LITMIR.BIZ

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it would probably crush me, too. I felt tainted as a kid, and I’d never want my child to feel that way.”

      “I’m sorry,” he said again. He reached out as if he meant to stroke her cheek, but he lowered his hand before contact was made. After a moment of silence, he added, “My daughter’s birth parents weren’t married. They were only sixteen when she was born.”

      Confused, Dana blinked. “Her birth parents?”

      “We adopted Kaley.”

      She couldn’t hide her surprise. “All this time I thought she was yours.”

      “She is mine.”

      Dana apologized for the gaffe. “I didn’t mean it that way. It just wasn’t what I expected to hear.”

      “That’s okay. There’s no way you could have known,” he quietly explained. “Corrine was adopted, so when we discovered that she couldn’t conceive, we turned to adoption, too. Only Corrine wanted an open adoption for our baby because hers had been closed and she always felt a sense of loss not knowing who her birth parents were.”

      “So Kaley’s adoption was open?”

      “No. It didn’t work out that way. But Corrine encouraged Kaley to search for her birth parents if she ever felt the need. And recently, she did. Kaley found her birth mother, and soon after that, she met her birth father.”

      “Wow.” Intrigued, Dana tilted her head. “How did that go?”

      “Remarkably well. For everyone. Not only did they embrace Kaley and welcome her into their lives, they got back together. They’re getting married this summer. Kaley is going to be the maid of honor and I was asked to be the best man.”

      “That’s a beautiful story.” Homey, romantic. “Things don’t usually happen that way.” Or she assumed they didn’t. All she knew was her own fatherless family. “I used to wonder about my dad when I was kid. Sometimes I still do. But I could never search for him. The only thing my mom knew about him was his first name. John. Can you imagine me trying to hunt him down?”

      “That would be next to impossible, unless your mom was able to remember anything else about him that might lead you in his direction.”

      “She doesn’t like to talk about him, and there’s no point in putting her through that or making her relive what she considers her shame. Of course I compensated by becoming a bohemian.” She flapped her fringe and made him smile. She shared her milkshake with him, too.

      He drank from the straw and handed it back to her. “Where did you grow up?”

      “You’re going to laugh when I tell you.”

      “Why would I laugh?”

      “Freedom, Ohio.”

      As predicted, he laughed. “You’re from a town called Freedom?”

      “Yep. The girl who’s determined to be free. Actually, there are lots of Freedoms scattered throughout the States, but mine just happens to be in Ohio.”

      “When did you move to California?”

      “After I graduated from high school.” She glanced at the ocean again. The waves were getting bigger. “When I was about twelve, we came to Southern California for a vacation. I made up my mind then that I was going to live here someday.”

      “Is your mom still in Ohio?”

      She nodded. “My grandmother, too. Neither of them ever got married. They’ll probably go nuts when I get engaged.”

      He smiled. “The bohemian bride.”

      “Marriage is going to be the only traditional thing I’ll probably ever do.” They shared the last of her shake, and she got tingly putting her mouth where his had been.

      “I’m glad I went on this date,” he said.

      The tingly feeling went off the charts. “It’s not over yet. You still have to kiss me at my front door.”

      “That’s pretty much all I’ve been thinking about.”

      Her, too. “The buildup is exciting.”

      “I hope I don’t let you down.”

      “You won’t.” She was certain of it.

      And she was right. Later, he took her home, and they stood on her stoop, with a fairy-tale moon in the sky. Eric moved closer, and her heart pounded up a magical storm. As he took her into his arms, she went downright goose-bumpy.

      She was going to be kissed the way she longed to be kissed: tenderly, deeply, thoroughly. They’d been waiting all evening to make this happen.

      It started off slowly, a flutter of sweet warmth. She wrapped her arms around him, basking in the strength of his body. She parted her lips, and their tongues met and mated.

      Then things got hotter.

      Dana moaned and pressed tighter against him. He slid his hands down her spine, resting on the curve of her rear. Her moan turned to a mewling, as they continued to kiss like hedonic fiends.

      She rubbed against his fly. He swore beneath his breath, but that only made it better. He backed her roughly against the door.

      A gust of wind rustled through the yard. She could hear it stirring the plants and flowers. Dana had the wicked urge to remove her dress.

      “Stay with me,” she heard herself say.

      “I can’t,” she heard him reply.

      “Yes, you can,” she countered. They were whispering in between lusty sips of each other.

      He groaned and ended the kiss, but his pelvis was still fused to hers. “Do you know what you’re asking me to do?”

      “Yes.” She knew exactly what she was suggesting.

      “I couldn’t promise more than one night, Dana.”

      “It’s okay, as long as I get to be with you.” For now, all she wanted was him warm and naked in her bed.

      “It would be too much like what happened with your mom.”

      “It’s nothing like that. You’re not a stranger. I know more about you than your first name. And we’re going to be responsible. I have a whole box of condoms in my nightstand drawer.”

      “We still shouldn’t.”

      “Why? Because of our age difference? We’re both consenting adults, and I’ve been fantasizing about you since I met you.” Fantasies she wanted to make come true.

      She turned and unlocked the door. Determined to have him, she reached for his hand, beckoning him to be wild and free with her.

      And have the night of their lives.

      Chapter Three

      Eric went inside with Dana, but he didn’t jump into the sweet flame of desire. He needed to slow down, to take a deep breath, to be absolutely positive that she understood his uncommitted position. He rarely acted on impulse and this wasn’t the time to start. Nor could he bear to take advantage of her.

      “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, as they stood in her living room.

      “I’m certain. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have invited you to stay with me.”

      “What if we don’t go on another date again?”

      “You already said that you couldn’t promise anything other than one night.”

      “How would you feel afterward if I stopped coming to the diner?”

      She flinched a little. “Why would you do that?”

      “Because it might interfere with our lives. And if it does, then I might not

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