More Than a Game by Kate Goldman Read Free Book Online Page B

wanted to do so much more than just kiss him, but she reminded herself that she hardly knew him, no matter how much his kisses tingled all the way down to her toes.
     
    “I guess we best get some sleep then. We will get up early and get going,” she told him as he pulled away, her gaze not leaving his.
     
    “Yes ma’am,” he told her softly, kissing her on the cheek before standing and reaching out to help her up.
     
    They cleared away the debris from dinner and headed to their respective bedrooms to settle in for the evening. Leslie lay awake for a while, thinking about Shane and her feelings for him. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms, but it was too much, too soon. It would lead to more intimacy that she wasn’t quite ready for and he might not be able to handle it along with everything else going on in his life. At the end of the day, it was best to just let things lie as they were and let it lead where it might.
     

Chapter 9
     
    “This is perfect!” he said with a broad smile.
     
    They were sprawled out on the small throw she had rolled up in her backpack, the lunch she had prepared spread out around them. It had turned out to be a beautiful day for the hike and the picnic. The sun was out, but not too strongly, with a nice breeze blowing among the trees that was just enough to cool the air. There had been a threat of rain earlier as they walked up, but it had held off so far.
     
    Leslie looked up at him, standing on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the city below. He looked peaceful as he stood gazing over the world below. Turning toward her, he held out his hand. She stepped forward and took it as they enjoyed just being together in this incredible place.
     
    “It’s breathtaking. Isn’t it?” she said quietly.
     
    “It is. Almost as breathtaking as you are,” he told her, glancing sideways in time to catch the flush that spread across her face.
     
    “Charmer,” she said playfully.
     
    “I wasn’t trying to be charming. I think you may be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes upon,” he told her.
     
    “You’re going to make me blush,” she said.
     
    “Again, you mean?”
     
    “Yes, again.”
     
    Shane kissed her, his lips lingering on hers as they leaned into one another on the edge of the world below. As days went, she couldn’t imagine a more perfect one than this. When he finally pulled away, he looked as if he wanted to say something, but then he smiled and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead instead.
     
    “We should head back down before we get caught up here in the dark,” he said.
     
    “Wow. Yes. I didn’t realize how late it had already gotten,” she replied, glancing at her phone.
     
    She noted that she had no signal up here in the middle of nowhere, but she wasn’t expecting any calls anyway. It just always unnerved her a bit to not have access to the line in case there was an emergency. Shane took her hand and helped her over the steep rocks they had traversed to get to the upper portion of the cliff as they made their way back down toward the rough path that had led them here. By the time they reached the parking area where the car sat waiting, his phone was buzzing in his pocket.
     
    “Welcome back to civilization,” Leslie told him with an uneasy laugh.
     
    “Yeah,” he replied.
     
    Somehow, both of them seemed to instinctively know that whatever news awaited him on his phone wasn’t good news. Tossing their backpacks in her trunk, they climbed in the car and pointed it toward home. Leslie drove while Shane raised the phone to his ear to listen to whatever messages had been left on his voicemail. A glance sideways showed the distress on his face as he pushed a button and dropped the phone on his lap.
     
    “What is it?” she asked, unwilling to wait for him to fill her in on the details.
     
    “They are going forward with the criminal charges against me. I have to turn myself in to the police for processing,” he told