From Your Heart

by Shannyn Schroeder

  Kathy’s brows furrowed. “Probably. I’ve never taken a whole weekend off, but I don’t see why not.”

  “You haven’t had a weekend off since you opened the shop?” What the hell kind of life had she been living?

  “Nope.”

  “Then we’re definitely going away. Give me a couple of weeks and I’ll plan it all.” His mind raced with ideas about where they could go.

  “Bossy.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Just being your person. You might not need to be talked down from a ledge, but you need a vacation. I’ll handle it.”

  She smiled softly up at him and then yawned. Covering her mouth, she said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what has gotten into me.”

  “Let’s head to the car.”

  When they got back to the front of the building, he waved to the car that sat waiting for them. “Your place or mine?”

  “Yours is fine.”

  His night just did a one-eighty. He wanted Kathy in his home. He wanted her there all the time, but after the key incident, he knew he couldn’t pressure her into more. He opened the door to the car and waited for her to slide in.

  He sat beside her and fought the urge to make out with her like a teenager because he knew he wouldn’t stop at making out.

  “So did the night turn out to be a success?” she asked.

  He studied her face and although he knew she asked about his work, he answered thinking only about her. “I think so.”

  Falling in love wasn’t something he’d spent much time thinking about until all of his siblings had taken the plunge. Then he was surrounded. Even then, it was more of an abstract idea of something he wanted to have one day.

  Knowing that day was today should’ve scared him. Instead, he felt at peace.

  Well, peaceful except for the intense desire to fuck Kathy’s brains out. But that was all his hormones and cock. His heart, his heart was at peace in a way he’d never experienced.

  “What are you thinking about? It’s making me a little nervous. You’re never this quiet.”

  “Us.” He took her hand. “I’m glad we reconnected and that you’re giving me another chance.”

  “Me too.” Her answering smile was soft, but the lust in her eyes matched the feeling in his gut. Thankfully, there was little traffic and they were almost at his apartment.

  When the driver parked, Kevin handed him a couple of bills and slid from the car, still holding Kathy’s hand and her gaze. As soon as they were standing on the sidewalk, he pulled her to him and kissed her. He wanted her to feel what he felt underneath the lust and desire.

  But he couldn’t say it. Not yet.

  He pulled her face away from his, but kept the rest of her body in place. “Let’s take this upstairs,” she whispered.

  Walking backward, he led her toward the steps of the two flat. She laughed against his lips. “We’re gonna fall. Let’s be adults and walk. I promise that once we’re inside your apartment, I won’t say a word. I’ll just strip immediately.”

  Her words had him hard and he spun and yanked her to the steps. He shoved the old heavy door open, holding it for Kathy because he knew if she wasn’t prepared for it, it would slam against her. Then he patted her ass to get her to go up the stairs in front of him.

  “Pushy.” She jogged up the stairs. With a flick of her eyes over her shoulder she added, “I think I like it.”

  That had him racing behind her with keys in hand. The door was unlocked in record time. True to her word, she kept her lips together and slipped her sandals off. Then she reached behind her and released the zipper of her dress. The material began to gape in the front, but Kevin moved to her and held the straps.

  “I’ll take care of this.” He moved the straps from her shoulders and kissed the soft skin. He made his way across her collarbone to her neck.

  He let the dress slip a few inches to reveal the top swell of her breasts, and he paid close attention on his path south. Peeling back the cups of her bra, he sucked on each nipple in turn until Kathy sucked in a breath.

  The dress slid from his grasp as he moved back to her mouth. Her tongue made him forget what he’d been thinking. Her fingers moved quickly to remove his tie and unbutton his shirt before he regained his ability to think.

  He stilled her hands. “We’re going at my pace tonight.”

  “We’re always doing things your way. Maybe it’s my turn.”

  “Trust me. This is all about you.”

  He let the dress pool at her feet and then tugged her to follow him through his apartment. He might not be able to tell her how he felt, but before the night was through, he would show her.

  * * *

  Kathy followed Kevin to his bedroom. He never failed to completely turn her on with his bedroom games of control and bossiness. But tonight felt different. It wasn’t the frustration she’d felt earlier at his complete neglect of her and their date. That she understood. She didn’t like it, but she understood.

  It wasn’t even how that slight irritation had disappeared when he’d looked at her on the beach and in the car back to his place.

  Something shifted and it was uncomfortable, different, but not necessarily bad. She just couldn’t put her finger on it.

  So she allowed him to lead her through his apartment and make demands of her body because she knew she would come out the other side feeling sated and wonderful.

  The rest could wait.

  She reached around to unclasp her bra.

  “Did I tell you to do that?”

  She simply cocked an eyebrow at him. Bossiness was one thing, but she had lines for the control she’d give him.

  After turning the bedside lamp on low, leaving a warm glow through the room, he neared her and tugged the satin from her body. “Just for tonight. Let me do this. Let me do it all.”

  Her heart rate kicked up. Something in his eyes shot through her. This was important, but she still wasn’t seeing the why of it. Yet she wanted to trust him, so she nodded. He stripped down, leaving his suit in a pile on the floor. As much as she wanted to reach for him, to stroke his hard cock, to give him some relief, she stood still and waited.

