Read What The Heart Knows for Free Online

head,” James called out, wincing when he saw
her feet teeter slightly on the branch as she reached.
    “No?
Really?” she said, her tone dry as she hauled one of the
perfect apples down at him, rolling her eyes when he managed to catch
it before it whacked him in the head.
    She
threw three more down at him before she started her descent. Which
was far more nerve-wracking than the climb up. James was standing
there, looking up at her, one bright red apple in the hand at his
side. He needed to stop looking at her. She was having enough trouble
getting down and his staring was making it hard to concentrate.
    Emily
was on the second to last branch, stretching her legs downward toward
the lowest hanging limb. She sat down on it for a second, taking a
breath, swinging her feet like a kid. She had to admit, it had been a
really long time since she let herself do something so unplanned.
Even when she let herself have a day off, she usually spent it
mulling around the inn, catching up on paperwork in the office or
helping Alec brush the horses. It was nice to go out and just... get
out.
    And
she was both thankful and annoyed with James for that. He wasn't
supposed to show her a good time, damn him.
    One
of James' arms reached up behind her hips, pulling her slightly
forward, coaxing her toward the ground. God, how long had she been
looking at him? She had the stomach-turning feeling it was longer
than just a few seconds.
    He
took a step forward, her legs brushing against his chest as she
started to slip downward. The arm across her lower back pulled her
forward and her body was pressed against his. His face was a breath
away from her stomach. Emily felt her heartbeat start to pound
painfully in her chest. What was he doing? She was only a few feet
from the ground. She could easily just jump down. Was she supposed to
put her arms around his neck? Was that his plan? Because if it was,
he would be sorely disappointed. One of her hands reached for the
limb behind her, the other fell limply to her side.
    Then
his face was a mere whisper from the skin between her breasts. She
felt her legs straighten as the ground got closer, her thighs
pressing up against his hips, then legs. Her stomach slid down his
chest, her breasts against his shoulder.
    She
felt what little breath she had whoosh away, replaced by a strangling
tightness in her lungs. His hand moved up her back as her toes
finally touched solid ground, sliding up between her shoulder blades,
then settling right behind the base of her neck, pressing.
    Emily
looked into his eyes, finding them lacking their usual light, looking
heavy and deeper than she had seen them. And then his hand was
pushing her closer to him, she felt his breath whisper over her cheek
as his eyes dipped lower. Her stomach twisted then turned upside
down, feeling fluid and swirling.
    Before
she could even register what was going on, his face dipped and his
lips landed on hers. It was a soft kiss at first, teasing. Full of
promises of something deeper, but refusing to deliver. His teeth
grazed her bottom lip, biting softly and pulling, before his lips
pushed against hers harder, sucking on her lip and dipping the tip of
his tongue inside her mouth to play with hers, just a quick toying
with the tip of hers for a quick second before retreating.
    She
felt the sensations, first, in her spine. Right at the root, a
tingling, followed by a shooting upward, bursting apart where there
lips met. Making her press herself up harder against his chest.
Making her want to ask for more. Beg for more than the infuriatingly
perfect gentle exploration. Her body wanted the fire, not just the
slow burn. But he stayed stubbornly explorative until her legs
started to feel wobbly, until her head felt suddenly fuzzy.
    His
tongue slipped between her lips then and she thrust hers forward with
all her desire, rolling it around his before she felt a slow rumbling
against her chest, a chuckle, and his tongue pulled quickly away. His
teeth