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“Oh, that’s not for me. I don’t have the patience. Besides, I had my eyes on city life, living the corporate dream.”
“How’d that turn out for you?” he asked.
She tilted her head, a blank expression on her face. “How do you think?”
“I think it worked out for the best.”
Her elbow perched on the table, and she rested her chin on her upturned hand. “Really? And why is that?”
He motioned toward her. “You have the whole city girl look down, but you’re a small-town girl at heart.”
Her perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. “Is that so?”
He nodded.
“Care to elaborate? Or you going to let me wonder how you came to this conclusion about me?”
“It’s simple really. I watched you yesterday with the book club. You moved right into the conversation, and it was obvious you were in your element.”
“I do love the warmth of the town… how everyone always has a kind word to offer. I lived in the city for three years, and I couldn’t tell you the name of one person who lived in my building. They all pretty much looked the other way when you passed them.” She waved her hand. “Not that it matters now.”
“At least you didn’t have to say goodbye to anyone.” It was why he avoided relationships. Saying goodbye never got easy. If anything, each goodbye weighed heavier on his shoulders. He’d lost so much in his twenty-six years, and he thought he’d become numb to the pain, but losing Mom nearly broke him. It was the only reason he came to Morgan’s Bay in the first place. He was searching for some sort of light at the end of the dark tunnel of his life. He foolishly thought it would be his family that brought that light back into his life. He never expected it to be the beautiful woman sitting across from him.
Chapter 9
Waving goodbye to Miss Karen, Shane held the door for Olivia, proving once again to be a gentleman. She flashed him a smile as she passed and let her eyes linger on him. When she’d asked him out for pie, she hadn’t had high expectations. She’d pretty much lost her faith in men, but Shane gave her hope again.
She enjoyed getting to know him. He was a gentle soul who harbored pain deep in his heart. She could see it in his greenish-brown eyes when he spoke about his mother. She sensed there was more to the story, but she didn’t want to pry. At least not yet.
Shane looked at his phone. “Almost time for your first day,” he said, glancing toward the pub. Connor had hired her on the spot. Barely even interviewed her. Then again, he had known her a good portion of her life. Unlike the other McConnells, Connor had gone to public school with the rest of the town folk.
“Want to walk with me?” she asked.
“We still have time,” Shane said. “Besides, you owe me a kiss.”
Heat rushed to her core at the thought of Shane’s mouth on hers, their tongues sliding against each other. Anxious sparks skittered beneath her skin, and she bit back the smile trying to form, instead curving it into what she hoped was a sexy grin. “Is that so?”
He angled his head toward her, and though every muscle in her body was fighting her, she put up her hand.
“Kissing me out in the open on Main Street? Do you know what that means?”
He stepped closer, heat coming off him in delicious waves that surrounded her in a fiery blanket of desire. “What does it mean?” His voice dipped to a sultry whisper that had her desperate to throw her inhibitions to the curb.
“Next thing you know, the whole town is planning our relationship down to the wedding day and how many kids we’ll have. Probably twins. A boy and a girl.”
“Kids?”
Olivia snickered at the squeak in his voice. “Don’t worry. You won’t impregnate me by kissing me.”
“But the town will think you’re carrying twins.”
“You’re learning.” She tapped his chest, and an electric current jolted through her veins. Shane wrapped his hand around her wrist and yanked her into the alley between Pie in the Sky and The Book Nook. He backed her into the wall, strong male consuming her. His arms caged her in, and she arched toward him, desperate for his touch.
In one fell swoop, he captured her lips, lava exploded in her chest and dispersed in heated waves. His mouth moved against hers with a carnal lust so passionate and demanding, she lost sight of everything else. All she could focus on was the hard press of Shane’s lips and the hard bulge in his pants meeting the apex of her thighs.
A moan escaped her throat as his hands cupped her face and tilted her head. His tongue swiped lovingly at the crease between her lips, and she parted, welcoming the slick feel. It was a sensual dance of tongue and teeth, licking and nipping, giving and taking. He tasted of sweet coconut and confidence, kissing her with a potency she would never forget.
The way he kissed her, ravenous and precise, it was as if he’d been doing it for years. She melted into his lips, letting him take control, and not because she felt he needed to dominate, but because she wanted him to.
