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She chuckled. “God forbid anyone should think you were old.”
“Och, I’m practically on the shelf, ye ken. My family despairs of me.”
“Mine, too.”
“Your family is lucky to have you, and I’ll be happy to defend that point with anyone who says otherwise.”
“I might say the same for you.” She twisted a bit under his arm so she could see him. “You’re very good at taking care of people, you know. It’s . . . nice.”
“Nice sounds rather boring.”
“You’re not boring at all.” Her tone suggested she was a bit perplexed by such a notion.
“You used to think I was, though.”
“Only because I was a ninny.”
“You were never a ninny.”
“Well, I still say you’re very good at taking care of people.”
You’ll never know if you don’t ask.
“I’d like to take care of you, Kathleen, if you let me.”
She snuggled back under his arm, as if dodging the question. “I never thought of myself as someone who needed to be taken care of.”
“We all need help now and again, sweetheart.”
“Even you?”
“Definitely me.”
While she pondered his admission, Grant did his best to be patient. Yet all he wanted to do was kiss her breathless.
“I believe I would like you taking care of me, now and again,” she finally whispered.
Relief all but staggered him.
“Aye, that,” he managed.
When he bent down to kiss her, she pressed a finger against his mouth. “But only when truly necessary.”
Grant smothered a grin as he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. He felt her tremble. It was slight, but telling, so he cupped her chin, finally giving in to the craving he’d been fighting for days—or weeks, if he were honest.
Taking that first, precious kiss.
As soon as their lips touched, as gentle as a snowflake drifting down from the heavens, she breathed out a funny little sigh. At that moment, Grant knew he would never forget this kiss. Kathleen’s lips were as soft as rose petals, and as sweet as the ripest of berries.
For long moments, he simply enjoyed the feel of her smooth skin under his fingertips as he brushed featherlight kisses against her mouth. He wouldn’t rush her. As confident as she was, Kathleen was a novice to lovemaking. Her response was shy, almost tentative, as if she were exploring a world without a map, not quite sure which way to go.
Holding his instincts in check took a mighty effort. He longed to take her mouth in the same way he wanted to take her body, with complete and total abandon. But he’d be damned if he rushed her. He’d give her all the time she needed to—
When Kathleen’s tongue surged between his lips, Grant almost fell off the bench. She grabbed his shoulders, huffing out a laugh before slipping inside once more. Her innocent eagerness caught him completely off guard.
And set him aflame like a torch.
Brushing aside her cloak, he circled Kathleen’s waist and pulled her close. She quivered as her breasts pressed against him. Grant let his fingers drift over her rib cage, brushing her plump curves before settling on the gentle swell of her hip. He imagined stripping off her silky gown to explore every inch of her even silkier skin, licking his way down her body to the intimate secrets hidden between her thighs.
