One Southern Cowboy - Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,23

through her veins. She felt his surprise as her mouth moved against his in gentle persuasion. Her emotions skidded and whirled like jubilant leaves caught up in the rush of the wind. The faint taste of orange juice was intertwined with his own distinct masculine scent. Her hand slid around his neck as she pulled him closer, her lips growing more insistent. Her spirit soared high on wings of fire, sending a tumult of emotions pulsing through her. She’d no doubt kissed before. She had no way of knowing how this kiss compared to the rest, but she didn’t see how it could get any better than this. The completeness of the experience was only matched by the exhilaration.

When she pulled back, she caught a flicker of amusement in Jaxson’s chocolate eyes. She tensed. Was he laughing at her? Seriously? She’d gone out on a limb here and didn’t appreciate being made fun of. “What?” she demanded, a hot shame covering her.

“That was pretty good,” he said lightly. There was a look of superiority on his handsome face.

Her eyes trailed down to the dimple in his chin. “Pretty good?” she scoffed, irritation swarming like hornets inside her. From now on, she’d make sure to keep her distance from Jaxson Romeo. He thought he was the greatest thing on the planet. Probably had legions of women falling at his feet, and she’d just added herself to the list. Not her smartest move.

He shrugged, a boyish grin tugging at his lips. “Yeah.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You think you can do better?” The nerve!

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.” His eyes deepened with intensity as they moved over her face, thoroughly and completely like he was memorizing her every feature. How was it possible for him to thrill her so? Her angst fled in an instant, and all she could think about was that it was heaven to be looked at like this. Her lips parted as she tilted her mouth to his. She didn’t dare breathe for fear of breaking the spell. He kissed the tip of her nose before moving to her lips. Deliberately, he kissed one corner and then the other. Time seemed to stand still as she waited for the rest.

He slid his hand around her neck and pulled her to him, his lips crushing hers. She trembled under the masterful forcefulness of those magnificent lips. He kissed her until she thought she’d go mad with desire. She wanted to fling her arms around his neck and draw him closer, but then she remembered about his ribs and didn’t want to hurt him. He pulled back. “Well?” he asked with a smirk.

“It was okay,” she shrugged, “for an amateur.” Her palms were resting against his rock-hard torso. Sheesh. He was cut.

His rich laughter was as surprising as it was spontaneous. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” she retorted.

A crooked grin pulled at his lips. “I’ll let you decide.”

Warmth rose in her cheeks. “Were our kisses always like that?” He’d lit her on fire. Lemon wasn’t sure what the future held, how things would look when she regained her memories. But she imagined that she’d always want and need Jaxson in her life.

His eyebrow went up. “Like what?” he asked innocently.

A grin tugged at her lips. She liked it when he teased her. “Oh, you know … dull … boring.” She faked a yawn. “A sleeper.”

He laughed. “Yep, that’s how it always was.”

Her hands moved over his smooth chest muscles. She caught the flicker of desire in his eyes, could tell that he was as attracted to her as she was to him. It gave her a blitz of satisfaction.

“We should never do it again.” His eyes went to her lips.

Her breath ran faster. “Never,” she uttered as his lips took hers.

5

Jaxson’s phone buzzed. Shifting his weight so that his crutch was tucked firmly beneath his arm, he fished it from his front pocket. “Hello,” he clipped. He and Lemon were out by the stables, looking at the horses.

“Hey, man, it’s Mack. I’m so sorry to hear about the accident.”

“Thanks,” Jaxson responded.

Mack chuckled. “You couldn’t have picked a worse time of the year for it.” Mack was one of the ranch hands. He’d worked for the Romeos for years and had more seniority than the majority of the other workers.

“I hear ya.” Fall on the ranch was super busy. Jaxson looked out at the pink and orange sunset, his mind quickly running through