Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 (29 page)

Luke, however, had a different idea. His lips descended on hers, kissing her thoroughly and with a hunger that made her head spin and her body feel weightless. He smelled like spicy aftershave and tasted like cinnamon. His fingers pressed into her lower back, pulling her closer as his lips traveled across her cheek and to the side of her neck. It was divine, but pretty soon she wouldn’t have a coherent thought in her head.

“Luke,” she said in a husky voice, “you have to stop kissing me.”

“Why?” he said, pressing his warm lips just below her ear.

“Because I need to ask you to marry me.”

He went perfectly still.

Great
. She’d just messed up the proposal. It’s not like she’d had a lot of time to plan this out, but, really, how hard was it to look him in the eyes and tell him she loved him and wanted to marry him?

Taylin drew in a shaky breath, but Luke still hadn’t moved a muscle. Slowly, he drew back until their eyes met. “I’m not sure I heard you correctly. Could you say that again?”

He was giving her a second chance. Hopefully she wouldn’t screw it up again.

“I love you, Luke McKay. I’m not sure when it happened. It could’ve been when you gallantly changed my flat tire or when you let me choose my own lures from your tackle box.”

A spark of humor flickered in his eyes as his mouth edged up into a sexy grin. “Go on.”

“But I knew for sure when this past week my chest was so empty I was positive my heart had shattered. I love you, and I love your little boy, and I’ll learn to deal with your ex-wife.”

“Tay—”

“Not yet,” she said, pressing a finger to his lips. “I’m not finished.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled against her fingertip.

“I know I’m not perfect, and I’ll probably make you crazy sometimes, but I promise to be faithful to you. I’m yours forever if you’ll have me.” She moistened her lips. “Will you marry me?”

A smile crinkled the corners of his beautiful eyes. “I love you, Taylin Nichols, and yes, I’ll marry you.” He leaned in and kissed her, but pulled back way too quickly. “Just so you know, I’m taking you ring shopping tomorrow. We don’t have to get married right away, but I want you wearing a ring while you’re in Nepal.”

A soft knock on the door didn’t allow Taylin to tell him she was no longer going abroad.

“You can come in, Mom,” Luke said.

“Did you say yes?” Jacque asked, peeking her head inside the door.

Luke’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You knew she was going to propose?”

Jacque laughed. “She wanted my permission first.”

Grinning, Luke turned back to look at Taylin. “You did this so I didn’t have to face your dad, right?”

“My daddy’s harmless.”

“He showed me his gun the last time I was there.”

Taylin giggled and gave him a quick kiss on his lips. “Let’s get Crew and go over to my house. My parents want to meet my soon to be mother-in-law and kiss on their new grandson.”

“You already told them?” Luke asked. “How long have you been planning this?”

“For about thirty minutes, right after I heard you were looking for a nanny.” She leveled a look at Luke. “By the way, you need to let Miss Lewis know you no longer need her services.”

An irresistible smile spread across his face. “Yes, ma’am.” Then, holding her face with his hands, he lowered his head until their lips nearly touched. “Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of,” she said impatiently.

“I’ll go get Crew ready,” Jacque said from somewhere in the room. Then Taylin heard the door click shut.

She was just about to rise up on her toes when Luke caught her mouth in a kiss, awakening a swirl of desire inside her that demanded she make one more stipulation. “Luke?”

“Hmm?” he murmured against her lips.

“We are not having a long engagement.”

She felt his mouth curve into a smile in agreement as he pulled her closer, kissing her long and slow. Taylin melted against him as warmth and contentment filled every part of her. The broken pieces of her heart had mended, allowing her to love this man completely. He was hers and she was never letting him go.

T
hank
you for reading
Just a Kiss in the Moonlight
. If you liked Taylin and Luke’s story, you may also enjoy reading the first book in the Georgia Moon romance series
Under a Georgia Moon
, featuring Addie and Chase. You can read a sample of the book on the next few pages or pick up a copy by clicking the link below. Also, be on the lookout for the final book in the series about Ashlee… and you guessed it… Beau, titled
Blue Moon Kisses

Chapter One

T
hree months
. That’s all it had taken for Addie Heywood’s ex-fiancé to marry Flaxseed Oil Girl. Three lousy months.

Addie swallowed hard as she glared at the invitation, noting Brandon looked almost exactly the same as he’d looked in
their
wedding announcement only a few months earlier. But this time the girl smiling up at him was a blonde—completely opposite of Addie’s deep auburn hair.

She’d heard Brandon was engaged, but part of her didn’t believe he’d go through with it. That maybe he had commitment issues, and it hadn’t just been her…well, her and—according to Brandon and his fanatical health food code—her unhealthy eating habits that had caused him to dump her three weeks before their December wedding.

Her eyes scanned the fancy script and she noted the nuptials had taken place two weeks ago in San Diego. An open house was scheduled for next week at his parents’ house. That surprised her. When Brandon dumped her, he’d also dumped their small Idaho town, claiming he wouldn’t be back in Daisy Springs anytime soon.

