Heaven Beside You Read Online Free PDF Page A

curled his lips.
    As he turned his back to her to finish the dishes, she shivered. She had to try not to get so close to him again. When she did, she stopped breathing and got all woozy and stupid. Unfortunately, with the leftovers put away, she had nothing to do but help him with the dishes, which would require standing very close to him. She hoped she wouldn’t break too many.
    “So what do people in the valley do all winter since they’re not working here?” he asked in a much more normal tone when she joined him at the sink.
    “The library runs a couple of reading groups and there’s a pretty good amateur hockey league around the valleys.” Cass swallowed. He was too close and her body was stuck in overdrive. She stacked the dishes on the others in the cupboard. “Just about everybody goes to the high school basketball games and the high school and middle school plays. And the Presbyterian Church holds weekly dances to raise money for a mission in Africa someplace. They do that all year.”
    “Dances?” He brightened. “Do you dance?”
    “I can.” Her mouth dried up further. How soon would this level of emotional madness kill her?
    He set the last dish in the drainer and pulled off the gloves. “Will you dance with me?”
    “Now?”
    He smiled and lifted the glass out of her hand. Then he took her right hand and rested her left on his shoulder. She thought she might go totally boneless when he put his right hand on her hip. A shiver of delight coursed through her. He waltzed her out of the kitchen and into the living room. The song ended, but that didn’t seem to bother him. The next song started. Let it Snow . Cass closed her eyes to imprint the whole experience directly on her brain. A rich baritone overlaid Nat’s voice with a melting harmony. She opened her eyes to discover Jason singing along.
    She’d heard him sing before on CD, but it bore no resemblance to the voice singing in her ear now, like the smile didn’t show in photographs. The extra edge might be the fact that she felt the words vibrating through her chest.
    He waltzed her around the living room, still singing along. His hands were sure, guiding her. She wanted to pursue that thought, but couldn’t allow herself to with him here, holding her. Later maybe. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
    The song had to end, and much sooner than she’d have liked, the music faded away. Jason didn’t let go and continued swaying with her.
    “The song’s over,” she pointed out.
    “I noticed.”
    “You’re still dancing.”
    “So are you,” he countered.
    “Can you dance without music?”
    He smiled, making her shiver again. “Do you like pina coladas? And getting caught in the rain? If you’re not into yoga, if you have half a brain.”
    It took her a moment to catch on to what he was saying, or rather, singing. She hadn’t heard “The Pina Colada Song” in years, and suffered a momentary stab of disappointment that he was singing lyrics, not asking questions.
    “And there’s something here I forget. And then something about champagne,” he sang to the tune. “Do you like making love at midnight, and something I don’t know.”
    “Sorry, I don’t remember it either,” she whispered. Now she understood why fires roared up when stoked. She felt thoroughly stoked.
    “Doesn’t matter. The important part is the making love at midnight.” He released her and took a step away. “Would you like to watch that movie now?”
    Cass stumbled backward and caught herself on the couch, hoping it was less obvious this time that she couldn’t keep her feet around him. “Okay.”
    “You get the movie going and I’ll turn off the CD player.”
    She found the movie and set up the DVD player. Her hands shook, trying to tear off the plastic. It came off in long thin strips that stuck to her hands. He had to be hitting on her. There wasn’t any other logical explanation. Unless he did this to every woman he encountered. She’d read his