Page 45 of Deking at Love
She frowned at him.“Are you going to climb in or stand there and gawk?All the cold air is getting in.”
Busted, but totally worth it.Sliding between the sheets, he pulled the covers over them.Lying half on her, he rested his closed fist on her chest and propped his chin on it.“Why did we wait so long to do that?”
Her eyes circled the ceiling, as though she was formulating an answer.“Oh, I don’t know.There was that little matter of your bum ankle.”
“The bum ankle is still there.”
“Then how about the fact that I resented you, and you didn’t like me?”
“Hey, who says I didn’t like you?Sure, I wasn’t crazy about the torture some days—I’m still not—but that doesn’t mean I disliked you.”So what if he’d wanted to throw crap at her in the beginning?That urge had grown less violent over the weeks until it finally ebbed.And yeah, some days he hadn’t been able to decide if he hated her or loved her.Hate was definitelynotthe emotion front of mind now.
He moved up her body until his mouth was level with hers, loving the slide of her smooth, warm skin against his.He stared at her perfect mouth for a beat before taking it in another slow, deep, wet kiss.
I could kiss this mouth for days, weeks, years and never get tired of it.
“Do you still resent me, angel?”he croaked.
She held her index finger and thumb about a half inch apart.“Maybe only a little now.”
“I guess I’ll have to turn that answer into a ‘not at all.’”He kissed her again, plunging into urgency that left them both desperate for air when they broke apart.“How am I doing so far?”
“Not bad,” she panted.
“Sounds like I’ve got my work cut out for me.”Settling himself on his back, he pulled her against his side.She molded to him, sliding a leg over his and resting her hand and cheek on his heart.
I could get used to this.
Tucked against Sam’s side, Angie ran a fingertip over the smooth surface of the locket.“I’d forgotten about this.Do you still have a picture of you and your mom inside?”
“Yep, still there, although it’s a little worse for wear now.”Covering her hand with his, he murmured, “I love that you remember it and what’s inside it.”
Angie kinda loved that too, sharing that part of his history.
She began to drift away on a cloud of satiation.So much was familiar yet completely different from the last time.This time she wasn’t drunk off her ass, so she actually remembered the tiny details, like the way his fingers stroked her skin or how his mouth moved over hers or the feel of him between her legs, hard and thick and heavy.The grunts and growls and curses he emitted as he climaxed.Had he been vocal before?She didn’t remember, nor did she care.All that mattered was how those caveman noises drove her to the brink of ecstasy now.
She traced featherlight circles around his locket and moved to his flat nipple, teasing it when it turned into a tiny bead, giving it a flick of her tongue followed by a soft kiss.His skin tasted like a sinful dessert that would very likely clog your arteries and kill you, but it also smelled like home.
“Keep that up, angel, and I’ll have you flat on your back again.”His voice slurred with sleepiness.
“Promises, promises,” she murmured.
A warm chuckle rumbled through his chest.“Thatisa promise.You can count on it.”With that, he slid his hand from her shoulder, snaking it beneath her upper arm to caress the side of her breast.Lying here, him touching her, her touching him, seemed like the most natural state in the world, as though they’d been intimate for years.Her annoying brain chose that moment to wander to him with Brianna.Had they shared moments like this?
“Hey, Ange.Are you happy with your life right now?”
“Are you talking about right this minute, as in you’re fishing for compliments about your performance?You want to know what a beast you are?”she snarked.
“I’m not talking about right here, right now, although you looked pretty damn happy not too long ago,” he chortled.“And for the record, I’m always open to being called a beast and to compliments ofanykind.Don’t get enough of those.”
“Even from your other women?”
“Huh.Interesting that you say ‘other.’Does that mean you’re putting yourself in that general pool?”
A flush heated her face.“So there’s a pool?”
“Do you always answer a question with a question?And also for the record, the ‘pool’ is pretty small.Like, there’s one person in it, and I happen to be lying next to her.As for lack of compliments, I was talking about fans, talking heads, my coach.Even my PT.They can be brutal on a guy’s ego.Especiallymy PT.”He tickled her ribs.
She fizzed with laughter.“Probably because you deserve it.”
