Divine Read Free Page B

saved me.” Her words grew more rushed
with each syllable. “Thank you!”
    He recognized her longing expression as she
rose into a sitting position. The one saying she would pay him with
more than a “thanks.” His mother held the same mien a second before
she kissed his father. His mouth went dry and his pulse escalated,
but he didn’t budge. Keeping his gaze, her lips touched his, soft
as a rose petal. An odd appreciation boomeranged through him. As
soon as the feeling began, she retreated, and it ended.
    Not sure if she wanted him to kiss her or
not, he did what any idiot guy would do. He stared at her stretched
on the ground. She was beautiful. Her hair fanned around her
shoulders. A few strands lay across her face.
    A powerful draw gave him a sense she needed
him, not like his mother, father, or even his brother had, but
needed him for him. The impact calmed and reassured him that his
life would be okay.
    This time when he decided to touch her, he
didn’t change his mind. He pushed the hair from her cheek and
braced his hands on either side of her head. For a long moment, he
hovered, holding his upper body off her. In his favorite spot, on
one of the worst days in his life, hope reflected out of the field
of green in her eyes. For a second time, something hitched inside
him.
    The interaction was monumental, but he didn’t
know why.
    Rain dropped on his head, on her face, a
typical summer shower. He didn’t move, didn’t try to escape, didn’t
want shelter, not from the weather and not from the pull she had on
him.
    She tilted her head and pressed her lips to
his.
    His body reacted in an odd way he hadn’t
experienced. He stretched out on top of her, felt the curves of a
girl’s body against his, and kissed her. He didn’t know if he did
it right or not, he only knew he enjoyed it. Enjoyed the hell out
of it.
    Lightning cracked, a bright light flashed,
and he eased back.
    “I always wanted to do that,” she said.
    What she said confused him. They’d never met,
so how did she know she wanted to? “Kiss me?”
    She giggled. “No silly. Kiss a boy.”
    That stung. The kiss had nothing to do with
him, but more with him being at the right place, at the right time.
“Well, I’m glad I could be of help again.” He rolled to the ground
and stood, kicking himself for being so vulnerable and acting
weak.
    “Let me walk you home.” He held out his hand,
assisted her to her feet, slipped his muddy shoes on, and stuck his
tie in his jacket pocket.
    The rain cooled the air and pebbled her skin.
He gathered his semi-moist suit jacket, shook it off, and arched a
questioning eyebrow. On her nod, he placed it around her shoulders
and rested a hand on her back as he guided her toward the
woods.
    Strange, he didn’t want to move his hand. No,
he wished to touch her with both, along with his body, and feel
every inch of her against him.
    They buzzed around branches and sticker vines
to the road. The rain tapered and the sun fought for exposure.
    “I’m sorry,” she said at the same time he
asked, “Where do you live?”
    “Not far. Take a right at the intersection.”
She pointed in the opposite direction from which he came. “You
don’t have to walk with me. I can find my way.” Her voice had a
tinge of sadness to it.
    He didn’t let the verbal gut punch that she
would have kissed any boy, or her dejected tone prevent him from
doing the right thing. “I know.”
    They reached the crossroads. She placed a
hand on his elbow and tugged him to stop. “I didn’t mean to say
what I did.”
    Matt didn’t want to talk about it. It
happened. She stirred his body, and now he focused on getting rid
of the awkwardness between his legs. Talking about the kiss would
make his situation worse. “No worries,” he said and progressed in
the direction of her house.
    He glanced at her hand on his arm, liked it
far more than he wanted to admit or understood. “What?” He couldn’t
stop his rough, curt tone.
    “When I