Chapter Thirty-Four #2
“I’m very uncomfortable, too.” I bring a single finger to my knee and start to inch it up. “And I won’t sleep well feeling like this.”
James takes the bait and is before me in an instant, sloshing water over the sides. He fits his body between my legs, pushing my knees further apart. “What are you going to do about it?”
“If no one wants to help me, I’ll have to take care of myself.” My finger reaches the apex between my legs and swipes over the fabric.
He surges in and kisses me. I slip my hands around his waist and press my body more fully into his. He delves in with his tongue, and I meet him with mine. Heat races through me as our hips align.
I drag my nose along the edge of his jaw, relishing the bristle of whiskers against my heated skin.
I trace every ridge of muscle, following the V that leads tantalizingly down to the waistband of his swim trunks.
His skin is warm beneath my fingertips, scattered with freckles like points on a map I intend to visit.
I feel him everywhere—every hard plane of muscle, every warm breath against my skin.
It’s a dizzying assault on my senses.
He stays focused, sucking, nipping, and licking until I’m panting. I pull his mouth back to mine and kiss him long and slow, like the slide of his tongue against mine is the only thing that exists. I wrap my legs around him, erasing any remaining distance.
“Sydney...” he groans.
Hearing my name, both prayer and promise, lights every nerve. With nothing but the press of his body, the heat of his tongue, the sound of my name tumbling from his mouth, I shatter.
As the tremors roll through me, I moan, relishing every tremor.
James watches, committing each sound and every roll of my hips to memory.
I pull him tighter and keep the pace of our hips rolling.
His fingers dig into my hips, his breath shortens, and with a deep, guttural noise that is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard, he stills and pulses against me.
When I’m able to catch my breath, I run my hand through his hair and pull his head back.
“I’m looking forward to doing that without these pesky layers between us.”
“You’re going to be the death of me.” He laughs, loud and free. “Here I am, trying to be noble. Make sure you know I don’t only want you for sex.”
“Dude. If you just wanted me for sex, I think the last four years were overkill.” I smirk and lean in to kiss the corner of his mouth.
He smiles, slow and sexy. His dimple begs to be touched.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” he asks, leaning in to claim my mouth again.
“I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me.” The words tumble out. I mean exactly what I say. This promise hangs between us like the first brave green shoot after a long winter.
“We’re wearing pajamas, though. Maybe a snowsuit.” He laughs and swats my ass, then steps out of the hot tub and holds up my robe for me.
***
Waking to the sun streaming through the wide windows and a warm body wrapped around me, I sigh contentedly.
We fell asleep on the sectional watching a movie and stayed curled into each other all night.
True to his word, we’re both bundled in sweats.
I burrow deeper against him, his chest rising and falling with each breath, his clean, masculine scent making my toes curl.
The morning light turns the cabin golden and dreamlike, but James’s solid warmth against me is deliciously real.
I lift my head from his chest and find him already awake. I rub the tip of my nose against his. “Good morning.”
He lifts his head to find my mouth, and we kiss for a long, sweet moment. His heat wraps around me, and I imagine never leaving this cocoon of perfection. He tastes like sleep and promise and happiness. But then he groans and rolls off me.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not making out with you on that sectional.” He looks away, and I realize he’s thinking about that morning I saw him and Ivy.
“James,” my voice softens, “what if we replace those memories with ones of our own?”
He leans down, reconsidering, slides his hands to my waist, wraps my legs around him, and carries me to the kitchen.
“You can’t pick me up like that!” I squeal, protesting half-heartedly, trying to squirm out of his arms.
“Just trying to be efficient. I’ve got longer legs, and it gets us here faster.” He sets me on the counter and kisses a tender spot on my neck I never knew existed. Against my skin, he murmurs, “Do you ever think about that night here last year? Then afterward... in the sunroom?”
“Hmm... nooo, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I thread my fingers through his thick hair, pulling to see what sound he’ll make. It doesn’t disappoint.
“That smart fucking mouth.” He nips my bottom lip, eliciting a delicious moan from me.
“You love my smart mouth.”
“You’re right. I do.” He flashes that lethal smile, dimple and all. His hands tangle in my hair, one cupping the base of my neck, and then our mouths crash together—hot, hard, and completely out of control.
“I’ve used the memory of that night more times than I’ll ever admit. I remember exactly how much I wanted your lips on me. How badly I needed your touch instead of my own.”
“Your taste...” He groans against my mouth as his hips rock forward. I gasp and pull him closer, ready to lose myself in everything he’s offering.
“Mama!” Anna’s excited voice bursts over the monitor.
Laughing at her perfectly timed interruption, I run my fingers through his scruff. “Life with a three-year-old. Are you up for it?”
“I’m more than ready,” he rasps, and his lips find mine in a final, soul-stealing kiss—a kiss that promises more and seals a future neither of us could have imagined. “Besides, I’ve been practicing my Frozen songs for years. I think I’m ready for the big leagues.”
“Okay, Mr. Big Leagues. Will you finish the coffee?”