  He pulled her toward the bed. When she was lying on her back, he stretched out beside her and began a slow, torturous assault on her body. He stroked and caressed and kissed, swallowing her moans as he brought her to the brink of orgasm repeatedly.

  Using his hands and then his mouth and tongue, he lit a fire under her skin everywhere he touched. Every nerve burned, her blood raced white hot.

  “Why are you doing this to me? Do you want me to beg?”

  “No, sweetheart. I want to be deep inside you so we can go there together.” He rose above her and plunged into her in one long, smooth stroke. His rhythmic thrusts continued to keep her on edge, even as she tried to shift and angle her hips or lock her ankles around his waist to pull him deeper.

  Oh, but Lord, the man knew what he was doing. Her body was moving to a different plane. When he finally let them both go, explosive couldn’t even begin to describe the orgasm that rocked them.

  Kevin continued his slow slide in and out of her body as the tremors and aftershocks continued to ebb and flow. He gave her a smirk that told her he planned to make her come again, which at this point sounded impossible, but her body had a mind of its own. And at the moment, Kevin controlled it.

  He peppered her face with kisses. A fresh orgasm built and he seated himself deep inside her body. With his lips on her ear, he whispered, “I love you.”

  She froze.

  He rocked, and her body belonged to him. She broke in ways she’d never felt before. He must’ve known because he simply held her afterward. He hadn’t completely collapsed on her, but his body continued to cover hers.

  Her brain was filled with white noise. Nothing filtered through. No thoughts. No sound. But her heart was erratic, and it wasn’t just the wild ride of multiple orgasms. She kept her eyes closed as her body floated on that alternate plane. Slowly
, her brain started to function.

  Kevin had said he loved her.

  He was a smooth talker, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to use those words lightly. She knew that about him. But would he use them in the heat of the moment? She didn’t want to think so, but that would mean that he believed he was in love with her.

  What was she supposed to do with that?

  He began to stir on top of her. His breathing regulated. He pushed away and pulled out of her. As he took care of the condom, she kept her eyes closed because she was still trying to process his words.

  The mattress dipped when he returned to her side. His fingers skimmed her ribs and goose bumps rose. She lifted her heavy eyelids to look at him. His eyes were bright.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice rough and scratchy and downright sexy.

  “Hey, yourself,” she whispered, hoping she sounded playful and not scared.

  “I’m usually more in control of my mouth than that. Somehow you manage to make me lose my mind every time I’m inside you.”

  Yeah, she knew that feeling.

  His palm settled flat against her hip, anchoring her to him. “But what I said was true. I didn’t mean to say it right now because I know you weren’t ready to hear it, but now it’s out there.”

  She sighed and threw an arm across her face. This was worse than him just being careless.

  He pulled her arm away and levered himself over her body once again so they were nose to nose. “I’m not expecting you to say it in return.” He kissed her gently. “But in the craziness tonight, when it seemed like everything was going wrong, I looked over and saw you and it hit me. You make me incredibly happy. I’m a better person with you in my life. I do love you. And I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to realize you love me too.”

  Kathy stopped breathing. It was the only explanation for the sharp pain in her chest. Either that or she was having a heart attack. Her eyes filled, and she felt stupid. She closed her eyes against the tears. She had no reason to cry, so it must be the lack of oxygen.

  She wanted to tell him she loved him too. Part of her did, she was sure. But the part of her that still feared trusting him poked at her and made her hold back. She had no doubt that Kevin cared about her. But love? She wasn’t sure he truly understood what that meant. Even if he did, was he really ready for the commitment he said he wanted?

  “You okay?” he whispered as he nuzzled her neck. “No freak-outs in my bed. Only good things happen here.”

  Her laugh took her by surprise. It bubbled up and pushed past whatever was blocking her chest and throat. “Someone’s full of himself as usual,” she said.

  “Ah, but there’s no denying it.”

  Just like that, he put her at ease with his simple flirtation. “Are you as good in other rooms?” she asked.

  “I’m good everywhere.”

  “Prove it.”

  “Give me a few minutes and I will.”

  She slapped his ass. “You don’t need a few minutes for what I want. I’m hungry. Go find me some food.”

  He groaned, but pushed off the bed. “As you wish.”

  * * *

  Kevin left Kathy lying across his bed as he stepped into his underwear. He walked to the kitchen wanting to kick his own ass. How the fuck did those words slip out of his mouth? He’d never spoken those words to a woman. Ever.

  Yet buried inside Kathy, he couldn’t hold them back. Even though he knew it was a mistake and she would freak out.

  And freak the fuck out she did.

  He opened the refrigerator to look at his options. He should’ve thought about food earlier and maybe stopped at the store, but everything with Brent had just gotten progressively worse this afternoon and nothing else entered his head. He had a loaf of bread and eggs, so he could make breakfast. It was better than cold cereal.

  As he moved around the kitchen prepping the food, he heard Kathy moving and the water running in the bathroom. He gave her space to wrap her head around what he’d said. He meant every word of it. Although he’d thought saying it would be scary, he felt pretty damn good right now.

