And Then He Kissed Me

by Kim Amos

  “If I say no, you’re just going to make coffee anyway, aren’t you?”

  Audrey stopped and fixed him with a smile. After everything that had happened, it was a dazzling sight. He wondered at her beauty, even in a torn dress and muddy shoes.

  A pressing silence filled his ears. He realized how very alone they were.

  “Audrey, I don’t want coffee.”

  Her smile faltered. “I guess it’s silly, isn’t it? Coffee when we’re both so wired. What would you like instead?”

  In two steps, he’d crossed the kitchen and pulled Audrey into his arms. The grounds fell from her hand to the floor with a dull thump. “I want you,” he said, closing his eyes against the anguish that bubbled up in him—the breadth of a thought of what it would be like to live in this life without Audrey. “I never want to feel like I might lose you again. I want you near me, Audrey. Always.”

  He opened his eyes to find her gazing at him. “Always?”

  “Yes, sweetheart. Always. I can’t be in this world and not have you by my side. Forever.”

  “I—I want that, too,” Audrey said, the words filling a gaping hole in him. “I want to be with you, Kieran. I want to trust that this is real. That we’re real.”

  “We are so real,” he said, the wonderful truth of it making his chest hurt. And then, to prove it, he placed his lips on hers gently—a kiss of promise and hope and affection and everything his gambler’s heart had risked and won in a last, desperate hand.

  She knew the truth about him and wanted him anyway.

  The thought had him pressing his mouth against hers more earnestly. He inhaled her sweet vanilla-and-detergent scent and nearly saw stars. On another woman it would be too simple. But on Audrey it was perfect—uncomplicated but desperately alluring in the way it mixed with the scent of her hair, her skin.

  He pulled her lower lip between his teeth, and she let out a sigh of pleasure. Her breath was warm on his skin, and his hunger surged. Unable to stop himself, he turned their kiss into an open-mouthed firestorm. He wanted her impossibly close, wanted his tongue to tell her how deeply he cared for her. He pressed himself to her. She trembled against him.

  He slid his hands up her arms, savoring the feel of her soft skin underneath his fingertips. He pushed away the dark tendrils of her hair until he had exposed the long length of her neck. Leaving her mouth, his lips found the sweetness of her clavicle, the hollow of her neck, up to her ear until she was twined against him, just to stay upright.

  “Kieran,” she whispered, her eyes hot with pleasure, “I don’t want to do this in the kitchen. I want to go to my bedroom.”

  Scooping her into his arms, he carried her down the short hallway. He knew the way. Morning light streaked in through the white curtains on her window, illuminating the cream and robin’s-egg-blue stripes of her tasteful bedspread. Stacks of books were piled on a side table, and framed pictures lined her simple dresser. Above the bed was a reproduction of Picasso’s Two Women Running on the Beach. In the image, the women raced in the sand, their heads flung in delight, their clothes tumbling as they held hands, exuberant and free.

  He’d seen the print before. The last time he was here. When he’d asked her about it, she’d told him that it combined the two things she loved the most—friendship and running.

  Now, she watched him watch the painting. “That’s how I feel,” she murmured. Her hands plunged into his hair, pulling his head to hers. “When we’re together. I feel so undone, but in a good way. Like I could just…fly.” She kissed him then, running her tongue along his lower lip and sending flames shooting through his entire body. He worried he wouldn’t be able to hold her any longer, so he placed her on the bed gently. Then he settled his weight on top of her.

  She moaned as he kneed apart her legs, her black skirt riding to the tops of her thighs. He ran his hands up her shapely calves, her warmth and scent surrounding him like an unbearably sensual blanket. His hands rose higher until he’d pushed the bottom of her skirt all the way to her waist. “I want this off you,” he growled, longing for there to be no clothes, no layers between them. She raised her arms above her head, allowing him to pull the dress off her in one seamless tug.

