CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE #2
“Of course,” I offer, hopping out of the truck and rounding it to open her door. She glances at my sweatshirt and snorts a laugh.
“Thank you for putting up with our shenanigans. I wanted to warn you, but they made me promise I wouldn’t.”
“That would’ve ruined all their fun.” And mine too. Because I can’t deny that everything about tonight—including the sweaters—was fun.
Inside, her Christmas tree illuminates the open space, as do the lighted garlands hanging over the doorways, windows, and mantel.
She reaches for the light switch but I catch her hand, liking the dim glow and festive ambience of only the twinkle lights.
And I really like the frisson of energy that pulses up my arm from where our skin touches.
Her hand is slow to pull out from under mine before she turns away and asks, “Do you want a cup of tea or something?”
“Sure, sounds great.” I follow her and try not to stare the whole time she flits around the kitchen.
I rein in the desire to step behind her and cage her into the counter, to kiss her and feel her kiss me back.
I want to slide my tongue between her lips to see if she still tastes the way she did our first night together.
The chaste kisses we’ve shared since have done nothing but make me want more.
“Do you ever think about that night?” she asks, answering my pondering thoughts as if she could hear them.
My head snaps up from where I was studying the grain in the marble countertop and she slides a mug in front of me before lifting hers to her lips.
I clear my throat roughly.
I think about that night all the time, about us all tangled up in white sheets with a sheen of sweat covering our naked bodies, and that’s in no way platonic. She lowers her cup and I clear my throat a second time.
“More than I probably should,” I confess.
“Me too,” she whispers so quietly the silence could’ve easily stolen it.
“What do you think about it?” I ask, our gazes catching across the space between us where she leans against one counter and I lean against the other.
She sips her tea again, thinking… or avoiding the question. I lift my own just for something to do, and I wait.
“I think about how free I felt,” she says, peering into her mug.
“There were no expectations, only a good time. And even with that being the case…” She glances up at me from under her lashes—lashes that frame her beautiful eyes and make them look bigger, more open.
“I think about how seen I felt with you. I’ve never felt like that before, not in a good way at least.”
“I do see you, Leanne. I saw you then, and I still see you.” The restraint I’ve been pushing against all night falters, and I close the space between us and bring my hand up to cup her cheek, rubbing the pad of my thumb over her cheekbone.
“And you like what you see?” She bites her lip and attempts to turn away, but I bring my other hand up so I can frame her face between them.
I want to tell her I love what I see, but settle for, “You know I do.” I bend until my eyes are in line with hers. “And I don’t just mean how beautiful you are. When you let me see you, the real you—like you did that night, like you have these last few months—all I want is more.”
Then I decide to say exactly what I’m thinking and stop holding back. “I love what I see, Leanne.”
She swallows, eyes searching mine, lips parted, and says, “Show me.”
It takes me no time at all to make the fantasy of moments ago a reality.
I envelop her, my hands pressing into the counter on the sides of her hips.
My lips come down on hers, tentative for only a second to make sure this is really what she wants.
When she presses in and winds her arms around my neck, pulling me closer, letting her tongue slip against my lips, I know it is.
The hunger I’ve felt for this woman since the moment I met her, no matter how much I tried to deny it, takes over and drives me to madness. If she wants me to show her I see her, all of her, the real her, then I’ll fucking do it and I’ll love every single moment.
I break the kiss only long enough to dip and grab her thighs, lifting her up onto the counter so she can wrap them around me. Her lips find my skin and I shiver with want—no, with need. I don’t know if I’ve ever needed someone the way I need her right now.
“Leanne,” I husk as her kisses get more explorative. Up my neck, nipping at my earlobe, her nose nuzzling my bearded jaw.
Then we’re kissing again, our mouths hot and hungry against each other. Taking and giving in equal measure. She tightens her legs around my hips, pressing us together, and I moan into her mouth.
She giggles—fucking giggles—and pulls back a few inches. She’s smiling, and I all but fold at the sight. I put that look on her face. She’s wearing that smile for me and I think my heart might burst. I wrap my hands under her thighs, a question in my eyes.
Her answering kiss and the way she drapes her arms around my neck is all I need. But it’s her murmured “please” against my lips that has me hoisting her up without preamble and spinning her around to head for her room.