The Ashtons - Cole, Abigail & Megan

so upset, Abby?”
    “No.”
    “You’re afraid,” he said as if she hadn’t spoken.
    Shaking her head, she laughed, but the sound was hollow even to her own ears. “That’s where you’re wrong, cowboy.”
    “Really?” The look on his face warned her that he intended to prove her a liar. “Then let me kiss you, Abby.”
    A mixture of excitement and panic coursed through her. “This is ridiculous.”
    “You’re not your mother,” he said, gently pulling her into his arms.
    Suddenly feeling defeated, she didn’t have the strength to resist. God help her, she didn’t even want to. She wanted Russ to hold her close, wanted him to kiss her again. “But what if you’re wrong?”
    “Believe me, I’m not.” His reassuring smile as he lowered his mouth to hers sent a shiver up her spine. “Not about this.”
    When his firm lips covered hers, Abby tried to remain impassive, to prove to herself as much as to Russ that she was unaffected. But the tender way he traced her lower lip with his tongue, and the masculine taste of him when he coaxed her to open for him, quickly had her forgetting her resolve not to let it happen again.
    Dropping the bandaging supplies, she curled her fingers in the fabric of his shirt and held on for dear life. The feel of his hard muscles beneath the chambray, and the steady beat of his heart, caused tingles of excitement to race up her spine and her knees to give way. When he slipped his tongue inside to explore and tease, a sweet warmth began to flow through her veins and a delicious fluttery feeling settled deep in the pit of her stomach.
    She’d been kissed before, but never like this. Never with such mind-shattering tenderness or such mastery.
    Abby couldn’t stop a tiny moan of pleasure from escaping when Russ tightened his arms around her and aligned her body to his. The feel of his hard male frame against her softer feminine one sent a streak of longing throughout her entire body, and without a thought, she melted against him.
    But when she became aware of his insistent arousal pressed to her lower belly, the heat coursing through her began to form a tight coil of need deep in the very core of her. And it scared her as little else could.
    Pulling back, she shook her head. “R-Russ…I can’t—”
    “It’s all right, honey.” He allowed her to put space between them, but continued to hold her in the circle of his arms. “I’m not going to lie to you, Abby. I want you. But it’s never been my style to force myself on a woman. And I’m not about to start now.”
    The sincerity in his brilliant blue eyes took her breath. She had no doubt he meant what he said. But what she was feeling at the moment wasn’t his problem. It was hers.
    “I know that. You’re name isn’t Harold.” She hadn’t intended to say the name of the boy who’d taken her to homecoming her sophomore year. Hoping Russ hadn’t noticed, she hurried to add, “I’m the one I’m worried will do something stupid.”
    “Whoa. Back up just a minute. Who’s Harold?”
    Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She should have known Russ would pick up on her blunder. “He was my date for a dance in high school. But that’s not important.”
    “I disagree.” His brow furrowed into a deep frown. “Did he try to—”
    “Yes, but he decided differently.”
    Russ’s frown deepened. “What changed his mind?”
    The man was as tenacious as a bulldog going after a juicy bone. “Are you always this nosy?”
    “Are you always this evasive?” His expression softened. “Tell me what happened, honey.”
    She sighed. It was clear Russ wasn’t going to give up. “When I told him ‘no,’ Harold tried to force the issue. But my knee to his groin convinced him otherwise.” She shook her head. “When I walked away, he was writhing on the ground, moaning and looking like he was going to throw up.”
    Russ winced as if he knew what Harold must have been feeling. “I can’t say that he didn’t get what he deserved. But damn, I’ll bet that hurt like hell.”
    “I’m sure it did.” Abby wasn’t happy or proud of what she’d had to do. She didn’t like hurting anything or anyone. But she wasn’t going to be a victim if it was within her power to prevent it. “I’m sorry I had to hurt him, but it must have taught him a lesson. He never bothered me again.”
    Russ laughed. “I can’t say I blame him.”
    She bit her lip in an effort to keep from smiling. “In fact, he refused to be