Page 92 of Secrets in Love
Back then, she was barely willing to show her face on camera, and now…now I’d seen every inch of her naked body from every angle.
Was I pleased?
Is the Pope Catholic?
Standing at the very edge of the plot, my gorgeously rosy-cheeked girl described the house, proudly boasting the inclusions that had been her ideas, and pacing out the length of the porch Scarlett and Finn added that, when complete, would wrap around the entirety of the house, allowing the family to chase the sun and take in the stunning Hudson River views no matter where they chose to sit.
“It really is beautiful, Eves,” I said, kissing the top of her head and holding her tight. “You suit this place, somehow. Like, I can just imagine you sitting outside on one of those porch swings you see on American telly, with a cuppa in your hand and balancing your laptop on your knees.”Shit. I can imagine her living here.It was yet another horrifying moment of halfhearted resignation. The second in twenty-four hours. Was I losing hope?
“I know. I can’t wait. I love the city, but it’s like I can really breathe and be me here.” We sat on a fallen log, again in silence, until Evie sighed and took my hand in hers. “What about you, Clown- Boy. Ever dream about…oh, doesn’t matter.”
“About? Come on, Gidge. You can’t leave me hanging. Do I dream about what?”
With an expression that stopped my heart and possibly time itself, she studied me through her thick lashes, chewed her lip, then began kicking the wet, fallen leaves laying at our feet. “Do you ever imagine something different? Have you considered a life away from the farm?”
“Shit yeah! Only every forty-five seconds or so. But farming, the farm, is in my blood. I’ve never been anywhere but home, the Gold Coast, or here. And I wouldn’t have a bloody clue of what else I could do for a living. A career as an international gigolo has crossed my mind on occasion, but I don’t think I’m cut out for that anymore.”
“And why is that? Nate the Great hasn’t lost his mojo, has he?”
“Nah, the mojo is present and accounted for, but my heart wouldn’t be in it. I can’t share with others what belongs to you.” I traced the line of her neck with my finger, felt the shiver run through her body and into mine, then turned her face and kissed her.
“I’m so sorry, Nate.” She pulled away and buried her face in her hands. “I should never have started this. I knew it was going to end like this. I knew I’d…I’d…feel things. I knew you’d break my heart.”
That was the closest she had come to confessing the love for me that I knew she felt, but I couldn’t dig any deeper, couldn’t further open the wound that threatened to bleed out, so I changed tactics, brought it back to the one thing I felt secure in: our physical connection. “Why did you never kiss me before?”
She was silent for what felt like an eternity before a broad, cheeky cackle broke free. “I did once.”
“What? When? You’re fibbing. You have to be. I can’t see how you could possibly have kissed me without me knowing.” I ran my thumb over her bottom lip, my cock springing to life in a heartbeat. “These lips could wake a man from a coma.”
“But I did,” she whispered, her warm breath tickling my cheek as I nuzzled into her neck. “I swear. It was the last Christmas we spent together at home. Everyone was asleep. And you… Oh, that feels nice… You were passed out cold on the couch. I was sitting opposite you in Barry’s armchair, just watching you breathe. Even with your mouth open and drool dripping from your lip, you looked so bloody gorgeous. You have such beautiful, thick eyelashes. Has anyone ever told you that?” she asked, pulling away to study my face and sweep the hair from my eyes. I shook my head and returned to my favorite, warm nuzzle spot. “So yeah, I knelt before you, clapped a couple of times to make sure you were out, and then…”
“And then?”
“Hmmm, you know, I can’t remember.”
I sighed, hating to leave the crook of her neck again, but it was a hundred percent worth it to find her playfully rolling her eyes and biting that plump, pouty little lip. “Please tell me, Gidge. Please. I’m begging.”
“Well, okay, then. Since you asked like such a good boy.”
We both froze, our chests rose and fell sharply, the memory of the last time she spoke those words weighed the air, making it hard to breathe.
“So, yes, I made sure you were out of it, then I ran my finger down your face, under your chin, and across your bottom lip. Then, I kissed you.”
A low and breathy voice I hardly recognized rumbled from my chest as I stood, lifted her from the stump, and laid her on the ground. “Evie, I feel so violated.”
“Why are you kneeling between my legs, then?”
“Because…” Holding the small of her back, I rolled onto my own and positioned her over my hardness. “I want you to violate me some more.”
Shaking with want, her hand went straight to my throat, and it hit me. Her tightening grip was not only a paralyzing act of passion and lust and kink for control. She needed me to ground her. I was her anchor. Just as she’d always been mine.
“Harder,” I groaned as she pulled me onto her lips, biting and sucking them almost violently as her free hand fiddled to free me from my jeans.
“Fucking fuck it,” she spat, ripping at the zipper. I could have helped, but I was too busy trying to get to her tits. “You really need to start wearing sweats more often. It’s much easier to get them off… Fuck it. I’ll do me, you do you. Break.”
After her quarterback-like coaching, she pushed me off her and began rolling side to side, laughing at our ridiculousness, discarding her pants and knickers in one tug, then ripping her top over her head.
“Fuck, your tits are perfect,” I growled, bent down, teased her pebbled nipples with my tongue, then took one into my mouth as I pushed my jeans over my thighs and lined myself at her entrance.
