He grimaced and turned his head. “Then it’s my fault. Not yours.”
That was one of the reasons I loved him. He could be heartbreakingly selfless at times.
“No. It was my choice,” I told him sternly, trying to ignore the heat that his body was putting off.
He gently shook his head, eyes back on mine. Green on blue.
Earth on Sky.
Nature on Force.
Past on Past.
Leisurely, they traced down my face, where they halted at my lips. They didn’t falter. He had found what he wanted. What he craved.
What I craved.
With painstaking slowness, he descended. I lifted a finger, tracing over his cheek, memorizing his face all over again. Large, expressive eyes that sweet love still shone from, crooked nose from a fistfight when Tommy Joe had stolen Ally’s lunch when we were nine, lopsided smile that could even make Principal Hager not call out parents when we were caught ditching class for the sixth time, straight white teeth that had taken four years of braces to earn the right to look that good, and a strong, determined jaw attesting that he loved arguing more than conceding. My heart clenched. The room span. I hoped it was the alcohol.
Finally, oh, sofinally, his delicious lips whispered over mine, the lightest touch, memories of old lovers. Brent moaned deep in his throat…and we fell into one another. Lips grazed, tongues stroked – ignoring the liquored clumsiness – we camehome…but, different. For the second time tonight my world exploded from a man’s caress. I gasped and he caught it tenderly with his loving mouth.
Hands entwined in each other’s hair, he slowly lifted his mouth from mine, groaning as we separated. He panted and blinked, then moved desire filled eyes to mine. “I understand if you don’t want to, darlin’.” Gentle hands and muscles clenched, his body started to tremble as he whispered, “I won’t be mad. But you need to tell me to stop now. ‘Cause if you don’t, we’re goin’ to be naked in a heartbeat.” Forest green eyes snapped to mine. “But don’t expect me to quit trying in the future. I meant what I said before. You’re mine, Ember Lerrus. You always have been.”
My hands fell to his cheeks. I held his face steady while I gave him the truth of something I had only just realized during our embrace. Better late than never, I suppose. “Brent, I’m not yours. I haven’t been for a very long time. We barely even knoweach other anymore. I didn’t even know the names of your best friends. That should tell us both somethin’.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly and he rubbed his forehead, teetering. I needed to get to the point. “I love who we were. But, we don’t have a current “us”. All we have is the past.” It broke my heart, but as soon as I made voice to my inner ramblings the room stopped spinning and straightened out. Huh. Who knew an epiphany could affect your equilibrium.
Brent’s eyes hardened and his mouth snapped shut. We stared at one another endlessly. Both our jaws set determinedly. I wonder if he had dental insurance. He needed it. I held back a giggle by pure force of will. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed facing off with him.
Something passed behind his eyes that I didn’t catch and his lips tilted up at one corner, lopsided gorgeousness. I bit my lip. Oh, he may be a changed man in many ways, but cripes, the good parts had stayed the same.
“I reckon your right. I won’t argue with you on that point.” He brushed a piece of my hair off my forehead, murmuring, “We’ll just have to get to know one another, again.” His smile deepened. “It could be fun.”
Then his lips were on mine.
And I agreed. Yeah, it could be fun.
Chapter Six
LIPS MESHED together, Brent tuggedon his tie while I fiddled with his belt. We were so off balance he fell off the couch. Twice. Rising to the couch the second time, he managed to get his jacket and shirt off before climbing back on top of me.
We were laughing hysterically, pulling shoes and his socks off. I unzipped his pants and he rolled on his side to take them and his boxers off. He tugged on the bottom of my shirt while struggling with his pant legs, demanding, “Off.”
I stopped laughing.
“Ember, take your shirt off,” he grunted, his feet tangled up in his pants.
“No,” I whispered.
He blinked. I knew he heard the desperation in my voice.
Free off his remaining clothes he tossed them on the floor, slowly turning his head to me. A storm was brewing there. His eyebrows snapped together. “How bad is it?”
I turned my head away. I couldn’t face him. “Bad.”
He struck, grabbing my wrists and holding them above my head with one hand while he yanked my shirt up above my breasts with his other. His breath caught, and wheezed out in a hiss. “If I hadn’t already decided to kill the bastard who hurt you, I would have now.”
My bottom lip trembled. I blinked rapidly. I wasn’t going to cry.
