“I don’t know you that well, but I get the feeling there’s a lot going on in that beautiful head of yours. All day I’ve wondered what you were thinking, and right this very second you have a look that makes me want to pull you into my lap and hold you.”
Yes, please. That would feel so nice.
“If you want to share your thoughts, I’d really like to hear them.”
She couldn’t form a response, overwhelmed by what she was just now realizing, much less admit it to a man she’d known only a day, but the longer she stared at him, the clearer the sincerity in his eyes became. They drew her words from her heart.
“I haven’t ever felt like I needed a man in my life. But lately I’ve felt like something was missing. Or like I was missing out on something, I guess. Maybe it’s because my brothers have all recently fallen in love, and I haven’t. They were dead set against relationships whereas I was completely open to one. I don’t really know why I feel like something’s been missing. Maybe I’m too wrapped up in work. Maybe, like you said, I need to grab the happy moments when I can and enjoy life a little more. I don’t really know. But if you want to know what’s going through my mind right now, this very second, I’m wondering why today—why right now—I feel like I’m not missing a darn thing.”
Dae placed his hands on her cheeks and lowered his forehead to hers. “Because you may not need a man in your life, Emily Braden, but sometimes it sure is nice to find someone who makes each day a little better.” He sealed his lips over hers and took her in a deep, mind-numbing kiss. When their lips finally parted, he ran his thumb over her lower lip and gazed into her eyes.
“Yeah.” It came out in one long breath. Her lips tingled, and she felt dizzy with desire. “That must be why.”
“Or maybe it’s because you got to see the places you’ve been dreaming about and eat Italian gelato while looking out over the Arno River.” He stepped from the car, and when he came around to her side, he reached for her hand.
She grabbed her purse with a grin she had no hope of restraining. “I think it was that first thing you mentioned.”
He slid his arm around her waist, and they followed a slate path toward the two-story villa. The porch was illuminated by yellow lights on either side of the large arched windows, highlighting the dips and grooves of the rough stone walls. Set against the backdrop of the midnight-blue sky, broken only by the branches and foliage of large trees set off to the west, the villa looked like it belonged on the cover of a romance novel.
Dae pulled her closer. “Smells like Adelina and Serafina have been busy baking.”
Emily was so focused on Dae that she hadn’t noticed the smell of fresh-baked bread. “I love that they bake together. Are you close to your parents?” She didn’t want the night to end. She wanted to walk a million miles by Dae’s side, feeling the strength of his grip and hearing his deep, sexy voice as they got to know each other better.
“I am.”
They sat on a wooden bench on the porch. It felt natural for Emily to snuggle beneath the crook of his arm, and with the realization came surprise. Emily mulled over that surprise, dissected it, turned it until she began to see herself with a little less reservation. The part of her that had been pushing her in ways that were new and scary, but also sensually exciting, somehow knew that being with Dae felt right in all the best ways. And now she knew it, too, which took away some of that fear but left all of the good stuff.
“My parents adopted me when I was a baby. My birth mom is Korean, and my father was American. He was in Korea on business, and well…Then came me.” He ran his hand through his hair and shrugged, a there-you-have-it shrug.
“That’s how you got that dangerous sex appeal. Your looks are so intriguing. It must be the combination of Korean and American heritage. I bet your parents were both very beautiful. Now I know your secret.”
“Dangerous, huh?” He kissed her temple.
“That’s what you picked up on? Yes, dangerous enough to make me fumble for words, and I never fumble for words. Do you know your birth mom?” She ran her finger along the seam of his jeans, wanting to be closer to him but also wanting to get to know him better first.
“I have access to who she is and I can reach out to her, but from what I’ve been told, she isn’t really interested in meeting me. She was shamed by the pregnancy. Her family actually shunned her for months.” The muscles in his leg tensed beneath her touch.
“Oh, that’s horrible.” She couldn’t imagine being shunned by her family, but worse, she wondered what it did to Dae to know it was because she had conceived him.
“Yeah. I was pretty mad when I found out, and then I went through this guilty phase. Like I’d ruined her life or something. But my family helped me realize that I didn’t ruin her life. I was just the product of her emotions. I mean, people have sex; women get pregnant. You can’t blame the child for that. Human emotions are what they are. My biological father and my birth mother’s family are the ones who made her feel bad about getting pregnant, which is really sort of sick and definitely mean.”
Emily curled her legs up beneath her on the bench and turned her body toward him. “I can’t imagine what she must have gone through.”
“People can be assholes.” He tucked Emily’s hair behind her ear, and in return, she ran her fingers through his, brushing it away from his face. Her hand came to rest on the back of his neck, and she felt him tense a little under her touch.
She wondered if it was from her touch or the topic of his parents.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since last night,” she admitted.
“I’ve wanted you to do that since last night.”
“Oh.”
His lips quirked up in a half smile.
She remembered what he’d said about her saying “Oh” and pressed her lips together. She’d never been with a man who had been so open about how she made him feel, and knowing that a simple word could have such an effect on him made her happy and confident and nervous all at once.
He cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her lips. “What am I going to do with you, sweet Emily?”
She shrugged and answered by bringing her lips to his again, kissing him softly at first, then matching his desire as he deepened the kiss. He buried his hand in her hair and held on tight. His other hand lifted her legs over his so she was sitting half on his lap. His hand came to rest on her thigh.
“I like what you’re doing with me right now.” She brushed the back of his neck with her thumb, and his eyes darkened.
“You do, do you?” He kissed her again, and the heat of his hand spread up her thighs and between her legs. Until last night, it had been a very long time since she’d felt the tug of desire. She couldn’t remember ever longing to be touched and tasted as she was with every stroke of Dae’s tongue. She’d never had the urge to kiss every inch of a man’s body. Those were things she’d talked about with girlfriends as if she’d felt them, too, even though the mere act of pretending had made her feel like she was missing out. Her girlfriends probably really did have those urges. Heck, according to them, they’d had them since they were teenagers, while Emily had played along so she didn’t feel left out. She’d never really understood what she was missing until now. She’d never felt the avalanche of lust that was breaking down every barrier she never even realized she’d constructed.
This is it. This was what had plagued her these last few months. Something in her heart must have known she was missing this. Needing this. Needing him. Dae. Heat filled her veins as Dae’s lips slid to the corner of her mouth, then trailed kisses down her neck to the crest of her shoulder. A moan escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes against it. She desperately wanted to give in to this feeling, to let her body get swept away and devoured. But something in the back of her mind nagged at her. It was these feelings that had caused Dae’s birth mother to experience such heartache. These overwhelming desires could drive her to make bad decisions.
But his lips felt so
good on her skin. And his teeth, as he nipped at her skin, sent shivers right through her.
Dae drew back, and she clutched the back of his shirt, keeping him close. She opened her eyes and met his heated stare.
“You didn’t eat dinner,” he half whispered.
What? “Not hungry.”
He pressed his lips together in a hard line. “It’s late. I should let you get some sleep.”
“Not tired.” What are you doing?
“Emily,” he breathed.
Anything.
He searched her eyes as he brought his hand from her thigh to her cheek.
No! Put it back! She wanted to feel him close to her most private places, even if they weren’t taking things further—or maybe they would. Either way, she wanted to feel the heat of his hand crawling up her thigh.
“It’s late.” He shifted his eyes to the empty yard. “We’re on the front porch.”
He lifted her legs off of his, rose, and drew her to her feet. Her heart thundered in her chest as he folded her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and went up on her toes to kiss him again, even though he’d tried to sever that connection. He met her halfway in a tender kiss that ended way too soon. She should stop trying to kiss him, but her mind and body were reeling out of control. Before she could process what he was doing, he grabbed her purse from the bench and led her inside and up the stairs toward her room.
He wasn’t even trying to sleep with her, but in her head she was trying to figure out if she was really ready for what she wanted—which was to be beneath him. Naked. Her thighs pressed against his hips. She took stock of her emotions. Oh hell, she couldn’t take stock of anything. She was too amped up to think of anything other than making out with Dae. At the door to her room, she fished her keys from her purse.
Her mouth went dry at the thought of going further with him, and he wasn’t even trying to go further. She felt like they were on the cusp of something real, and she worried that rushing into sex might somehow tarnish that.
Dae took the keys from her hand and wrapped his arms around her again. His hair fell around their faces, and the air beneath it warmed.
“Emily, I’m so attracted to everything about you.”
“Me too, you.” OhGodohGodohGod.
“If I go in that room, we’re going to get to know each other very, very well.”
“Yes.”
“I want that with you. I want to know every inch of you.”
Her body hummed with anticipation. “Yes.”
He touched his forehead to hers. “I’m so glad you didn’t say, Oh.”
She managed a smile, but nerves had stolen her voice.
“Em, I don’t want a fling with you because I’m not a guy who has flings. I can’t. I mean, I can. I’m capable, and I did when I was young and stupid, but…” He closed his eyes for a beat and shook his head.
His eyes were as apologetic as they were sincere. He was a gentleman at heart, which made him even more attractive.
She swallowed past her nerves as the pieces began to fall into place. She forced herself to speak. “Because of your birth mom?”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “It didn’t sink in until I was in college. I suddenly realized that I could cause the same pain my mother experienced, and I don’t want to do that. I know that makes me sound strange, or weak, or some shit like that, but…” He shrugged. “It’s who I am now.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.
His brows knitted together. “Not the reaction I was expecting, but okay.”
“No, not because I don’t want to sleep with you. I do. But…I’m out of practice.” Out of practice? What am I doing, playing golf?
“Out of practice?”
“Not practice. Dae, you make me flustered.” She sighed. “It’s been a long time, and I’m really enjoying this. Us. And I was worried that sleeping together tonight might change things.” She pressed in closer, feeling less flustered now that she’d told him how she felt, and knowing the kind of man he was made telling him, and moving in closer, that much easier. Better. More meaningful. She pressed her hand to his chest and smiled up at him.
