tion id="u41dd0325-eb24-5ed8-ab0a-a385b897f24c">
“Are you really here?” she asked, feeling immediately foolish.
“Feels a little unreal, doesn’t it?”
She nodded. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, brushing his lips.
“I used to have dreams of you. That you were beside me again … sitting close enough that I could feel the warmth of your body by mine. Hear your breathing. And then I’d wake up and—” He let go of her hand and dropped his own hands to his knees. “Doesn’t matter. Here you are. Warm and breathing.”
She caught his hand, holding him in place. “Don’t go.”
He looked down at her hand on his. When he spoke, his voice was a low rasp. “Are you sure you want me to stay?”
She knew what he was asking.
“Know what I missed?” His voice deepened. Roughened.
Her heartbeat sped up immediately in response. When she spoke, her own voice sounded breathless. “What?”
“This.” He leaned forward, closing the space between them, and touched his mouth to hers.
Smoky Mountain Setup
Paula Graves
PAULA GRAVES, an Alabama native, wrote her first book at the age of six. A voracious reader, Paula loves books that pair tantalizing mystery with compelling romance. When she’s not reading or writing, she works as a creative director for a Birmingham advertising agency and spends time with her family and friends. Paula invites readers to visit her website, www.paulagraves.com.
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For my chat pals, Kelly, Jenn and Donna.
Thanks for keeping me laughing.
Contents
The ligature marks on his wrists had long since healed, but the stinging phantom pain of the raw spots the shackles had chafed into his skin sometimes caught him by surprise. Odd, he thought, given the other injuries he’d sustained during his month of captivity, that those superficial wounds were the ones to continue tormenting him.
He’d
