Page 59 of Mine to Hold
Not even her.
Not even now.
And she felt his reserve.
He pulled her from the counter and quickly shed his clothes. He stared at her with hunger in his gaze. He turned her, spreading her legs, bending her slightly over the counter.
She gasped as he thrust himself inside her with a quick jerk, holding on to her hips. His movements were desperate.
Wild.
And out of control.
He groaned, spilling his climax into her as he kissed her shoulder and neck, whispering her name over and over again. It sounded so sweet. So caring.
His hands ran up and down her arms and back with a gentle touch, as if they hadn’t just defamed his kitchen counter. As if the sex hadn’t been… well, just hot and heavy sex.
The way he behaved, it was more like they had just made love.
As if there was a distinction.
“I don’t know about you,” he whispered in her ear. “But I will never be able to eat breakfast again and not think about this.” He nibbled on her ear. “Or you ever again.”
“Why, Emmerson, that has to be the sweetest thing you ever said.” She turned, wrapping her arms around his thick body, hugging him tight, trying not to think about the fact she was completely naked in his kitchen. Or that the air was thick with sex.
He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.” He took her by the hand and walked gloriously naked through the house, taking only his cell with him.
Snuggling beside him, she rested her head on his chest and stared out the sliders at the pool.
“Can I ask you a stupid question?” he said softly. His fingers danced up and down her arm.
“Sure. But if it’s really dumb, I might not answer.”
“I love your sense of humor. Actually, I love everything about you.”
Love.He didn’t mean it the same way she felt it.
“Does our age difference bother you?” he asked.
She lifted her head, catching his gaze. “That’s an odd question. Does it bother you?” She swallowed. Hard. Her brain scrambled to find a hidden meaning to the conversation.
“I asked first.” He batted her nose. Why did he have to be so playful all the time?
“It’s what, nine, ten years?”
“It’s almost ten,” he said. “So when I was having sex for the first time, you were seven.”
“That’s a dumb way of looking at things and no, your age doesn’t bother me. If it did, I wouldn’t be in this bed with you. Your turn to answer.”
“I’ll be honest, it did at first. But it doesn’t now.” He lifted her chin and kissed her so softly and tenderly, she wanted to cry. “Good night, Rumor.”
“Sleep well, Emmerson.” She let out a long breath and settled in for the night.
She had no idea what the future held. But she did know one thing. She belonged to him and she couldn’t fight it, even though deep down she knew this couldn’t last. Even if she could stay in Lighthouse Cove when all of this was over, she wasn’t sure she would be able to. She knew nothing of putting down roots. It didn’t matter that she wanted to. Or that she was falling for Emmerson. She knew his history. He’d been honest about his past with women and trust didn’t come naturally.
Loving someone wouldn’t come easy to Emmerson, a fact she couldn’t deny.
His concern about her age proved it. He was already looking for the holes. For reasons why this wouldn’t work. She didn’t need to know him long to know that about him.