“Dae, I like that you don’t want to cause any trouble for me, even though I’m a big girl and know how to protect myself against pregnancy.”
He pressed his hands to her cheeks again and kissed her again, nearly pushing her hesitation out of the way completely.
“So do I, but that’s not the point. There’s more than one way to hurt a person. Sometimes the worst pain comes from things you can’t see. It’s not about pregnancies. It’s about what’s in here.” He placed his hand above her left breast, covering her heart, and it made her pulse speed up even more. “Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
Tomorrow. “I promised you tomorrow, didn’t I?” I’m so glad we have tomorrow. I want a lot of tomorrows with you.
“Yes, and I intend to take full advantage of every minute.”
“Promises, promises.” She smiled to let him know she was teasing. Sort of.
“There are two things I never do. The first is break a promise. The second is the wrong thing.”
“That’s impossible. Everyone does the wrong thing at some point in their lives.”
“Not if I can help it.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Buonanotte bella. Lo sogno di voi.” He dropped her hand and bowed before walking away slowly.
“You lost me after good night, beautiful.”
“Sleep well. I shall dream of you.”
She had the urge to run to him and leap into his arms, but her legs wouldn’t move. She was swept up in the essence of him. If she moved, she’d surely fall.
He blew her a kiss as he unlocked his door. “Good night, sweet Emily.”
“Good night, Dae.”
She unlocked her door and willed herself to step inside. After closing her door behind her, she leaned against it and closed her eyes. What a day! What a night! What a kiss! She tried to calm her racing heart, but even breathing deeply didn’t lessen the excitement she felt.
She opened her eyes with a dreamy sigh and turned on the lights. Her keys and purse dropped to the floor at the sight of vases and planters filled with beautiful, vibrant red poppies. They covered the dresser, the bedside table, and from where she stood, she saw that there were planters in the bathroom as well. Nothing was left undecorated. Rustic, heavy planters lined the floor by the glass doors that led to the balcony, spilling over with bright red blooms. Emily’s eyes filled with tears as they swept over the petal-covered bedspread, where a white envelope sat nestled on her pillow.
“Dae,” she whispered. She reached for the card and opened it carefully, wondering when he’d had time to ask Adelina to help him pull this off. She realized that he couldn’t have written the note, but she didn’t care. It was his voice she heard as she read the words.
My sweet Emily,
It was the light in your eyes that first attracted me to you last night, but it was the energy radiating from you that drew me closer. And it was you, Em, who kept me there. Thank you for the wonderful day. I can’t wait to spend tomorrow with you.
—Possibly yours, Dae
Emily fell back on the bed, clasping the card to her chest. She squealed and kicked her feet up and down with glee, then bolted upright. He was right beyond that wall. She could bang on his door and thank him. She should do that. She wanted to do that. But he’d given no indication that he’d planned anything like this. Maybe he didn’t want her to say thank you.
Well, then, what could she do? What might he want? She stared at the wall that separated them and smiled. Dae Bray, you are so impossibly wonderful.
She remembered that he had texted her the pictures from earlier. Perfect! She snagged her purse from the floor and dug her phone out. She had several missed texts. She scrolled through them. Daisy. Wes. Elisabeth. Callie. Luke. Ross. Rebecca. Pierce. Jake. And finally, Dae. She rolled her eyes, surp
rised her mother hadn’t texted, too. Daisy must have told someone about Dae, which must have sent the Braden grapevine into motion. She wondered how loud the buzz was around Trusty, where gossip spread faster than wildfire—and how long it would take for her brothers to call out the armed forces if she didn’t respond to their texts. She stared at the phone, and as she decided what to text to Dae, she texted Daisy. It was late afternoon in Colorado and a weekend, so she was sure to get the text.
Someone can’t keep a secret. Tsk, tsk, tsk. After hitting send, she scrolled through the pictures that Dae had texted earlier in the day. Dae’s gorgeous dark eyes stared back at her. In every picture he had his arm around her, and she looked happy. Happier than she’d seen herself look in ages. Ever. Even in the picture he’d snapped when she was out of sorts, she had a dreamy look in her eyes. When she reached the picture of them in the poppy field, she wondered if he’d known then that he was going to fill her room with them. She still wasn’t sure how he’d pulled it off. There were so many flowers!
She scrutinized the pictures again, wondering if the relaxed, happy look in her eyes was from being away from the stresses of everyday life: work, keeping up with family, which wasn’t really a stressor but still added pressure to her days. The stress of wondering if she’d ever meet a man she’d want to go out with. She sighed at how often she used to wonder just that and mused at how true it was that people met at the least expected times.
She scrolled through the pictures again, and she knew the sparkle in her eyes and what had her heart doing a little happy jig in her chest had little to do with where she was and everything to do with the handsome, sexy, playful man staring back at her from the tiny iPhone screen.
She texted Dae.
The poppy fairy visited my room. I think he’s about six two with bedroom eyes and hair any girl would die for. I love them. The flowers, that is. Well, and your eyes and hair. The only thing that would make them (the flowers) better is if you were here with me. Xox.
Dreaming of Love Page 6