Page 93

Emma did not let go of her hand, her grip warm and unyielding as she pulled Victoria through the quiet kitchen and up the narrow wooden stairs, ignoring the heavy thud of their boots against the newly repaired pine. The late afternoon light spilled through the window at the landing, casting long, dusty beams of gold across the corridor, a glaring reminder that it was barely past four o'clock and the entire village was still wide awake outside their walls.

Emma bypassed the guest rooms without a second glance, marching straight to the master bedroom at the end of the hall, pushing the heavy oak door open with her shoulder before dragging Victoria inside and kicking it shut with the heel of her boot. The metallic click of the latch echoed loudly in the sudden stillness of the room, severing them from the rest of the world.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Victoria stood near the edge of the woven rug, her chest rising and falling in shallow, erratic breaths as the adrenaline from the garden collided violently with the overwhelming reality of being alone in a bedroom with the woman she loved.

Emma let go of her wrist, reaching up to grab the lapels of her own heavy wool coat. She shoved it off her shoulders with a frustrated grace, letting the fabric drop to the floor in a crumpled heap, leaving her standing in a faded, long-sleeved Henley shirt that clung to the soft curves of her chest and the strong, capable lines of her shoulders. Her blonde hair was a chaotic mess of loose strands framing a face that was still flushed with residual anger, but her green eyes were completely consumed by a dark hunger that made Victoria’s knees physically weak.

Emma closed the distance between them in two long strides, sliding her hands up the front of Victoria’s cardigan to frame her jaw, her thumbs pressing almost bruisingly into the erratic pulse jumping beneath Victoria's skin.

"God, I missed you," Emma breathed out, the words scraping roughly against the quiet air just a second before she crashed her mouth against Victoria’s.

The kiss was a desperate, uncoordinated collision of teeth and lips, any sign of gentle romance gone, fueled by three months of agonizing distance and the heated friction of the argument they had just abandoned in the yard. Victoria let out a ragged gasp against Emma’s mouth, her hands coming up to grip the soft cotton of Emma's shirt, pulling her flush against her own body. Emma tasted like the bitter coffee she always drank in the afternoons, mixed with the fresh, damp scent of the autumn rain, and Victoria opened her mouth willingly, letting Emma’s tongue sweep inside with a demanding rhythm that sent a rush of blinding heat straight down to the center of Victoria’s thighs.

Emma walked her backward without breaking the kiss, her thigh pushing insistently between Victoria’s legs until the backs of Victoria's knees hit the edge of the mattress, forcing her to collapse downward onto the edge of the bed.

"I missed you every single day," Victoria whispered against Emma's lips, her voice trembling uncontrollably as her hands scrambled to find the hem of Emma's shirt, desperate to feel bare skin after months of touching nothing but cold glass and empty sheets. "I thought about this every single night, Emma."

"You talk too much, Victoria," Emma murmured, her breath hot against the sensitive skin just below Victoria’s ear, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the pulse point there that made Victoria arch her spine with a helpless, vibrating moan. “Show it to me.”

Emma pulled back just enough to look at her, her green eyes heavy with desire as her hands moved down to the buttons of Victoria’s cardigan, undoing them with a trembling urgency before pushing the knit fabric off her shoulders. The blouse followed a second later, discarded onto the floor alongside the rest of their clothes, until Victoria was sitting on the edge of the mattress wearing nothing but a sheer lace bra and the dark denim of her jeans.

Emma stood between her parted knees, staring down at Victoria's chest with a reverence that felt almost holy, her chest heaving as she reached out to trace the swell of Victoria's breasts over the delicate black lace. Victoria’s breath caught painfully in her throat, her head falling back as Emma leaned down to drag her open mouth across the swell of Victoria's cleavage, her teeth grazing the sensitive skin in a way that sent a violent shudder through Victoria's entire nervous system.

Victoria couldn't wait another second. She reached for the hem of Emma’s shirt and hauled it upward, helping Emma drag it over her messy blonde hair and toss it blindly across the room, leaving her standing in a simple, faded cotton bra that offered absolutely no protection against the fierce, undeniable want radiating from her body. Victoria let her hands map the solid, muscular slope of Emma's stomach, tracing the dusting of light freckles scattered across her collarbone before her fingers moved around to the clasp at her back, flicking it open with a practiced ease that made Emma gasp.

