The Unsung Hero Read Online Free Page A

his
clean-shaven jaw line. Her other hand rested lightly on the broad
landscape of his chest, fingers twined seductively in the silky
dark jungle of curly hair. As her fingers moved to explore the hard
contours of his mouth, she could feel the slow steady beat of his
heart increase its rhythm beneath her hand.
    It was unthinkable that she should be
behaving this way with a man she barely knew--so wholly out of
character for her. But nothing really seemed to matter. She closed
her eyes, reveling in this strange sensation, her senses expanding,
widening, reaching out to absorb the heat that seemed to flow from
her body into Jason's, his into hers . . .
    "You see?" His throaty whisper broke into
the hazy shroud of pleasure surrounding her. "Would it be so hard
for a person to describe the way you feel--what both of us
feel?"
    Samantha drew back a little, reluctant to
break away from him, not wanting to shatter the web of enchantment
he had spun so easily around her. Jason Armstrong was magic. There
was magic in his voice, magic in his touch, magic in his words.
    "Not for a writer." A soft smile curved her
mouth, and this time the inflection of disbelief was gone from her
tone. "Are you really Cathryn James?"
    "In the flesh," he said softly, tipping her
face up to his to search her eyes. "Are you disappointed?"
    "No," she answered honestly. Thunderstruck,
maybe, but not disappointed, she thought to herself. But a second
later a thought suddenly pricked her. She bit her lip and added
quietly, "But I'm not sure you needed to go to such lengths to
prove your point."
    "The end justifies the means, you see," Jason
said with a shrug that might have been an apology. "And while the
motive and method might have been on Cathryn's behalf—" he studied
her openly, his look growing more and more intent "—this is for
me."
    Before she could divine his meaning, his head
blotted out the shimmering glare of the sun and her mouth was
claimed with an urgency that left her breathless. Her hands caught
at his shoulders, fingers clutching at the taut flesh as waves of
pleasure swept through her, stronger than anything she'd ever
thought possible. Jason's arms drew her closer, his fingers
tightening almost convulsively on the soft flesh of her hips for
just a moment.
    "Miss Monroe! Hey, Miss Monroe!"
    Recovering her senses far more quickly than
she'd have expected under the circumstances, Samantha drew back
from the circle of Jason's arms in time to see a small figure
racing toward her.
    "Hello, Kevin." Samantha couldn't help but
smile at the towheaded youngster sporting a broad toothless grin
who halted before her in a spray of sand.
    "Notice anything different about me, Miss
Monroe?"
    Samantha reached out and gently pinched his
sunburned cheek. "You lost your other front tooth. Did you pull it
out yourself, champ?"
    "Nope," the little boy proudly announced. "It
fell out while I was eating an apple just a few minutes ago and
there was blood all over..." Samantha stifled a groan, glad when
Kevin decided to go no further. He was hopping from one foot to the
other, barely able to control his excitement. "Hey, you want me to
go get one for you? My mom brought a whole bunch along with
us."
    She exchanged a subtle look of amusement with
Jason, who was looking on quietly. "No, thanks, Kevin." She bit her
lip, trying hard not to laugh as she saw a slight tremor at Jason's
mouth, as well. "I, um, I just had lunch not long ago and I'm
really not very hungry."
    Kevin's vivid blue eyes lost their hopeful
gleam. "You sure?"
    "I'm sure," she said gently. Then, at his
crestfallen expression, she added, "Maybe next time. You will come
and see me again, won't you?"
    The little boy's face brightened immediately.
"You betcha! I sure do miss you, Miss Monroe, even though I just
saw you a couple days ago."
    "I miss you, too, Kevin." Samantha reached
out and ruffled his blond curls.
    "I guess I better get back to my mom now. She
told me not to bother you for long." He