Free Second Chances by Cheyenne Meadows Page B

fire.
    April
gasped. He took advantage, slipped his tongue inside, tangled with hers, and
circled for a taste of the spitfire blonde that was too stubborn to take a
hint.
    Hesitant
at first, April gradually began to respond, as if testing out the waters in a
novel experience. She met his tongue, then licked across his lips, exploring
his mouth like she would the rest of his body, with open curiosity and
gentleness.
    When
she hit her stride, Dusty nearly groaned. She mirrored his actions while
resting her arms around his neck. Leaning against him, she gave everything back
to him with gusto. He deepened the kiss, sought more of her passion, and
ratcheted up the affectionate act with enough heat to rival the mid-day sun.
Placing his hand on the back of her head, he steadied her as he changed the
angle and pushed her to the point of breathlessness.
    Reluctantly,
he eased back, letting their lips cling for a moment longer before separating.
He drew in a deep breath and read her face. April’s blue eyes shined brightly,
full of surprise and longing. Her lips were slightly swollen from his
attentions and pink stained her cheeks as she panted like she’d just run a mile
full out. Pleasure radiated from her face as she stared up him with awe and
perhaps recently discovered need.
    “Amazing,”
she whispered.
    He
rubbed his thumb across her lips. Not entirely comfortable with her praise and
the expression on her face, he released her completely, turned around, and
headed to the nearest stall.
    She
posed too much of a threat to his hard won control and challenged his rule of
only pursuing women for the purpose of a one-night stand. April wasn’t a hot to
trot woman who enjoyed man hopping any more than he was a man who sought
commitment and the stability of marriage.
    Oil and
water.
    He
attached more lead ropes and continued the task of moving horses from stalls to
the fields outside, kicking his own ass the entire way.
    What in the hell came over me? Either he needed to get laid
badly or the lack of sleep severely affected his judgment.
    One
glance found April still standing as before, staring at him with wonder in her
soft eyes.
    He
cringed and berated himself more. I’m
such a dumbass. Give the woman the totally wrong impression next time. Sarcasm
laced his thoughts as he debated beating his head on a nearby fence post. He
snorted and strode quickly back down the worn path.
     

     
    That
kiss. That absolutely decadent kiss. For the twentieth time so far today, April
recalled the moment Dusty sealed his mouth over hers and forever changed her
opinion of kissing.
    She’d
read romance novels that spoke of embraces of pure passion, where a simple kiss
sounded nearly as intoxicating as sex. A big time exaggeration and a way to
ensnare the reader, drag them in, and leave them begging for more. Nice sales
tactic, but far from reality. She didn’t believe in fairy tales, no matter how
unbelievably hot the kiss.
    Until
today.
    Her
stomach did another slow, exquisite flip. One of many since Dusty poured
delightful magic over her, infusing her with newfound desire.
    I sound like a lovesick fool . She frowned. Sure, it happened
to be the best kiss ever, but that didn’t really mean anything in the long run.
Her track record of men could be considered dismal and Dusty didn’t say another
word after walking away. He just left her standing there, mouth gaping open,
with a dozen questions running through her mind.
    They
still did. All with no answers forthcoming.
    With a
frustrated sigh, she grabbed up a pitch fork and began mucking stalls. No sense
standing around batting her eyelashes and looking like a freshman with her
first crush on the bad boy senior. She’d long since left her teens and high
school behind. Besides, college taught her a few lessons about dating and the
opposite sex. Enough for her to tread carefully before leaping into any
relationship. Avoiding the whole fiasco sounded more rational than risking her
heart once