Page 13 of Under an Oklahoma Sky

A muffled “oomph” came from beneath her.

Twisting in his arms, she grabbed his shoulders. “Oh, my God, Adam! Are you all right?”

His hands cupped her cheeks, his gaze searching her face. “I-I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m good. I’m so sorry.” She suddenly became aware of their position, her body sprawled over his and their legs tangled together. Her breath caught when his soft brown eyes met hers, and something in his expression changed.

For the past few days, her attraction to him had continued to grow despite every attempt she’d made to ignore it. Now, with his face only inches from hers, all those sensible reasons for keeping her distance disappeared. Before she could talk herself out of it, she lowered her head and brushed her lips against his.

He went still for an instant before returning the chaste kiss. While not a horrible kisser, he seemed hesitant, almost as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do next. When he didn’t deepen the kiss, she pulled back a few inches, and their eyes met. “You don’t have to be so gentle, you know. I won’t break.”

The man blushed.

Actually, flat-out blushed.

“I’m not sure I remember how to kiss a woman. It’s been a long time.”

Of course! He’d been in prison for over five years and probably hadn’t been with a woman in the short time he’d been out. “Five years is a long time, but it’s like riding a bike.”

His blush deepened, and he cleared his throat. “Actually… uh… it’s… uh… been closer to twenty years.”

What? Oh, my goodness! She scrambled off him and jumped to her feet. How could she have been so stupid and misread things? “I’m so sorry. I didn't realize you were gay.”

His eyes flew wide. “What? No! No, I’m not gay.” He scrambled to his feet, looking equal parts horrified and amused. “Definitely not gay.”

She stared at him in confusion. “Then I don’t understand. Why haven’t you kissed a woman in almost twenty years?”

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. Pieces of straw separated from the strands and floated to the floor. “Because I was a celibate friar.”

Friar? That was like a monk, wasn’t it? Her mouth dropped open before she started laughing. Oh, Lord, the man was funny. She hadn’t been this entertained since Mark was alive.

“I’m not kidding, Sage.”

Her laughter died at his serious expression.

Oh. My. God. The blood drained from her face. What have I just done?

He stuck his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “I became a Franciscan Brother at twenty-one, but I started my studies—and my celibacy—two years before that.”

Her mouth opened and closed several times before her thoughts finally managed to reach her tongue. “Are you… are you telling me you’re a vir-virgin?”

“Ha!” He shook his head, his expression turning sheepish. “Um. Not exactly. I had a few experiences with two girls I dated. One in high school and the other during my first year of college, before I felt a higher calling and enrolled in the seminary.” His face reddened again. “But that was a long time ago, and I wasn’t exactly an expert back then either.”

Stunned, Sage couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye. Mark had been her first and only lover, so it wasn’t as if she had decades of experience herself. Still, compared to Adam, she suddenly felt downright worldly.

Ugh! He must think I’m some sort of hussy for jumping him like that.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I never would have kissed you if I had known you were a monk… I mean, a friar.”

Were they even the same thing?

He stepped closer and lifted her chin until their gazes met once more. “Please don’t be sorry. I enjoyed it—very much. Before I went to prison, I resigned from the order. After what happened and the choices I made, I didn’t feel I could remain committed to the Brotherhood anymore.” He hesitated before continuing. “Celibacy was never a problem for me… until now. I’m attracted to you, Sage. I can’t deny that, and it’s more than physical. I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to do about it. Can we take this slowly?”

“Um… sure. I just…” She blew out a shaky breath that did nothing to help still her quivering knees. “I want you to know I’m not normally like this… forward, I mean.”

Damn. Now she was the one who sounded like a teenager. Her cheeks warmed, and she twined her fingers together, uncertain what else to do with them. “Mark was the only man I’d ever been with, and there's been no one else since. So, this isn’t exactly normal for me either.”

He gave her a shy smile, causing those dimples she liked so much to reappear. “So, you don’t mind taking things slow and seeing where they lead us?”