In Full Bloom (Second Chances 1)

She felt him swell inside her, stretching her, filling her. Feeling ripples of pleasure flow through her system, she continued to work her hips against his, her fingers clutching at his back. When his breathing became more shallow, she knew that he hovered right there on the edge. He shifted his hips so that he now made direct contact with her g-spot each time he slid into her.

When he increased his pace, the way that she rolled her hips against his became much less retrained. She moaned as he pressed his mouth to hers. Seconds later, they both cried out in unison against each other’s mouths as he came inside her, pushing her over the edge.

While they were still joined, she ran her mouth along the salty, slick skin of his neck and said, “I love you.”

His voice soft, he said, “I know you do. I love you, too.”

She made a sound of regret when he slid out of her and moved to the side. He drew her immediately to his side. She snuggled close, still overwhelmed with the intensity between them.

He stroked a hand down her back and said, “Not how I pictured the evening going, but I’m grateful for it.”

She placed a kiss against his collarbone and said, “This is so much more than I had hoped for. I was just hoping at some point you wouldn’t hate me.”

His hand stopped and he leaned his head down. Looking at her, he said, “I don’t think I could ever hate you.”

“For that I’m eternally grateful,” she said. “Just so you know, I might screw up again, but I’m trying.”

“Just talk to me,” he said. “That’s all I ask.”

“Done,” she agreed. “By the way. Why do you have a contractor coming in? I was going to ask you earlier.”

“Eventually I’m going to turn the upper floor into one huge living space. That can wait though. You’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m not?” she asked.

“Did you still want to?” he asked, confusion lacing his voice.

“No. Not at all,” she said. “I did give you my written notice though.”

“Did you?” he asked. “Must have misplaced that. Sorry.”

“Good,” she said. “Now you’re stuck with me.”

He shifted onto his side and looked at her, a grin on his face. Just before his lips met hers, he said, “No one I’d rather be stuck with.”

Epilogue

Taryn walked through the door of the shop and heard the familiar jingling of the bells. Evan looked up from where he was perched behind the counter and grinned.

He said, “Just who I wanted to see. Come here. Good day?”

As she skirted the counter, she moved into his waiting arms and said, “Long day. It’s much better now, though.”

“It’s going to get even better in a minute. Look what showed up,” he said, gesturing to the plans that lay on the counter.

It had been six months since Christmas. During that time, she could count the number of nights that they’d spent apart on one hand. When he’d asked, it seemed like the next logical step to move in with him.

“Yes!” she said. “They finally got here?”

“They did,” he said. “By the way, I asked her to make a

couple of small changes. I hope you don’t mind.”

She’d been an integral part of the design process. Especially the kitchen. Frowning, she asked, “They didn’t mess with the kitchen, did they? I love the kitchen.”

“Nope,” he said. “I just turned that dead space on the end into a couple of bedrooms. It seemed silly to have so much storage.”

“Oh,” she said, shrugging. “Okay. We already had a guest room, but whatever.”