  He blinked at her figure, kneeling between her legs as she lay back on the bed. “You are so beautiful,” he said, taking in her glowing skin, the perfect shape of her breasts in her pink satin bra, her glossy hair tumbling around her shoulders. He reached out and put a palm on her cheek. She kissed his wrist.

  “You act like you’re going to break me,” she whispered, her breath hot on his skin.

  He swallowed the tide of emotion that rose in his throat. “Some days I worry I almost did break you,” he said.

  She simply smiled at him. “You hurt me, yes. But break me? Never.” Then she reached out and untucked his shirt from his pants. Sliding her hands underneath the fabric, she flat-palmed his skin. Her touch had him hissing in breath.

  “There was a time when I wondered if I’d ever feel your skin again, though,” she murmured, running her hands from his abdomen to his belt. “I didn’t bet on it.”

  Betting. His vice—and in the twisted turn of events, also his salvation.

  “I have bet on a thousand things,” he said, watching her begin to unfasten his belt buckle, “but for so long I didn’t have the courage to bet on us. In the end, I had to risk everything on the idea that you could know me and still care for me.”

  When his belt fell away with a clink, she unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper downward until his erection sprang forward through the hole in his boxer shorts.

  She placed her soft hand on his stem. The feel of her flesh burned with immeasurable pleasure. She stroked him once, twice, then sat up and gently—oh, so gently—placed a kiss on the tip of his aching penis.

  “I care for you very much, Kieran Callaghan,” she said, her shining eyes meeting his. “Frankly, I don’t know if I ever stopped.”

  Something like joy surged through him. Unable to keep his skin from touching hers for one more instant, he pulled off his shirt and tossed to the floor. He eased her backward, returning her to the pillows, so she lay before him, gorgeous and alluring—so free and unbound, just like the women in the painting above them.

  That is, nearly unbound.

  He slipped a hand behind her back and worked the clasp of her bra. He tossed the pink satin to the side, and stared at her beautiful, naked breasts. “You are incredible,” he said. He meant the beautiful bareness of her chest, he meant the golden glimmer in her honey-brown eyes, he meant the softness of her skin and her fresh, uncomplicated smell—but most of all he meant the largesse of her heart, and her unfailing capacity to care for those around her. To care for him.

  He nuzzled the shallow place between her breasts, then worked his way over to one perfect tip, sucking until it pebbled at his touch. Audrey gasped with pleasure, twining her fingers through his hair. With one hand on her skin, he used the other to work her panties off, until she was naked.

  “No fair,” she murmured as he let his tongue slide along the tip of the other breast, savoring its sweetness. “I’m naked and you’re not.”

  In a half second, Kieran had changed that, kicking off his pants and boxers, and resettling between Audrey’s thighs. She cried out softly as the tip of his penis pressed against her soft flesh. He could feel the wetness of her most private place, could feel the heat from her core, and as much as he wanted to plunge into her, to ravish her until they both cried out, he had other plans. This would not be fucking on the riverbed; this would be making love.

  “My lovely woman,” he murmured, trailing one hand down her beautiful abdomen, playing with the soft patch of curls between her thighs. He slid one finger inside her and nearly emptied himself on the bedspread. “You are so tight,” he groaned, “so beautiful.”

  She mewled with pleasure as he inserted another finger. Her neck arched and he sucked in breath at her beauty. She was so vulnerable in his hands, and he vowed he
would never take it for granted. She would never regret baring herself to him.

  “I will always take care of you,” he murmured against her skin, trailing kisses down her torso, to her belly and hips, all while plunging and stroking inside her.

  “I know,” she gasped as his lips found her center. He licked her and felt her emotions building with his own. This woman was everything to him. He would spend his life loving her and keeping her safe.

  She was so hot and wet and lovely. He closed his eyes and gave in to the reckless passion of tasting her innermost flesh. He couldn’t get enough, couldn’t get close enough.

