“No. That’s what I say after I have sex with you.” He leaned up on his elbow and grinned down at her. “It wasn’t wow for you?”
“Oh, it was wow, all right, but so much more than wow.” She scooted closer, pressing her side against him. She’d come so close to giving up on finding this type of connection. She didn’t know how to verbalize what she really felt. She didn’t even understand it herself. She was so happy, but in the back of her mind she worried about what he’d told her. He was a demolitionist. Okay, well, she could deal with that, but she was having trouble thinking about him demolishing that beautiful house with the tree. And what if that really was the House of Wishes?
She couldn’t process the conflicting emotions. She pushed them away and reached for him instead, dragging her finger down his cheek, and loved that he closed his eyes, looking peaceful and happy. “I love your face.” She ran her fingers through his hair and fisted her hand in it. “And your hair. It’s insanely sexy.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you love my face. It’s the only one I have, and I guess I’ll cancel my crew-cut appointment.” The tease in his eyes made her smile.
“I can’t even imagine you with short hair.”
“Oh, there was a time when I tried to conform. When I was in college, I was Mr. Clean Cut for the first semester, until I realized that fitting in with others was highly overrated.”
“I thought your parents were hippies.”
He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly. “They were hippyish. My father’s in the military, but he’s not at all what you’d expect. He’s not regimented and it’s like he expected that we would stray from the rules. He was like the anti-military man, and my mom was definitely a free spirit, like my sisters. They just have different ideals, you know? They were all about life experiences, owning our feelings and our personalities, even if it made us different from everyone else. They never hounded us or grounded us, like most parents do. My mom always said life was about experiencing the moment, not controlling it. I’m sure that’s why I believe in working hard but enjoying life instead of working myself to the bone and missing out. And…it’s why I thought I should try to fit in and conform. I thought that when I went to college, fitting in was important, conforming to the norms.” He flicked his hair. “You know, trendy haircuts and clothing? It’s no different from girls wearing the right shoes or owning the right purse.”
“I guess. Your parents sound like they just wanted to be sure their kids were happy.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty lucky in that regard. It sounds like you are, too, though, with your mom and your brothers.”
“Yes, definitely. Although my mom made sure we made the grades, so to speak. I think she always worried that coming from a single-parent family, we might fall short or something might fall through the cracks. But she has always put family above all else.” She looked off into the distance, strolling down memory lane, remembering the way her mother used to check each of their backpacks, make their lunches, take her brothers to sports practices, and attend every game. She was very present in their lives, and Emily loved that. She still did.
“What are you thinking?”
“Just that I really had a great childhood. Even without my dad around, I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. And I’m really glad that you made me see that I didn’t need to do work every second I was here. Thank you.”
“Em, what’s it like for you back in Colorado? Are you the same person there as you are here?”
Am I the same person? She thought about what she was like at home, how many hours she worked, how she was in almost daily contact with her family. “I’m not sure. I mean, I’m basically the same person, but I work a lot, so…”
“So, do you date very often?” He drew his brows together.
“Do I hear a hint of jealousy?”
“Maybe.”
She arched up and kissed him. “No need to be, but I love that you are. The town I live in is so small, and gossip spreads really fast, so I kind of lie low on the whole dating scene. To be honest, I haven’t met many guys in the last few years that I’ve wanted to date. What about you?”
“About the same as you. On and off, but nothing serious. I was thinking that after you went back to Colorado, I’d come visit. I’ll be staying at my house in Denver. How far away is Trusty? A few hours?”
Her heart soared. Denver. He had a house in Denver! She hoped they’d last beyond Italy, but this made it all seem very real and possible. “I forgot you were going to Denver. It’s only two hours away. When will you have time to see me?”
“That depends on how soon you want to see me.”
She pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him. Her hair shielded their faces. She stretched her lips into a big, cheesy smile. “The day I get home.”
He gripped her hips, and his laugh vibrated through his chest. “Don’t you think you want some time to settle in?”
“Nope. Meet me at the airport. I get into the Denver Airport Saturday at two thirty in the afternoon Colorado time. It’s going to be so weird to be back home.”
“You mean the jet lag?”
“Forget the time difference and jet lag; it’s going to be weird being there instead of here with you. Although being there with you will be just as good.” She leaned down and kissed him, then drew back quickly, too excited to stay still.
“Will you really come see me?” She felt him getting hard beneath her. Worry fought to overtake her elation and desire. How would they piece together their lives when their fundamental beliefs were so very different?
“Even your overprotective brothers couldn’t keep me away.” He wrapped his arms around her and shifted her beneath him again, so his hips claimed the space between her thighs. “By the way, can you cook?” he asked against her lips.
Could he read her mind? “That’s a weird question. Not very well.”
He kissed her again. His hand slid down her side and gripped her hip, and thoughts of their conflicting careers slipped away.
“Hmm. A guy has to make sure of these things.” He nipped at her jaw, then kissed his way to her breasts. “Can you clean?” He licked her nipple, and she gasped.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can clean, or yes…”
She chuckled. “Both.”