Oh yeah, that was another thing he didn’t like about Addie. She was too attached to her family and to Daisy Springs.

Addie glanced up at her big sister, Chellie, and handed her the embellished paper. “I wonder if their wedding cake was loaded with antioxidants and was sweetened with Stevia?”

“Really?” Chellie took the card and narrowed her eyes at Addie. “That’s all you’re wondering?”

No. She also wondered if the rumors were true and Brandon’s wife was now four months pregnant which meant he’d been doing more than sharing organic recipes with another woman while engaged to Addie. She also wondered if his belated nuptials coincided with the first week in March because he planned on going to Hawaii with his new wife—the postponed honeymoon trip they’d booked for Addie and him to take once he finished his bar exams.

“Well.” She shrugged and tried not to show the hurt she still felt. “I guess I wonder if the cake tasted good.”

Her sister tossed the invitation on the countertop. “Addison, why can’t you just talk about your feelings?”

If her sister was using her full name, it meant she was in “mother mode,” but right now she needed Chellie to be in “friend mode.” That was the whole reason she opted to stop by her house to open the invitation.

“Okay. I
feel
strongly that a wedding cake should not have flaxseed oil or spinach in it.” She made a face. “Yuck.”

Addie hoped to make her sister laugh, not look at her with pity. She was so tired of pity. Since that fateful day when Brandon announced he couldn’t marry her because he’d found someone else more compatible with his obsessive health food tastes, Addie had been the recipient of more than enough stares and whispers from people who felt sorry for her.

Slipping past her sister, Addie served herself a piece of chocolate cake with gooey marshmallows melted under a thick layer of chocolate frosting. Even at the age of twenty-four, if Addie was going to get into her “feelings” and all that, she needed a sugar boost.

“Honey, I’m worried about you.” Chellie followed Addie to the table and took a seat next to her. “Please don’t keep everything all inside. I’m here for you.”

Chellie, fifteen years older than Addie, had three kids to worry about—two of them teenagers—and didn’t need the added burden of Addie’s problems. Besides, suppressing her feelings was a coping mechanism Addie had learned to use right after her mother died. Instead of facing the hurt, anger and fear, she’d efficiently stuffed her feelings in hidden places. It was like a child who cleaned her room by hiding and stuffing things in closets, under beds and in drawers so on the outside it all looked neat and tidy.

“I’m fine, Chellie.” Addie was already finding places to tuck away the negative emotions Brandon’s wedding announcement brought to the surface. She took a bite of the cake and closed her eyes to savor the moment. At the same time, she did her best to ignore the fact that since the break up her jeans were starting to feel a little tight. “
Mmm
. I know how I feel about this chocolate cake.”

When she opened her eyes again, her sister had that look on her face. The one that said she wasn’t going to let it go. “Dad’s worried about you too.”

Addie swallowed the lump in her throat, along with the cake. She had tried so hard to hide her feelings from him and thought she was doing a great job. “What am I doing that’s so worrisome?”

“He said you don’t go out anymore and refuse to attend any church single activities.”

“Hello. You would’ve stopped going too if you were me. Need I remind you about the singles retreat I totally ruined for the new youth pastor? Once I spoke up all spiritual thoughts were gone and the poor guy spent the rest of the time trying to get things back on track.”

The corner of her sister’s mouth twitched. “I’m sure anyone could’ve made the same mistake.”

“Um, I don’t think so.” Addie felt a hot flush sear her cheeks when she thought about her blunder. While everyone sat around the lodges’ cozy fireplace listening to the message, she’d been daydreaming about the new youth pastor who was both single and cute. When he’d suddenly turned to her and asked her to share her thoughts on what he’d been talking about, Addie hadn’t had a clue what he’d even said.

Desperate, she’d thought about Sunday’s sermon and blurted out her desire to follow God’s plan so she could gain immortality. Only it had come out wrong, and Addie had witnessed to the large gathering of young single adults her desire to gain
immorality
.

Letting out a deep breath, Addie glanced up at her sister. “I quit attending the activities because I couldn’t take one more guy asking me how my quest for
immorality
was going.”

Chellie snorted a laugh before covering her mouth with her hand. When she’d composed herself again, she said, “Okay. I can understand that, but why have you stopped going out?”

“Uh, I think I just explained that.” She cut into her cake and lifted it up toward her mouth. “Besides, instead of giving up refined sugar, I’ve decided to give up men.”

While Addie enjoyed the chocolate confection melting on her tongue, her two nephews came into the kitchen with about a half a dozen boys ranging in age from fourteen to sixteen. It was the perfect time to escape her sister’s pending lecture about her decision to stop dating.

“Hi, Aunt Addie,” her nephews said before diving into the chocolate cake.

“Hey, guys.” Addie scooted away from the table to make a quick departure.

Brice, one of her nephew’s best friends, moved in front of her and blocked her exit. “Hey, I need to ask you a question.”

