“Inside, now,” she replied, as she quickly pushed open the car door and got out. I wasn’t going to argue with her, so I followed her up the walk and into the house.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Emily
I gasped when we stepped inside the front door, and I saw the living room lit up by strands of tiny white lights draped across the top of the curtain rods. On the coffee table was an enormous bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, and next to it was a box wrapped in shiny red paper with a big white bow on top.
“Blake?” I whispered, as I looked around the room. “What on earth is all this?”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Teach,” he smiled, as he pulled me to him and kissed me softly.
“How on earth did you do this?” I asked, confused about how he’d managed to get the house decorated without me knowing.
“I have my ways,” he grinned, before kissing me again.
“No, I’m serious,” I said, stepping back as I looked around. “How did you do this?”
“I called KO and asked for help,” he shrugged. “She had some of her friends come in and decorate after you left to come pick me up.”
“Ah ha, you have helpers,” I smiled, as the mystery was solved.
“I bought the flowers and wrapped the gift,” he said a little defensively. “They just hung the lights. Notice there is no fire in this setup.”
“What?” I said, before realizing he was teasing. I lightly slapped his arm as I laughed, “You’re mean.”
“Well, I figured you, fire, and holidays are never a good mix,” he grinned, as he pulled me to the couch and sat down. I joined him as he handed me the shiny box.
“This is beautiful,” I said, turning it over and admiring his handiwork. “You did a nice job, but you really didn’t have to.”
“I know I didn’t,” he leaned over and whispered, before kissing my cheek. “But I wanted to.”
I carefully unwrapped the package, and inside found a beautiful cashmere scarf and matching gloves in a gorgeous shade of cornflower blue. I wound the scarf around my neck and pulled on the gloves, marveling at the softness.
“Oh Blake, these are beautiful,” I sighed, as I reached out and stroked his cheek with a cashmere-covered hand.
“Mmmm, soft. Just like you,” he said, as he leaned in and closed his eyes. “I thought
the color matched your eyes perfectly.”
“You’re so sweet,” I said, replacing my glove with my lips.
“How sweet?” he asked, as he opened his eyes and turned to face me. He raised one hand and gently trailed the tips of his fingers down my cheek.
“Very sweet,” I sighed, as I leaned into his caress, and then sighed as he took my face in his hands and bent down to kiss me. A wave of pure desire swept through my body as I felt his lips on mine, and I quickly pulled off the gloves and tossed them on the table.
“Emily…” Blake whispered into my lips. “I need you.”
“Yes,” I whispered back, as I opened my eyes and looked into his. “I need you, too.”
He quickly stood up and scooped me up into his arms in one swift motion. When I opened my mouth to protest, he silenced me with another long kiss as he walked toward the bedroom, where he gently sat me down on the bed and knelt between my legs as he began to remove my clothes.
He slowly pulled my sweater over my head, stopping for a moment to lean forward and run his lips across the tops of my breasts, making me shiver. Tossing my sweater aside, he reached around and unhooked my bra with one hand.
“You’re quite an expert at that, Mr. Gaston,” I smiled.
“Beginner’s luck,” he grinned. I chuckled softly as I shook my head and reached out to unbutton his shirt. Blake shook his head and said, “Nope, it’s my turn now.”
He stood up and lifted me so that he could shift me onto the bed and lower me onto the pillows. Again, he kissed me as he slowly ran one hand down the length of my torso and back up to lazily circle one already-hard nipple. The teasing was agonizingly exquisite, and I sighed as I gave in and let him take his time.