Page 69 of Falling Madly
“I’m going to lose my jacket,” I said. “Before I sweat through it. Can I take yours?”
She shook her head. “I’m still freezing. The cold got through all my layers in there and I can’t shake this chill.”
“The only bathtub is in that ensuite, sorry. But maybe we can get you warm by the fire.”
I brought her in front of the fireplace and threw a few more logs in. She sat on the sheepskin rug in her jacket, holding her hands to the heat. I made her a cup of tea and brought it over.
“I’m sorry. I should have shut down that painting project before it got too cold,” I said.
“It’s okay. I’m used to freezing myself. It’s part of the Cozy Creek experience.” She smiled. “I used to go without a hat all the time to not mess up my hair and would freeze my ears off.”
I sat next to her and gently pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, good. Just checking…” She angled her head, and I inspected her other ear. “Great. Still there.”
She giggled quietly, and I snuck a quick kiss on her cheek, almost reaching the ear. To my surprise, she grabbed hold of my face and pulled me closer, bringing our lips together. Gradually, my disbelief melted into a flood of sensations.
She’s kissing me.
I tried to slow down my breathing, to stay in control. I wanted her in every way, with every cell of my body, and that was a recipe for disaster. She didn’t really want to be with me. She’d never been in love, and she wasn’t in love with me.
But it was hard to engage my higher functioning brain when the rest of me pounded with one thought, blood humming in my ears on its way downtown. Only one thing was clear.
I could never resist her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Teresa
Ishouldn’t have kissed him. He deserved better than my tangled, conflicted emotions.
But I couldn’t stop myself. My lips reached for his again, craving more. This time, the kiss deepened immediately, turning breathless. His tongue swept to meet mine and responded with more intensity. This was our dance. This insatiable push and pull. Give and take.
And I was taking more than I was giving.
I pulled away, my lips raw, lungs gasping for air. His pupils had turned into magic eight balls with no numbers, only magic. I loved how I could dissolve every shred of his willpower and resistance. I shouldn’t have abused my power, but it was such a heady feeling, having that effect on someone. Being their first choice, not someone filling a gap, ready to be cast aside for something better.
Richard had been agreeable, but he’d never looked at me like this, like I held his heart in my hands.
The heat of the fire made my skin glow, and I finally removed my jacket. I didn’t want to let go of him. I needed his weight on me, grounding me.
“Please,” I rasped, gripping his Henley as I laid my back against the sheepskin rug.
He shifted on top of me, his weight carefully balanced on one arm as his thumb stroked my cheek.
“Crush me,” I said, yanking on his shirt again.
He lowered his hips on mine, and I gasped as the steely erection lodged between my legs. But his arms were still holding him up, leaving room for my lungs.
“Closer.” I tugged him again.
“Ye won’t be able tae breathe, mind.”
“I don’t want to breathe. It makes me think.”
“And ye don’t want to think?” He gave me a sad smile.
I shook my head, smiling a little. “It’s all too complicated.”
He dipped his chin and kissed my lips, lowering his weight on me a little more, locking me against the fluffy rug and the hard floor underneath. My thoughts quieted, turning into a low background chatter.
