Embedded? She envisioned rocks the size of M&M’s stuck in bloody craters in her cheek and reached a shaky hand up to feel them. Dae took her hand in his and eased her onto her back.
“It’s not nearly as bad as I said. Maybe stuck is a better word than embedded. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He settled the ice pack on her ankle so she didn’t need to hold it.
Stuck. Stuck is better than embedded, right? Would she be permanently scarred? Would he care if she was? Would she? Scars weren’t the end of the world. Perspective, Emily. You’re fine. She wasn’t fine. She was scared shitless.
He must have noticed the fear she felt creeping through her body, because he stayed there, chest to chest, his hands holding her shoulders, his confident, loving eyes gazing down at her.
“It’s okay. They’re tiny, and I promise I’ll be gentle.”
She nodded, breathed deeply, and closed her eyes. She was so scared she wanted to cry, but she felt the press of his lips to hers and felt his hands cup the sides of her head, and it eased that urge away.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered. “I wish it were me who fell.”
She clung to his arms as he gently wiped her injured cheek, thankful she was in his caring, trusted hands.
“Tell me if I’m using too much pressure.”
Every muscle in her body tightened with fear. “Okay.” Her voice was shaky.
He touched his forehead to hers. “Open your eyes, Em.”
She did.
“I won’t hurt you, okay? You don’t need to be scared. This is nothing. It will hurt way less than when you landed on the ground. Okay?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I’m going to use my fingernails to get these out since I don’t have tweezers.” Thunder crashed overhead, and the whole room felt as though it shook. Lightning lit up the room. “I don’t want to wait until we get back to Adelina’s to clean these out, and I don’t want to ask Marcello to come out in this storm to get us. It’s too dangerous.” He grabbed his wet shirt and bundled it into a ball on the floor. Then he washed his fingertips using water from the bottle and hovered over her again. “Close your eyes again.”
He didn’t have to ask twice. She slammed them shut.
“Okay, a little pressure.”
She felt a little scratch just below her cheekbone.
“There, got one. Not so bad, right?”
She couldn’t have answered if she tried. Worry over how much it was going to hurt kept her focused on keeping her eyes shut and clinging to his arms like she was slipping from a raft in a whirlpool.
“Okay, done.”
Her eyes flew open. “Done?”
“Yeah. Breathe, baby. Breathe.” He dug back into his first-aid kit and withdrew a small vial and a tube of Neosporin.
“Is there anything you don’t keep in there?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Condoms.”
She felt her body flush head to toe. “Oh.”
“Not helping,” he said with a teasing smile. “Since meeting you, I keep those in my wallet.” He held up the bottle. “This is hydrogen peroxide.”
He used another piece of gauze to clean out the cut with the peroxide, and then he cleansed the rest of the scratches, which stung but didn’t hurt. He applied Neosporin to the cuts and then sat back on his heels and let out a long breath.
“That’s better.” He ran his hand through his hair, which was beginning to dry on the fringes. “How’s your ankle?”
“Fine. Cold.”
“You really need to leave the ice on for another few minutes. It will help keep the swelling down.” He glanced behind him at the tree. “How does this myth work, anyway? I think it’s time to put it to the test.”
“I’m not sure, but I’ve been putting the pieces together in my mind. I think you’re supposed to write down your wish, or pick something that symbolizes it, and put it in the tree.”
Without a word he grabbed the notebooks from the backpack and handed one, with a pen, to Emily. “Write your wish, baby.”
Before meeting Dae, this would have been her chance to wish for what she’d been telling everyone she wanted for months. This would have been her chance to wish for being swept away in love, cherished and adored. Her chance to ask for love so the green-eyed monster didn’t claw at her every time she saw people snuggling together, sharing secrets and touching each other in that way that only lovers could. She’d spent months dreaming of being loved and loving someone so much that everything else came second, and she’d already found that and more with Dae.
