Michael's father by Dallas Schulze Read Free Book Online Page A

join you."
    Megan forgot how to breathe. Join her? In bed? She felt her eyes widen as she stared at him.
    "Join me?*' she r^)eated, her voice only a little higher than normal.
    "Going upstairs," he clarified as he pushed the door shut behind him. A downward sweep of his palm turned off the porch light. "I think Fll turn in, too."
    "Oh." Of course that was what he'd meant, she scolded herself. And that was relief she felt, not disappointment. Not even for a moment did she feel disappointed.
    "You didn't lock the door," she pointed out.
    "There aren't very many thieves motivated enough to drive this far off the highway to find something to steal." He reached just inside the living room door to shut off the lamp. "Besides, they'd have to drive right by the bunkhouse and Gun sleeps like a cat."
    "Gun sleeps in the bunkhouse?" she asked, trying to keep her breathing steady as Kel crossed the oak floor toward her.
    "He prefers it," Kel answered shortly.
    "Oh." She seemed to be saying that a lot lately but it was as much as she was capable of at the moment.
    Kel stopped in front of her, close enough for her to see the clear green of his eyes. She was standing on the bottom step, which put them almost at eye level. If she leaned forward just a Uttle...
    Her eyes were smoke and twilight, Kel thought, pale blue rimmed with darker gray. He let his gaze drift downward, lingering on the soft coral of her mouth before finding the pulse that beat a little too quickly

    at the base of her throat. He wanted to put his mouth against that pulse, to taste the flutter of her heartbeat. From there, it would be easy to let his mouth slide down the open collar of her shirt.
    He saw the movement of her throat as she swallowed, and it took considerable self-control to force his eyes to her face. He only had to lean forward a little to find out if her mouth could possibly taste as sweet as it looked.
    Her lips parted as if she was having trouble getting enough air.
    •So close.
    She turned suddenly and started up the stairs. Kel stayed where he was for a moment, his hand clenched over the newel post, his breathing just a little ragged. I>amn, but he couldn't remember the last time a woman had affected him this way. Not even his ex-wife, and he'd wanted her enough to convince himself that what he was feeling was love.
    If Megan hadn't turned away, he would have kissed her. And from kissing her, it wouldn't have taken more than a half step to find himself making love to her on the damn stairs like a sex-crazed maniac. Even more annoying was the fact that, rather than being grateful that he'd been prevented from making a total fool of himself, he was disappointed.
    Damn.
    His long l^s made short work of the stairs and he caught up with M^an as she leached the second floor. The look she gave him was both wary and aware. He could understand both feelings, he thought ruefully.

    He saw her glance in the direction of Colleen's room and knew she was thinking that his room was probably on the same side of the house. He nodded in the opposite direction and saw her eyes widen as she realized that the room he'd given her had to be near his own. He waited for her to say something—a protest? A warning about nocturnal wanderings? But she simply turned and walked down the hallway.
    She smelled of fresh bread and flowers, he thought. A strangely erotic combination. But he was starting to think that just about everything about Megan Roarke was erotic—or seemed so to him. He was also starting to wish he hadn't given in to the impulse to put her on this side of the house. There was a perfectly good guest bedroom next to Colleen's room. How the hell was he supposed to sleep knowing that she was right across the hall?
    His room was right across the hall from hers? Megan felt her heart thump against her breastbone when Kel pushed open the door. She caught a glimpse of smooth oak floors and the comer of a peeled post bed.
    "That's...your room?" she asked, hoping he