Addie eyed him warily. Brice was a tad on the arrogant side, especially since he was bigger than most college guys. A comparison Addie regretted making a few months ago since now the kid thought she would go out with him. “Sure. What’s up?”

A confident grin stole over his face as he leaned in close. “I was just wondering how the quest for immorality was going.”

Ha ha. Very funny
. Of course, all of the boys thought it was hilarious, including her nephews.

“You’re way too young for an answer, Brice.” Addie sidestepped the little twerp and waved to her sister. “I’ll see you later.” Chellie was too busy reprimanding the boys raiding her kitchen to try to stop her.

Feeling somewhat deflated, Addie drove away from her sister’s house and tried thinking happy thoughts. If she couldn’t pull off happy-go-lucky girl for her father, it might lead into another Addie-is-depressed conversation. She wasn’t depressed. Just a little…under enthused.

She wound through the rural housing development, surprised by the number of new houses under construction. When Chellie and her husband built their house nearly ten years ago it had been surrounded by fields and only a handful of houses. Now, new homes sprung up as fast as the farmers parted out their land.

Daisy Springs, known for its natural hot mineral springs, had suffered from the recession. It had recently gotten a boost in the economy when the new food processing plant had opened up a few years ago. Addie was one of the accountants at the plant. It wasn’t her dream job, but at least she wasn’t flipping burgers at the local hangout.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel as she rounded the corner and saw her favorite house—the house similar to the one she was supposed to be sharing with her husband. Her throat constricted and she blinked hard when she felt the sting of tears. She hadn’t cried once today, not even when she’d opened up Brandon’s wedding announcement.

Swallowing, she forced her eyes back on the road and told herself how lucky she was not to have such a huge mortgage payment. She and Brandon hadn’t seen eye to eye about where they should live after they married. Addie had wanted an older home near her dad in town. Brandon wanted to move to a bigger city like Boise.

The compromise was Brandon would set up his law practice in Daisy Springs and they would build near Brandon’s parents’ house, which was only a couple of miles away from Chellie. Now three months later, it kind of sucked she wouldn’t be living close to her sister and that Addie still lived with her father, but, hey, at least she wasn’t stuck doing yard work every weekend.

As she emerged from the neighborhood, she caught the beginnings of a stunning sunset. The fiery orange and red colors bled into wispy clouds that hovered over the snow peaked mountains. It was beautiful, and Addie wanted to capture the image with her camera.

She eased off the side of the road and grabbed her camera bag from the passenger floor. Carefully, she attached the new lens she’d gotten herself for Christmas. It had taken what little she had left of her savings, but was well worth it. Besides, it was more like an investment into the photography business she dreamed of starting one day. It would also work with the professional camera she had her eye on as soon as she could come up with six thousand dollars.

After taking several shots, she put her camera away and climbed back inside her car. Not for the first time, Addie wished she’d followed her dreams and majored in photography. Instead, she’d taken Brandon’s advice and gone into accounting. Number crunching was mindless work, and probably the reason for her sugar addiction.

It wasn’t her fault she liked eating bad carbs—it was Brandon’s. The big jerk.

Thinking of bad carbs made her wish she’d taken a slice of her sister’s cake with her. Maybe when she got home she’d make a chocolate cake of her own.

Glancing over her shoulder to check for cars, Addie pulled back onto the road. A mile later, she came to a stop at the intersection, surprised at the heavy traffic on the newly constructed two-lane highway. The processing plant, along with the new hospital, had created the need for the expanded road.

Addie hoped to avoid Daisy Spring’s version of a rush hour by stopping at her sister’s house before going home. Since the road should be cleared out by now, there had to be an accident or wandering cows. Either way, this was the only route back to town so she merged into the flow of cars as soon as there was an opening.

The sky darkened as she slowly moved forward. Not wanting her dad to worry any more than he already was, she tried to call home. It rang several times before rolling over to voicemail. She ended the call without leaving a message. Her eighty year old father rarely answered the phone unless the handset was right next to him. Listening to voicemail was out of the question.

The congestion started to let up and she increased her speed. The right lane appeared to be going a little faster and Addie turned on her blinker, preparing to merge over. But a motorcycle filled the gap before she could make the lane change. Instead of flowing with traffic, the motorcycle stayed at Addie’s side, keeping her pinned between two oversized pickup trucks. She had to tap on her brakes to slow her Honda back to a slow crawl.

Annoyed, she glanced over at the motorcycle. The driver wasn’t some punk like she suspected, but a really good-looking guy wearing a black beanie, a black leather jacket and gloves. A five o’clock shadow darkened his jaw and he seemed a little intimidating—until he smiled. Flashing her a set of straight white teeth, he lifted a hand and pointed to the front of his bike. Did he want her to notice his motorcycle?

A grin tugged at her mouth as she averted her eyes back to the road. It was sort of nice to have someone flirt with her, even if biker boys weren’t really her thing. She felt particularly vulnerable right now, so having a guy pay a little attention to her felt good.