Roommating (Preston's Mill #1) by Samantha Chase, Noelle Adams

were going
to be calls to make and decisions to be made on how long he could afford to be
away from the sites. Tomorrow was a given. There was no way he was going to
send Heather to the hospital alone. Even though it was routine surgery, and Dr.
Mallins assured them Tom would come home the following day, it still wasn’t
right to make her go alone.
    He’d call Jenny and see about getting a housekeeper or home
health person to stay with Tom for a couple of days and…
    “Hey.”
    Chris shook his head to clear it when he heard Heather’s
soft voice. She was standing in the doorway to her bedroom wearing a pair of
flannel boxers and a tank top. Her hair was loose, and she didn’t have on a
stitch of makeup. She looked young and sweet and…scared. He walked closer.
    “How are you doing? You going to be able to sleep?”
    She shrugged. “Physically, I think I will, but my brain
won’t quite shut down yet.”
    He nodded. “I know the feeling. I was just standing there
thinking of the calls I’ll need to make in the morning and all the things we’ll
need to handle to keep things going at work.”
    “Me too. There’s so much going on at the office with the new
software and converting the files. I can spare a day or two—especially for Dad—but
I know it will stress him out more that I’m not at work. We’ll have to ask at
the hospital about referrals for a home health aide or something.”
    He chuckled.
    “What?” she asked.
    “I was just thinking the same exact thing,” he said with a
lopsided grin. Then he yawned. Loudly.
    “Great minds,” she said softly. Then she surprised him by
reaching out and touching his arm. “Thank you.”
    He looked at her curiously. “For what?”
    “For being there. For me and Dad. I…I don’t know what I
would have done without you.”
    Reaching up, he caressed her cheek. “You would have been
fine. You’re stronger than you think.”
    She smiled. “Still, I’m really glad you were there with me.”
    They stood there like that for a long minute—her hand on his
arm, his caressing her cheek. He marveled at how soft her skin was and how
small she looked. Delicate.
    “Heather,” he murmured, his head leaning toward hers as if
an invisible chord was pulling him that way.
    Her lips parted as she moved a little closer.
    She smelled good. A light, florally scent hit him as he
carefully wrapped his other arm around her waist, effectively closing the
distance between them. And then he did what he’d been aching to do since the
first day she walked through the apartment door.
    He kissed her.

Seven
     
    The kiss started gently, his lips
lightly brushing against hers, as if he were testing to see how it felt.
    When a surge of excitement and pleasure rose inside her, she
made a little noise in her throat and raised her hand to the back of his neck.
Chris immediately deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth.
    She’d experienced plenty of good kisses in her life, but
this was on a whole different level. Her head spun and her body pulsed and a
deep need inside her sprang to life—one she’d never known she possessed.
    Chris seemed to sense her response because his body was
tightening and his hands were becoming more possessive. He slid them down her
back, and one of them lowered to cup her bottom, pressing her more snugly
against him. She clenched one of her hands in his shirt and held on, kissing
him as eagerly as he was her.
    When she felt a sharp tug of arousal, it was followed by a cold
sliver of fear.
    What the hell was she doing? Yes, he’d been great today, but
she usually didn’t even really like Chris. She absolutely shouldn’t be kissing
him this way, no matter how much her body and her heart clearly wanted it.
    She broke her mouth away and gasped, “Wait. Chris, wait.”
    He froze for a moment, and then he released her with a low
groan.
    Heather took a quick step back. “What are we doing?” She
wiped a hand against her mouth, as if that might