Free To Wed and Protect by Carla Cassidy

refrigerator and waited for her to join him. “Can you reach up here?” He gestured to the bottom of the cabinet over the refrigerator.
    She nodded, rose on her tiptoes reaching up. Again he placed his finger over hers, as if to assure himself she was at the right place. “Hmm, you smell good,” he said.
    He took a step closer to her, so close she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck, smell the pleasant masculine scent of him.
    â€œThank you,” she murmured breathlessly.
    â€œI was just thinking that with your hand otherwise occupied now might be a perfect time to begin charming you.”
    Abby turned her head to look at him in panic. “Don’t you dare,” she exclaimed. “Stephanie told me you charm a woman right into seduction, and I’ll tell you right now that even though the other women in this town might find you irresistible, that doesn’t mean I do. You just don’t have that kind of an effect on me.”
    â€œReally?” he replied with obvious amusement. He placed the tape measure on the countertop, then looked at her once again, those sinful eyes of his promising unspeakable pleasures.
    â€œIf I don’t have any kind of effect on you, then why is your pulse beating so rapidly right here?” Withhis index finger he touched the pulse point in the hollow of her throat.
    Abby swallowed hard, as if in doing so she could dispel the electric jolt his touch sent riveting through her. She knew she needed to step away from his touch, tell him in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t about to become another notch on his bedpost.
    And yet, there was a crazy, insane, utterly feminine pull in the opposite direction. There was no denying the fact that she was overwhelmingly attracted to Luke, and she suffered a hunger for all the things she saw in his dark, wicked eyes…uncomplicated passion and simplistic desire.
    One thing was certain, she had a feeling that the last thing Luke Delaney wanted from her was any kind of real intimacy other than the physical kind. And she certainly wasn’t in the position to want any kind of true intimacy with anyone. She harbored too many secrets for that.
    â€œWhy is your breathing just a little more shallow than normal?” he asked in his deep, low voice that was as seductive as a voice could be.
    â€œI have asthma,” she replied, and he laughed again, seeing through the lie. “Why would I want to get involved in any way with you,” she asked lightly and stepped away from him. “From what the gossips in town say, you’re rather conceited, you drink too much and you don’t take anything seriously.”
    His eyes danced with brilliant lights of amusement. “I stopped drinking over a month ago, I’m only conceited about the things I have a right to be and I take my lovemaking very seriously.”
    She wasn’t sure how it was possible for him to elevate her body temperature with mere words, but somehow he managed it.
    â€œA year is a long time to be alone, Abby,” he said softly, and although he didn’t attempt to touch her again, the warmth of his gaze stroked her with the potency of a physical caress.
    â€œYes, it is,” she agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to fall into bed with the first handsome man who comes along.”
    â€œAh, so you think I’m handsome.”
    This time it was her turn to laugh. “You know you’re handsome. But it takes more than a pretty face and sweet words to seduce me.”
    He leaned a hip against the counter, eyeing her with a wicked smile. “Really? Then what does it take?”
    â€œYou’re just going to have to figure it out,” she replied enigmatically. In truth, good sense had managed to reign over raging hormones.
    She couldn’t think about herself, couldn’t think about her wants or needs. She had two children to consider, and it wouldn’t be a good idea