Page 37 of Holiday Home 3
Once that shopper picked up a book they were interested in and made for the checkout counter at the far end of the store, the frequency of Anna’s sidelong glances toward him proliferated. Like her, he’d also been waiting for the other shopper to head on their way. This time, he also planned to make the first move.
About midway through the aisle, he stopped them. Other than some mild chatter between the store owners and the customer checking out, they might as well have been entirely alone. No one could see them, and so long as they weren’t intentionally loud, no one should be able to hear them, either.
As he stopped them, Anna immediately tensed. She shifted, turning to face him. Their hands finally parted. Her gaze lifted to his, nervousness but also hopefulness coruscating in her eyes.
She was beautiful. Classically, undeniably, emphatically. She didn’t exude the raw sensuality that Avril or Tess did. Instead, she prompted his heart to race because of the softness of her edges and the grace of her fair features. More carnally, there was the enticing nature of her plump lips, the burbling excitement in her eyes, and a sweater that was snug enough for him to hope she’d wear similar outfits in the future.
“Is it okay if I kiss you?” he asked while their bodies held just enough space between them for her to know it was okay if she shook her head and retreated a step.
She swallowed, though nothing could diminish the heat milling about her face. Intentionally or not, staring up at him through her startlingly pure green eyes, she infected him with the same warmth.
“I don’t think that’s the kind of thing you should need to ask permission for, either,” she whispered, lips slightly parting.
Heart ablaze, he nodded. “Well, just wanted to be safe this first time.”
He leaned in, and she echoed him, rising onto her toes. Their lips turned a foot of distance into just a few inches. And then there weren’t even those.
Anna shut her eyes before their lips met, and he did the same a little after they did. The balmy atmosphere of the bookstore became sweltering as their body heat mingled through their lips. She felt as soft and inviting as he’d always assumed her enticing lips would be. Elliot had been a lucky man, but he was luckier.
Because they didn’t stop kissing any time soon.
As their mouths moved in tandem, he edged closer to Anna, unaware that she had done the same thing at nearly the same moment. Her breasts contacted his chest, and he experienced their fullness through her form-fitting sweater. Because of it, Liam was the first to reopen his eyes. Comparatively, the beautiful woman experiencing her first kiss in years didn’t seem to mind the contact. In fact, Anna leaned even more fervently into him. That was enough for Liam to unshoulder his worries and focus on the incredible moment they were sharing.
More and more, the temperature around their bodies rose. He put a hand on Anna’s side and admired her hourglass figure. She kept her body pressed against his even after her eyes finally opened, and their first kiss ended.
Her lips trembled, but enthusiasm shone within her eyes. His certainly reflected that same emotion.
“Another?” he asked, not wanting to feel her body pull back from him.
“You’re not supposed to ask, remember?” Anna hoarsely whispered. Her slender frame shook as she spoke, almost enough that he worried if she was okay.
She put those thoughts to bed by rushing her mouth back to his. Apparently, she didn’t appreciate how he’d paused out of concern for her.
Their second kiss led to a third, and then a fourth, and then a fifth. Or it could have all just been counted as the second one. Their mouths rarely put more than a few inches of space between them, and never more than a second or two passed before they reconvened for further stimulation.
And he was stimulated. Making out with Anna in secret, feeling the elation she transmitted through her luscious mouth, dropping his hand to her hip as she pressed into him feverishly, caused his cock to swell.
Anna’s eyes snapped open, and he momentarily feared she’d break off their kiss. However, after a momentary shock because of what she felt against her stomach, she closed her eyes again and kept their lips entangled.
They might have kept kissing, feet planted in this narrow aisle of this cozy bookstore, for hours. Unfortunately, a bell chimed near the front door, and then they heard the approach of footsteps and voices. This time, Anna’s eyes flashed with alarm when they flew open. From his side of things, the last thing he wanted was to see the experience of their first kiss ruined.
So, by the time the group of high schoolers trawled into the romance aisle, he and Anna had separated their bodies by a foot or two. Naturally, the sight of Anna brought the two males in the group of four skidding to a halt. As if an invisible barrier prevented them from entering the aisle, they hastily deviated toward another one. Their female friends complained to them but still followed.
They were alone again, though no longer unnoticed.
“How about we get those books?” he asked. “I’m sure they’ll be fun reads.”
Anna started to nod, though her stare tripped over itself when she saw the pronouncement of his erection under his pants. She gulped and elongated the time that would need to pass before she removed the redness from her face.
Grabbing three books, which gave them both a bit of time to settle down, they quickly enjoyed the hospitality of the store owners as they chattered merrily about the books they’d picked while ringing them up. Three books in one bag, he and Anna escaped the bookstore while under heavy surveillance from the high schoolers.
“Anywhere else you’d like to go?” he asked Anna as they stepped into the mildly chilly afternoon.
“Your car,” she whispered huskily. Whether she’d meant to re-arouse him or not, he wasn’t certain, but that was the reality that motivated him to reach his car quickly.
He tossed the bag of books into one of his backseats, climbed into his seat, and kissed Anna again only a minute later. She leaned over his console to prolong the kiss, eagerly sharing the warmth within her pillowy lips for as long as he wished.
They definitely looked like a couple now.