He placed his hands on her face and kept his eyes open, probably gauging her reaction, before he laid his lips lightly on hers.

Sarah wrapped her hand around his wrist and tried to remember how to do this. She wanted so badly to give him what he wanted, what he’d waited so long to have from her.

His lips moved slowly over hers.

Sarah whimpered, and the slight noise had him pulling back.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Don’t stop.”

He smiled at her and resumed the sweet, slick slide of his lips over hers.

“Charlie…”

“What, honey?”

She loved when he called her that. “It’s okay if you want to, you know… Do more.”

“Hmmm, more. Like this maybe?” He ran the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip, back and forth until Sarah thought she would explode from the desire his kisses stirred in her. “You’re trembling.”

“Not because I’m nervous.”

“No?”

She shook her head.

He reclined on the sofa and patted the spot next to him.

Sarah eyed the cushion and then shifted her gaze to his face. He looked at her with love and affection and amusement. Then she zeroed in on his lips.

“Sarah…” He reached out to slide her hair through his fingers. “Let me hold you.”

Because she wanted that so badly and trusted him so totally, she stretched out next to him, appreciating that he’d thought to give her the outside so there was no fear of feeling trapped.

He put one arm around her and encouraged her to use the other as a pillow—a rather muscular pillow. “There. How’s that?”

“Good. Really good.” She couldn’t stop staring at his lips. Now that she’d had a taste of him, she wanted much more, but she had no idea how to tell him that. Her needs, her desires had never been considered in her marriage. “Could we, maybe…”

“Kiss some more?”

“Yes,” she said with a sigh, relieved that he’d said the words for her.

“I’d love to. Thought you’d never ask.”

She laughed and allowed him to bring her even closer to him. As he slid his leg between hers and drew her into yet another kiss, Sarah relaxed against his muscular body and gave in to the desire that had simmered between them during months of platonic friendship. Kissing him was every bit as wonderful as she’d suspected it would be. And knowing he loved her only made it that much better.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Would you guys mind if I took Holden up to give him his bath?” Shane asked as the sun headed for the horizon.

“Would we mind that, Owen?” Laura asked playfully. “Hmm, we would not mind at all.”

“What she said,” Owen replied.

Shane scooped his nephew out of the sand and wrapped a towel around him.