Second Chances Read Online Free PDF Page A

had met. Heat seared up her neck and face from the memory, until her ears burned.
    As he quietly stood and gazed into her eyes, the world around them fell away and disappeared. Nothing and no one existed but the two of them.
    David glanced toward the crowds of people circling on the dance floor and pulled Kristin to her feet to stand in front of him. “Miss Shepherd, my lass, would you do me the honor of a dance?” He bowed at the waist, as he exaggerated his brogue.
    “Why, I’d be delighted, Mr. McDougal.” She giggled, letting him lead her onto the crowded dance floor.
    Just as they reached the floor, the band changed to a slower number. As he placed his right hand around her waist, Kristin held her breath and her heart stopped.
    It had been so long since she had let herself be held, even on a dance floor. The heat of his body caused a tingling in parts of her body long forgotten. His hands scorched everywhere they touched, and the sensations overrode all the practicality that her brain attempted to enforce as warden of her heart.
    His scent was earthy, spicya jumbled concoction of soap, aftershave, and wool. He held her gently, yet she could sense a firmness behind his grasp. The muscles of his shoulder under her hand were taught, even underneath the material of his jacket. This isn’t cheating, it isn’t . Somehow, the attraction she had for this stranger felt like cheating. Stop it, it’s just a dance and James would approve. He wanted me to keep on living after he was gone.
    Through her eyelashes, she peered at him and found his dark intense eyes fixed intently on her. The liquid onyx of their depths reined her in, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. No one but James had ever been able to do so much with just a look.
    David smiled and held her closer. The roughness of his jaw brushed the side of her cheek, which made her breath quicken.
    “I like your hair better when it’s down like this,” he whispered into her ear.
    Kristin shivered. How delicious his lips had been against her ear, his hot breath caressing her skin. Those lips would be even more delicious pressed to her own. The thoughts that swirled around in her mind at his touch surprised her.
    David’s dimple deepened as he focused on her again, just as another small shiver rippled through her body. Her brain had obviously taken a back seat in this journey, allowing her body to react however it wanted to him. And right now, she was on fire.
    Kristin closed her eyes and laid her head softly on David’s shoulder, as much to break their heated look as to thoroughly enjoy his warm embrace. He tightened his arms around her just a fraction, but it was enough to melt some of her soft curves against him.
    David continued to sway with her on the dance floor like an expert until the song ended, and they separated to applaud the band. Out of the corner of her eye, Kristin studied him as she clapped loudly and gathered her bearings.
    After two years, she had finally summoned the courage to attempt to move on from her painful past, and Kristin could not understand why being near this man affected her so. Especially since he was engaged, which meant nothing could realistically develop between them.
    That realization jolted Kristin. Maybe that was the reason. Knowing nothing could develop romantically between them was the key. In a way, that made him safe. Safe enough that she was able to let go of some of the control around her emotions.
    Her emotions were a jumbled mess. Perhaps some fresh air would help reduce the fire between them and help her think more clearly about what she really wanted. She leaned over to David as the band started to play another song.
    “I think I’m going to step outside for some air.” She turned to go.
    David caught her arm. “I’ll join you.”
     
    ~~~
     
    Cool air rushed into Kristin’s lungs as she walked out into the evening, and the light wind sent goose bumps along her overheated skin. Summer might come