Page 58 of Sweet Passions at Bayside
He leaned down and kissed her. She tasted of toothpaste and blessed relief. How could a few hours apart feel like a lifetime?
“Thanks for coming over. My, um, sink is in my room, upstairs.” She glanced at the stairs.
“Okay, let’s take a look.”
He followed her up the stairs. The sway of her hips in those little silky bottoms filled him with hope.Down, boy.
She pushed open her bedroom door, and his gaze swept over a handful of fancy pillows scattered across the four-poster bed, her open suitcases lying on the floor, a pile of clothes on a chair. The room smelled pretty, like roses, but markedlynotlike Emery. The bed was too frilly, the furniture too fancy. Everything felt wrong. She belonged with him.
“Can you close the door?” she asked. “I don’t want to wake anyone.”
As he closed the door, he told himself once again not to read too much into it or allow his desires to take over.
“The bathroom’s in here.” She pointed to a door at the far end of the room.
She stepped just inside the bathroom door, and though it was a large bathroom, the space between the antique vanity and where she stood was barely enough for his large frame. He put a hand on her hip as he set the toolbox down, bringing his mouth to chest height. He wanted to slip that slinky top off and make her go wild.
Their eyes connected, and he couldn’t resist cradling her face in his hands and gazing into her eyes. He wanted to say so many things.I miss you. Come home with me. You look beautiful. You belong with me.But he’d already asked her to stay, and he had to respect her need for this time apart if only to prove to her what they had was real.
He pressed his lips to her forehead instead, breathing in her unique and alluring scent. “I’ll always be here when you need me.” Drawing upon his feelings for her, he stepped back. “Let’s get your sink fixed.”
He turned on the faucets and felt the water. They were appropriately hot and cold.
“It seems to be running fine.” He looked under the sink to see if there was a leak, but it was bone dry. When his gaze caught Emery’s in the mirror, she was biting her lower lip, but her smile shone through. And the blush on her cheeks kicked his brain into gear. How could he have been so thickheaded?
“I think I know what’s wrong with your sink,” he said, turning to face her.
“You do?” She blinked up at him, her entrancing hazel eyes all surprise and curiosity, as if she really thought he’d figured something out.
He lifted her onto the sink and wedged himself between her legs, holding her tight against him. Lust brimmed in her eyes, telling him he’d guessed right. “It obviously hasn’t been properly broken in yet.”
As he lowered his mouth to hers, she touched his cheek, and he realized she was stroking his beard, as if she’d missed every inch of him just as much as he’d missed her.
“I missed you, too, doll.” His fingers threaded into her hair, and he kissed her again, deeper, his pent-up desires spilling out.
She gasped with pleasure, arching into him and pushing up at his shirt at the same time. “I think my mattress might need to be inspected, too.”
He chuckled and crashed his mouth to hers. He lifted her into his arms, and carried her into the bedroom. “Baby, I swear I like you for more than sex.” He laid her on the bed and came down over her. “I know you need to make sure we’ve thought this through, and I’m not pushing, but you need to know. I want you with me.Always.”
“I want to—”
He silenced her with a long, sensual kiss, and when she made one of those little murmurs he loved so much, he kissed her longer. When their lips finally parted, her eyelids were heavy, eyes dark and alluring.
“Don’t say a word, doll,” he whispered, refusing to push her. “I feel how much you care for me in your kisses. I see it in your eyes. When the time is right, we’ll both know.”
“Stay with me tonight?” she asked breathlessly.
“It would take an army to drag me from your bed.”
Chapter Eighteen
EMERY TURNED HER yoga bag upside down in her bedroom at the inn Friday morning and dumped the contents onto her bed amid the piles of clothes and belongings. It had been two days since she’d moved out of Dean’s cottage, and she was still living out of her suitcases. Between planning her classes, helping Dean with the patio yesterday, and staying up for hours at night talking to him on the phone, like they used to…only sexier, unpacking hadn’t been on the top of her priority list.I actually have my priorities straight, she thought proudly.
She sorted through her yoga props for the hundredth time, searching for one of her yoga straps. Chloe had called Wednesday afternoon and told her she was approved to work with Rose, and Rose’s daughter, Patty Gable, was managing her finances and was going to take care of the bills. She’d already exchanged emails with Patty, who seemed lovely and was excited to see if Emery could help her mother. She’d also spoken to Rose, who was so eager to get started, they’d set up her first session for today. Emery was just as excited to begin, and thrilled that Rose had the support of her daughter.
“Still no keys?”
She looked up and found Dean leaning against,and filling, her doorframe, looking sexy in his shorts and tight T-shirt, his hair still wet from their shower. She’d gotten up early to meditate and had seen Dean leaving for his run with Rick and Drake. When he’d come home, she’d been waiting for him at his place. They’d made love like they’d been apart for weeks. It was a cycle she very much enjoyed, but she’d had to hurry back to the inn to get ready to see Rose, and as Desiree had so lovingly pointed out, she’d been humming all morning.
