Forged of Steele Bundle (Books 1-4) - Brenda Jackson [174]
When it was time to walk him to the door today, she had just finished telling him about another recipe she planned to try. “Well, don’t work too hard today,” she said, reaching out to open the door.
“Leah?”
“Yes?” She turned around and met his gaze. He didn’t say anything, but then he really didn’t have to. Despite years of separation she could still read the look in his eyes.
“Nothing. Don’t you work too hard, either,” he finally said.
Leah nodded and stood back for him to walk out the door. But some part of her knew she had to make this morning different for them. Jocelyn was right. She couldn’t let what Neil had done destroy the one thing that had been so right in her life, the one thing she had cherished the most. Reese’s love.
“Reese?”
He turned around. “Yes?”
She didn’t say anything at first, then she slowly leaned toward him and, without touching him, brushed a kiss across his lips. She heard his sharp intake of breath and the sound spurred her to go a little further. So she deepened the kiss a little, and when he moaned, she closed her eyes and slipped her tongue inside his mouth.
She got just what she expected and exactly what she wanted, the tantalizing and rich taste of Reese Singleton. This is what time and distance hadn’t been able to erase from her memory. Nor had Neil Grunthall.
With excruciating slowness and painstaking thoroughness, she kissed him, leaning into him but careful to keep their bodies from touching. But she needed this. After wondering for years if she’d ever be able to kiss a man again, she had her answer.
Leah slowly pulled back, or at least she tried to, but Reese’s mouth followed. He gently leaned toward her, recaptured her mouth, letting her know how much he enjoyed this. So did she. So they kissed again, passionately, thoroughly. And somehow, at some point, he wrapped his arms around her and she didn’t reject his touch. She was too caught up in the feel of being in his arms.
Her mind was humming that this was Reese, the man she loved, had always loved and would always love. Finally, he pulled back slightly, then began brushing kisses along her jaw. When he pulled his mouth away, their eyes met and although neither said anything, they were both aware of the importance of what had taken place.
“Thanks for making my day special,” Reese said. “It was well worth the wait.”
Leah nodded. She then lifted her hands to his chest. “Yes, it was, and please kiss me again.”
Reese smiled and lowered his head. He was more than happy to oblige her request.
“The boss is in a bad mood,” Tommy Grooms whispered to Reese when he arrived at the work site sometime later. This was their first day on a new project. The post office needed expanding and they had been awarded the job.
Considering he was in a damn good mood, Reese walked over to where Jocelyn was wielding her hammer. He waited until she was finished and tapped on her hard hat. She turned around and glared at him. “What?”
“We need to talk.”
Jocelyn mentally swore as she placed her hammer aside and followed Reese into a deserted area of the room. She pulled off her safety glasses and hard hat. “What’s this about?”
Reese leaned against a metal post. “You tell me. The guys think you’re in a bad mood.”
Jocelyn put her safety glasses back on and glared through them. “I am.”
“Then you need to leave.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I said you need to leave and pull yourself together. This job is no place for negative emotions right now.”
Jocelyn’s angered flared. “You’re a fine one to talk.”
“Yes, and I learned from experience. Go ahead. Take an extended lunch. Come back when you feel better.”
“I feel fine.”
Reese chuckled without any real amusement. “You might feel fine