  He scrambled the eggs and made toast. He set butter on the counter next to the orange juice. For the first time, he wished he had a kitchen table. He didn’t have anywhere to eat. On the rare occasions he ate at home, he stood at the kitchen counter or sat on the couch in front of the TV. He never thought about sharing a meal with someone else as something he might be missing out on.

  Now he was thinking just that.

  Kathy came into the kitchen wearing one of his T-shirts with her hair piled high on her head. A few springy curls escaped and danced around her face. She took the glass from his hand and sipped his juice. She eyed the pan on the stove. “Hmm . . . better than I expected.”

  “What did you expect?”

  “A bag of chips and a bottle of beer.”

  “You don’t like beer.”

  “I know,” she said with a smile, and kissed him.

  “You think that little of me?” He scooped the eggs onto two plates.

  “Nah. I’m just joking. I actually thought you might have leftover pizza in your fridge. Or a frozen one. Pizza seems to be your go-to meal.”

  “Not mine. It’s your go-to meal.”

  She took the plate he handed her and studied him. “So we’re always eating pizza because I like it?”

  “I don’t have anything against pizza. But you really like it.”

  “You’re a pretty good boyfriend.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “We need to work on your vocabulary. ‘Pretty good’ is an insufficient modifier. I think for Christmas I’m getting you a thesaurus.”

  She took a bite of eggs. “Maybe you just need to inspire me to come up with a better way to describe you.”

  “You’re plenty inspired when you’re screaming my name in bed.”

  She laughed. “That I am.”

  They stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, eating breakfast at night. Kathy seemed to regain her composure, and Kevin wasn’t sure where to go from here. Just pretend he hadn’t admitted he was madly in love with her?

  “So what are you going to do about what’s-his-name? Brent, was it?”

  Looked like they were ignoring his feelings. “I don’t know. It’s not like I’m his boss. We’re basically equals in different departments.”

  “But he does have a boss.”

  “I’m sure he does.”

  “So go over his head.”

  “Seems like a douchey thing to do.”

  “More douchey than ditching you at an event he was supposed to be in charge of? And ruining our date on top of it?” She scooped up the last of her eggs and set her plate in the sink.

  “You make a damn good point.” But he’d never been the kind of guy to tattle on someone. He preferred to handle things himself.

  Kathy stood close and laid a palm on his chest. “Do me a favor and don’t punch him out.”

  Her fingers were distracting him, so he held her hand still. “What makes you think I’d do that?”

  “If I know anything about you O’Malley boys it’s that you lead with your fists. Even when you’re just messing around it’s shove and push and slap. I can only imagine what happens if you’re truly pissed off. And tonight, you were pissed.”

  “Was it that obvious?”

  “Not to everyone, I don’t think. I saw it in your body language, but your voice was very smooth politician. Mayor Park would’ve been proud.”

  “You don’t say it like it’s a good thing.”

  “It’s unnerving to watch you like that. You become someone different. Constantly changing. It’s as if I’m not sure which version is the real you.”

  He slid his arms around her, pulling her close. Her comment hit home. There were times he wasn’t sure who he was. “When I’m with you, I promise I’m real. The rest of the time, I’m whoever I need to be.”

  Her lips skimmed his jaw. “I don’t think I could do that. Be so
mething I’m not.”

  “One of the many things I love about you.”

  She jolted at his use of the word love, but then continued to kiss and nibble her way to his ear and his neck.

  “Are you ready to go back to bed?” he asked.

  “I’m ready to spend the night in your bed. I’m not ready to sleep though. We could talk and stuff.”

  He began walking her backward out of the kitchen. “I’m all about the stuff when we’re together. We can talk on the phone when we’re at work. Or before bed when we can’t be together.”

  “How much energy do you have?”

  “Enough to satisfy you.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  As they settled in his bed once again, Kevin could think of nothing else he enjoyed more than having Kathy in his arms. He wanted to make this a more permanent situation, but he knew he couldn’t suggest it now.

  He just needed to figure out how to move things along a little faster. Once he proved to her that she could trust him, that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her again, they could move forward.

  * * *

  Kevin sat on a stool at McGinty’s bar waiting for the Savage Tools hockey team to come through the door. Both of his younger brothers played on the team, and they routinely came to the bar to drink after practice and games. They’d played hard tonight to win, and Kevin knew they’d want to celebrate.

  Moments later the first few guys came flying through the door. He ordered beers for his brothers while he waited. When they came in, he waved them over to the bar. Sean slapped him on the back.

  “Good to see you out at a game again. You should play with us.”

  Tommy laughed. “Nah. He’s ready for the old-timers’ league.”

  Kevin snatched the bottle of beer from his baby brother’s hand. “I’m not that old.” With a smile, he returned the bottle to Tommy. “Even if I wanted to play again, I don’t have the time right now. This job is kicking my ass.”

  Sean said, “That sucks.”

  Kevin looked around. “Where are your ladies?”

  Tommy took a drink. “They both have to work early, so they don’t watch our late games.”

  Kevin was a little relieved Emma and Deirdre weren’t there. He needed time with his brothers because he needed their advice. It was irksome enough having to ask his little brothers for help without being teased by their girlfriends.