He stabs his fingers into his dark hair. “Already been on the phone with her nurse, and there’s no rush. Sounds like she’s catching up on some much-needed sleep.”
I eye him, stuck somewhere between guilt and bliss. “Really? Did they say anything else? Has her diagnosis changed?”
“I didn’t dive too much into that, but everything sounded good. Nothing to worry about.”
I relax back into the pillows, reluctant to bring this intimate moment to an end.
His eyes sparkle with love as he adds, “But I figured you’d want to get over there as quickly as possible to see her with your own two eyes. So, I already took the liberty of making coffee and breakfast and had the first shower. We can be out of here as quickly as you like.”
My eyes rove over the mountain of muscle next to me. His eyes simmer, his every movement slow and sensual.
“It’s a shame you took a shower.”
“Why?” he asks darkly.
“Because I was hoping we might revisit some of the naughty things we did together last night,” I say, desperate for another taste of him.
He grins, bringing his hand up to stroke my cheek. In grumbly tones, he adds, “Now, I was onlyhopingyou’d say that. But seeing as I asked the nurse to call us as soon as your grandmother wakes, I think we have a little time to get filthy as fuck before we clean back off.”
I jump out of bed, sprinting for the shower stall. “But first, you have to catch me.”
He springs from the bed, his gray sweatpants tenting in the front. His hooded eyes are onyx pools. “Not only am I going to catch you, Sparky. This time I’m going to wreck you for any other man.”
His words shimmer down my spine like a promise I can’t refuse, knees weakening and pace slowing. Still, I challenge, “Good, because as far as I’m concerned, you’re the only man that exists and ever will for me.”
Ambrose stops in his tracks, stunned by my words.
I scrunch my face. “Did I say too much?” Suddenly, I feel like the shoe is on the other foot in our relationship.
“Not at all,” he says, pulling me into his arms and planting a kiss on the tip of my nose. “I’m just trying to write this moment on my heart forever.”
“You really are romantic,” I whisper as he eyes me warmly.
“Only for the right girl.”
There it is again.Right.But how does he know?
“What’s that look for?” he asks sheepishly.
“Just analyzing your wording. Therightgirl. How can you be so sure?”
He chuckles, and I savor how the rumble transfers through his chest, sending delicious waves of desire through me.
“I knew it the first time I saw you, though I couldn’t put it into words at the time. And you would’ve accused me of losing my mind if I had.”
“True,” I admit. “I must’ve been wearing some underwear in that tree,” I add sarcastically.
“There was that.” He admits, bringing a hand up to stroke my cheek. “But it was more than lust. A lot more. Like a homecoming of sorts. Like I didn’t need to act anymore because I was enough without Avery Ross. Though Lord knows you put me through my paces after that. Wouldn’t even agree to arealdate with me.”
Smiling playfully, I say, “Well, I kind of had my hands full in the tree. You know, too busy to think about stuff like romance. And then, there was the auction and your fans.”
“That’s okay,” he counters, removing my glasses to feather my face in slow, sensual kisses. “Because I needed to prove myself to you first. Show you that I deserve your love.”
His words melt my heart even as they recriminate me. “That sounds awful, the way you say it. Like I was making you jump through hoops …”
My gaze drops to the side. But he won’t accept anything less than my eyes, snagging his finger under my chin and forcing me to look at him. “No, Cat, you were making me prove to you I’m different than the other men you’ve encountered in your life. That’s something I mean to keep doing for the rest of our lives.”
His words fill me with a glowing, incandescent warmth. This isn’t just a booty call or an infatuation. This cowboy has long-term plans for me …for us.