The bra hit the floor, and Victoria leaned forward, pressing her face against the soft, warm weight of Emma's bare breasts, breathing in the intoxicating scent of toasted vanilla and warm skin that she had dreamed about for a hundred consecutive nights. She opened her mouth and took Emma’s nipple between her lips, swirling her tongue around the sensitive peak while her hands gripped the back of Emma’s thighs to hold her firmly in place.

Emma let out a ragged and beautiful cry, her fingers tangling desperately in Victoria's dark hair, her hips bucking forward instinctively to seek friction against Victoria’s face.

"Victoria, please," Emma pleaded, her voice breaking on the syllables, her knees buckling slightly as the pleasure hijacked her senses. "Please, I need you to lie down."

Victoria obeyed instantly, shifting her weight to fall backward onto the mattress, kicking her boots off before scrambling up the length of the bed to make room. Emma followed her like a shadow, crawling over the sheets with feline grace, her bare skin glowing in the amber light of the late afternoon sun spilling through the windowpanes. She hovered over Victoria, her hair falling like a curtain around their faces as she leaned down to capture Victoria’s lips again, her hands moving expertly to the button of Victoria’s jeans, popping it open and sliding the zipper down in one smooth, continuous motion.

They kicked the rest of their heavy denim and underwear off the end of the bed, the desperate friction of skin sliding against bare skin finally grounding Victoria in a reality she had almost given up hoping for.

Emma shifted her weight, settling her body directly between Victoria’s parted thighs, the damp, slick heat of her sex pressing perfectly against Victoria’s own, drawing a broken sob from the depths of Victoria’s chest. Emma propped herself up on her forearms, her green eyes dark and endlessly tender as she looked down at Victoria’s flushed face, her thumb gently brushing a stray lock of dark hair away from Victoria's sweaty forehead.

"I am never going to let you go again," Emma whispered, her voice rough with a possessive love that cracked Victoria’s heart wide open.

Before Victoria could find the breath to answer, Emma slid her hand down the flat expanse of Victoria's stomach, her fingers slipping effortlessly into the slick heat waiting desperately for her. Victoria cried out, her back arching off the mattress as Emma pushed two fingers deep inside her with a slow thrust that made her vision blur.

Emma began to move, setting a relentless rhythm that left absolutely no room for thought, her thumb circling the swollen bundle of nerves outside with a maddening precision. Victoria’s hands fisted blindly in the white bedsheets, her head tossing from side to side as the agonizingly perfect friction pushed her higher and higher, the afternoon light burning bright against her closed eyelids.

"Emma," Victoria gasped, the word tearing out of her throat like a prayer. "Emma, I can't—"

"I love the sounds you make when I touch you," Emma murmured, her raspy voice vibrating against Victoria’s jaw as she leaned down to bite gently at her collarbone. "Let go for me. I've got you."

The climax hit Victoria with the force of a physical collision, tearing a loud scream from her lungs as the blinding waves of pleasure radiated through her entire body, her internal muscles clamping down violently around Emma’s fingers. She sobbed helplessly through the aftershocks, her body boneless and trembling in Emma's hold.

But Emma didn't stop to let her recover. As soon as Victoria’s trembling began to subside, Emma withdrew her hand, her eyes blazing with a breathtaking affection as she shifted her weight, rolling over onto her back and pulling Victoria on top of her in one fluid motion.

Victoria straddled Emma’s hips, her chest heaving as she looked down at the gorgeous, messy woman beneath her. Emma’s lips were swollen, her skin flushed, and her legs were already wrapping securely around the outside of Victoria's thighs, a silent demand for more. Victoria leaned down, kissing the corner of Emma's mouth, her neck, the soft curve of her breast, relishing the way Emma writhed beneath her, undoing the stubborn baker who had fought her for so long.

But Victoria didn't want to just use her hands. She wanted to taste her.

She shifted her weight, moving lower down the mattress, dragging her lips down the flat expanse of Emma's stomach. Her dark hair swept across Emma's warm, flushed skin as she settled deliberately between Emma’s parted thighs, her hands gripping Emma's hips to hold her securely in place.

When Victoria pressed her mouth against her, Emma practically came off the mattress. A loud, ragged groan tore from her throat, her head throwing back into the pillows. She tasted of salt and sweet, blinding heat, and Victoria drank her in with a desperate reverence. She used her tongue in long strokes, finding the swollen, sensitive center of Emma's pleasure and applying a relentless pressure that made Emma's hips buck wildly against her face.