I glared at him. He kept talking.

“And I was here in fifteen minutes but you were gone and when you got back, I came to you and tried to explain and you shut the door in my face.”

“It was late,” I reminded him.

He ignored me again. “I had no idea she was comin’ over. I didn’t want her over. I wasn’t happy she was over because she and I have been over awhile and she just doesn’t get it. But mostly I wasn’t happy she was over because I wanted…to be…with you.”

“Can I ask that we have this conversation another time like…never?” I requested sarcastically.

Mitch ignored me yet again. “Why do you find it so difficult even to consider the fact that I want to be with you?”

“Mitch, please, would you just shut up and leave?” I snapped.

“Yeah, I’ll shut up when you give me an honest answer.”

“I already have,” I lied.

“What was that everyday life thing that you survived?” he asked.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” I answered.

“If it was an everyday life thing that wasn’t a big deal, why won’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s not your business, now will you shut up and go?”

“It isn’t because it’s not my business, it’s something else.”

“God! Will you just shut up and go?”

“Yeah, I will, after you f**kin’ talk to me.”

“Why are you pushing this?” I bit off.

“Why do you think?” he shot back.

“I’ve no idea.”

“Could it be, Mara, because I’m into you?”

I pushed back against the armchair, staring at him, stunned.

Then I felt the shutters snap closed on my soul as I whispered, “Shut up.”

His eyes roamed my face then captured mine and he whispered back, “Christ, you won’t even let that penetrate.”

“Shut up,” I whispered.

“What happened to you?” he whispered back.

“Shut up, Mitch.”

His hand came back to my jaw and he asked gently, “Baby, what happened to you?”

“Shut up.”

His thumb swept my cheek again, God, so sweet, so tender then his fingers sifted back into my hair.

“Did someone hurt you?”

Still gentle.

God. Beautiful.

“Please, shut up.”

“Who hurt you, baby?”

“Shut up.”

His fingers curled around the back of my head, his face moved to within an inch of mine and his soulful eyes were so close. So, so close.

“How did they hurt you?”

That was when I lost it. I couldn’t take anymore. Not with him that close, his deep voice that sweet, his hand on me, his eyes looking into mine like he could see into my soul.

I had to stop the questions. I had to shut him up.

So I did. I lifted both my hands and put them to both sides of his head and I moved up as I pulled him down to me. Tilting my head at the last second, I pressed my lips against his and I did this hard.

Immediately, his arms wrapped around me tight, pulling me to him, locking me close as he lifted up, taking me with him as he straightened. My body tight to his, his head slanting, his mouth opening, mine following suit and his tongue swept inside.

Oh God.

My hands left his head so I could wrap my arms around his neck. He tasted good, he felt good against me and it had been a long time since I’d been kissed. Destry and I broke up over two years ago. I hadn’t even had a date, much less a lover, and definitely no kisses.

And this kiss was a great kiss. Not because Mitch was a Ten Point Five and the impossible was happening and he was kissing a Two Point Five. It was just because it was a great kiss. He knew what he was doing and I liked what he was doing, all of it.

This must have been why one of my hands curled around his neck and went up. My fingers slid into his hair and I was right, it was soft. It was also thick. It felt as beautiful as it looked.

I pressed myself to him to get more of him, more of his kiss and his arm at my waist slid down, his hand curling around my hip and, thankfully, he pulled me into him. This made me make a noise in the back of my throat, my other hand went down to press under his arm to wrap my arm around him and my fingers encountered the hard muscle of his back. At the feel of it, which I liked a lot, I pressed deeper. My chest into his, my h*ps into his and my tongue tangled with his as my hand held his head to mine and our heads moved. Switching position, then back, then again, and again, our lips locked, our tongues dancing, drinking, our bodies pressed deep, our arms caging each other in.

It was the best kiss I’d ever had, it could have been the best kiss in history and I never wanted it to end.

But everything ended, though the way our kiss did rocked my world.

Mitch tore his mouth from mine but I felt his forehead rest against mine before I heard him growl on an arm squeeze that took what little breath I had left, “Jesus f**kin’ Christ, baby, you can kiss.”

My eyes opened slowly to see his right there and I didn’t think because I couldn’t think and therefore I didn’t stop myself before I blurted stupidly and breathlessly, “Oh my God, that was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

His fingers tensed against my scalp and his shocking reply was, “Damn straight.”

It was then I noticed we were both breathing heavily. Our breaths mingled against our lips which were still close. We were looking into each other’s eyes and neither of us had moved even a smidgeon away so we were pressed deep and wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Yeah,” he whispered, his arms going tighter, one side of his mouth inching up and his eyes going warm. “I could work with this Mara.”

I closed my eyes slowly.

Oh God. Now what had I done?

I opened my eyes and whispered back, “Mitch –”

Before I could say another word, there was a pounding at the door.

Then I heard my mother shout, “Marabelle Jolene Hanover! Open this f**kin’ door!”

That was when my body and face froze in terror.

Chapter Ten

Mom and Lulamae

I was frozen in Mitch’s arms. I felt his body go solid against me, his head jerking up and everything left my head as I heard the pounding at the door, my Mom shouting, my Aunt Lulamae, Bill’s Mom shouting with her.