Crushing on Love (The Bradens of Peaceful Harbor, Book Four) by Melissa Foster Read Free Book Online Page B

two kits poked their heads out. Their fur had already begun turning russet behind their ears and on their legs. The rest was gray with patches of white around their beady dark eyes.
    Shannon squeezed Steve’s hand and mouthed, “Oh my God! So cute!”
    They were cute little critters, all right, but not half as cute as she was, bouncing on her toes behind the thicket. They watched the kits poking their heads out, sniffing the air, then ducking back into the den. As darkness fell over them, they left as quietly as they could, though the foxes returned to the den the moment they moved.
    Shannon clung to his arm as they made their way down the dark mountain.
    “Did you see how cute they were? What do you think, eight or nine weeks old? I wonder how many kits there are. They start going out with the vixen—the mother—around five weeks for short forays. They’re already eating solid foods. If we can find a few more sites, we can figure out the best places to watch them from.”
    She spoke so fast, he wondered if she realized she’d said we .
    “Did you know the gray vixens have eight nipples and the red only have six? That’s interesting to me. Isn’t it to you?” She didn’t pause for a response, and that was just fine with Steve. There was nothing she could tell him about the animals he didn’t already know, but he enjoyed listening to her. “They’re monogamous, too. For life. Did you know that? Of course you knew that. Did they use that same den last year? Do you know? Are we heading to another den now?”
    She launched into another one-sided discussion about how humans could take a lesson in monogamy from foxes, and she didn’t show any signs of slowing down. He knew he had to take her down the mountain for her date, but for a split second he debated not bringing it up and allowing her to get so lost in her excitement that time would slip by, her date forgotten. But Will was his friend, and it was a selfish thought. One that could lead only to hurting both Will and Shannon, which was why he stopped walking and gently touched her face to draw her attention.
    Her sparkling eyes met his, the corners of her mouth curled up. “I’m sorry. I’m rambling.”
    She was so beautiful, with the moonlight at her back and that sweet, excited look in her eyes. How would he survive the night knowing she was in Will’s arms?
    “You’re excited,” he said, intensely aware of her hand on his forearm and how close they were standing. “There’s a difference between being excited and rambling.”
    “You’re just saying that to be nice.” She lowered her gaze, and her hair fell forward, hiding her face.
    He tucked a lock behind her ear so he could see her more clearly. When she lifted her eyes, gone was the excitement, replaced with a darker, more alluring look. Her fingers curled tighter around his arm. The urge to lean down and kiss her was so strong, his muscles burned against his restraint. He didn’t do casual sex, and he knew there would be nothing casual about being buried deep inside Shannon. She stroked something dark and deep inside him. Something no one else ever had. Every minute with Shannon was a battle of self-control, and he was hanging on by a thread. If he kissed her, touched her, let himself do the things he wanted to with her, his feelings would only magnify. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, there would be nothing left to hold on to. Nothing to keep his head on straight. Nothing to protect his heart—or hers.
    She licked her lips, chipping away at his resolve. He ground his teeth together, struggling to rein it back in.
    “Shannon,” he managed.
    They both stepped closer, their thighs brushing. This was wrong. She had a date, and he’d agreed to bring her to his friend. But he could feel desire rolling off of her, and like a moth to a flame, he couldn’t pull away. He didn’t want to pull away. As he reached for her, her words came back to him. I’m not like you. I need people .
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