Olivia cupped his jaw and replied in that direct way she had. “You please me, Dale. Very much.”
He closed his eyes and turned his face to plant a kiss on her palm. “Will you marry me then?”
“My objection was never about sex.”
“I know. But still. The matters of your reputation and your protection persist. I worry about you, Livvy.”
“You know what’s ironic? Under different circumstances, I would be happy to marry you.”
His heart skipped a beat. “What circumstances are those?”
“To be from the same time period, for starters.”
“Why does that make a difference?”
“Because I feel like we are from two different worlds, and neither one of us can successfully inhabit the other’s. When two people marry, they are supposed to become one. But we can never be one, can we? We would be making false marriage vows. And even though I am divorced, or maybe because of that, I have the utmost respect for marriage. I don’t think it is to be undertaken lightly.”
“I wouldn’t be making false vows.” He looked straight into her eyes, trying to impress his sincerity. “If you accept my proposal, I will fulfill all my vows until death do us part. If you return to your own time, we are as good as dead to each other, because neither one of us is alive in the other’s time.”
“I guess you are right. But I still don’t know. I don’t know enough of this world to see the whole picture and understand any drawbacks.”
“Do you trust me?”
She raised her brows pointedly. “Look at us Dale. I wouldn’t be lying here with you if I didn’t trust you.”
“Not in this. I know intimacy requires a certain amount of trust, but I mean on a deeper level. Do you trust me to take care of you, to have your best interests at heart?”
“I do.” Olivia sighed. “But I could be wrong. I was wrong about my ex husband. I am a very trusting person by nature. I had resolved to be more cautious and not trust blindly. I guess what it all comes down to is that I don’t trust myself.”
“I see. How can I help you trust?”
“I don’t know. Just keep being yourself. I feel very close to you at this moment. Not only physically, but emotionally. I feel as if some barriers have come down. Do you feel the same?”
“Ah, Olivia. You have been sneaking under my barriers since the moment I found you.”
A little smile curled the corners of her mouth, and she pressed a kiss to his chest.
But he went on. “I disagree with something, though.”
Brow furrowing, she asked, “What?”
“We are not close enough.” He rolled half on top of her again. “I need to be closer. I need to be inside you. Will you let me in?”
“Dale!” Olivia exclaimed with an alarmed laugh. “You can’t possibly be ready to do it again!”
“Are you sure about that?” And just to impress on her how ready he was, he rubbed his erection against her thigh. Her little exclamation of surprise sent another wave of desire to his loins.
“Even if you are ready, I don’t think I can come again. You have wrenched every iota of pleasure out of me for the night.”
“Hmm, that sounds like a challenge to me. Shall we put it to the test?”
Kissing her face was a good place to start. Her eyebrows, down her temples, circling her ear, biting softly on her lobe, inserting a wet tongue before continuing down her cheek to her mouth. He kissed her deeply and languorously.
He lifted from atop her to lie on his side, and she made a little sound of disappointment, as if she missed the contact of their bodies as much as he. But he didn’t plan to go far. Not at all. He gently rolled her over to her side, facing away from him, and settled spoon style behind her. Now he could caress her breasts while his member lay pillowed by her buttocks. Delicious. Under his ministrations, her nipples soon pebbled, and she pushed them against his hand.
“You don’t have to do anything. You don’t even need to move. Are you ready for me?” He murmured in her ear.
She thought about it for a moment. “Hmmm. Demanding, aren’t you? I’m a bit sore.”
