Chapter 32
32
Gunn forced himself to stay in control. This was the first time he had ever kissed the woman he wanted eternity with. Keeping that control was one of the hardest things he had ever done. He wanted to scoop her up and carry her off. Just because he was a minister didn’t mean he wasn’t a healthy male in the prime of his life.
He made himself step back. To cup her cheeks gently when extraordinary blue eyes fluttered open. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were a little glassy. A little shocked looking, actually.
Gunn wanted to kiss her again. But he told himself to stick to his plan. She’d figure out the truth in his attentions eventually.
He wasn’t going to rush her. “You okay? I didn’t… overstep?”
“If you did, can you overstep again?” She just looked up at him. “I like kissing you. In fact, I think I like it a lot. Am I allowed to say that to a minister, though? Is it a sin?”
“No. I don’t think it is. As long as we behave ourselves.” Gunn took a risk. He scooped her up, right off the square bales and into his arms. He just wanted to hold her.
When he was holding her, the world felt a little more right. He felt a little more right , too. Like he was where he was meant to be.
“For how long? I mean… do you plan to kiss me again? I have heard recently that Hiller men should come with warning labels. I fully believe it. Ronnie told me she lost her head every time George kissed her when they were getting together. And well… Exhibit Aubrey-&-Guthrie kind of make that obvious. I can fully believe that. I mean, I don’t have a lot of experience or research to back that up, but… you can kiss me whenever you want. That’s what I am saying, anyway. I like it when you hold me. When you kiss me, too.”
And then the words just came out. Before he even realized what he was saying. “I want to hold you for the rest of my life.”
Those blue eyes just widened. “Gunn… I?—”
Whatever she would have said was interrupted. Grady burst in. He had Hala by the hand. Why did he have Hala by the hand?
It was obvious they’d been arguing. Hala’s face was flushed, her eyes big and glassy. But the way she was looking at Grady…
Gunn suspected they wanted some privacy.
“Oh. Peoples in here already… ” Hala said. She acted like it shocked her to see them in there. “Ayl, I didn’t realize you were still outside.”
“Yeah. Gunn… we came to see the calves.”
“Sure looks like you’re seeing the calves,” Hala said.
“Well, why are you out here, then?” Ayla asked.
“To see the baby calves,” Hala said.
But… no.
Gunn knew when someone was fibbing. His brother just looked at him, pointedly. At Gunn’s own hands, still around Ayla’s waist. It was obvious Ayla had been in his arms. Alone.
No, Gunn wasn’t going to judge. Not for a moment.
“I just bet you were.” Ayla squeezed Gunn’s forearms gently. She leaned forward. Gunn tilted his head down, until only a breath of space existed between them. “We will… later.”
“I think we are going to have to talk. Very soon.” Whatever happened next between them—well, it was up to her now.
All Gunn could do was wait.