Cape Cod Promises (Love on Rockwell Island 2)

He gazed into her eyes, the air around them pulsing with need, their hearts beating frantically with anticipation. The edges of his beautiful mouth curved up as he whispered, “I always have, Dandelion.”

Her world stilled. She never imagined hearing him say that he loved her again…and she never dreamed he’d ever again use the nickname he’d given her the very first time they’d made love.

Dandelion.

Emotion and desire coalesced, and her desperate need to be close to him overwhelmed her ability to fully process the meaning of his confession.

He lowered his lips to hers and whispered, “You’re so beautiful. So soft. So perfect,” at the same blissful moment that he gripped her hips and sank into her.

“Trent.” He filled her so completely, and when their bodies began to move, there was no caution, no hesitation.

His scent was intoxication. His power, his passion, sent waves of ecstasy through her. She took him as aggressively as he took her, meeting each of his powerful thrusts with a lift of her hips. She clutched his biceps, his shoulders, his muscular back, touching everywhere and anywhere she could reach.

I’ve missed you so much, she thought. I dreamed of you so many nights, wishing you were with me.

As thrust after thrust took her higher, closer to the edge, her head tipped back and his mouth found her neck. Oh yes. He remembered exactly what she liked. He nibbled and sucked, driving her out of her mind. And when he slid a hand between them, teasing and taunting, she instantly shattered around him.

Still shuddering from her incredibly intense climax, she wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling the thrill of his arousal in the tightening of his muscles. He circled her body with his arms, bringing her so close against his chest, as if he couldn’t bear to have air between them. And then he was taking her right back to the edge again, each thrust slower now, stroking over her sensitive nerves.

She dug her nails into his skin. “More…Harder…Please…”

“Beautiful. You’re so damn beautiful, Reese.” He clutched her tight and reared up, thrusting harder. “I’ve waited so long to be with you again.”

“Too long,” she managed in a breathless voice, holding his arms for dear life as another climax tore through her.

He buried his face in her neck and breathed her name seconds before surrendering to his own release. She wrapped her arms around his back, loving the feel of his throbbing heat inside her.

“Reese.” Nothing had ever sounded sweeter than her name, spoken in the deep voice that she’d never been able to forget, no matter how many lonely nights she’d spent without him.

Only now, though his slow, sensuous kisses told her he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he’d always loved her, reality was already rushing back in. The reality of having slept with Trent on yet another first date, even though she’d vowed up and down not to do just that. She never slept with a guy on their first date!

But this wasn’t just any guy. This was Trent. The man she’d once adored.

Love me, Trent. Her own words from just minutes ago hit her like a brick. That’s all I want. Just for you to love me.

Oh no! Not only had she said it in the heat of the moment, but she’d meant it—wanted him, needed him—from the very tip of her head to the soles of her feet.

She sighed as she realized that she was more confused than ever.

As if he could read her mind, he slowly raised his body from hers, took her hand to help her up, and silently gave her her clothes to put back on. After they were both dressed again, they sat on the hood of the car beneath the stars, and she wondered if he’d needed the chance to cool off as much as she had.

“I should have asked if you were sure,” he said softly.

“You know how much I wanted you,” she assured him. “More than I wanted to breathe.”

“And now?” He touched her chin, bringing her eyes to his.

From the tightening of his jaw and the furrowing of his brow, she knew he could see her uncertainty about where to go from here. Her heart raced again as she tried to figure out what to say, how to explain that the desperation to be in his arms again was colliding head-on with the fear of repeating their past. Her skin became clammy as she tried to fight the terrifying fear of racing forward at breakneck speed, the way they had the first time. She wanted him—God, how she wanted him—but the knowledge that what they’d done before hadn’t worked and the realization that she was practically powerless to resist the white-hot desire between them coiled into a knot and drove her to her feet.

“And now…I want to kiss you and run from you at the same time.”