Her lips curved as she stepped closer to him. “Well, we could fix that.”
He looked at her for a moment then lifted her onto the countertop. She squealed with delight as he traced eager kisses along her collarbone.
“Shall we pick up where we left off?” he asked.
He undid his tie, and a thrill ran up her spine. “No. This round deserves the bedroom. Follow me.”
She took his hands in hers and guided him to the door nearest the bathroom, shutting it behind them. Ethan paused to take in the ambience, the bedroom’s simple colors and dim lamplight. It smelled of fresh linen and her. Her clothes, her perfume, her everything.
He pulled her close, and their mouths met over and over. Each time was unique, like a snowflake, like no matter how they tried to kiss, it crystallized then melted into the next. Cali could feel the gnawing heat grow in her stomach again. As if on command, one of her straps fell from her shoulder, and Ethan filled the space with his lips, planting light kisses along her collarbone and sucking gently at the base of her neck. Her skin tingled at the sensation.
“I wasn’t ready to see you like this,” he confessed. “The minute you walked into that ballroom, I lost all restraint.”
He grasped the other strap in his hand and slid the dress off her. Then he stood before her, speechless, as he admired the matching red strapless bra and seamless panties.
“You enjoy driving me crazy, don’t you?”
She nodded her head and slipped his gray blazer off and lifted her hands to the collar of his button-down shirt. “So many buttons,” she teased, undoing each one and kissing down his sternum and abdomen as she did it. She sat on the bed in front of him, legs parted, and glided her hands around the back of his trousers. She pulled his pelvis closer to her, the swell of him unmistakable through the fabric of his pants. Ethan dug into his pocket and placed a condom on the nightstand beside the bed.
She glanced up at him, their eyes meeting.
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“But I want to.”
She grasped the zipper between her delicate fingers, pulled down, and guided his pants to the floor. He stepped out of the legs, kicked them off to the side, and she admired how his body moved under her touch. Jaw grinding. Hands fisted then relaxed. The deep V of muscle along his abdomen a tight line that disappeared into his briefs. He was nearly naked, vulnerable, barely able to contain himself. As she held his gaze, he ran fingers through her hair and along her chin.
“Okay,” he said, “but don’t take me over the edge. I can’t get your words from the other night out of my head, Cali. In my truck. In the rain.” His cheeks went ruddy. “I want to be inside of you, too.”
She ran a hand along the band of his underwear and slipped them off as well. He shuddered as her breath ghosted over his skin. Her touch turned deliberate—a blend of delicate nibbles and licks, then slowly lavishing him until a low sound drew from deep in his chest. Each tremble of his body was its own delicious reward.
“That feels so damn good,” Ethan said breathlessly.
“You think you can handle more?”
“Oh, I’m not done with you yet.”
He hooked an arm around her waist and lifted her into the center of the plush bedding. She giggled at how effortless he made it feel.
Within moments her bra and panties were off, and Ethan was showering her with caresses. The space between them vanished, replaced by the sound of breath and the slide of skin. Like an orchestra, he played and fiddled and hummed in smooth, swelling motions. Her body swayed to the beat he crafted, their breathing steady, syncopated, real. Then he reached forprotection, rolled the condom on, and pushed into her, slow and deliberate, until she gasped and arched against him. A mix of agony and pleasure unfolded, their rhythm building together until the rest of the world fell away. Her edges blurred. She couldn’t tell where her body ended and his began, or whether it was his pulse or hers echoing through the quiet.
She came first, but the sound of her crying out his name made him come soon after. When he finished, she pressed her forehead to his, breath still trembling between them. For the first time in weeks, she didn’t feel caught between wanting and resisting. She was just here, now, his warmth anchoring her.
“You okay?” he murmured. He brushed a stray curl from her cheek, his thumb catching the corner of her smile.
“Better than okay.”
They stayed tangled in the hush that followed, their breaths slowing in unison.
“I should’ve gone for the boxandthe porch swing,” she said playfully.
“Don’t worry. I’ll build you a porch swing, too.”
He planted a kiss on her temple and reached to turn off the lamp. As the lamplight faded, Cali thought of the night sky over Autumn Ridge—the fireworks, the laughter, the way everything that mattered had come home. The room fell into soft darkness all around them. Outside, the fall wind rustled through the trees, but inside, she finally felt still.
Chapter 26
Cali woke to the smell of coffee brewing and something warm and sugary. When she turned over, she realized Ethan wasn’t beside her. Instead, Catsby was curled against the pillow where his head had been, and Max was tucked at her feet, purring softly into the comforter. She stretched, then reached for Ethan’s dress shirt on the floor, wrapping his scent around her as she buttoned it up.