  “Oh, Kieran!” she cried as he lost himself in feasting on her center. She lifted her hips, her hands working madly through his hair, her breath ragged. He could feel her pleasure, could feel it building in his own body the same way it was building in hers. He inserted a third finger and she cried out again, eyes shut tight, murmuring his name. And then she shattered in his arms, her ecstasy coming in waves that crashed over them, sending them tumbling into currents of desire.

  She pulled his face to hers, placed her lips on his, no doubt tasting herself there. She wrapped her strong legs around his waist. His body was taut against hers. His rock-hard penis rested against her center, but he didn’t push.

  “I missed you,” she said, her brown eyes finding his. His throat thickened at the gentleness and affection there. “For five years I missed you and never had anyone else. There has never been anyone else.”

  “And you have always been the one for me,” he said, gently sweeping back a piece of her molasses-colored hair. “You changed me, even after just two weeks. I was a better person for just having met you. If this moment never happened, I would still be better.”

  Audrey smiled at him, and the sight of it was so transfixing that he couldn’t hold back. He entered her in one fluid motion, groaning at the warmth that welcomed him. “I need you,” he growled, pressing himself as far in as he could, getting as close to her as he could.

  She cried out, meeting his demand with her own. She wiggled underneath him, and he saw stars. He imagined their muscles and bones and ligaments fusing together—becoming one person instead of two. “I love you, darling,” he said, his body twined with hers. “I love you forever.”

  The words were the most honest thing he’d ever spoken. He wondered why he’d been a gambler for so long, dodging certainty, when the truth felt this good.

  Audrey’s body was working rhythmically with his, her muscles rippling beautifully under her skin. “I love you, too,” she cried as he grasped her bottom and pulled her to him, wanting more—wanting everything.

  He thrust into her deeply. The bed frame cracked against the wall. Her fingers gripped his shoulders, clutching him as she met his need with her own. Her brown eyes were dark with hunger, her mouth open as she panted his name. He fixated on her face, on her loveliness, then caught her mouth in his.

  Kieran felt her pleasure as she seized around his penis. She moaned, her lips against his, her skin damp and glowing. She was like pink-tinged clouds from behind which the sun bursts on a summer day. He closed his eyes as a torrent of ecstasy rained down on him, pelting his senses, tightening his muscles, making him shout her name until his throat was hoarse. He stormed against her until the tide of his orgasm ended. Finally, when his mind was as quiet as the room, he opened his eyes and found her smiling at him, her face sated and relaxed. Her breasts rose and fell underneath him.

  “Audrey,” he said, saying her name, loving the sound of it on his lips with her body twined around him. He wanted to stay with her, like this, forever. He rolled off her so as not to crush her, then pulled her to him. Her smooth, supple body had him swallowing down more desire, and she kissed him hard enough to make him want to take her again.

  But then she quieted in his arms, like a boat coming to rest at the end of its moorings after a storm. Kieran sank into the feel of her—of them together—and drifted off in a sea of pure happiness.

  * * *

  Audrey awoke to long shadows in her room. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and realized it was late in the afternoon—after three o’clock. Which meant they’d been asleep for hours.

  Both of them.

  She sat up on one elbow and stared at the form of Kieran Callaghan next to her. Her heart thundered at the sight of his dark red hair, his wide mouth slack with sleep, his limbs touching hers.

  They’d made love. In her bed.

  And he hadn’t left.

  What was more, he’d told her he loved her.

  Audrey put a hand to her mouth. She felt drunk with happiness. Dear God, she’d told him she loved him, too.

  And she’d meant it.

  She placed her fingertips on his forearm, loving the feel of his warm skin and the dark, downy hairs there. This was the man she cared for most. This imperfect, hulking mass of contradictions was hers. And she never wanted to be without him.

  Suddenly, Kieran opened his sea-green eyes and pulled her toward him. “Are you watching me?” he growled playfully as she landed on his solid chest. She shimmied so their bodies were pressed together—her legs on his legs, her stomach on his stomach. His jaw clenched and she could feel his sudden, raging hardness. It sent a jolt through her.