“Then maybe I’ll even stay overnight.”
She lifted her knee and rolled him onto his back again, feeling bold and brave and wanting to continue unleashing and exploring this new side of her that she hadn’t realized was tethered. And she wanted to explore it with him. “I have other talents that are far more important than cooking or cleaning.” She splayed her hands on his rippled abs and traced the lines around his muscles with her tongue. “You can choose one room for me to excel in. One room.” She kissed a path between his hips, then followed the vee of muscles down to the crest of his thigh. Her body shivered with delight at the way his body reacted to her touch, all his muscles tensing, his eyes darkening to nearly black.
“One room,” he said in a gravelly voice.
She wrapped her fingers around his hard length and licked the tip. “Choose carefully,” she whispered.
He sucked in air between gritted teeth as she swallowed him deep.
“Holy hell, Em.”
She teased and licked, then swallowed him deep, over and over again, her hand wrapped securely around him, following her mouth up and back down. She squeezed as she reached the tip, then eased her grip on the way back down. He groaned and grasped her shoulders.
“Em.”
She opened her eyes and met his gaze as she licked him from base to tip.
“Fuck.” He closed his eyes and dropped his head back to the pillow.
Heat seared through Emily’s body. She loved knowing she had this effect on him. She licked and stroked until he fisted his hands in the sheets. His thighs tensed and his hips bucked as he reached for her. She crawled up his body and he rolled her onto her back and reached
for another condom. He was perched on his knees between her thighs, every muscle in his gorgeous body corded tight with need. His hands shook as he tore open the condom, pinning Emily to the bed with a dark, hungry stare. She rose and helped him with the thin latex sheath. He lowered her to the bed and followed her down, taking her in a greedy kiss as their bodies joined together in a hard collision of hips and mouths. She’d been with only a few men and never before had she felt so full, had she fit together with a man as if they were two halves of one whole. He plunged and thrust, taking her right up to the edge of coming apart, and then he withdrew slowly, tearing a whimper from her lungs. He pushed in equally as unhurried as his tongue swept over hers in lovingly long and slow strokes, until her entire body trembled with need. She pressed on his hips, urging him for more, arched to meet each careful thrust.
He smiled against her lips. “In a rush?”
“You’re driving me insane. Please, Dae, I need more of you.”
She ran her fingers lightly up the curve of his back and felt him shiver against her. Still he didn’t quicken his pace. She clutched his ass and pulled him to her.
“You took me right to the edge,” he whispered, then bit down on her earlobe and sucked it into his mouth.
She was going to lose her mind. “Please,” she whispered.
He kissed the dip below her earlobe, and she heard amusement in his voice.
“Please what?”
“Go faster. Harder. Please.”
He rocked his hips, probing deeper, until she felt every blessed inch of him; then he undulated in a slow, rhythmic motion, sending shocks of fire down to her toes.
“Oh…Ah…”
“Faster isn’t always better, baby.” He took her in another kiss, robbing her of her thoughts as her toes curled under and her hips shot up off the bed.
His kiss turned relentless, penetrating and rough, and God help her—she loved the hell out of it. She clawed at his back, tangled her hands in his hair, pulled him to her, and returned his passion. She lifted her hips and wrapped her legs around his waist. A moan of desire escaped her lips.
“That’s it, baby,” he coaxed against her mouth. “Let go. Let me hear how much you want us.”
Holy. Cow. She couldn’t stop the sexy moans of sluttiness escaping her lungs if she tried. And she didn’t want to. She was loving her new sexiness as much as she loved how he reacted to it.
“Holy hell, you turn me on,” he whispered.
His hand slid down and cupped her ass, lifting her hips as he drove in deeper, bringing her right up to the edge again. She couldn’t breathe, was lost in the tightening in her lower belly that was racing lower, and finally, blissfully, consumed her. She was vaguely aware of his other hand fisted in her hair. He tugged her head back, opening her mouth to him as he sealed his lips over hers. Every inch of her body throbbed, overstimulated and sizzling with ecstasy. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and—thank the heavens above—he breathed for her as his own powerful release tore through him. His body shook and thrust until the last pulse of his orgasm subsided.
He rested his head on her chest. Emily ran her fingers through his hair, trying to gain control of her emotions, her limbs, her brain. Dae not only made her feel beautiful and respected her needs and desires, but he knew how to make her body sing in all the right ways. She could get used to falling asleep in his arms. She wanted to get used to sleeping with him and waking with him and everything in between. She craved him like a drug and knew she was at no risk of overdosing—but would enjoy trying.
“Every room,” he said.
“What?” She laughed.
“You said I could choose one room for you to excel in. I want to choose every room in the house. I don’t care if you cook and clean. I was kidding about that, but I’d love to devour you in every room.”
She wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed, loving his playfulness. “How do you know I don’t have roommates?”
“Blindfolds work wonders.”
