Excerpt
Jumping up from the bench, he jogged over to the swing set. His gaze scanned the area until he finally saw her crouching in the grass next to a large oak tree, cradling something in her cupped hands. She slowly rose to her full height, slight as it was.
"What do you have there?" Josh asked as he walked up to stand beside her and peer down at what she held. There was no reply as she concentrated hard on her tiny burden, not even acknowledging him. "What is it, Sarah? What have you got?"
"He must've fallen from his nest," she replied as she slowly opened her palms to reveal a baby robin.
Immature enough to still be covered with pinfeathers, the poor thing shivered with fright. It was clearly too young to survive without parents. A closer inspection revealed that one of the pathetic bird's legs was bent at an odd angle. He knew it had no chance to survive. "It's hurt. It's probably best to let nature—"
"No," she whispered. "I can't stand to see an animal suffer. He's not going to die." Closing her eyes, she let her hands encase the little bird again. Her body began to tremble.
"Are you all right?"
She didn't answer him.
Josh watched, wondering what she hoped to accomplish. Slow minutes passed. "Sarah, you can't—"
She didn't let him finish. "I can," Sarah insisted as she opened her eyes and grinned. She slowly opened her palms. The baby robin rested there, both legs now straight.
Blinking against the image, Josh fought to understand. Reaching out to touch the tiny bird, he ran a fingertip along each spindly leg. "I don't—"
"I couldn't just let it die. It had a broken leg."
"I saw. Sarah, I... You didn't..." But she did. She had actually healed it. The proof was right there in front of his skeptical face. He didn't want to believe it.
"I need to put him back in the nest." She began to look up at the branches of the tall oak.
Josh shook his head. "The parents won't take care of it if they smell humans—"
"That's a myth," she interrupted again. He was starting to get used to that habit of hers. "Listen."
"I don't—"
"Just listen."
He waited patiently, but didn't expect to hear anything. He sighed. She shot him a scolding glance. He tried to listen again.
There it was. Bird song. He followed the melody to another tree that rubbed branches with the oak. Two infuriated robins were obviously watching out for this baby as they shifted from branch to branch, squawking and flapping their wings. Sarah must have realized he heard the parent robins because she favored him with an arrogant smirk Josh suddenly realized he could learn to love.
"They haven't left him. If I can get him back in his nest, they'll still care for him." Sarah slowly circled the big tree, gazing up through the branches and frowning.
Josh let his gaze follow hers up several limbs until he saw the nest. "There," he said, pointing to the junction of several medium-sized branches.
She nodded. "I see it, but I can't reach it. Maybe we can find a ladder or something."
Josh had a better and much more convenient idea. "Come here," he coaxed as he crooked his finger. She took a few hesitant steps toward him. Crouching in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her knees and stood up. Her shocked gasp made him smile, that and the fact that her thighs were pressed to his chin as he looked up at her. "You can reach now."
Sarah gently placed the baby robin back in the nest. "You can let me down now, Joshua."
Gradually releasing his tight hold on her legs, Josh let Sarah's body slowly slide down his. He was aware of every inch of her. Thighs, stomach, and breasts passed eye level. Josh tried to control his body's reaction to the feel of her, the smell of her, the perfection of Sarah. He stopped her descent before her feet touched the ground, content to simply stand there holding her against him.
Staring into her eyes, he saw the confusion he knew must mirror his own. Sarah's hands rested on his shoulders, but she didn't resist his embrace. Slowly, her arms stretched out to encircle his neck.
Josh gazed at her pretty pink lips, wondering how she would taste. He gave in to the urge, gently settling his mouth on hers. She tasted like heaven, her lips as soft and just as sweet as he'd anticipated. He only savored her for a moment before pulling away. Then he let her slide down the rest of the way until her feet reached the ground.
"You shouldn't have done that," Sarah whispered as she slowly drew her arms away and let them fall to her side.
"No, I probably shouldn't have," he replied, wondering if the kiss had affected her the same way it had affected him. He could still smell her delightful flowery scent, taste her sweeter than honey on his lips.
Wondering if he should apologize, Josh was taken entirely by surprise when Sarah suddenly stood on tiptoe, slipped her arms around his neck again, and pressed her lips gently to his. Just a quick peck, but he had no idea what had possessed her. Their eyes locked, her arms still holding him close, his hands settled on her waist.
Suddenly, a peck wasn't enough. Josh set his lips against hers, but not for an innocent kiss. No, there was nothing chaste about it. Nudging her lips open, his tongue swept into her mouth in blatant possession.
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StrandBucks
