Page 44 of Deserving Cora
“Pipe? I thought you were going to kiss me.”
“I am. I’m memorizing this moment first. It’s not every day that a man meets the woman he wants to marry.”
It was Cora’s turn to be shocked. “What?”
“I know. Too fast. But I’m not a stupid man. I know when I’ve been given a gift. Just as I knew I could take the time to play with those kids, or listen to a couple of songs. I’m forty-two years old. Too old to think with my dick. But old enough to listen to fate when she knocks me upside my head.”
“I don’t know—”
“Not today. And not tomorrow. I don’t care how long it takes, I’m gonna show you that you can be yourself with me, Cora. You can let down your guard, tell me all the things you’re feeling, good and bad. I’ll be your protector. I’ll be anything you need me to be.”
Cora knew she should be freaking out. Things like this didn’t happen to her. This was the kind of situation that Lara should be in. A man declaring that he wanted to marry her after only knowing her a single day? Before sharing even one kiss? Yeah, that was totally something that would happen to Lara, not her.
And yet, here she was. And surprisingly, the more she digested what he said, the more she was excited by the idea. “Okay. But I want it here. On your deck. At night. With the fairy lights on. Only us….and whoever’s marrying us. Everyone else can be down in the yard, cheering us on. And I’m not wearing a white dress.”
Where all this was coming from, Cora had no idea, but it felt right.
Pipe grinned. “Agreed.”
She smiled back. “Good Lord, did we just decide on how we wanted our marriage ceremony to go when we haven’t even kissed yet? We might not click. Might not have any chemistry.”
“Oh, we’ll click all right,” Pipe growled. Then his fingers tightened on her neck and his head lowered.
He kissed her as if he’d been doing it all his life. No hesitation, no tentative fumbling.
Cora immediately opened for him and wrapped an arm around his neck, urging him closer.
And he was right. They had serious chemistry. More than she’d ever experienced with anyone. The moment his lips touched hers, sparks flew.
Cora tilted her head, wanting to get closer. His tongue stroked hers as they spoke without words. His other hand came up and he palmed her face as he worshiped her mouth. She couldn’t describe it any other way. She held on to him for dear life, afraid she’d fly into a million pieces if she didn’t have him to cling to.
When he finally lifted his head, Cora almost felt bereft. She opened her eyes and found that he was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. He still cradled her face in his hands, and the look in his eyes made her feel strong and weak at the same time…and so feminine.
“Pipe?” she breathed.
“Bloody hell,” he swore.
Cora giggled.
“Seriously, woman. That was…I don’t know what that was.”
“I think it’s safe to say we definitely have chemistry,” Cora told him.
“Yeah,” Pipe agreed before lowering his head again. This time, the kiss was sweet and slow, not quite as passionate as the previous one, but no less life-altering.
Cora’s nipples were hard and tight under her shirt, and she could feel how wet she’d gotten between her legs. From kissing, of all things. That had never really happened to her before.
And she hadn’t missed Pipe’s erection under her ass. She had the sudden thought that if she moved, she could straddle his lap and all it would take was a little shimmy and shake and he could be inside her.
But as soon as she had the thought, Pipe lifted his lips from hers, cradling her against his chest once again. One arm went around her back and the other draped heavily across her lap as he clasped her to him.
“I was kidding about going at it on Ridge’s lawn, but now I’m thinking that’s not too far outside the realm of possibilities,” Cora said with a small laugh.
“We’re gonna find Lara, find out what the hell’s going on, then I’m bringing you back to The Refuge and making love to you up here on our deck. With the stars shining over our heads,” Pipe told her.
Cora squirmed. She wanted that. Badly. “Can we maybe bring up a space heater or something? Because the thought of getting naked in the cold isn’t very romantic.”
She felt more than heard his chuckle. “Yeah, love, we can do that.”
