Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) Read Online Free PDF Page B

crowd shifted around them again. The next band had taken the stage, and like a tidal wave, groups of people began moving tables and chairs, clearing a space in the center of the room. The man at the microphone, guitar dangling from his neck, clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention and gave the order, “Let’s dance!”
    Tanner’s gaze shot to Evie as someone jostled her chair. She shook off her momentary bewilderment, and when the driving beat of a Latin-flavored song filled the room, she jumped off her stool. “Might as well,” she said. “If we sit still, we’ll probably be trampled.”
    Tanner caught her hand , and together they threaded their way through couples and groups and found a relatively empty spot on the makeshift dance floor. He put his hand on her hips and drew her toward him. He thought his heart would stop when her eyelids fluttered closed and she began swaying to the music, transforming from the sweet little spitfire who’d captured his attention to a petite seductress. In a second, she was bumping against him, hip to hip, her arms in the air and an expression of sensual ecstasy on her face.
    “I love this beat,” she yelled over the pulsing rhythm from the synthesizer. So did he, but it wasn’t the music that had him enthralled. Watching her move, feeling her curves undulate beneath his hands, set his nerves on fire. He may have been an equal opportunity flirt up until now, but from this moment on, the only woman he noticed was the one dancing in front of him.
    Halfway through the song, the crowd shifted, squashing them together. Her half-closed eyes popped open and met his. Her warm hands molded to his pecs, practically searing his skin through his shirt. The shimmer of her glossy lips held him mesmerized for a second, but just as he was about to lean in and taste for himself, a couple bumped into them and they were shoved a few steps over.
    “I can’t breathe,” she whispered in his ear. “Can we go outside?”
    He nodded and led her through the crowd. They reached the door and burst into the chilly April evening, their breath condensing into clouds around them.
    “Are you all right?” he asked, pulling her to the left of the vestibule that offered some shelter by the front door.
    She leaned against the wall, and he put his hand up to brace himself and lifted her chin with the other. “Hey, you okay?”
    “I’m fine. It was getting close in there.”
    “Yeah. To be honest, I think they exceeded their guest limit. Someone should really report them. If they have another fire in the kitchen, someone’s going to get seriously hurt.”
    She shivered, and he dropped a hand to her shoulder. “It was so much warmer a few hours ago. I left my coat in the car.”
    Tanner stepped closer. How could she be cold when he was on fire? “I can warm you up.”
    He didn’t hesitate when she looked up, lips parted. He dove in, capturing her mouth. She let out a startled moan, and her hands came up to his chest, but she didn’t push him away . In fact, the resistance in her muscles faded by degrees. He sank against her and reveled in the sensation of her body yielding to his.
    She tasted like coconut and rum, and she smelled like an exotic mix of wildflowers. He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek , then cupped her jaw and angled her head to deepen the kiss that rocked him down to his toes. God, he’d had plenty of first kisses, but none of them had ever turned him inside out like this.
    Breathless, she broke the kiss. “Oooh…you’re vibrating.”
    “I know, so are you, but I don’t think it’s from the cold—”
    “No, I mean, your pocket seems to be vibrating.”
    “Oh.” He laughed, stepped back and fished in his pocket for his phone. Caller ID told him it was Quinn. Normally he would have ignored his partner on his night off, but they were supposed to meet at Colette’s hours ago. “Sorry, I’ve got to answer.”
    She nodded, the back of her hand pressed to her