“I think we have a good base of ideas that we all can agree on, the car wash one aside,” Pastor Nichols said as he was shrugging into his coat. “Let’s see if we can get moving on them. I’ll present our agreed-upon list to the church council members tomorrow. Once they sign off, we can get some vigorous pushes going. We have six weeks to raise a lot of money.”
“We can do it,” Gideon said from the couch where he was splayed out like a contented cat.
“From your mouth to God’s ears,” Pastor Nichols replied.
I nodded, shook the pastor’s hand, and then held the front door open for him. Once he was on his way back to the parsonage behind the church, I turned to look at Gideon. One dark eyebrow rose.
“What?” he asked into his third cup of tea.
“Isn’t time for you to climb the hill to your house?” I shut the door on the cold early November night and began picking up dirty mugs and small plates I’d served coffee cake from my mother’s oven on.
“I wanted to give you my book,” he called as I carried dirty dishes into the kitchen.
“Just leave it on the coffee table,” I shouted over my shoulder, placing the mugs and plates beside the sink. I’d wash them up once I had Gideon’s mug.
“I said that I would hand deliver it.” I jumped at the close proximity of his voice. Spinning in a half circle, a coffee cake plate in my hand, his eyes met mine and held them. “Hand deliver means placing it into your hand.”
He slowly reached for the plate, spilling the crumbs to the floor as he eased it from between my fingers. Then he slid his book into my hand as the rich smell of his cologne tickled my nose. I wet my lips. His pupils swallowed up his irises. I could feel the heat of him.
“What’s happening here?” I croaked out, gripping the hardcover with white knuckles.
“I’m giving you what you asked for,” he replied, his voice lower now. Low and smoky as a side of bacon. “You have such an incredible face. It’s always been so…perfect.”
My nerves took over my brain. Blood pooled in my groin. “You talk as if you still have a crush on me.”
“I never stopped. Didn’t we already cover that?” He moved closer, just a bit, a slight shuffle that pressed the book between us tighter to my chest. He had amazing lips and pheromones…
“How can you say you like me when all you do is spite me at every turn?” Yes, I was grasping at straws. It was either that or drop the damn book and tug at his sweater and yank his sinful mouth to mine.
“I have differing opinions on some things. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to take you out for dinner or fly in a hot air balloon with you or take your face between my hands and kiss that adorable nose of yours.”
Oh. Oh damn. Oh damn it all to hell. “Just my nose?”
Evan, what the hell are you saying?! This guy made you eat a beetle once. A big one! It was crunchy! Remember the beetle!!
“Oh no, Evan, not just your nose but it would be a fine place to start.”
A full ten seconds of painfully awkward silence fell over us. Then the book that had been a wall between us slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor.
“Start there then,” I whispered and so he did.
He cupped my face between his hands and pressed a kiss to my nose. His breath was warm with a hint of tea. My eyes stayed on his until they closed. Then he moved his lips downward to brush over mine. My lashes fell as well, and I did that whole grasping at his sweater to pull his big body tight to mine. It felt like a homecoming when his mouth slanted over mine. His tongue teased at the seam of my lips, softly asking for entry. I was about to open for him and give him everything we both seemed to want so desperately when someone hammered on my back door. I jumped back just as he did, heart pounding in my chest from a wild mix of lust and a jump scare that would make any horror movie director envious.
I pulled down on my hoodie to hide my erection as I tripped and fumbled my way to the door a foot from