“I know. I just don’t know if I’m ready.”
“You’ll know when the time’s right.”
He nodded.
His hands cupped her face and he brought their lips together. He kissed her deeply, drawing from her both physically and emotionally until she was drained. She leaned into him, brushing her breasts against the hard planes of his chest.
“Carly.” He groaned her name, then lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. “Make me forget,” he said as he entered her.
This time they came together in an explosive combination of want and need. He climaxed first and she followed. Their bodies entwined, Mike still inside her, she rested her head against his cheek.
When he whispered, “Don’t leave me,” she refused to believe the words, choosing instead to reassure him with a kiss.
* * *
The summer sun shining through the window woke Mike first In the harsh light of day, last night’s dreams were but distant shadows. Carly’s long legs were entangled around his, reminding him that there was beauty in this harsh world.
She had been there for him, offering herself when he needed her. He had taken much more than he had been able to give. No one in his life had ever given of themselves, given at their own expense for his benefit. His good mood this morning reflected the genuine concern he’d received during the night.
He stretched his arms over his head, letting his hand come to rest on her bare breast. It had been a long time since he’d felt so at peace. Perhaps he never had. And though reality tried to intrude, he forced it aside. He’d had little peace in his life. He wanted to enjoy it while he could.
Her brown eyes opened and she smiled.
“Morning.” He placed a light kiss on her lips.
“Already?” She yawned. “Seems like we just went to sleep.”
“I think we did, but there’s always a way to make up for lack of sleep.”
“How?”
Reaching for her, he said, “Spending the rest of the day in bed.”
He wanted her again... as much as he wanted to avoid rehashing last night’s nightmare. Whether she understood his dual need or not, he couldn’t say. But she didn’t argue. Instead she leaned over and kissed his lips, then playfully smacked at his wandering hand.
“Bed sounds good, but I can’t put off my work any longer,” she said.
“How much do you need to do today?”
“Well, I need to begin some sort of organizing for the book. And I need to sort through the letters that my editor forwarded for one or two new summer columns. I think one month of reruns is enough, don’t you?”
“Not really. I could rerun last night with you over and over and never get bored.” He brushed his fingers over her breast in a lazy circular motion. “What about you?”
Was it his imagination or did she stiffen at his touch. “I think we shouldn’t go overboard.” She grinned, but the smile seemed forced. “The work won’t disappear, so I’m kicking you out.”
Her backing off didn’t surprise him and he decided to tread carefully. “Can’t kick me out when I have nowhere to go,” he reminded her, deliberately playing on her good nature.
“True. But I can bribe you to disappear for a while.”
Her attempt at easy banter relaxed him somewhat, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that she obviously needed to escape. And given her admitted fears, that need probably had more to do with their newly discovered intimacy and passion than with her need to work. Since making love had cemented an already strong bond, one he’d be forced to break, he decided to let her have her way.
“I’m a man easily bribed. What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll make you breakfast and then you disappear for a few hours. Get lost. Go take pictures somewhere.”
“Pancakes?” he asked. “You know you can’t get pancakes in the places I’ve been hanging out lately.”
“I think I can handle that,” she said wryly.