She watched him scribbling his wish in the notebook and the realization that she’d already found love brought a smile to her lips. Her heart was full to the brim, caressed with every glance, every touch. It was just her head that was playing tricks on her.
“Do you think I can make two wishes?”
She laughed. “I have no idea. Maybe?” Two wishes? What was he wishing for?
He nodded and scribbled something else on another piece of paper, then tore them free from the pad and folded them into small squares. He ran his hand through his hair and shrugged as he rose to his feet.
“Here goes.”
He circled the tree, bare from the waist up but still wearing his wet shorts and shoes. His knees and shins were caked with mud. He’d taken perfect care of Emily and had forgotten to care for himself. It seemed impossible to her that someone would do all those things for her, or that she’d let him. It seemed everything Dae did reinforced how narrow her vision of herself had been before meeting him. She was growing as much as their relationship was.
“This still seems really strange to me,” he said. “You know the roots have to snake under the house. How does that work?”
“I’ve seen houses that have been built around trees, but not with the trees engulfing the actual walls of the house.” Emily sat up against the arm of the couch. “And the houses that have a tree growing up the center typically have to be built with a clearance around the tree and above the root system to allow for growth. But I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Okay, well, here go my wishes.” He chose a hole to tuck his wishes into, then pushed them inside. “We’ll see what happens.”
Thunder roared through the sky. A flash of lightning lit up the room, startling Emily.
“I guess Mother Nature didn’t like my wishes.” Dae lowered himself beside her and folded her into his arms.
Emily stared at the memo pad. She wasn’t sure what to wish for. Should she wish for the ability to find a middle ground with Dae? Or that he wouldn’t lose interest in her when he went home and they were thousands of miles apart? Or maybe she should wish that her ankle would get better, or for Serafina’s husband’s safe return? That was surely more important than anything else. Everything other than Serafina’s husband’s safe return seemed enormously selfish.
“What am I seeing? Pain or conflict?” Dae asked.
“Conflict.” It’s like you’re so in tune with me, you can read my mind.
“Thank goodness. That I might be able to help resolve.”
“I’m just not sure what to wish for.”
“Well, you said matters of the heart, and you already have me if you want me, so what else does your heart want?”
“If I want you?”
“I’m confident in my feelings for you, but you, on the other hand, have gone all covert on me.”
She loved that he noticed every little thing about her. It was one of the amazing things about him that kept surprising her, but at that moment, with her conflicting thoughts, she kind of wished he hadn’t noticed.
“What did you wish for?” she asked in an effort to change the subject.
He smiled and ran his hand down her arm. “Your skin is warming up. That’s good.”
“You’re changing the subject from your wish. Why do you look so...?” His eyes had gone smoky again, but behind those dark, seductive eyes she saw frustration. The space between them heated. His hand slid back up her arm, and every
muscle corded tight. She recognized the look in his eyes now as pure sexual need.
He scrubbed his hand down his face. “I’m doing everything I can to distract myself from wanting to make love to you right here on this couch.”
“Now, that sounds like a great distraction from my dilemma.” She licked her lips.
A deep groan slipped from Dae’s lungs as he leaned closer. “Make your damn wish,” he whispered.
“I just did.”
She took his hand and brought it to her breast. “Love me,” she whispered.
“I already do.”
He sealed his lips over hers and kissed her until the sound of the driving rain and the whistles of the wind disappeared, and there was only their breathing, the sound of his hand playing across her skin, and the beating of their hearts. Her hands traveled up his back. She loved his back. All those muscles bunching and flexing beneath her fingers. He was always careful with her, careful to ensure she was okay, that he wasn’t hurting her, and after the way he’d cared for her and poured his soul out for her, something inside her ripped free of its tether. Her breathing quickened, and the air pulsed with need. She loved his careful touch, his desire to pleasure her, but as the room whirred around her with the energy of their bodies coming together in this magical house that supposedly made heartfelt wishes come true, she didn’t want slow and careful. She wanted to disappear into his virility, to burn in the scorching heat she saw in his eyes every time he looked at her. She wanted to stop feeling conflicted over bullshit like his job or hers. She wanted…No. She needed to feel their love tear through her, damn it. Despite the cold, despite her injury, despite the torrential storm pounding the rooftop, she wanted to feel his flesh banging against hers, to feel his hot breath in all the places that craved him. She knew the only way to do that was to show him it was okay, because God forbid he would do the wrong thing by her.
