Page 37 of Here With You

Was that hope he saw in her eyes? “I agree. So … let's work on a reward system. If we get the boathouse clean, I get to kiss you.”

She cocked her head. “And what do I get?”

He wanted to roll his eyes, but he'd play along. “As if the kiss wasn't enough.”

“That's what you want, but what's my reward?”

He smiled. “I'll kiss you shirtless.”

Emmaline's smile always warmed him, but right then, it hit him like the sun's rays on a cloudless day. “Deal. Let's get to work.”

* * *

Three hours later, every cobweb was gone. They stood looking at their accomplishment. It felt good to complete something with Emmaline. This was the dream way back when. They were always good together and should have been running their own resort by now, but he'd been too honest. Never in his life did he think honesty would dump a load of coal on his diamond dreams.

“What now?” he asked.

She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. “I think this is where you kiss me.” He leaned in, but she placed her hand on his chest. “Shirtless.”

He turned and walked away.

“You're leaving?”

There was so much disbelief in her voice that he wanted to laugh. In what world would he leave her when she wanted him? That universe didn't exist. He got to the door, locked it, and returned.

“I don't want any distractions because when I kiss you, I'm going to kiss you senseless.” He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Seeing her eyes light up made every cobweb he removed worth it. Even the one he had to climb into the rafters to get. “All I want is you, Emmaline.”

She fell into him and placed her head on his chest. She would never be a woman who surrendered, but this was close.

“I've missed you, Miles.”

“I'm here, sweetheart.” He backed her up until he was at the blanket shelf. Thankfully, they hadn't stopped providing them to boaters who might get chilly on the water. While he nuzzled her neck, he pulled several free. “Unless you have other plans, I plan to kiss you for a while.” He kissed her quickly before he bit her lower lip and sucked it into his mouth. Her groan was his undoing, or maybe it was her hands at his back, pulling him closer. If he got any closer, he'd be inside her; that was precisely where he wanted to be.

He didn't want to interrupt what was happening, only enhance it, so he stepped back and haphazardly tossed the blankets on the decking before he invited her to join him.

Like the teens they once were, they kissed and felt and fondled until they were breathless. She was no longer the twenty-year-old he'd wanted to marry. She was more.

“I don't want to stop,” he said. “Do you remember the first time we made love?”

She tugged at the button of his jeans while he unbuttoned her shirt. He wanted to grip both sides and tear it open, but he painstakingly unbuttoned it and let it fall open and looked at her lacy pink bra. It was so dainty and feminine and so Emmaline. On the outside, she was tough as nails, but inside she was as fragile as the lace before him.

Hard nipples pressed against the delicate fabric, and he pulled a tightened bud into his mouth, feeling the material's texture against his tongue.

She writhed and moaned beside him while he tugged at the button of her jeans. “I want this, Emmaline. I want us.” He didn't come back to Willow Bay for her, but he'd be damned if he'd be here and not win her back. “I'm all-in, baby. Are you in?”

She laughed. “You're not in, but you better be soon. I've waited too long.”

He wanted to know how long she'd waited. When was her last love affair? Who was it with? Thinking about her with anyone else made his blood burn, not angry, but in a primal caveman way.

He rolled over and kneeled between her legs. With a few tugs, he removed her pants while she shrugged off her shirt. She lay there in her lace and beauty, and all he could do was stare. “Beautiful. Damn, you haven't changed a bit.”

“Liar, but I like that lie.” She reached up to help him with his jeans. “Too many clothes, cowboy.”

That had always been her line back then, and all he said was, “Yes, ma'am.” Today he said nothing. He stood, kicked off his boots, and dropped his pants. Ollie ran over, stole his left boot, and disappeared into the shadows.

As he leaned over her, he looked into her eyes. There were so many emotions present, but what stood out the most was love. Could she love him again? He promised to make her try.

When he entered her, thirty years disappeared, and the woman he'd always loved was beneath him, giving as much as she took. His body remembered hers, and instinct took over. Her hands found his back, and they moved in a rhythm that was their own. She demanded, and he gave. She offered, and he took. They spent the next thirty minutes loving and pleasing each other. He paid attention to those details she spoke of, and once she'd found her release, he settled into a rhythm and raced after his. When they were finished, he held her in his arms. No words needed to be exchanged. Their bodies had done all the talking. Emmaline was his, and he was hers. It was the way it was supposed to be all along.

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