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He was already on his way to arousal, his erection hardening against her belly. She lifted her face for his kiss.
His mouth took hers, his tongue painting the inside edge of her lower lip. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders and he eased up, giving a parting tug with his teeth on her upper lip. “You and your sister,” he said. “Sorceresses. She can get me to knit and you can make me so hard so fast I’d do it in the back of the truck if it wasn’t so damn cold out here.”
She laughed, smug in her power over him. “You looked very cute in the shop, cowed by Cassandra’s tutelage.”
“Cute. Cowed.” He spit the words out in disgust, but it only made her laugh more as he pushed her toward the front door. Once she had the key inserted in the lock, he turned it, then put her behind him as he went inside to deactivate the alarm. She smiled at his back, indulgent of his protective habits. Returning to her side, he took her hand, shut the door behind them, then led her toward the bedroom.
Already her breathing was shallow, her skin prickling with eagerness for his touch. As if he sensed her growing impatience, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Cassandra’s going through some sort of third party to contact the donor, isn’t she?”
Juliet shook her head, guessing he was trying to distract her with talk to draw out the anticipation. Fiddling with the top button of her shirt, she contemplated stripping her clothes before he had the chance. “She’s known the donor’s identity for months, and she’s really eager to get on with it.”
Noah halted a few feet in the bedroom and faced her, a frown on his face. “That’s not a good idea, Juliet. Tell Cassandra—”
“Not Cassandra. Me.”
“You?”
“It was Nikki’s one condition. She still isn’t certain she wants to have anything to do with him, and she thinks Cassandra will fall all over herself liking the man, no matter what. So, as the oldest, it’s up to me.” And it was funny how gratified she was by their trust and how natural the responsibility felt to her. “I’m going to get in touch with him and introduce myself.”
Juliet Weston, former widow-made-of-glass, now was not only an industrious employee but the trusted oldest sister.
Noah dropped her hand. “Well, you can tell them it’s not going to happen. Not right away. And not like that.”
She stared at him. “What?”
“Use your head, Juliet. You don’t contact someone and give them personal information about yourself. What if he’s a liar—best case—or some sicko pervert?”
“I hadn’t quite worked out the details in my mind yet…” That was true. If she’d had more than a moment to think about it she would have come up with concerns on her own and discussed them with her sisters before proceeding.
“Don’t bother your head with the details. You give me his name and I’ll find out what you need to know and if he’s someone you can safely speak to. If so, I’ll contact him myself first.”
Don’t bother her head with the details? Don’t bother her head with the details? Now a new fire raced over her skin—and this one wasn’t kindled by need. Strange, how short a step it was to walk from the heat of desire into the inferno of anger. “You’ll determine to whom I ‘can safely speak?’ ”
Apparently she was the only one who heard the ominous edge to her voice, because Noah didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I’ll take care of it.”
Her fingers balled into fists. Her throat went tight. “I don’t need ‘taking care of.’ ”
Wariness entered his expression. “Listen, honey—”
“Don’t—”
“Juliet.” His jaw went rock-hard and anger sparked in his eyes, too. “I can’t let you—”
“I can do whatever I damn please.” The words shot from her mouth, and she was so mad her hair felt like it was lifting from her scalp. Her palm itched to slap him silly again, but that had been a one-time deal. Struggling to control her fury, she slammed her arms across her chest. “Noah, you should go now.”
“Forget it.” His feet took root on the floor. “I refuse to allow you to do something foolish.”
“Refuse? Allow?” Her voice was rising, she realized. And why not? The words needed to be yelled from a mountaintop if that’s what it took for Noah to understand. “I don’t need to be cared for like a child.”
“Then don’t act like one!” He voice was raised now, too. They were both breathing hard, chests heaving, as if they’d just broken apart in bed…instead of maybe just broken up.