With nervous hands and shaky breath, she pressed her hands to his chest and pushed him backward so he was teetering on the edge of the couch.
He cocked his head and gripped her arms tighter to keep from toppling off. His lust-filled eyes narrowed, driving her ache for him deeper.
Oh yeah, that’s it. That’s what I want. “You need to switch places with me.” The words came soft and tentative instead of rough and take charge, as she’d hoped.
“Your ankle.”
She forced fierceness into her trembling voice. “I don’t give a damn about my ankle. I don’t want you to be careful with me, Dae. Take me like you’d take a one-night stand, or I’m going to take you that way.”
His eyes darkened to nearly black. “Take you like…”
“Yes. Stop thinking and start touching.” She tore at the button on his pants, and he grabbed her wrists. Tears of nerves and sheer need burned in her eyes.
“Hey, slow down.” He searched her eyes, and she knew the second he noticed her tears. His grip loosened and his face nearly crumpled. “Baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”
Why are tears running down my cheeks? This was definitely not what she had planned. The whole day came crashing around her: Adelina’s face when she heard about the demolition. The conflicting feelings she’d felt throughout the day. The overwhelming love for Dae that threatened to strangle her. The pain of the fall and the fear as she’d flown through the air. And then the all-consuming feeling of being safe in Dae’s arms. The look of love in his eyes when he cleaned her cuts. And now the way he was trying to figure out why she was sad when all he wanted to do was make love to her.
“I…” She sucked in a jagged breath. “Dae, I have never felt so much so fast, and with everything that’s happened, I just want you to let go with me. Love me like you don’t have to do the right thing, or hold back, or be super careful.”
A smile spread across his lips, but it never reached his eyes, which were still filled with worry. “Baby. I will love your pain away, but you could never be a one-night stand with me, and what you’ll feel in my touch will never be what a one-night stand would feel like.” His brows drew together and he inched backward. “Unless you’re trying to tell me that you want a one-night stand with me? Because—”
She grabbed his arms and pulled him closer. “No, no, no!” She swallowed her fear and her confusion and let the truth come out. “I want a forever stand with you. I love you, Dae. I want you to love me with every bit of the fierce desire I see in your eyes and feel in your body.”
DAE TRIED TO temper the mounting desire to take Emily at her word and pound into her, but he had to be sure she knew how he really felt. He was hard, horny, and in love, and that was a dangerous combination.
“Baby, I’ll take your body everywhere you want to go. Just know it’s out of love.”
He made quick work of stripping her of her clothes, but as he drew her shorts and panties over her sore ankle, he couldn’t help but notice her flinch, and that was enough of a reminder to reel his lust back a hair. There was more than one way to love a woman he adored and make her forget everything and anything other than them. He positioned himself between Emily’s legs, thanking the heavens above that this was an extra-long couch, and kissed her inner thighs. He stretched out on his stomach and lifted her legs over each of his shoulders, careful not to knock her ankle. Her breasts rose and fell with each heavy breath as his tongue touched the moist cleft between her thighs, and she gasped a breath. She was eager and ready, and he knew how to drive her crazy. He reached up with one hand and rolled her nipple between his finger and thumb as his tongue glided over her again. Her sexy, sensual moan filled the air.
He squeezed harder, and at the same time he thrust two fingers inside her, turning that moan into a breathy plea. Oh, yeah, baby. I’ll take you there.
He lowered his mouth to her as he worked her with both hands. She rocked her hips in to him, and he used his thumb to caress her overly sensitive nerves.
