As If You Never Left Me (Crimson Romance) by Katriena Knights

his jeans and went to see what she had found to do in the kitchen. But she wasn’t doing anything — just standing looking out the window, into the snow-filled side yard. He stepped up behind her, almost close enough for his bare chest to touch her back, but not quite.
    She turned her head slightly toward him, just enough to acknowledge his presence but not far enough to look at him.
    “That was fun,” she said.
    He nodded. Her shoulders shifted just a little, as if inviting his touch. Hoping he was reading her signals right, he eased an inch or so closer and settled his arms around her waist. She settled back into him. He closed his eyes and let his cheek fall against her head, breathing the smell of her hair. So sweet, so full of memories, just that flowery shampoo smell almost brought tears to his eyes.
    “What made you think of it?” she went on.
    He was so surprised and gratified by her acceptance he almost missed the question. Opening his eyes brought him back to reality, where he could concentrate. “I was going to build something romantic. I don’t know, a giant snow-heart, or a couple of snowmen holding hands.”
    “Why didn’t you?”
    “Apparently I lack snow-sculpturing ability. My fort was the beginning of the heart, plus what was left after the first snowman fell down. Then once I had one fort it seemed like I should build another one.”
    She laughed. “How untalented do you have to be to lack snow-sculpturing ability?”
    He chuckled against her hair, unoffended. “It’s one of those balance things, I think. You possess unlimited sculpturing ability in all forms, therefore I’m not allowed to have any ability in any form.”
    She turned around to face him. Her hands curled against his bare chest as she looked up into his eyes. “Yeah, but
snow
?”
    “What can I say?”
    Her lips seemed to beckon him with the curve of their smile. He wanted so much to kiss her here in the warm kitchen, to relive the moment they’d shared outside in the snow. But he didn’t dare. Not just yet.
    Later. Later, he promised himself, he would do more than kiss her. He would cup her breasts in his hands and kiss them, let his fingers remember every soft, warm inch of her skin. He would find all the beauty he remembered in the heat of her body’s most secret places. And never again would he forget the preciousness of those moments.
    Right now, though, he just looked into the depths of her blue eyes. “We used to have a lot of fun together.”
    It was a risk, he knew, and when her smile turned sad, he began to wish he hadn’t taken it. “Yes, we did.” She shifted back a bit, partially breaking the contact between them. When she spoke again, her voice had gone edgy. “It’s all fun and games until somebody gets their heart broken.”
    She slid away from him, out of his half embrace, and retreated to the living room. He took a long breath, her departure dropping a weight onto his formerly buoyant heart.
    One step at a time.
Should he go after her? He wasn’t sure. He wanted to, but something made him think he should err on the side of caution this time. He opened the refrigerator instead.
    • • •
    The problem with this house, Joely thought, was that it just wasn’t big enough. Sure, there was enough room for her furniture, and some books and clothes, but not even close to enough room for six feet of pheromone-producing male.
    She sat on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest, making herself as small as she could. Defenses in place, she peered into the kitchen.
    He was rummaging through the refrigerator, apparently looking for sandwich ingredients. The muscles in his wide, bare back moved and rippled under his skin. Just the shape of his shoulder blades aroused her. She chewed on a fingernail.
    She had two choices. She could fight this tooth and nail, out of fear, or she could take a leap of faith and see where it took her. Which was the right choice? She honestly had no idea. And it was so hard to