AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She lifted her head and looked around. Not that it helped. The room was pitch-black. “I...I don’t think so. What happened?”
“The power must have gone out.” He groaned, shifting beneathher.
“What about you? Are you okay?” Alarm filled her and it was her turn to check him for damage. As far as she could tell, everything seemed intact. At least, all his ripples were where they belonged. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s salsa and chips sliding down my neck.”
“Really?” Her stomach growled. “I could probably help with that,” she offered diffidently.
“What the hell are you doing? Damn it, Cassidy! Are you eating off me?”
“I’m hungry.” She held a broken chip to his mouth. “Want some?”
“Oh, Iwant some all right.”
Tossing the chip aside, he thrust his hands into her hair and found her mouth with amazing accuracy. Salsa mingled with a flavor so inviting, so delectable, that she could easily spend a lifetime savoring it. Her lips parted and she practically inhaled him. His tongue swept inward, awelcome invasion. He groaned again, but she suspected that this time it had nothing whatsoever to do with the salsa dripping down hisneck.
She reached up and cupped his face. Blind, she could only trace the hard, sculpted lines. His brow was broad, his cheekbones high and taut. And his lips... She skimmed them with her callused fingers, only then realizing how abrasive her touch mustfeel.
“Am I being too rough?” she asked in concern, whipping her hands away from hisface.
His laugh was smothered against her mouth. “Not hardly. Why?”
“My hands. They’re...” She shrugged, the movement scraping her breasts across his chest. “You know.”
“You’ve worked hard, sweetheart.” His hands covered hers and he returned them to his face. “But we’re a matched set in that department. Haven’t you noticed?”
For some reason, his observation filled her with delight. “You’re right. We are.”
“We match in other ways, too.”
Her sigh filled the air. “What ways?”
“Let me show you.” His legs parted slightly so she slipped into the angled notch they formed, his hips cradling the most feminine part of her. He eased his hands up the length of herspine, pressing her so close she could feel each lovely ripple of the muscles supporting her. “See how well we fit together?”
“You can’t be comfortable with me draped all over you,” she protested.
“You don’t get it, do you? You’re perfect. You fit me better than any woman I’ve ever known.” He held her close, made love to her with his mouth and his hands and his gentle, rumbly voice. “As far as I’m concerned, you can drape yourself over me any day of the week. You can drape yourself over me when the snow flies, or when it’s hotter than Hades, or when the day’s been tough or life’s been unfair. If you need someplace to go, my arms are waiting. They’re always open for you, sweetheart. When we’re old and gray and I’m not as strong as I used to be, my arms will still have one purpose. And that’ll be to hold you.”
Tears mingled with the salsa dripping on his neck. “Oh, Ty.”
He released a rough laugh. “Why I want to many a woman who does so damned much leaking, I’ll never know. Except that I do.” He gathered her up, kissing her senseless and then kissing her some more. “Get ready for today’s marriage proposal, love. If you can resist a man flat on his back covered in salsa and chips, you’re the stubbornest woman I ever have met. But here goes—”
Somewhere behind them, adoor banged open and a flashlight beam played across the devastation of the room. Eventually, it landed on them and wobbled violently. “Oh, golly,” came a breathless voice.
Cassidy tried to squirm out of Ty’s arms, but he held her fast. “Hutch? Is that you?”
“Whatcha doin’ down there, Mom?”
“The power went out and I couldn’t see where I was going, so I tripped.”
She could actually hear his gulp. “But...where’s your candles? You were supposed to have candles.”
Ty shifted beneath her. “Boy, if I discover you had something to do with the power cutting out, there’ll be hell to pay! You got that?”
“Uh-huh.” The door banged shut and ten-year old feet scampered down the hallway. Two minutes later, the lights flickered backon.
Ty helped Cassidy stand. Lettuce, salsa, roses and wine spattered his formerly cream-colored carpet. “Damnation,” he muttered. “Watch the broken dishes. Iguess we should be glad we weren’t cut.”
