Forbidden Dreams by Judy Griffith; Gill Read Free Book Online
Authors: Judy Griffith; Gill
Jason O’Keefe. Finally, perhaps sensing that Shell was in no danger, she went to her food and water dishes and began slurping and crunching with canine greed and abandon.
Dragging herself out of her befuddlement, Shell ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. It felt completely different from his tongue, but the taste of him was still there, making her insides quiver. She clamped her arms one over the other, hands clutching her elbows. Her crossed arms almost contained the shivers that continued to ripple through her as she relived the sensations that kiss had aroused. Almost.
Dammit, what is wrong with you? she asked herself yet again. Her acceding to that kiss had probably given the man far too many false impressions of her. Now that a good, sturdy table separated her from him, she’d better start reeducating him. To say nothing of her own heart, which still thudded much too rapidly. She had to breathe deeply several times before she could speak, injecting a hint of acid into her tone.
“I guess,” she said, “it hasn’t cropped up recently in conversation in California, maybe because it’s been known for so long by so many, but caveman tactics are considered passé.”
She tried to decide if there had been a tinge of regret in her voice for the passing of caves and cavemen. She hoped not.
He grinned unrepentantly. “It can hardly be considered a caveman tactic to take what I was promised a long, long time ago.”
She tilted her chin higher. “Promised? By whom?”
“By you, darlin’. One warm summer afternoon.”
“What?”
He smiled. It was a nice smile. A bit crooked, it creased the skin bracketing his mouth and filled his eyes with dancing lights. It was far and away the most disarming smile she had ever seen, and she was hard put not to return it.
“I promised you a kiss? When?”
“Well, it was a while back,” he confessed ruefully. “So I guess I can’t blame you for having forgotten. You said, ‘When we’re all growed up, we’ll get married, and you can kiss me, and we’ll have lots of babies.’ ” He grinned again, then leaned across the table and touched her face, drawing his fingertips from her temple to her chin and down her throat, leaving her tense and shivering outwardly and all loose and warm inside. She was not sure it was a feeling she liked, but on the other hand, she didn’t think she wanted it to stop, either. “But I do remember,” he said, “so can you blame me for collecting?”
She said nothing, waiting for him to continue. It was completely out of her range now. He was spouting a lot of garbage. She hoped. When could she have met him before? In another life? She would remember a man like this. Forever. Even through the veils of other lives.
“I can only hope,” he went on, “that that kiss didn’t have such a drastic effect. As you may have noticed, we aren’t married.”
“Yes.” She drew an unsteady breath and forced her tone to impart tartness. “You should be careful with your kisses, if they have that result.”
“Honey, I’m always careful. And you must be, too, since you’re close to thirty and I don’t see any of those babies crawling around the floor.”
“How could you possibly know my age?”
“By extrapolation.”
She looked at him questioningly, and he explained. “By deducting three-and-a-half years from my own age. You were that much younger than me when you made me that promise, so I assume you still are. Unless you’re one of those women who stops having birthdays at twenty-five?”
“Not me,” she said. “I enjoy birthday gifts too much to do that.”
He laughed. “Good for you.” He touched her face again. “I’ll have to remember that.”
Shell jerked away. “All right, when did I make such a rash promise to a man I don’t even remember? And why?”
“When? More than twenty-three years ago. Why? Because you’d just put a handful of baby crabs in your mouth, and I fed you the last of my candy to make you
Dragging herself out of her befuddlement, Shell ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. It felt completely different from his tongue, but the taste of him was still there, making her insides quiver. She clamped her arms one over the other, hands clutching her elbows. Her crossed arms almost contained the shivers that continued to ripple through her as she relived the sensations that kiss had aroused. Almost.
Dammit, what is wrong with you? she asked herself yet again. Her acceding to that kiss had probably given the man far too many false impressions of her. Now that a good, sturdy table separated her from him, she’d better start reeducating him. To say nothing of her own heart, which still thudded much too rapidly. She had to breathe deeply several times before she could speak, injecting a hint of acid into her tone.
“I guess,” she said, “it hasn’t cropped up recently in conversation in California, maybe because it’s been known for so long by so many, but caveman tactics are considered passé.”
She tried to decide if there had been a tinge of regret in her voice for the passing of caves and cavemen. She hoped not.
He grinned unrepentantly. “It can hardly be considered a caveman tactic to take what I was promised a long, long time ago.”
She tilted her chin higher. “Promised? By whom?”
“By you, darlin’. One warm summer afternoon.”
“What?”
He smiled. It was a nice smile. A bit crooked, it creased the skin bracketing his mouth and filled his eyes with dancing lights. It was far and away the most disarming smile she had ever seen, and she was hard put not to return it.
“I promised you a kiss? When?”
“Well, it was a while back,” he confessed ruefully. “So I guess I can’t blame you for having forgotten. You said, ‘When we’re all growed up, we’ll get married, and you can kiss me, and we’ll have lots of babies.’ ” He grinned again, then leaned across the table and touched her face, drawing his fingertips from her temple to her chin and down her throat, leaving her tense and shivering outwardly and all loose and warm inside. She was not sure it was a feeling she liked, but on the other hand, she didn’t think she wanted it to stop, either. “But I do remember,” he said, “so can you blame me for collecting?”
She said nothing, waiting for him to continue. It was completely out of her range now. He was spouting a lot of garbage. She hoped. When could she have met him before? In another life? She would remember a man like this. Forever. Even through the veils of other lives.
“I can only hope,” he went on, “that that kiss didn’t have such a drastic effect. As you may have noticed, we aren’t married.”
“Yes.” She drew an unsteady breath and forced her tone to impart tartness. “You should be careful with your kisses, if they have that result.”
“Honey, I’m always careful. And you must be, too, since you’re close to thirty and I don’t see any of those babies crawling around the floor.”
“How could you possibly know my age?”
“By extrapolation.”
She looked at him questioningly, and he explained. “By deducting three-and-a-half years from my own age. You were that much younger than me when you made me that promise, so I assume you still are. Unless you’re one of those women who stops having birthdays at twenty-five?”
“Not me,” she said. “I enjoy birthday gifts too much to do that.”
He laughed. “Good for you.” He touched her face again. “I’ll have to remember that.”
Shell jerked away. “All right, when did I make such a rash promise to a man I don’t even remember? And why?”
“When? More than twenty-three years ago. Why? Because you’d just put a handful of baby crabs in your mouth, and I fed you the last of my candy to make you