“Dae,” she said in one long, heated breath.
He licked and sucked, teased and pinched until the sounds she made were no longer breathy, but forceful cries of pleasure. He loved her until the last pulse shuddered through her body, and before she recovered, he loved her more, taking her quickly up and over the edge again. She was panting, her arms lying spent beside her body, her legs draped over his shoulders, thighs spread wide, and her lips, her beautiful, full lips, formed a gratified smile. She was desire, passion, and sass all wrapped up in a sweet, tender package.
He ran his tongue along her inner thigh. Goose bumps chased the wetness over her skin.
She arched up, urging him on.
“Christ, you’re amazing,” he whispered. “Promise me tomorrow.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Tomorrow.”
He caught a mischievous gleam in her eyes that sent lust searing through him. He had to have her. Now. He pulled her toward him and thrust his tongue in her mouth. She resisted at first. The taste of herself was probably overwhelming. But within seconds she relaxed into the kiss and then met his passion with her own, clawing at his back and thrusting her tongue against his. He deepened the kiss and rose up on his knees. She wrapped her fingers around his hard length.
“Let me taste you as you’ve tasted me. I want all of you, Dae.” She lowered her mouth and took him in.
Fuuuuuck. His head fell back at the feel of her velvety tongue stroking him.
Her hands tightened around the base of his arousal, driving him out of his damn mind. She quickened her efforts, and he gritted his teeth against the urge to come. He fisted his hands in her hair and tugged her mouth free, then kissed her—deep and rough. She pushed at his chest until their lips parted, and she lowered her mouth and swallowed him again.
“I won’t last, baby,” he groaned through clenched teeth.
She pulled back, releasing his slick eight inches, then licked him base to tip and gazed hungrily into his eyes. “Don’t hold back. I want to taste all of you.”
Holy. Hell.
“I want to pleasure you like you pleasure me.” She
licked him again, swirling her tongue over the sensitive tip. “Come for me, Dae,” she whispered before taking him in her mouth again.
“If I come, I can’t fu…er…love you like you want to be loved.”
She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a deep, throaty voice. “You had it right the first time. There are times in a girl’s life when she wants to be fucked. And, Dae, I want that with you.”
Holy Christ.
“But right now I want this with you more.” She closed her lips over him again, and within seconds of her sweet mouth wrapping around him, he found his release. Hell if she didn’t swallow every drop he had to give as he grunted through the last eruption that rumbled through him. He took her in his arms and kissed her. Deep, hard, and loving.
Emily might be fighting a mental battle over their beliefs, but he refused to believe that what she’d just done wasn’t her way of showing him that she really was committed to being his forever stand.
Chapter Thirteen
DAE WATCHED DAWN spill hazy light into the room. He’d heard voices earlier, and when he’d looked outside, he’d seen a group of women heading into the backyard. Now that he understood more about the property, he knew what those women were there to do. He’d lain beside Emily, listening to the sounds of the women just beyond the wall, and imagined them leaving their wishes for love and babies and other miracles. Miracles.
He glanced down at Emily, sleeping soundly with her cheek resting on his chest. Miracles. She was his miracle. His eyes slid down to her ankle, which wasn’t bruised or swollen, thank goodness. Did the myth apply to wishes for health, too? He’d have to remember to ask Adelina. He could hardly believe that he was contemplating the validity of this place, but he’d wished for Emily’s ankle to heal quickly, and he hoped to hell it would. He exhaled and closed his eyes, trying to pull his thoughts back to familiar territory. Myths and miracles were far from normal thoughts for him.
Emily stirred beside him. He still couldn’t get over how strong she’d been when she hurt her ankle, or the look in her eyes when they were making love last night. They’d found a quilt—now draped over Emily’s naked body—and towels in the trunk beneath the window. Last night he’d brought in one of the large planters from the side yard. It was full of rainwater, and though it was a bit gritty from residue in the bottom of the planter, they’d used the water to wash up.
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