Page 80 of That One Night
“Oh my God!” She sat up straight, her soft body coming clear of the sheets. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I just did,” he pointed out, trying not to smile at the bird's nest her hair had turned into. A mixture of too much sex and sleeping, he guessed. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
The next ten minutes were a frenzy of showers and putting clothes on. It was funny, watching her get ready so quickly; jumping in his shower, pulling her clothes onto her still-damp body, tying her hair into a messy bun that exposed the arch of her neck. She ran out of the bathroom and came up short, because he was standing there, a mug of coffee in hand.
He held it out to her. “I figured you might need this,” he said to her. Emery grabbed the cup gratefully, swallowing half the hot liquid in one gulp. Good thing he’d added extra cream to cool it down.
She looked out of his window, her eyes wide, as she saw her mom opening up the chicken coop, no doubt searching for eggs.
“Ugh, I’m going to have to wait until she’s back in the house,” Emery murmured. “I can sneak around the back and hang out in the fields for a bit to get an alibi.” Her eyes caught his. “If she asks you, you haven’t seen me, okay?”
“Your mom won’t ask. I don’t think she likes me.”
Emery let out a soft breath. “WellIlike you,” she told him.
And wasn’t that like an injection of adrenaline straight to his heart? “I like you, too.” He grinned at her. Damn, he could get used to this, sleeping with her in his arms, watching her get dressed.
“You’re coming back over tonight, right?” he asked, as she shoved her feet into her shoes.
She looked up, her warm eyes meeting his. “That’s the plan, yeah. I need to pick up my clothes. I figure it’ll blow my cover if I carry them home now.”
He put his mug down and kissed her softly, her mouth tasting of mint and coffee. He could get used to having her in his bed. To waking up next to her every morning.
Stupid how much more enjoyable it was making coffee for two than for just him.
Emery looked at him, shifting her feet. “Last night. I was planning for us to talk…”
His stomach tightened.
“And then I got carried away.” Two discs of pink appeared on her cheeks. “That seems to happen a lot.”
“What did you want to talk about?” he asked, checking his watch again because every minute really did count right now. He cared about her. He didn’t want her to panic about her mom. And he knew she would.
He already knew a lot about this woman.
“About after.” Her eyes caught his. A smile pulled at his lips, remembering the way he’d said it to her.
After.
After she’d gotten the lien removed from her mom’s farm. After she stopped pretending to still be in a relationship with a jerk.
Fuck, he couldn’t wait.
“Then we’ll talk tonight.”
She bit her lip. “We’re going to need to sit on opposite sides of the room and not touch each other or something. Every time you kiss me I seem to forget how to form a sentence.”
He looked over at her house. Her mom was walking back up the steps to the porch, carrying some eggs. “Your mom’s going back inside. You should make a run for it.”
“Maybe you can distract her while I head around the back. Just walk around naked on the porch or something,” Emery suggested. It made him grin. Mostly because he’d have no qualms about doing it.
Especially for her.
If his brothers could hear his thoughts, they’d be teasing him the way he’d teased them over their wives. He hadn’t known you could feel like this. So damn protective yet vulnerable at the same time.
Like you had to take care of the only thing your heart beats for.
“I should go. Wish me luck.” She walked over to him, rolling onto the toes of her sneakers as she tipped her head up, her lips slightly parted. He put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, loving how warm and soft her skin was.