She felt him smile against her chest. “You’re a naughty, naughty boy, Mr. Bray.” She imagined Dae at the bottom of a steep hill, arms wide open, welcoming her, accepting her, caring for her—but behind him, the world was crumbling down in a shower of concrete and stone, with plumes of dust billowing into the air. Her earlier worry pressed in on her again. How can we piece together our lives when our fundamental beliefs are so very different?
“I was talking about blindfolds for the roommates.” He lifted his warm dark eyes and met her gaze. “I like to see your eyes. They tell me exactly what you’re feeling and sometimes what you’re thinking.”
She shifted her eyes away, and he rolled off of her. Emily turned away from his gorgeous body as he walked, naked and completely comfortable, to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. She gazed out the glass balcony doors into the starry sky. What was she going to do? She’d never felt this much for anyone before, and she didn’t want to, couldn’t, wouldn’t, turn her back on those feelings.
The mattress sank, and Dae’s arm curled around her, pulling her against him. He kissed her cheek and whispered, “I already saw your eyes, babe. You don’t need to look away from me. I know something’s on your mind.”
Why did she suddenly feel like she was going to cry? She turned toward him, their foreheads touching, and she settled her hand on his cheek. He wrapped his strong arm around her again and tucked her body against his.
“You blow things up. I preserve them.” She hated the way her voice cracked.
“Those are our jobs, Em.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “No one said a relationship between us would be easy, but you can’t deny the connection you feel when you’re with me.” He tipped up her chin and looked lovingly into her eyes. “You can’t deny it, because I feel it, too, babe. When I think of you, when I’m with you, when I hear your voice…You have already become a part of me. It’s like the moment our eyes met, my heart decided you were the missing piece I never knew I needed.”
She couldn’t deny the connection, and she didn’t want to. “I’m not denying it. But how…?”
“I don’t know. Somehow.”
Somehow. She wanted to believe in somehow.
“I told you that I won’t do the wrong thing by you. Trust me.”
She did. She would.
She closed her eyes and absorbed the comfort he offered, and as he pressed his lips to her forehead again, she seared the feel of him to memory.
Just in case.
Chapter Ten
EMILY AWOKE TO bright sunlight streaming across her face. She turned away from the sunlight, and Dae came into focus, sitting on the corner of the bed with her itinerary beside him and a map spread across his legs. He turned as the bed dipped with her movements.
“Good morning, beautiful.” He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.
She couldn’t stifle her dreamy sigh. I’ve got it bad, despite my niggling worry about our jobs conflicting. She watched his eyes shift back to the map.
“I’m making sure I’ve got you covered for today. I’ve packed my backpack with everything from first-aid supplies to water and protein bars.”
“First-aid stuff? Power bars? Are we going on a mountainous trek?”
“No.” He laughed.
“Don’t you think you’re overpreparing for an afternoon in Italy?”
“That would be no, thank you very much. Besides, this from the girl who had every second planned for her entire trip?”
“I planned where to go, not how to survive the wilderness.”
He laughed. “I’ve got my girl to look after. And now…” He waved her itinerary. “I’m making sure I’ve got all the things on your itinerary covered.”
Of course you are.
“You’re very good to me.”
“You’re easy to be good to.”
So this was how love happened. Her brothers had fallen in love so fast with their fiancées, and she’d never questioned it. The love they shared exuded
from every touch, every glance, every stolen kiss. She felt so completely taken with Dae that she wondered if it was as obvious from them as it had been in her brothers’ relationships.
How could it? Our jobs are so different. Surely that was what people would see when they were together. From what she’d seen, her brothers and their significant others hadn’t ever had that type of strife.
Then how did Adelina see love in Dae’s eyes?
And why did she tell me to go to the House of Wishes?
The House of Wishes. That’s it.
“I want to add something to my itinerary.” She pulled the sheets up to cover her chest and sat up beside him. He was wearing a pair of black boxer briefs, and he looked entirely too edible.
“Anything you want, babe.”
“The House of Wishes.” She tried—and failed—to restrain her smile as he slid his eyes to her.
He brought a hand to her cheek and kissed her lips before sighing loudly.
“House of Wishes.”
“Yes. I don’t care if it’s the same house you gave me directions to or not. I want to go, and I want to go with you.” She didn’t know why, but all of a sudden it felt very important that they do this together.
“This will throw a hitch into my perfectly mapped-out bike tour.” His words were stern, but his eyes were bright and good-humored.
“Bike tour?”
“Yup. You promised me today, and I promised you that you’d see everything on your itinerary. I want to experience the outdoors of Italy with you, not just the sites, and that means compromising.” His lips spread into a wide grin. “Still game?”
She hadn’t ridden a bike in ages, although that didn’t worry her. But she’d kind of been looking forward to those long drives where he held her hand. The idea of pedaling her heart out between sites didn’t exactly thrill her.
“I see the gears turning in your beautiful head again.” He set the map aside and pulled her onto his lap. The sheets fell, leaving her bare to her waist. She felt him get hard beneath her bottom. “You’re amazing.” He draped the sheet around her and lifted her hand, curling her fingers around the two ends of the sheet so she was holding it up. “Trust me?”
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