  “I am watching you, making sure you never leave again,” she said playfully, wriggling again just enough to make him groan.

  “God, with you feeling like that, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Not to Brainerd, then?” she asked, trying to keep from sounding worried. Kieran’s job kept him on the road, and she understood that. But the thought of him roaring away on his motorcycle again—even if it was for a legitimate reason—made her stomach roil. If there was a way he could just stay in White Pine…

  Kieran placed a calloused hand on her face. She loved his rough hands—a working man’s hands. “A few weeks ago, my boss in Milwaukee told me that he’d talk to corporate about making me the sales manager if I wanted that. There’s even an opportunity to invest and for me to become part owner. At the time I told him to stick it.”

  “But you’ve changed your mind?”

  “Possibly.”

  “Because you like me,” Audrey teased.

  “Because I love you,” Kieran corrected, kissing her gently. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

  Audrey’s heart surged. “You mean it?”

  “More than I’ve meant anything in my life.”

  “And you’re not sad? To be anchored in one place?”

  He searched her face, watching her watch him. “I couldn’t be happier. I want to be where you are. I want to be with you forever, Audrey. No more leaving. Not unless you’re coming with me, that is. I want to—” He paused, his throat working. She watched the movement of his Adam’s apple, and the stricken look on his face, as if he were overcome with emotion.

  “What?”

  He clasped her hand in his. His grip was crushing. “Sweetheart, I want you to know that I’m all in. That’s what they say at the gambling table when it’s your last play and you’re going for broke. There’s nothing left if I don’t have you.”

  Audrey’s eyelashes fluttered and she felt tears on her cheeks. All in. It was Kieran or nothing for her, too. She could hardly breathe.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. She was quiet for so long he probably wondered if she was horrified.

  Quite the opposite.

  “I’m wonderful,” she said, her voice thick. “I make the bet, too. I’m all in.”

  He kissed her then, deep and long. Her skin ignited with pleasure, her center heating. Sitting up, she adjusted herself on top of him. Legs anchored on either side of his waist, she opened herself, her body awash in spine-tingling bliss as she took him inside of her.

  “I want you to work there, too,” he whispered as she rocked on top of him. “I want you to stay at the Harley dealership. You and Fletch will make a good team.”

  His hands slid across her flesh, cupping her breasts. The after
noon light wobbled as he sat up, placing hot kisses on her, pulling one nipple into his mouth and sucking gently, then the other.

  “I want to start my own business,” she gasped, losing the thread of the conversation to pleasure. As if understanding she was sliding into a place where he couldn’t reach her, Kieran stilled her hips. He kissed her throat gently.

  “You can do both,” he said, staring into her face with a mix of adoration and admiration that made her flush. “You can work at the dealership part time if you need to. Start your business and help me sell motorcycles. But don’t leave me there alone. I need you.”

  “Business partners and lovers?” she asked teasingly. He answered by tilting his hips in a way that made them both moan. He pulled her against his chest and ground against her wet, aching core. She felt it in every part of her body, down to the tips of her fingers.

  “Lovers first,” he whispered, increasing his pace. She closed her eyes, letting him lead the way to her breaking point. “Lovers always. Forever, Audrey. I’m not going anywhere. I can’t, because you have my heart in your hands, and if I walk away from you, I’ll die.”

  “I won’t let that happen,” she murmured, leaning back slightly. He held on to her, letting her find just the right angle. And then he was crashing inside her at exactly the right place, and she came apart all over again, her heart shattering and becoming whole as he held on to her and never let go. Everything crumbled and turned to ash that glittered in her deepest parts.

  And when the flame of passion had burned off her insecurities, her doubts, and her fears, she opened her eyes to find warm afternoon light streaming into the room.

  There was Kieran, his grass-green eyes shining into hers. His strong arms were wrapped around her. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you, too,” she answered.

  And deep inside, she heard the click—the sound of two puzzle pieces snapping together.