Page 209 of Back in the Saddle

“Uh…” I still didn’t finish since he said nothing and was still stalking as I retreated.

He cocked his head to the side (yes, still stalking).

“Black wedding dresses?”

I nodded. “And no DJ. Or cake cutting. Or toasts. Or…oof!”

That last was because he rushed me, dipped down like a football player about to make a tackle when he got to me, then he threw me over his shoulder.

Anotheroof!escaped when he dropped me to my back on his bed and a third one happened when he landed on me.

There it was.

I didn’t need him to give me an orgasm anymore. I’d just had three.

“We’re not there yet,” he said softly.

“No,” I agreed.

“When we get there, I won’t care what you wear. But you look amazing in black.”

God, this guy wasthe best.

His hair had fallen over his forehead, so I smoothed it back then held his head in both my hands.

“Good,” I whispered.

“You’re not gonna have The Smiths and The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees and Nine Inch Nails and My Chemical Romance and Bauhaus piped into the reception, are you?”

I was impressed by his command of goth rock.

“You forgot Joy Division,” I joked.

He grinned.

Then he kissed me.

When he broke it, he said, “Sorry you had to put up with that.”

“I’m sorry you did.”

“Yeah,” he murmured, his beautiful eyes roaming my face. “That’s you.”

“What’s me?”

“You think about me.”

“Eric, baby, I hate to inform you of this, since it’s clear you dig that about me, but I’m not unusual. Most everybody would be more concerned about how you reacted to what just happened than how it affected me.”

“Jess, honey, I hate to inform you that you might be right, but there are also a lot of people who are completely self-involved.”

“I’ll give you that. But I feel the need to drive the point home that all the things you said I give to you are just normal things normal people give to people they care about. I’m not special.”

A funny look crossed his face. “You’re not special?”

I shrugged against the bed. “Not really. I’m way into you. I’m thrilled you’re way into me. And we do click in all the good ways.”

I still wasn’t done talking when he said, “Jess, you spent six months scouring Phoenix to find your brother.”

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