Gateway to Heaven Read Online Free PDF Page A

web of effortless intimacy.
    “ You don’t have to look so guilty, Megan. It was only a kiss.”
    Her eyes flew to his. Only a kiss? Is that what it had been to him? Her quick examination of him left her in little doubt of it. He seemed relaxed, content…maybe even a little cocky as he leaned there in the entryway of her kitchen. His assured attitude hardly seemed fair, considering the fact that she herself felt like she’d just woken up into a different world than the one she had occupied for her entire life until the moment she had experienced the power of his kiss… and his touch.
    “ Can I see you tomorrow?”
    “ Yes,” Megan answered immediately before rational thought interrupted. “I mean, I’d like to, but I’m watching Emily.”
    “ And what do you two ladies have planned?” Christian asked Megan, but his attention shifted to Emily as she ran once again into the kitchen and poked at his thigh to get his attention. She had returned with a lopsided clay sculpture of a dog that she proudly held up for Christian’s inspection.
    “ We’re going to ’Merican Girl!” Emily answered as Christian admired her sculpture of Casey, the family dog.
    “’ Merican Girl?” Christian asked, clearly bewildered.
    “ The American Girl store.” Megan smiled when she noticed his continued puzzlement at her explanation. “It’s a doll store. It’s got…” She paused, her smile unconsciously widening as she thought of trying to describe such a haven of girlhood to this epitome of masculinity. “It’s kind of hard to describe. I doubt you’d like it.”
    Christian looked offended. “Why wouldn’t I like it? I love dolls.”
    Laughter bubbled past Megan’s lips. She tried to restrain it, but Christian’s injured expression only fueled it. Emily giggled too, even though Megan knew she had no idea what was so funny. “You love dolls, do you?” Megan managed between bursts of laughter.
    “ Me too, me too. Christian can come with us to ’Merican Girl,” Emily shouted gleefully as she hopped up and down. “You can meet Sasha, Christian.”
    The little girl ran out of the room, obviously intent on getting her precious doll.
    “ Wait , Emily. Christian doesn’t really want to—”
    “ What time are we going?” he asked.
     
    After he left Megan had replayed every second spent with Christian. She kept thinking of the way he looked when he laughed, when he was watchful and observant, the heat in his eyes when he’d raised his head from their kiss.
    But it was the sensations that he’d awakened in her that made it almost impossible to find rest that night. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the pressure of his kiss. She recalled all too perfectly how his mood had altered from being coaxing and gentle to demanding and a little wild.
    Megan didn’t know which mood she liked most. She only knew that the memory of all of the facets of Christian’s character fueled a newly ignited fire within her. She chastised herself for it, she tried to ignore it, she even muttered a rare curse a time or two, but none of those punishments could stop her mind from fantasizing about more than just kissing Christian.
    After a restless night she had herself convinced that her memory had misled her. There wasn’t a man alive who could be as handsome, as exciting as her brain and her body kept insisting that Christian was. And surely if there were such a man in existence, he wouldn’t be interested in her.
    True to his word, Christian presented himself at her door at eleven thirty that morning, appearing entirely comfortable with the idea of spending a better part of the day shopping for clothes for Sasha and attending a doll tea party. When she opened the door to see him standing in the hallway, Megan knew immediately she hadn’t been overestimating his appeal.
    He’d dressed up for a doll tea party.
    The realization of that fact caused an unexpected surge of tears to sting her eyes. He looked entirely too