh, how she had looked forward to those snippets of conversation.
    She hadn’t been able to stop thinking of him. Of what had passed between them after the harvest.
    He had been so kind, so gentle. But shared passion aside, he had reached inside her, discovered places within her that had been locked away.
    But just because she got close to him didn’t mean that she was dependent on him, she quickly assured herself. That would be ridiculous.
    She was an independent woman, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t connect with people. It just meant she couldn’t need him. Which she didn’t.
    She enjoyed him.
    “I’m heading out soon,” James said, interrupting her thoughts.
    Stylus pausing, she glanced up at him from her sketch. “Huh?”
    “I said, I’m leaving.” He laughed. “So I take it things are going well with Walker?”
    “Very.” She grinned.
    “It’s good to see you so happy. When are you seeing him again?”
    “Soon. I hope. It’s been a little crazy around here.”
    He rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. You’re a slave driver.”
    She slapped his leg playfully. “Be quiet. You know you love working with me.”
    “Absolutely. No one cracks the whip like you do.”
    “Oh, go on. Make sure you lock up on your way out.”
    “You’re not leaving too?”
    She shook her head softly. “No, I think I’ll sketch here a little more before heading home.”
    His brows lowered in concern. “Do you want me to stay with you?”
    “I’ll be fine. Really.”
    He looked doubtful, but she didn’t blame him. After she had filled him in on the fire and the threat written on the barn, he had kept an extra eye on her. She could kiss him for it.
    “All right. But call me on your way home.”
    “Yes, Mom.” He shot her a glare before heading out.
    Snorting in amusement, Natalie turned her attention back to the sketch. The pants and blazer were distinctly military but with a feminine flair. It would be meticulously tailored, following the lines of a woman’s body instead of the boxy coat of a soldier.
    Pleased, she glanced at the clock, realizing she had been at it an hour since James had left. And as her stomach enjoyed reminding her, way past dinner time.
    Gathering her things, she relocked the loft before heading out of the building.
    Perhaps she should call Grant when she got home. Things should be slowing down in a week, and she’d be able to go through a few more things in his attic with him.
    And while that