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But instead of the frightening demons of her dreams, she only had to face Justin. Not so difficult a task.
"I'm interested," he said, reaching his hand up to cup her face. His lean fingers held her gently. She felt the rough calluses against her skin.
"In what?" she asked.
"Temptation."
His face drew closer. The flames in his eyes grew brighter. She vaguely thought it couldn't just be the reflection of the fire behind her, it had to be something else, something...
When his lips touched hers, all conscious thought fled. Her eyelids must have closed for she could see nothing, hear nothing. There was only the moment and the flood of memories filling her with the bittersweet taste of the past.
His mouth was firm, yet yielding. The powerful passion she recalled was now carefully controlled. He brushed across
her mouth, back and forth as if familiarizing himself with her. She raised herself on tiptoe to mold her shape to his. The correct and proper side of herself screamed it was foolish and wrong to be doing this. She didn't care.
Justin wrapped his arms around her shoulders and drew her closer. From chest to knees they touched. Through the layers of her skirt and petticoats, she couldn't feel much but the general shape of him, but he was all she remembered him to be. The rightness of it brought a burning to her eyes.
She wanted to hold him, as well, but couldn't bring herself to acquiesce that much. She held her arms at her sides, her hands curled into tight fists.
His fingers slipped under her chignon and kneaded the back of her neck. He moved down her spine, touching, pulling her even closer. His mouth angled against hers, his lips pressing harder now, taunting her with passion.
It wasn't supposed to feel so good. Other men had kissed her. Not many, but one or two. Why did he have to be the one who made her feel this way? She swallowed her cry of protest against this cruel trick of fate.
His hands encircled her waist. Her breathing came faster now. He dipped his head lower, moving his mouth to her jaw, then down her neck to the collar of her dress. She arched against him, ignoring the way her movement caused her corset to dig into her. The pain didn't matter, and neither did the fact she couldn't draw in a deep enough breath. When he returned his lips to hers and his tongue swept across her sensitized skin, she released her last hold on sanity. Her mouth parted and her arms came up toward him.
As he dipped inside, she prepared herself for the onslaught of madness. He would make her forget herself, forget everything, and she didn't care at all.
Her hands splayed across his chest, feeling the strength of him concealed only by his white shirt and long underwear. He was hard to her soft, angles and planes where she was curves and swells. She reached under his coat to hug him tighter, all the while savoring his kiss. She moved her hands over his ribs and bumped something in his pocket.
The lump moved, then meowed softly and stretched. Justin broke their kiss.
"What's that?" she asked as soon as she could get her mouth working again.
He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a tiny calico kitten. "Her mother was a good mouser. I thought you might like her." He grimaced. "I'm sorry about what happened in my office today. That's what I came by to tell you. We've had our problems in the past, but that doesn't change my responsibilities to you or the town. I was rude to you and I apologize. I brought her for you."
He held out the kitten. She took her and cupped the small creature in her hands. Bright green eyes blinked sleepily. The kitten nuzzled Megan's chest and exhaled a deep breath. The kitten's purring became muffled as she buried her face under the tip of her tail.
"She's so sweet." Megan glanced up at him. The dampness of his mouth and his knowing look reminded her what had just happened between them. They were still standing close together. Too close. She stepped back. It didn't help much. She had a bad feeling she could walk clear to the other side of Kansas and it wouldn't be far enough. Justin's apology made her want to forgive him everything. His hot kisses and thoughtful gift made her feel more than was safe. She should ask him to leave right now. Before any more damage was done.
"Would you like to stay for supper?" she blurted out.
He shook his head and started buttoning up his coat. "That wouldn't be a good idea. You're right. We aren't supposed to be friends. It would be better for everyone if we tried to stay out of each other's way. I know Landing isn't that big, but if we work at it, I think we can avoid too much contact."
