His lips grazed her cheek and he whispered, “Just us, right now.”
Dear God, he hoped this didn’t destroy him. As she pressed closer, he lifted her, pulling her legs around his waist and deepening the kiss. His hands dragged down her spine, tracing the delicate line and cupping her soft ass.
It didn’t take long for his tension to unwind. Carrying her to the bed, he gently placed her beneath him, taking his time to explore her curves with kisses and soft nibbles. She was so responsive, eager, and accommodating.
As he softly stroked silken skin, he nudged her knees further apart, fitting his shoulders between her fallen thighs. He kissed a trail down her stomach and bit softly at her hip. Spreading her folds open, he found her little jewel and pressed a kiss there.
Her body tensed, so he whispered and soothed her. Slow, tender licks left her shaking, but soon she was moaning and trembling when his caresses felt especially pleasurable. If Lance had been as selfish in bed as he was in everything else, chances are he rarely took care of her this way.
Pat got lost in her flavor and scent. Her delicate almost tentative response grew more confident the longer he took his time, and soon she was quivering and crying out his name. He brought her to climax again and again, sometimes rapidly, sometimes slowly, but always completely.
Pulling his clothes off, he reached under the pillows for the box of condoms. She watched him, not missing a beat as he stripped off his briefs and stroked himself. Their gazes met, and she smiled, then surprised him by taking the condom from him and placing a kiss on his shaft.
She was exploratory and gentle. He waited and enjoyed every attentive kiss. When she took him into her mouth, his fingers traced slow swirls over her bare shoulders as he gave her complete control.
“Do you like that?” she looked up at him, seeking reassurance, and it nearly broke him.
Dragging a thumb over her full lower lip, he smiled at her. “I love everything you do.”
She smiled back and lowered her head again. She nearly finished him, but he lifted her for a deep kiss, rolling her to her back. He slid down the condom and aligned his body with hers, staring into her eyes.
“I’ve imagined this a million different ways, but it’s never come close to the reality.”
Her hand traced along the stubble at his jaw and she smiled. “Show me how it’s supposed to be.”
He slid forward and they both gasped at the incredible sensation. Her nails dug into his muscled flesh, and he kept his gaze on her. He kissed her hungrily, showing her how endless his desire for her was.
Her body gripped his and trembled when he pressed deep, stroking that sensitive spot inside a woman, where the earth meets heaven. Her body bowed and she called his name, urging him faster in a storm of desire and pent-up lust. She rocked his soul and unraveled knots in him that had been tied for decades. He was flying and falling, existing in a place with no darkness or time, only pleasure and his beautiful Julie. When they finished together, he felt rewritten as a man, certain that no other woman could ever come close to her in his heart.
The intensity of their connection was sewn by a friendship that was more than twenty years old. They knew each other’s secrets and fears. He could recall the cause of almost every scar on her body and knew what she sounded like when she laughed her hardest and unfortunately, what she sounded like when she cried. Experiencing this intimate part of her, closed something in him that had been left open and suffering too long. This linked them tighter than they ever were before.
Clinging tight to one another, she smiled at him and whispered, “I could so easily fall in love with you.”
He wanted that more than his next breath. “I’ve already fallen, so I’ll be waiting to catch you whenever you’re ready.”
Chapter 12
Spending the day with Pat was like hiding away in the soft safety of a cloud or the sapphire curl of a wave. No one could reach them there, and they were free to be whoever they wanted. Pat made her feel safe to be herself, as if the woman she’d become was the perfect mix of flaws and rightness. He made her like herself again, and she hadn’t liked herself in a very long time.
“Okay, Mr. Murdock—current age—Old Man McGinty, and Father Mark.”
Julie rolled on her back, covering her face with her palms and laughing. “No, I can’t!”
“You have to!” Pat draped his upper body over her bare belly, cheek pressed to her skin and hands casually exploring.
She’d slipped the flannel back on because the cabin air caught a chill once the sun set, but they were still mostly naked. The crunch of a cheese puff broke the silence as he chewed.