A moment later his mouth came down on hers and knocked every doubt right out of her head.
CHAPTER19
When Kade finally pulled back, Charlie struggled to catch her breath. Humor gleamed in his eyes, along with a fiery desire that made her knees go wobbly as custard.
Good thing you’re sitting down.
Of course, where she was sitting was on his lap, and in a decidedly inelegant sprawl. When she wiggled a bit to regain her balance, Kade hissed out a sharp breath.
“Sorry,” she gasped. “Did I hurt you?”
“Not really,” he replied through gritted teeth.
When he shifted her into a more comfortable position, Charlie bit back a squeak.Nowshe knew what his problem was. And it was a large one, currently pressing against her backside.
“Oh,” she weakly replied. “That’s good now.”
His smile was wry. “Yes, it’s actually very good.”
Charlie had to smile back as she tentatively rested a hand on his cheek. His night beard tickled her palm, making her shiver. When she stroked her fingertips along his jawline, Kade moved a hand to her thigh and gently gripped it through the fabric of her kilt.
For several moments, she let herself enjoy the feel of him and the desire that sparked in his gaze—desire forher. But then she realized he had yet to answer her question. She silently ordered herself to focus on that, not on his kisses.
“At the risk of repeating myself,” she said. “I still wonder how this—”
Kade once more captured her mouth, and when his tongue flicked between her lips, slipping inside to taste her, Charlie couldn’t hold back a moan. She clutched at his shoulders as he ravished her mouth until every nerve in her body vibrated like the strings of a violin.
After reducing her to a state of near idiocy, Kade again drew back.
“You were saying, Miss Stewart?” he murmured with a satisfied smile.
It took a moment for his question to register. “Er, was I?”
When he grinned, Charlie let out a sigh. Really, the man had an astounding ability to chase every sensible thought from her head.
“You’re a brute, Kade Kendrick,” she said. “I’m trying to ask you a question and you keep distracting me.”
His hand moved farther down her thigh and came to rest on her bare skin.
Bare skin?
She glanced down to see that her kilt had ridden up to the point where a respectable woman would quickly move to restore order, or at least order the gentleman in question to behave himself.
Apparently, however, she was not a respectable woman.
“How dreadful of me,” he replied. “Please accept my apology.”
“I would if I thought you were actually sorry. I’m trying to be serious, Kade, at least for a moment.”
He adopted a contrite expression that didn’t fool her one bit. “Of course, my darling. Ask away.”
She ignored the flutter in her chest his endearment had produced, and instead adopted what she hoped was an appropriately stern expression. But when Kade actually chuckled, she could only assume her attempt was a failure.
“As delightful as this is—” she started.
When his fingers crept up under the hem of her kilt, caressing her thigh, Charlie again lost her breath.
“You mean sitting on my lap?” he murmured.
