Billionaire Ghost Tour - Stephanie Fowers Page 0,45

distraction from the thugs who wanted to kill them. Propping his good elbow behind him, he pushed off the dusty ground to join her. They stood toe to toe. She was tall for a woman, but the top of her head still only reached his chin. She lifted her eyes to his. How did she want them to do this? After a moment’s hesitation, he slid the hand not hampered by his sling around her waist.

Sweet Mollie felt perfect against him—just like the first time he’d kissed her. He tried to erase that thought, concentrating only on her softness and the breeze wafting through the windows. She slipped her hands over his shoulders. The jewels from the Molinero ring caught the light as she swayed to the music. The girl was a natural dancer, graceful and athletic with not an ounce of self-consciousness. The music was only an extension of her soul. He could get lost in watching her. He held her tighter, though his pulse wasn’t slowing. He tried a different tactic to ground himself. “Five things you can see,” he said. He was tired of coming up with these on his own. “Name them.”

“Name them?” Her hands gently stroked the back of his neck and her red hair, messy from their unconventional night, brushed up against his chin as she stared out the window. “The stars.” She counted them. “One, two, three, four, five.”

“Cheater,” he whispered. All he could see was her. She smiled mischievously—strange how dear that mouth was becoming. He wanted to kiss her again to see if her lips were as soft as he remembered. Now he tried to distract himself for a different reason altogether. “Four things you can hear,” he said, “and no cheating this time.”

“Hmm.” Her heavy-lidded eyes lowered, and she stared at the ground, deep in thought. “Our feet against the wooden floor,” she said. “The music from the party.” She leaned her ear against his chest. “Your heart.” She drifted to silence.

He was pretty sure his heart was going a million miles by now. “That’s three,” he said.

“Is it?” she asked absentmindedly. She lifted her head to study his face and started to whisper a song, “It had to be you. It had to be you...” Somehow she made the old blues song sound like it belonged to the rock music below. Her voice dripped with the sweet tones of deep brown honey. “I wandered around and finally found the somebody who could make me be true.” Her voice trailed off. “There,” she declared after a moment, “... that’s four.”

He brought her closer so that he could feel her heartbeat against him too. This girl—she was the real thing—he’d been stunned with how quickly her mind worked when she’d tricked Dwayne earlier. Clever, witty, talented... gorgeous. What could he possibly have to offer her in return? He was nothing but a broken man. He gruffly cleared his throat. “My turn,” he said. “Three things I smell.” He hesitated. “My sweat.” She snorted out a giggle, and he counted her cute reaction as a triumph. He rested his chin against her head and inhaled deeply. “Your hair.” He sniffed her again, and then her shoulder. She laughed and hit him away, but he caught her hand so she wouldn’t get too far. “You might smell a bit like that pond we fell into,” he said.

“I’m not the only one.” She sniffed his chest to get her revenge and wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything, but you’re kind of an Aquaman right now. It’s kind of hot though.” He studied her face, trying to memorize every last detail, those magnificent freckles, her red lips, those sparkling eyes. “What’s next?” she asked.

“Two things we can feel.” And just like that, he was drawn to that coppery hair again—so thick and smooth—his hands ran through it. She stilled. His eyes rested on hers and he couldn’t stop himself. He kissed her again, definitely feeling the softness of her mouth against his. This woman’s fire sent a flame through his soul and burned through every last nerve until he gave up any semblance of resistance. This is what he’d wanted from their first kiss, to take his time with getting to know her, to feel her passion.

Her lips parted and he claimed those, along with her spirit and sassiness, and whatever else she’d give him. For once, he could stand in a cramped room with no way of escape and feel