Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Jeff groaned inwardly. For a moment there, he had been certain she was on the verge of saying yes. And besides, he could have sworn Marisa Evans was one of the least duplicitous women he had ever met.
“I don’t care,” he said recklessly.
“You should. It may scare you away again.”
“I wasn’t scared,” he protested. But even that was a lie. He’d never been any woman’s first . And he’d handled the situation poorly.
“If you say so.”
Marisa wrung her hands, her expression agitated. “I told you my virginity wasn’t a big deal. That it happened for a lot of reasons. That I hadn’t been waiting for Mr. Right.”
“I remember.”
“What if that’s not true?” she said. “What if—unconsciously—I was waiting all along for someone like you?”
The bottom fell out of his stomach. His heart pounded. Jubilation and relief flooded his chest followed by a wave of panic. Could he be the man she wanted and needed? What if he bobbled things again?
But then he looked at her brave sweet face and saw the uncertainty, the vulnerability. “If that’s true,” he said quietly, “then I’m the luckiest man alive. No other woman has ever made me feel the way you do. I’ve spent a year and a half feeling lost and unhappy and stupid, all because I let you get away. It won’t happen again, my love. I swear.”
A smile bloomed on her face. Her luminous beauty took his breath away.
“That’s a pretty great promise,” she said, the words soft.
“One question,” he muttered, feeling himself lose his grip on common sense. “Are you wearing anything at all under that robe?”
Marisa ducked her head and grinned ruefully. “No.”
He shuddered hard. His sex throbbed. “Is it too soon to kiss you?”
“Not at all.” Her whisper was quiet, but he saw on her face that she was overwhelmed with the same feelings he was experiencing.
Instead of waiting for her to walk around the sofa, he took her in his arms and dragged her across the back. They tumbled onto the cushions, laughing. Touching. Feeling the moment of awe.
Against all odds, they had found each other.
He peeled back the lapels of her robe and sucked in a breath. She was naked as the day she was born. Her skin was soft and pale and smooth.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said, stroking from her throat to her breasts to the slightly curved plane of her stomach.
“Make love to me, Jeff.”
How could a man ever refuse such a request?
“I’m almost afraid to touch you,” he joked. “I’ve been dreaming about this for months.”
She cupped his face with her hand. “That makes two of us.”
Her eyes sparkled up at him. His breathing got all jacked up, and he felt clumsy and uncoordinated.
“Should we take this to the bedroom?” he asked.
“What do you want?” she asked, her small grin mischievous.
“I’ll show you,” he whispered raggedly.
Having Marisa watch him as he undressed only made his erection harder and more painful. He felt like he’d been in a semipermanent state of arousal since the moment he met her at the gazebo.
When he was bare-ass naked, he put his hands on his hips, staring at her. While he was occupied, Marisa had sat up and was now clutching a light, furry throw blanket to her chest.
“Do you trust me?” he asked soberly.
“Yes.”
Her instant answer soothed a few of his doubts. “Lie down and put your heel on the back of the sofa,” he said.
Marisa’s eyes widened, but she scooted down on her back and raised her leg.
Holy hell. The visual almost did him in. Perhaps he might last longer with the lights out. He tried to swallow, but a lump of emotion in his throat threatened to choke him.
Carefully, he settled himself between her legs, but kept his weight on his elbows and his erection to himself. “You okay, sweet thing?”
She nodded. “Yes.” Her pupils were dilated. He was pretty sure she was holding her breath.
“Relax, love. It’s just you and me. We’ll do whatever you want.”
“I want it all,” she whispered.
She broke him then. Snapped his willpower right in two.
“Ah, sweetheart...” He surged deep, thrusting until he was all the way in, pressed against her womb. His scalp tightened, a sure warning sign that he was going to come.
No, no, no...
He pulled out, took one oxygen-deprived breath, and eased back in, watching her face to see what she liked.
Marisa’s eyes were closed. A flush of pink covered her throat and chest.
“Look at me,” he begged.
When her lashes fluttered and lifted, he found himself drowning in her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. Her golden hair was a mess, spread across the sofa pillow that cushioned her head.
“Does this feel good?” he asked.
She hooked her heels behind his back, her expression dreamy. “So good. Don’t stop. Please.”
His choked laugh was directed at himself. If he had his way, this would never end. But from the beginning, she had turned him inside out. Sent him to a place of wanting that was so dark and deep he might never find his way out.
For her, he would try to make it last.
He set up a gentle rhythm. Her body took him in, gripped him, made every cell in his body tingle with helpless need. It was as basic as the sun and moon and as irresistible as the tides.
Before he reached the edge of no return, he left her and moved onto his hip. Her face reflected alarm. “What are you doing?”
