My Only Wish Read Online Free Page B

question . “I’m with you on this one. Toothbrush.”
    Her dimple winked and he felt stunned. Why was she having such a strong effect on him? He looked her over slowly, from the blonde curls down to her spiked heels. When his eyes raked their way back up her body, the grin slowly left her face.
    “Let’s take a walk.” He knew his voice was laced with a dangerous edge but he couldn’t help it. At the moment he wanted his hands on her, and he wasn’t gifted enough to mask it.
    Glancing uneasily back to her friend, he realized that she didn’t exactly trust him.
    Smart girl.
    “There’s a path around the building we could take. I doubt we’ll ever be alone.”
    It was the right thing to say. He saw her smile again, the rigidness leaving her shoulders. “Sure. Let me just tell my friend so she doesn’t worry.”
    “Take your time.”
    She slipped out of her chair and walked back into the bar. With each step she took, he released a finger from his clenched fist. How he had resisted yanking her across the table and ravaging her mouth, he didn’t know. All he knew is that it would have been the end of their conversation, and most likely, their acquaintance.
    She had surprised him tonight. Everything he had imagined her to be was false. She had no guile, and, if he had to guess, he would say little experience. She enflamed him and intrigued him at the same time.
    A dangerous combination, he thought, but quickly wiped it away. He wasn’t afraid of anything.
    “Ready?” he asked when she came back to the table, coat in hand.
    “Yes. Do you have a coat you need to grab?”
    “There’s one in my car if I need it.”
    Leaving the bar, he led her out the door, relishing the small touch he had on her lower back. He couldn’t help himself from touching her. Even that small contact had him fighting back the urge to take her into his arms.
    They started down the path around the building, and he was grateful for the few stragglers that were outside. They would make her more relaxed. “What made you come tonight?”
    If he hadn’t been trained, he knew he wouldn’t have caught the hesitation in her voice. “I need a change. Ashley suggested that this might be it.” A rueful smile caressed her lips. “That I might have fun and loosen up.”
    “Do you need some fun?”
    “Yes, actually. I tend to get too focused on things. Ashley thought I needed a guy from here to get me to relax.” Her brows furrowed. “I really shouldn’t have said that. It sounds terrible.”
    “Not at all,” he said, leading her into a garden area that appeared to be empty. She didn’t notice. “I think meeting someone casually can be a great way to loosen up.”
    “You do?”
    “Yes.”
    She puzzled over that before she turned to him. “Why? I mean, I’m not disagreeing with you. But how could a stranger help that? I always find myself to be tied in knots when I meet new people.”
    “Do I tie you in knots?”
    “Yes.” Her frankness was refreshing. He moved in closer to her, but not so fast that it would frighten her.
    “A stranger can help you relax because you can be anything, anyone, you want to be.” He cornered her by a half wall, caging her body with his own. “You can do anything you want without having to worry about seeing them again. Without being judged. It’s freeing, don’t you think?” he asked, his voice lowering to a whisper.
    She swallowed hard, her eyes lifting to his. When their eyes met, he felt power surge through him as he saw not fear, but passion blazing in the emerald green depths. “What do you want to do, Abby?”
    Her name slipped off his tongue like a caress and he saw her shiver. Wetting her lips, she glanced down to his, ripping a groan from deep in his chest.
    “I want you to kiss me.”
    He didn’t move for a moment, worried that he would swallow her whole. He wanted to cage the beast that was clawing at him from the inside, demanding that he take, plunder, enjoy. He wanted to savor her,