“I’m just making my point. Really, I know this isn’t that kind of moment, but my hormones have an opinion, and it’sallabout you. You are the only one who does this to me. No one before you ever came close. There’s that, and I trust you with everything I have.”
“Oh,” she whispered as a pink flush crested high on her cheeks.
“Since we’re having this awkward conversation now, do you still care about Lyle? I’m definitelynotanything like him,” I pointed out.
She shook her head quickly, her brown curls bouncing. “No, never. I can’t even imagine being with him.” Her mouth twisted to the side.
“You know just how I feel. I can’t even imagine being with Kayla. Ever. So let’s forget about it for the purposes of us. When you first moved back to town, it’s like I said, it’s old news. Maybe it felt a little fresh to you because it was in your face again. We live and learn. I love you, Josie.”
I leaned closer, sliding my hand into her hair to give her a lingering kiss. When I lifted my head again, she shifted closer. “Don’t you dare stop,” she rasped.
I chuckled against her mouth as I leaned back, pulling her onto my lap. Our kisses got messy fast, and we gasped for breath between our tongues tangling and our teeth clanking. I breathed her in, absorbing the feel and the taste of her. We yanked at each other’s clothes, and Josie stood to shimmy out of her jeans. I lifted my hips and dragged mine down, kicking them free of my feet before she moved to straddle me again.
I held her gaze as she rocked her hips, her arousal slippery against me. “I love you, and I missed you, sweetheart,” I murmured against her lips.
“I love you,” she whispered in return.
My heart felt pulled forward, and I could feel the beat of hers thudding along with mine. She rose, and I held my breath just as I felt her begin to sheathe me. I thrust upward when she sank down until I was seated fully inside her, and we were connected as close as we could be physically.
Her gaze stayed locked with mine, her lips slightly parted. We held still for an echoing moment, the resounding beat of my heart a rhythm binding us together. While our connection was deeply physical at this moment, it transcended that. The intimacy between us sent shimmering sparks in the air.
I knew her body now. I felt her begin to tighten, to chase her release. I slid my palm up her spine, levering her closer as I reached between us to tease her. I gave her just the right amount of pressure that I knew she needed to bring her over the edge with me. She began to tremble all over, my name coming in broken pleas. I filled her once more, my release cresting like a crashing wave.
We held tight to each other. She curled against me, soft and warm, long moments later I shifted my fingers through her hair, savoring the feel of her and the echoes of my release. Later, we curled up in bed. She hooked her knee over my leg, her palm resting in the center of my chest. I lay awake in the darkness and listened to her breathing. I felt so lucky that we’d found our way to each other.