“Making up for all my sins.” When he stroked her with a single finger, a feminine moan made every hair on his body stand up. She tried to clench her thighs, but he wouldn’t allow it. “Don’t hide from me, Marisa.”
He pressed harder, finding the exact spot that made her writhe. She was beautiful in her journey, her body a living, breathing vessel of joy. When she hit the peak and cried out his name, he moved swiftly, entered her and found his own release in the final ripples of her climax.
Afterward, he lay on top of her, unable to feel his legs. He might have blacked out for a few seconds. He’d had good sex before, but this was next level. What did she do to him?
At last, he groaned and shifted, urging her onto her side so he could see her face.
Marisa met his gaze, but blushed. “That was fun,” she said softly. When she ruffled his hair with her fingers, he was ready to go again.
“So you’ll move in with me?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt.
Her smile dimmed but didn’t disappear. “I do have one last question,” she said. “You’ve been avoiding me for a year and a half. Now, suddenly, you want me under your roof. What changed, Jeff?”
It was a fair question.
But he had an answer.
He nuzzled her nose with his. “It was the storm,” he said, shrugging. “When we were running across the quad and the sirens were blaring, a terrible thought flashed through my mind. If I survived and you didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. I knew the truth beyond any doubt. After that, everything changed. Maybe we’re not ready to call it love, but it’s powerful. And it’s only getting stronger. Fate and my sister brought us together. I bungled it. Now, we have a second chance.”
The quiet joy in her gaze wrapped him in satisfaction. “I’m glad I waited for you,” she said, “even if I had no clue you were going to show up in my life one day. To an introvert like me, the thought of a blind date was horrifying, but your sister was very persuasive. Then I met you and boom , I was lost.”
He stroked the curve from her rib cage to her hip. “My place won’t be ready for at least a couple of weeks. How do you feel about entertaining a houseguest in your bed?”
She leaned forward to kiss him. Her lips were bold, her confidence sexy. “It’s not a king-size bed. We’ll have to snuggle.”
“I think I can handle it,” he croaked. Already, he wanted her again.
Marisa was giddy with happiness. The way Jeff looked at her made her breasts tighten and her body move restlessly. “Shall we adjourn to my room?” she asked. “I’m getting sleepy.”
Disappointment clouded his gaze. “Sleepy?”
“Well, I’m not blasé enough yet to say that other word.”
His lips twitched. “You mean the one that rhymes with thorny ?” He stood and helped her up, pausing to kiss her lazily.
Marisa felt every inch of his body pressed against hers. “You are so bad,” she whispered.
They walked arm in arm down the hall. In her tiny bathroom, they washed up and then tumbled into her bed.
Jeff leaned on one elbow, looking down at her. “We’ll redo my place together,” he said. “I want it to be ours . Or if you want, I’ll sell it and we’ll find somewhere else.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I love that bank building and the way you kept so many special features. Preserving the past makes sense to me. You’ve made it a showplace.”
His grin was rueful. “Well, until a tornado knocked it around.”
“We’ll bring it back,” she said. “I promise.”
His gaze darkened. “I’ve never been part of a we before,” he said. “I think I like it.”
She snuggled closer. “Don’t forget. We still have the gazebo project ahead of us. If you’re not too busy. With all the repairs you have to do, maybe the town council will need to find another contactor. I’m sure they would understand. You have your other clients, too.”
Jeff pretended to scowl. “No other contractors,” he said firmly. “I don’t want you collaborating with any guy but me.”
“I’m sure I could find a female version of you,” she said, laughing.
“That’s still a no . I want to do this project with you.”
“I’m glad,” she said.
He stroked her hair, feeling the weight of everything that had happened catch up with him. He yawned. “Give me a couple of hours and I’ll be ready to go again.”
She rolled over in the bed, so he was spooning her. “Go to sleep,” she said. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
“That’s true,” he murmured, already imagining it.
He’d seen his best buddy Lucas Carter find love. It hadn’t been a smooth, easy path. Lucas and Leah had gone through a lot.
Maybe the best things in life required work.
Jeff was ready to face that with Marisa. He wasn’t naive enough to think everything would be easy. They were two grown adults, likely set in their ways. Living together would require compromise. Understanding.
And if he eventually married her— when he eventually married her—the challenges would be greater still.
But, damn. She would be his. For always.
He closed his eyes, letting the peace of this bed, this room, this woman soothe his soul. Blossom Branch had always been his home. Now, it would be even more. It would be his future.
God willing, he and Marisa would grow old here.
He was a lucky man...
Maybe it had taken a tornado to knock some sense into him. But the picture was clear to him now. He’d found the woman meant for him.
And this time, he wasn’t letting her get away...