Page 39 of Her Defiant Warrior

He stood on the porch, looking down at her. “I’m not interested in another cup of coffee.” He finally replied.

He watched as disappointment flickered across her face before she quickly masked it behind a wall of indifference.

“But, Bonnie, if you’re asking me in for a goodnight kiss, I would love to come in.”

He watched as she bit her lip. “If I say yes, are you going to expect more than a kiss?” she asked quietly. He looked down and saw her hands trying to strangle her silver clutch.

“I’m going to expect whatever you want to give me. Hell, if you let me inside and give me a peck on the cheek and send me on my merry way, I’m still going to leave here a lucky man. Do you know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because I had one of the best nights of my life, because I got to spend it with you.”

He saw her tremble, then push her door wide open. “Jase, I’d like you to come in for the kiss that I’ve been thinking about since I had my hands in your hair at the shampoo bowl.”

He slowly grinned. “In that case, I would love to come in.”

Bonnie unlocked her door, then swiftly went inside and pressed the code to unarm the alarm. Jase turned on the hall light and closed the front door, then locked it. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled shyly.

“Can I take your coat?”

Jase grinned.

“Oh. Yeah. You’re not wearing one. Duh.” Bonnie shook her head.

“How about you let me help you out of your coat,” Jase said as she worked on the knot of her trenchcoat. When she got it done, he helped her slip it off.

“Closet?” he asked. She pointed to the door close to where they were standing, and he hung it up.

He watched her walk to the living room and turn on all the lamps. The woman wasn’t sure about a little snuggling. Interesting. Well, she had said that she didn’t date.

Jase walked to where the hall met the living room and watched her hesitate as she stood in front of her sofa. She was wringing her hands.

“Can you come here, Bonnie? I find myself desperately in need of a hug,” he said softly.

“A hug?”

He watched as her expression changed from trepidation to confusion.

“Definitely a hug. Ever since I saw you tonight, I wanted to kiss you, but then we started sharing bits and pieces of our lives, and I got to know you so much better. You’re an extraordinary woman, and I need a hug from you. Can you give me one?”

She smiled and walked over to him. “Of course I can hug you, but I’m not extraordinary. You’re the one who’s extraordinary. You’ve spent years serving our country. You’re a hero. I’m just a woman who does hair for a living while raising two kids.”

As she talked, Jase wrapped one arm around her and took the one step necessary to bring them together, chest to chest. Bonnie was forced to say that last sentence with her head tilted backward so she could look him in the eye.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree.” He heard his voice lower, almost as if he were talking to a skittish horse. “Put your arms around me, baby. You promised me a hug.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Jase closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her embrace. He pulled her even closer with his arm around her waist, then he cupped her cheek as he opened his eyes.

“If you won’t agree on extraordinary, will you believe me if I tell you I believe you’re beautiful inside and out?”

“No. You don’t know me well enough to make that call,” she murmured.

“I see I have my work cut out for me. We’re going to have to spend a lot of time together so that I can get you to take a compliment.” His thumb stroked her bottom lip.

He bent his head slowly until his mouth hovered above hers, their breaths mingling. Bonnie pushed up and met his mouth with hers. Electricity shot through him. It was as if he had just been knocked off his surfboard on the North Shore of Oahu by a twenty-foot wave. He hauled her closer. She mewled into his mouth, and gripped his short hair, her nails sinking into his scalp. Jase returned the favor, tangling his fingers in her hair and tilting her head just a little so that he could get just the right angle for a deeper kiss.