Page 77 of Her Noble Protector

He held her hand as they left the restaurant and kept ahold of it during the long drive back.

“Wait a minute, this isn’t the way to your parents’.”

“Nope.”

Her stomach fluttered. “Are you taking me to your place?”

“Yep. Just for an hour, then I’m taking you home. I want a kiss.”

Her stomach flipped over. “An hour-long kiss?” her voice sounded breathy.

“Yep.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

“It’ll be a soft kiss. A gentle kiss. A kiss you’ll like.”

Lisa’s breathing stopped. Then her thoughts went wild. It was everything she’d hoped for. Everything she’d been dreaming of.

“Wait a moment. Why are you telling me this now? Are you trying to ease me into it?”

They were stopped at a light and his head turned to look at her. “I absolutely am. Is it working?”

She started to breathe fast, almost pant. “I’m not feeling easy. I’m feeling kind of excited.”

He smiled a slow, sexy smile. “Then it’s working.”

When they pulled up to a small house in a quiet neighborhood, Lisa had finally gotten her breathing under control. Raiden held her hand, their fingers laced, all the way up to the front porch. He disarmed the alarm and took her inside. It was nice. More than nice. It was warm and inviting.

“I like your home,” she whispered.

“I’m glad.” His fingers went to the tie at the front of her coat and undid the knot. Now her breathing started to hitch again.

“It’s going to be all right, Lisa, we’re taking this at your pace.”

“I can’t decide if I want this to go really fast, or if I want to jump into your arms,” she admitted as she looked at the floor.

He chuckled as he pulled her coat off her shoulders. “Did I tell you how much I like your dress?”

She shook her head, still looking at the floor.

“I like your dress,” he whispered. Lisa had no idea what happened to her coat, it just magically disappeared. Raiden tipped her chin up so that she was looking up at him, his eyes were warm and brown. “It’s just a kiss,” he reminded her.

“Yeah, just a kiss.”

* * *

Raiden knew Lisa was nervous, but he would bet his classic mustang convertible that he was more nervous. He had a good idea that Lisa had not had many kisses in her life. In fact, she might not have had any, and the idea that he was the man who was going to give her one scared him down to his toes.

She was uneasy, he could see that, but he could see the want in her eyes too. This woman, who had been through hell, was standing in his house just inches away from him, looking at him with want in her eyes. How had he gotten so lucky?

He cupped her jaw. His thumb traced her bottom lip and her body trembled. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close until her hands rested against his chest. She melted into him. He slanted his mouth over hers and she stiffened, which was just fine. They had all the time in the world.

He drew his fingers up the side of her cheek and gentled his lips, brushing them softly back and forth against the pillowy softness of hers. Back and forth, he took his time, until finally, she started to follow his lead, moving with him. She relaxed again into his hold and he licked his tongue across her bottom lip. She hitched in a breath and drew back, her eyes wide.

“Do you like that?”

“I’m not sure.”