Page 69 of Inevitable
I nodded. “Just like that. I told you that I’m not hurting for money, Em. I have no debt and more money than I know what to do with most of the time. Even my home in San Diego is paid off. You don’t have to struggle to raise our daughter alone anymore.”
“Things have gotten a lot easier,” she said. “I make a lot more money than I did when Wren was younger. I wish I could say that my home is completely paid for, but we do just fine. I don’t want your money, Colin. I just want you to be in Wren’s life.”
“I am going to be in her life, but paying the future expenses is not negotiable,” I informed her. “I’ve missed thirteen years of paying child support and expenses.”
“Maybe,” she teased. “But the really expensive years are coming up.”
“I’ll handle those,” I said in a no-nonsense tone. “I plan on being in Wren’s life. I’m hoping that you’ll let me be part of your life, too, Emma.”
Her body stiffened a little before she said lightly, “I thought we were just living in the moment.”
“Is that what you want?” I asked gruffly.
Hell, I was trying to live in the moment, but I was quickly realizing that I sucked at doing that.
I was a guy who planned everything.
I wanted to know that Emma was going to be in my life after Wren came home and beyond.
After being with Emma again, I couldn’t imagine a future without her in my life.
I wanted to be there as a goddamn partner to her, like I should have been from the very beginning.
“I just know that I want to be with you,” she murmured as she ran an exploring hand over my body. “It still seems surreal that you’re actually here.”
I wrapped my fingers around her wrist to stop her exploring fingers from moving over my skin.
Fucking hell!This woman was going to be the death of me one day.
I was fifty-three years old.
I wasn’t the younger, hornier guy I’d been when we’d first met.
However, my need to claim Emma as mine was so sharp that it was almost physically painful.
I’d waited almost fourteen fucking years to do just that, and my patience was running pretty thin.
Being with Emma like this was almost torturous.
“I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I know we’re older, but I still want to get you naked.”
Hell, I wanted the same thing.
My desire for Emma was still just as strong as it had been years ago, but it was also somewhat…different.
I rolled on top of her and pinned her hands over her head. “Do you really think I don’t want the same thing?” I rasped as I looked down at her beautiful face.
I wanted to make love to Emma and worship her body like I should have done years ago.
I was consumed by a possessiveness and a need to make Emma mine that I’d managed to ignore all those years ago.
That shit wasn’t happening again.
I was too old for that.
Iknewwhat I wanted because I’d been without Emma for way too long.
I’d missed this woman since the day we’d parted. I’d just never admitted it to myself or anyone else because it would have been pointless.
