he took the first bite. "This is amazing! Apology accepted. When can we argue again so you can make more?"
She laughed. "It's the only kind of cookie I know how to make," she confessed. "Probably because it doesn't involve actual baking. To tell the truth, I'm a pretty horrible cook."
"We may starve, then. Because I'm sure I’m even worse. Unless we can live on these cookies."
Tara watched him take another cookie. She saw a crumb on his lip, close to the small scar she had noticed earlier. Without thinking, she reached up to brush the crumb away.
When her fingers touched his skin, she felt that same jolt. He caught her hand in his own and pressed her fingers against his lips.
Tara moistened her own lips and stared up into those blue eyes, unable to look away or pull away. She took a step closer.
With her hand still held firmly in his large, warm grasp, he pulled her fingers away from his lips and leaned in until their lips were almost touching. Tara felt her breath catch in her throat. She knew she should stop this right now, step away from him, but it was as if here feet had been glued to the floor. She leaned closer, lips slightly parted.
His kiss was gentle and tentative at first and became more urgent. His tongue forced her lips farther apart, probing, seeking hers as he pulled her closer. She felt his body press against hers and she responded in kind.
Then she felt his hand in her hair. Common sense returned like a bucket of cold water in her face, and she pulled away from him. In her haste to step back, she lost her balance. Ethan caught her, holding her tightly in his arms.
"No! Please, don't," she gasped.
He released her immediately. "Tara, I –I didn't mean … "
"I know you didn't," she whispered. "Excuse me, please."
She fled to the safety of her own room.
Chapter Five
Ethan stood in the empty kitchen, staring at the doorway that Tara had just hurried through. He could still taste her lips and feel the warmth of her body pressed against his. He wanted to kick himself, although he wasn't sure exactly what he was angry about. Either he had just taken advantage of Tara's frailty, or he had fallen for her act; either way, it was definitely not one of his finer moments. He knew he should follow her, but he couldn't decide whether to apologize, argue or kiss her again.
In the end, he didn't have to make up his mind. There was a sudden, loud pounding at the front door. "Davis!" a loud male voice shouted. "Open the door! Stop hiding out in your Grandmother's house!"
Ethan grinned. It was Sean, the friend he had recently roomed with. They had known each other since childhood and Ethan knew him well enough to know that Sean operated at only one volume level: LOUD.
"Sean, you're going to scare the neighbors," he said, opening the door.
Big, dark-haired Sean glared at him. "Ethan, you are NOT sitting around in an old lady's house on a Saturday night," he said. "C'mon, we're going to Captain Jake's. I need my wingman."
Ethan started to say no. He really wasn't interested in clubbing, especially this time of year when the tourists took over all of their usual haunts. Captain Jake's was especially popular with the young wealthy Chicago people who moved in for the summer every year. The music would be loud, the dance floor would be crowded, and the women would probably be snobs.
He heard a sound behind him and saw a look of surprise come over his friend's face. He knew before he turned that he would see Tara standing there.
"Well, now," Sean drawled. "This explains a few things. No wonder you moved back to Grandma's house."
"I heard shouting," Tara explained. She had changed into another one of her cotton sundresses, and Ethan noticed that the fabric hugged her generous curves while the short skirt showed off her shapely legs. The soft green color emphasized her large green eyes.
He realized that he and Sean were both staring. He cleared his throat. "Tara, this idiot is my friend Sean. He always