Page 35 of Craved By the Mountain Man

The cinnamon roll nearly falls out of my hand.

I set it down before I embarrass myself.

Gavin pushes away from the counter and comes around to my side.

My pulse starts climbing again.

He stops in front of me.

Too close.

“What?”

His eyes settle on my mouth.

“You’ve got icing there.”

“Oh.”

I reach for a napkin, but his hand gets there first.

His thumb brushes the corner of my mouth.

Every thought in my head disappears.

He could have wiped it away and stepped back.

He doesn’t.

His thumb lingers against my lower lip, his eyes following the movement.

The heat of him reaches me even though he is not touching me anywhere else.

I look up.

Our eyes meet.

Neither of us moves.

His chest is inches from mine.

My lips part beneath his thumb.

There is no joke this time.

Nothing clever enough to hide behind.

I want him to kiss me.

The realization arrives whole.

Terrifyingly simple.

Something tightens in Gavin’s face.

His thumb leaves my mouth.

Then he steps back.