Read Anyplace But Here (Oklahoma Lovers Series Book 5) for Free Online Page A

unbidden.
    “Trust me, baby, Daddy will recover. We’ll be right back on top in no time.”
    She’d trusted her father to take care of her, but he gambled on a bad investment, plunging the family into financial ruin, causing her mother to retreat into depression for years. Only after he’d recovered his finances by spending all his time working did her mother rise from her bed. Too late to be a true mother to her.
    Her throat just about closed up and her eyes flooded with tears. She shook her head, unable to speak.
    “Please?” His hands slid up her back to her shoulders, and then cupped her face. “Tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you.”
    Emily took a deep breath. “Nothing. There isn’t anything wrong.” She inwardly cursed the tears that dropped from her eyes, belying everything she’d said.
    “Ah, sweetheart, I know you’re lying.” He used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. As he studied her face, he slowly bent his head until their lips touched. Softly. He nibbled at first, then angled her head so his tongue could trace the fullness of her lips. Giving a slight growl, he hungrily covered her mouth. With his tongue he nudged her lips until she opened and he swept in like a conqueror in a siege.
    Emily hung onto his arms, tightened with muscles like iron. He moved his hand down her back to her waist and tugged her closer, flush against the evidence of his desire. She attempted to hold herself back, but the kiss took its toll, and she soon found herself melting in his arms. Louis’s kisses—when he offered them—had been brutal and controlling. Another way to show her that he only thought of her as his possession.
    Hunter teased, licked, nibbled . . . made love to her mouth. Her legs grew rubbery, and her heart beat so strongly, she feared it would jump out of her mouth if the kiss ever stopped. Never in her life had she felt so flushed, so anxious for something that eluded her.
    In Hunter’s arms, would she find it?
    Once more he shifted her so she rested on his strong arm. His free hand moved from her waist up to her breast, never breaking their kiss. When his thumb grazed her nipple, even through her shirtwaist she felt the nub tighten and rise. What in heaven’s name was he doing to her?
    Then, as if a bucket of cold water had doused her, she stiffened and pulled back, panting.
    Memories of the pain Louis had caused her when he took her, rough and brutal, flashed through her mind, causing her to break into a cold sweat.
    “What is it?”
    “Nothing. I, just—nothing.” She turned to walk away. “I think we should return to my boardinghouse now.”
    He pulled her back, and she jerked away, panic racing through her. He was flushed, his lips swollen. She’d never seen passion on a man before, only possessive lust. Yet if she had to sketch masculine desire, Hunter at this moment would be her model. But that didn’t change how she felt. Hands touching her body frightened her.
    “I hope I haven’t insulted you.”
    “No.” She whispered the word, but her voice sounded strange to her ears, heavy and raspy. Her heartbeat continued to thunder in her ears. All she wanted to do was return to her room and curl up on her bed.
    “I’m glad. Kissing you is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now.” His deep voice rumbled through her, producing slight shivers that raced down her body. “You’re cold.” He rubbed his palms up and down her arms. “Let’s get you home. The air has turned a bit cooler.”
    He tucked her arm into his and they retraced their steps past the restaurant and the Santa Fe depot shrouded in darkness. Eventually they stood in front of her boardinghouse, hands clasped as they faced each other. The air had grown a bit cooler, but Emily was certain her shivering had little to do with the cold, and more to do with the feelings threatening to engulf her.
    How could she enjoy his kiss so much when what had followed terrified her?
    “We’re on time. It’s only