Stolen Breaths by Pamela Sparkman Read Free Book Online

chances.”
    He shook his head like he was fighting against himself, then he pulled away.
    My heart sank. I stood up to move around him. “It’s okay. I get it.”
    He blocked me so I couldn’t walk away. “What is it you think you get, Lily?”
    “You just want to be friends. I get it.”
    He moved closer to me, so close I could feel his breath on my cheek. “No, Lily, I don’t think you do get it. I need for you… I need for you to just…” He paused again, like he was trying to carefully craft his next words. “I want our first kiss to be perfect. I need it to be perfect. For you. You deserve a perfect kiss. Let me give that to you. It should be spontaneous and maybe a little unexpected. You should also be kissed purposely so you know that I’m not kissing you on whim. When I said I wanted to be friends, I meant that I wanted us to be more than two people who are attracted to each other. I want to know your soul and I want you to know mine.”
    I didn’t know what to say. That was the absolute sweetest thing anyone had said to me. Ever. And I couldn’t even speak. All I could do was stand still, looking into his eyes. I wasn’t sure how long we stared at one another like that. I felt as though I was under some kind of hypnosis, but instead of being in a trance I was never more aware of my surroundings. I was in tune to the sound of breathing— both his and mine— sensitive to his touch, and I was both lost and found as I watched an array of emotions flash behind his eyes and move across his face. My insides were a frantic clump of nerves, ripping and tearing through my body with ease; on the outside I was completely and utterly motionless.
    Finally, he kissed me on the cheek close to the corner of my mouth. He moved one hand behind my neck, the other around my waist, and pulled me toward him. “Now, relax and let me cook you dinner.

Seven

Heartbeat
    Cooper settled me back on the stool. He watched me briefly, probably either waiting for me to say something or trying to read my expression. Still holding me around the waist he said something, but I couldn’t make it out. I couldn’t hear anything except the whooshing sound of my own heart pounding in my ears.
    “Lily?”
    “Huh, what?” I said breathlessly.
    “Are you okay?” He was looking at me like he could almost hear my thoughts, and maybe he could, because he had a sweet yet seductive look on his face as he studied me.
    I exhaled and breathed in slowly. “Yes,” (clearing my throat) “I… I’m very much okay.”
    He brought one hand back up to my face. “Me too.” He unwrapped his arm from my waist and rubbed my cheek with the back of his hand, then turned around to walk back to the stove.
    “I hope you’re hungry,” he said, looking at me in that charming way he did.
    “I’m starving.” I was starting to get the feeling back in my legs and my stomach had butterflies flying around. Truth be told, I didn’t think I would be able to swallow a single bite. I gradually began to recover, and felt like I could form a coherent sentence again.
    “Cooper?”
    He put the bread in the oven the looked over at me. “Yeah?”
    “Do you know Beth Covington?”
    I could tell he was trying to place the name in his head. “No, I don’t think so. Who is she?”
    “She’s a girl I work with. She said she knew you. I didn’t have a chance to ask her how before we got busy.”
    He closed the oven door. “She probably knows me from Joe’s.”
    “Joe’s?”
    “Yeah. It’s a bar I play at on Friday nights.” He threw a dish towel over his shoulder and then took a sip of his beer.
    He’s really gonna have to stop doing that with his lips .
    “What do you mean you play?”
    “I play music every Friday night at Joe’s. Been doing that for the last year or so.”
    “Oh, I had no idea. Do you sing or play an instrument?”
    “I sing and play guitar mostly,” he said looking adorable.
    “So how come you haven’t mentioned it